Test: Environmental Awareness (Introduction & Basics) - Software Development MCQ

The correct answer is Sunlight.

Key Points

• Renewable energy is often thought of as a new technology, harnessing nature’s power has long been used for heating, transportation, lighting, and more. Renewable energy is considered a non-polluting source of energy.
• Renewable energy consists of sources like
  • Solar-Energy harnessed from the sun.
  • Wind-Energy harnessed from wind velocity.
  • Wave-Energy harnessed from waves in the sea or river.
  • Tidal-Energy harnessed from tides in the sea during high tide and low tide phenomena.
  • Geo-Thermal-Energy harnessed from the heat inside the earth's surface.

Additional Information

• Non-renewable energy is fossil fuel energy, such as coal, crude oil, natural gas, and uranium.
• Fossil fuels are primarily fossil.
• Fossil fuels are thought to have been produced more than 300 million years ago when the planet was very different in its landscape.

Key Points

Water Harvesting:  

• Water harvesting is a practice to conserve water by collecting rainwater in an organized way.
• The rainwater is not allowed to flow and get wasted but collected in tanks.
• The main purpose however is not the collection but the enhancement of groundwater level.  
• The collected water through tubes is made to recharge groundwater.
• Maintenance of groundwater is long term sustainable structure for water conservation.
• So, water harvesting is used to increase the groundwater level by an organized collection of groundwater.
• So, water harvesting is a method that Increases the groundwater level.
• Water harvesting is an old practice in India and is now considered a more efficient way of water management than dams.  
• People are adopting this method and it is also being encouraged by the administration and government. 

​Thus, the main purpose of rainwater harvesting is to recharge the groundwater table.

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Key Points

• In most ecosystems, all the pyramids, of the number, of energy, and biomass are upright, i.e. producers are more in number and biomass than the herbivores, and herbivores are more in number and biomass than the carnivores.
  • Also, energy at a lower trophic level is always more than at a higher level.
  • However, there are exceptions to this generalization
    • The pyramid of biomass in the sea is generally inverted because the biomass of fishes far exceeds that of phytoplankton.

• Hence statement 1 is correct.
• A pyramid of energy is always upright, can never be inverted, because when energy flows from a particular trophic level to the next trophic level, some energy is always lost as heat at each step.
  • Each bar in the energy pyramid indicates the amount of energy present at each trophic level in a given time or annually per unit area.

• Hence statement 2 is correct.

Key Points

Concept:

Ecosystem: 

All organisms such as plants, animals, microorganisms and human beings as well as the physical surroundings interact with each other and maintain a balance in nature. All the interacting organisms in an area together with the non-living constituents of the environment form an ecosystem.

• Biotic Components: It includes producers, consumers and decomposers. All living things have a direct or indirect influence on other organisms in an environment. Ex- Plants, Animals, Microorganism etc.
• Abiotic components: All the in-organic components of the ecosystem, non-living physical and chemical composition of nature are abiotic components. Ex- stones, water, Humus (organic waste), air etc

Additional Information

Explanation:

• The structure of an ecosystem refers to its biotic and abiotic factors and the function of an ecosystem includes energy flow and nutrient cycles
• An ecosystem whose structure and function remains unaltered over a long period of time is considered to be a stable ecosystem
• Oceans are the most stable ecosystem as they are large, deep, and continuous because of which any change in the structure and function is difficult or can be easily resisted
• Coral reefs are a diverse form of the marine ecosystem, which in total may account for a quarter of all ocean species.
• The ratio of fish compared to elasmobranchs such as sharks, skates, and rays – has remained stable for periods of tens of millions of years, despite extreme environmental changes caused by climate shifts of the past.

The correct answer is Biomagnification.

• Biomagnification is the concentration of a toxin at successively higher levels in a food chain. 

Key Points

• Biomagnification is the trophic enrichment of contaminants within food webs and progressive increase in chemical concentrations with increasing animal trophic status.
• Biomagnification occurs when organisms like zooplankton feed upon the contaminated phytoplankton and in turn absorb Persistent Organic Pollutants (DDT) into their own tissues at a higher concentration.
• The more contaminated phytoplankton zooplankton eats, the more will be the contamination at upper trophic levels.

The correct answer is option 3.

• The concept of “sustainable development” came into general usage after the Brundtland Commission Report (1987).
• The concept of sustainable development was emphasised by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

​Key-Points

Sustainable Development (SD):

• Brundtland stated that "sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present generation, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
• SD enables the present generation to use natural resources judiciously so that their availability is ensured for future generations too.
• The United Nations 2005 World Summit outcome document refers to three "interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars" of sustainable development

Three Pillars of Sustainability:

• The three pillars of sustainability are a powerful tool for defining the Sustainable Development problem.
• This consists of three parameters: Economic, Social, and Environmental pillars.
• If anyone pillar is weak then the system as a whole is unsustainable.
• Two popular ways to visualize the three pillars are shown in the figure below:

Social Sustainability:

• Social Sustainability focuses on social systems, such as a country, family, or organization.
•  It requires them to function at a defined level of social well-being and harmony indefinitely.
• Problems like war, endemic poverty, widespread injustice, and low education rate are symptoms of a system that is socially unsustainable.

Environmental Sustainability:

• Environmental Sustainability is the ability of the environment to support a defined level of environmental quality and natural resource extraction rates indefinitely.
• This is the world's biggest actual problem.
• This problem receives too low a priority to be solved and is consequently delayed.

Economic Sustainability:

• Economic Sustainability is the ability of an economy to support a defined level of economic production indefinitely.
• Since the Great Recession of 2008, this is the world's biggest apparent problem that endangers the progress of environmental sustainability.​

Important Points

• Equitable Sustainability = Social Sustainability + Economic Sustainability
• Viable Sustainability = Environment Sustainability + Economic Sustainability
• Acceptable Sustainability = Social Sustainability + Environment Sustainability

Thus, Equitable = Social Sustainability + Economic Sustainability is correct, when we only accomplish two out of three pillars of Sustainable Development.

The correct answer is 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Key Points

Rainwater Harvesting Methods

Kulhs

• These are water harvesting methods used in the hilly areas of the Western Himalayas. 
• These systems are trenches that were dug to help divert water from rivers to be used for agriculture and into the villages for domestic use.
• They are used to transport melted water from glaciers to villages due to the effect of gravity.
• Under this system, water from the streams is diverted into man-made channels that carry this water to various villages.
• They serve as a source of canal irrigation for agricultural crops.
• Being a hilly area, it was not possible to build tube wells and borewells in Himachal Pradesh. That's why ';kulhs' came into existence.

Khadin and Jhodas

• This method is used in the arid areas of Rajasthan for water conservation.
• In arid areas, agricultural fields are converted into rain-fed storage structures.
• It is an indigenous construction designed to harvest surface runoff water for agriculture.
• Its main feature is a very long (100-300 m) earthen embankment built across the lower hill slopes lying below gravelly uplands.
• The khadin system is based on the principle of harvesting rainwater on farmland and subsequent use of this water-saturated land for crop production.

Madakas, Ahar, Pynes, Surangas

• Ancient rainwater harvesting methods followed in India include Madakas, Ahar, Pynes, Surangas. Hence option 4 is correct.
• They were practised majorly in rural areas.

Additional Information

• Tankas are big concrete containers which are made for rainwater harvesting.
• In this method, hilltops are cut in a way that they act like a big tank to store the water
• The Bamboo Drip Irrigation system is used in Meghalaya.
• It is a 200-year-old system of using bamboo pipes to transport.
• Bamboos are connected to the source of flowing water to the fields
• About 18-20 litres of water enters the bamboo pipe system, gets transported over hundreds of metres, and finally reduces to 20-80 drops per minute at the site of the plant.

Explanation:

There are basically two sources of energy:-

• Non-conventional sources and renewable sources of energy are those that can be regenerated naturally within a short time span.
• Their use does not result in their complete exhaustion and they would not take millions of years in their formation.
• Solar energy, tidal energy are non-conventional and renewable sources of energy.

The correct answer is Increase in groundwater level.

Key Points

An increase in groundwater level is not a consequence of deforestation.

Deforestation

• It is a very broad term, which consists of cutting of trees including repeated lopping, felling, and removal of forest litter, browsing, grazing, and trampling of seedlings. It can also be defined as the removal or damage of vegetation in a forest to the extent that it no longer supports its natural flora and fauna.
• Deforestation not only affects the climate by increasing the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide but also affects the environment by inhibiting water recycling, triggering severe flooding, aquifer depletion, soil degradation, and the extinction of plant and animal species.
• Deforestation leads to an increase in soil erosion and a decrease in rainfall.  
• Causes of Deforestation: The most common reason for deforestation is the cutting of wood for fuel, lumber, and paper. Another important cause relates to the clearing of forest land for agriculture, including conversion to cropland and pasture. The main causes of deforestation are:
  • Agriculture
  • Shifting cultivation
  • Demand for firewood
  • Wood for industry and commercial use
  • Urbanization and developmental projects
  • Overgrazing of forests 

Concept:

• Electricity is the flow of charge.
• It is an essential part of modern life.
• People use electricity for:
  • Lightening
  • Heating
  • Cooling
  • Charging of devices

Explanation:

Light bulb:

• A device that converts electricity into light.
• It consists of a source of illumination.
• Outside there is a transparent shell.

Comparing the efficiency of different light sources:

Bulb:

• Nitrogen gas is loaded to make the light glow bright.
• They have a tungsten filament.
• The bulb gets extremely hot when the light is on.
• Their efficiency is 8-10 lumen per watt.
• There is a lot of electricity that gets wasted.

Tube light:

• They were cathode tubes.
• They needed long elongated sockets.
• Also a starter fuse.

CFL:

• They are also called fluorescent bulbs.
• They can also be used in greenhouses.
• They are filled with mercury and some other gases.
• Their efficiency is 30-60 lumen per watt.
• They remain cool.

LED light:

• These bulbs use photons instead of heat.
• The basis of an LED light is a negative diode.
• When electricity passes through the diode, the electrons release photons.
• These photons release light. 
• There is less energy required.
• These are more efficient.
• LED strips are the most famous type of LED lighting.

Thus, LED lights utilize the least amount of electricity.

Additional InformationSome basic terms related to light bulbs:

Voltage:

• The amount of electricity that passes through your cables.
• It is How much power we can potentially assess when we plug in our devices.
• For Indian homes it is 230V.

Wattage:

• Even if 230V is coming to your home, you cannot use it all.
• Every device has its own specifications.
• Wattage is in Joule per second. 

Lumen:

• The light one can actually see.
• It describes the brightness of the bulb.

Ecosystem: All organisms such as plants, animals, microorganisms and human beings as well as the physical surroundings interact with each other and maintain a balance in nature. All the interacting organisms in an area together with the non-living constituents of the environment form an ecosystem.

Feeding relation in natural surrounding:

• Food chain: A food chain shows the feeding relationship between different organisms in a particular environment and/or habitat. A food chain shows how energy is passed from the sun to producers, from producers to consumers, and from consumers to decomposes such as fungi. They also show how animals depend on other organisms for food.
• The systematic diagram to show this chain-

• In this chain, Grass ⟶ Grasshopper ⟶ Frog ⟶ Snake ⟶ Hawk.

According to the question, If all Deer will be killed.

Grass → Deer (×)→ Lion

Then, Grass is increased as no deers are there to eat and the population of lions will decrease because they did not get enough food.

So, Grass increases, and the population of Lions decreases.

The correct answer is A and R both are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Key Points

Trees as a shelter for animals:

• Trees provide shelter and food for a variety of birds and small animals, such as squirrels and beavers.
• Enhancing growth diversity, trees create an environment that allows the growth of plants that otherwise would not be there.
• Flowers, fruits, leaves, buds, and woody parts of trees are used by many different species.
• Deforestation can directly lead to biodiversity loss when animal species that live in the trees no longer have their habitat, cannot relocate, and therefore become extinct. 

Deforestation can lead certain tree species to permanently disappear, which affects the biodiversity of plant species in an environment.

Hence, the reason is also correct.

Important Points

Human activities that influence the extinction and endangerment of wild species fall into a number of categories:

• ​Land use practices like Deforestation, Projects in urban and suburban development, agriculture, and water management projects that encroach upon and destroy natural habitats.
• Unsustainable hunting and harvesting result in higher rates of death than new individual recruitment.
• Ecological damage caused by water, air, and soil pollution.
• Anthropogenic (human-caused) global climate change.
• ​According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019, The forest and tree cover in the country is estimated at 80.73 million hectares, which is 24.56 percent of the total geographical area.​

Additional Information

The International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN):

• For the purposes of conservation, the IUCN has divided the threatened plant and animal species into 9 categories.
• Endangered Species: It includes those species which are in danger of extinction. The IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species provides information about endangered species around the world.
• Vulnerable Species: This includes the species which are likely to be in danger of extinction in the near future if the factors threatening their extinction continue.
• Rare Species: The population of these species is very small in the world; they are confined to limited areas or thinly scattered over a wider area.

The correct answer is It is a closed system.
Key Points

• Ecosystem:
  • Ecosystem, a natural resource system, the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular unit of space.
  • An ecosystem is an open system that can be categorized into its abiotic constituents, including minerals, climate, soil, water, sunlight, and all other nonliving elements, and its biotic constituents, consisting of all its living members. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
  • Linking these constituents together are two major forces: the flow of energy through the ecosystem, and the cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem.
  • The fundamental source of energy in almost all ecosystems is radiant energy from the Sun.
  • The energy of sunlight is used by the ecosystem’s autotrophic, or self-sustaining, organisms. Consisting largely of green vegetation, these organisms are capable of photosynthesis i.e., they can use the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple, energy-rich carbohydrates.
  • The autotrophs use the energy stored within the simple carbohydrates to produce the more complex organic compounds, such as proteins, lipids, and starches, that maintain the organisms’ life processes.
  • The autotrophic segment of the ecosystem is commonly referred to as the producer level.

Additional Information

• The organic matter generated by autotrophs directly or indirectly sustains heterotrophic organisms.
• Heterotrophs are the consumers of the ecosystem; they cannot make their own food.
• They use, rearrange, and ultimately decompose the complex organic materials built up by the autotrophs.
• All animals and fungi are heterotrophs, as are most bacteria and many other microorganisms.
• Together, the autotrophs and heterotrophs form various trophic (feeding) levels in the ecosystem: the producer level, composed of those organisms that make their own food; the primary consumer level, composed of those organisms that feed on producers; the secondary consumer level, composed of those organisms that feed on primary consumers; and so on.
• The movement of organic matter and energy from the producer level through various consumer levels makes up a food chain.
• For example, a typical food chain in a grassland might be grass (producer) → mouse (primary consumer) → snake (secondary consumer) → hawk (tertiary consumer).
• Actually, in many cases the food chains of the ecosystem overlap and interconnect, forming what ecologists call a food web.
• The final link in all food chains is made up of decomposers, those heterotrophs that break down dead organisms and organic wastes.
• A food chain in which the primary consumer feeds on living plants is called a grazing pathway; that in which the primary consumer feeds on dead plant matter is known as a detritus pathway.
• Both pathways are important in accounting for the energy budget of the ecosystem.

• Potential energy is the stored ability to perform work.
• To actually perform work, potential energy must be transformed into other forms of energy. 
• Sun is the major source of energy for the ecosystem.
• The chemical energy of food is the main source of energy required by all living organisms.
• This energy is transmitted to different trophic levels along the food chain.

Key-Points

Energy flow in the ecosystem:

• In a food chain, the energy flow follows the 10 per cent law.
• According to this law, only 10 per cent of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the other; the rest is lost into the atmosphere.
• This is clearly explained in the following figure and is represented as an energy pyramid.
• This energy is stored in various organic products in the plants from the sun via the process of photosynthesis.
• This is then passed on to the primary consumers in the food chain when the herbivores consume (primary consumers) the plants as food.
• Then conversion of chemical energy stored in plant products into kinetic energy occurs, degradation of energy will occur through its conversion into heat.
• The energy flow is: Primary (100%) → First level/ Primary (10%) → Second-level/ Secondary (1%) → Third level / Tertiary (0.1%).
• The energy flow in the ecosystem is clearly unidirectional.

Thus, the ​correct sequence of trophic levels with increasing potential energy is Decomposers, Secondary consumers, Primary consumers, ​Producers.

• Drip irrigation is sometimes called trickle irrigation. 
• It involves dripping water onto the soil at very low rates (2-20 liters/hour) from a system of small diameter plastic pipes fitted with outlets called emitters or drippers.
• Simply put, rainwater harvesting is a process used for collecting and storing rainwater. 
• A conveyance system – gutters and downpipes that channel the water from the collection surface into a rainwater tank.
• These techniques are mainly employed in the northwest part of our country.
•  Diverters and filters – to keep leaves and other debris out of the storage tank.
• Water-saving habits must be imbibed  to small children right from childhood
• Using more water for cleaning toilets and washrooms is not the right method of saving and conserving water.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) and are intended to be achieved by 2030.
• They are included in a UNGA Resolution called the 2030 Agenda or what is colloquially known as Agenda 2030.
• These or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all".
• The SDGs were developed in the Post-2015
• Development Agenda as the future global development framework to succeed in the Millennium Development Goals which ended in 2015.

Hence the number of Sustainable Development Goals is 17.

Concept:

Ecosystem: 

• All organisms such as plants, animals, microorganisms and human beings as well as the physical surroundings interact with each other and maintain a balance in nature.
• All the interacting organisms in an area together with the non-living constituents of the environment form an ecosystem.
• The term ecosystem was coined by Tansley.

Explanation:

Components of an ecosystem:

Biotic Components: 

• It includes producers, consumers and decomposers.
• All living things have a direct or indirect influence on other organisms in an environment.
• Example: plants, animals, humans, microorganisms etc.

Abiotic components: 

• All the inorganic components of the ecosystem, non-living physical and chemical composition of nature are abiotic components.
• The biotic constituent of the environment includes soil, water, air, climate, temperature, light etc.
• This part of the environment mainly determines the type of habitat or living conditions of the living population.

Important Points

The abiotic constituent of the environment is again divided into three parts. These are: 

Thus, the correct match is:

Hydrological Cycle

• The process of circulation of water within the hydrosphere of Earth in different forms such as liquid, solid and gaseous states are called the Hydrological Cycle of water.
• It starts with the Evaporation of water from the surface of the water bodies and further, it includes Transpiration, Sublimation, Condensation and Precipitation.

Key Points

'Hydrological cycle' steps

• The first step of the water cycle is evaporation from water bodies means the part of the Hydrosphere.
• The second step of the water cycle is condensation, which takes place in the atmosphere.
• The third step of the water cycle is precipitation and runoff means the part of the lithosphere.
• The final step of the water cycle is in the Biosphere. 
• It is the zone where all the spheres interact and work together.
• It includes processes like water uptake and transpiration by plants.

​

Thus, in the 'Hydrological cycle' the order of the source in which they connected from each other is first Hydrosphere, second Atmosphere, third Lithosphere and fourth Biosphere.

Additional Information

Processes during a hydrological cycle:

​​Evaporation

• When waters convert from liquid to gas stage as it moves from the groundwater into the atmosphere, this phenomenon is called Evaporation.
• Mainly Solar radiation is the source of energy for evaporation. 

Transpiration

• When plant uptake of water at the roots, transport of water through plant tissues, and release of vapour by leaves is known as transpiration.

Condensation

• The Process of conversion of water vapour to liquid water droplets in the air is called Condensation.
• It is responsible for the formation of fog and clouds.

​Precipitation

• When the condensed water vapour falling to the surface of the Earth is known as Precipitation.
• It occurs in the form of rain, snow, and hail.
• It provides for the delivery of atmospheric water to the earth in the form of rain.

Concept:

Energy:

• Energy is the capacity or ability to perform work.
• It could exist in several different forms, such as potential, kinetic, thermal, electrical, chemical, radioactive, etc.

Energy crisis:

• Any significant disruption in the supply of energy resources in an economy is considered an energy crisis.

Explanation:

Alternative energy:

• Alternative energy comes from sources other than fossil fuels, and as a result, it emits little or no greenhouse emissions like carbon dioxide (CO2).
• This indicates that energy is generated from several sources.
• Examples of alternative energy are solar power, wind power, hydropower etc.
• The wisest course of action to solve the energy crisis is to reduce global reliance on non-renewable resources while enhancing the use of alternative energy.

Thus, the solution to energy crises is alternative energy.

Additional Information Hydroelectric energy:

• This source of energy is the kinetic energy of flowing water or the potential energy of water at a height.
• Hydropower plants convert the potential energy of falling water into electricity.

Petroleum:

• Petroleum is a dark oily liquid.
• It has an unpleasant odour.
• It is a mixture of various constituents such as petroleum gas, petrol, diesel, lubricating oil, paraffin wax, etc.

Coal:

• Coal is one of the fuels used to cook food.
• Earlier, it was used in railway engines to produce steam to run the engine.
• It is also used in thermal power plants to produce electricity. 

The correct answer is Biosphere.

Concept:

Ecosystem:  

• It is a community or group of living organisms that live in and interact with each other in a specific environment.
• for eg: Tropical forests are ecosystems made up of living beings such as trees, plants, animals, insects and microorganisms that are in constant interaction between themselves and the physical (sun, temperature) or chemical (oxygen or nutrients) components.

Explanations:

• The ecosystem is the smallest unit of the Biosphere.
• The earth environment contains four components namely Lithosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere.
• As the biosphere is comprised of a group of ecosystems linked together, hence ecosystem is considered as the "smallest unit of the biosphere.

Additional Information

• The Biosphere and Lithosphere are the components of the environment whereas the Mesosphere and Ionosphere are two of the layers of the Atmosphere.