Elective: environmental Science

Paper III: Descriptive

Question Bank

Short answer types (each to be answered in about thirty (30) words. Each question carries five (5) marks.)

1. Diagenesis

2. Braided river

3. Ecological niche

4. Turbidity

5. Secondary succession

11. Speciation

12. Photochemical smog

13. Sanctuary

14. Wetland

15. Incineration

16. Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM)

17. Relative humidity in terms of mixing ratios

18. Infrared radiation

19. Wind rose

20. t – Statistic or Students’ t test.

21. PM₁₀ and PM_2.5

22. Stratigraphy

23. Alluvial deposits

24. Placers

25. Principle of HPLC.

26. Carbon monoxide.

27. Phytoplankton.

28. Ecological succession.

29. Ecological Pyramids.

30. Food web

31. Fluorosis.

32. Application of GIS in Environmental Management.

33. Principle of coagulation.

34. Environmental Audit.

35. Scale of Meteorology.

36. Ecomark

37. Biofertilizers.

38. Laws of thermodynamics.

39. Define gene pool.

40. What is meant by steady-state non-conservative system?

41. Define ecological succession.

42. Explain the nature of the interior of the earth.

43. What is meant by wind rose?

44. Define steam reformation of hydrocarbons.

45. Define and distinguish between BOD and COD.

46. Explain the cation-exchange capacity in clays.

47. Define correlation coefficient and state its significance in statistical data analysis.

48. What is meant by cost-effective analysis?

49. Giving the chemical equations, define pH and Eh of carbonate systems.

50. Explain the principle of anaerobic digestion in a biogas plant.

51. Define the principle of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC).

52. Explain the index of equivalent sound pressure level.

53. Enumerate the characteristics of a soil profile in a temperate region

54. Composition of Atmosphere.

55. Wind roses.

56. Bioindicator.

57. Costs benefit analysis with respect to EIA.

58. Desertification.

59. Estuary.

60. Probability.

61. Air borne diseases.

62. EIA guidelines (1994).

63. Principles of coagulation in water treatment.

64. El Nino.

65. Box Model.

66. Quadrat Method.

67. Wetlands.

68. ‘Chi’ square.

69. Bioinoculants.

70. Solid state fermentation.

71. Soil carbon sequestration.

72. Extremophile.

73. Inversion layer.

74. Environmental audit.

75. Dobson Unit.

76. F-statistics.

77. Optical density.

78. COD and BPD

79. Acid rain.

80. Keystone species.

81. Food chains.

82. Ecological niche.

83. Ecosystem

84. Scope of Ecolgy in the modern context

85. Lithosere

86. Atmospheric window

87. Leachate

88. ISO standards

89. EMS

90. Environmental Audit

91. NAAQM

92. Beer Lamberts Law

93. Rayleigh’s law

94. Mayer’s Equation

95. Reynolds’s number

96. Ecotone

 

ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS

Essay type questions (one essay type question of forty (40) marks to be answered in about one thousand (1000) words on any of the following topics.)

1. Sumatra earthquake of 26th December 2004 and the resultant Tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
2. Solid waste management in metropolitan cities.
3. Soil types of India.
4. Role of biotechnology in environmental management.
5. Merits and demerits of proposed river linking project in India.
6. Conservation of biodiversity.
7. Climate change – reality or myth.
8. Population growth and sustainable development in India.
9. What are the endangered and threatened species? Explain various methods of protecting them.
10. Define air quality index. Discuss various factors that affect urban air quality and measures of pollution control.
11. Discuss various methods of disposal and recycling of municipal and biomedical solid waste.
12. What is toxicity? List out ten (10) important toxic substances present in the environment. Describe various methods of toxicity testing for pesticides.
13. Discuss hydrological cycle. Explain the concept of reservoirs, residence time and fluxes. Comment also on possible impact of climate change on water cycle.
14. What are the sources of marine pollution? Discuss the ‘impact of pollutants on marine ecosystem.’ Describe control measures for marine pollution.
15. Explain the need for E.I.A. Discuss various methods of environmental impact assessment and their relative merits and demerits.
16. “Ecological modelling can forecast the population growth and interactions in an ecosystm”. Justify with the help of suitable models.
17. Discuss the structure and composition of the atmosphere. Comment on the stability of atmosphere.
18. Discuss the principle, method and applications of atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
19. Write an essay on the structure and dynamics of an ecosystem.
20. Discuss the thermochemical and photochemical reactions in the troposphere with a special emphasis on photochemical smog and acid rain.
21. Write an essay on the importance of minerals in modern industrial society.
22. Enumerate the various types of natural hazards. Discuss the causative factors and effects of the one prevailing in Himalayan region.
23. Explain the characteristics of waste lands. Add a note on their reclamation methods.
24. Write an essay on the potential of renewable energy sources in the Indian Context.
25. Write an essay on the applications of remote sensing and GIS in the evaluation of natural resources and their management
26. Describe various causes of Depleting Biodiversity. Discuss strategies for conservation of biodiversity.
27. Discuss various natural hazards commonly encountered in the Indian sub-continent.
28. Why is Environmental Education necessary in the present day curriculum? Discuss different methods that may be adopted for successful implementation of Environmental Education in India.
29. What is Hazardous Waste? Discuss various methods of safe disposal of these wastes. Enumerate the difficulties in actual implementation of the same.

30. “Overexploitation of natural resources leads to environmental pollution”. – Comment on the above statement and justify your views.
31. Define EIA. Discuss in detail EIA for a mining industry.
32. What are the sources of Noise Pollution? Describe different methods of measurement of noise levels. Enumerate the impact of noise on human health.
33. What is the principle of generation of Hydroelectric Power? What are the environmental impacts of mega hydroelectric power projects? How they can be mitigated?
34. What is Bioremediation? Comment on bioremediation of soils contaminated with oil spills.
35. Enumerate advantages and disadvantages of Genetically Modified Organism (GMOS) and their environmental concerns.
36. Significance and approaches of biodiversity conservation.
37. Outline the general principles of analytical methods of water quality assessment.
38. Environmental impacts of open cast coal mining.
39. Environmental problems associated with mega-thermal power plants and remedial measures.
40. Approaches to restoration and rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems.
41. Current environmental issues in India.
42. Prevalence of arsenic pollution in West Bengal
43. Swine Flue
44. El Nino
45. South West Monsoon
46. Environmental impacts of exploitation and processing of minerals
47. Application of remote sensing and GIS for environmental management
48. Environmental implications of energy usage in India
49. Discuss the methods to monitor and control air pollution
50. Sewage treatment
51. Advanced water treatment techniques
52. Potable water treatment
53. Heavy metal pollution
54. Environmental impacts of organochlorine pesticides
55. Radioactive pollution
56. Comment on the Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling and Transboundary Movemenmt) Rules, 2008
57. Commend on Biodiversity Conservation act
58. Comment on EIA notification, 2009

Read the passage given below and answer questions from 1 to 4 on your understanding of the passage:

The more difficult task of ensuring global economic stability was assigned to the IMF. Those who convened Bretton Woods had the global depression of the 1930′s very much on their minds. Almost three quarters of a century ago, capitalism faced the most severe crisis to date. The Great Depression enveloped the whole world and led to unprecedented increases in unemployment. At the worst point, a quarter of America’s workforce was unemployed. The British economist John Maynard Keynes, who would later be a key participant at Bretton Woods, put forward a simple explanation, and a corresponding simple set of prescriptions; lack of sufficient aggregate demand explained economic downturns; government policies could help stimulate aggregate demand. In cases where monetary policy is ineffective, governments could rely on fiscal policies, either by increasing expenditures or cutting taxes. While the models underlying Keynes’ analysis have subsequently been criticised and refined, bringing a deeper understanding of why market forces do not work quickly to adjust the economy to full employment, the basic lessons remain valid.

1. The IMF was assigned:

(A) The task of accelerating economic growth of the world
(B) The task of controlling inflation in the world economy
(C) The task of ensuring economic stability in the world economy
(D) The task of removing imbalances from the U.S.A.

2. During the Great Depression :

(A) Unemployment rate in the World was 25%
(B) Unemployment rate in England was 20%
(C) Unemployment rate in the U.S.A. was 25%
(D) Unemployment rate in India was 20%

3. According to Keynes, the cause for the unprecedented global depression of the 1930′s
was:

(A) High interest rate in the USA.
(B) Low interest rate in the UK.
(C) Break down of the gold standard
(D) Lack of sufficient aggregate demand

4. Keynes’ prescription to fight global depression was that:

(A) The government should pursue active monetary policy
(B) The government should pursue a combination of fiscal policy and monetary policy
(C) The government should pursue fiscal policy where monetary policy is in effective
(D) The government should have a policy of balanced budget

answers: 1.C, 2. C, 3. D, 4. C