Test: Environmental Awareness (Energy) - Software Development MCQ

The correct answer is Wood.

Explanation:

Fossil Fuels:

• Fossil fuels are formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried organisms under heat and pressure.
• Some exhaustible natural resources like coal, petroleum and natural gas are formed from the dead remains of living organisms (fossils) so, these are all known as fossil fuels.
• Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources and must be burned to release their energy.
• It releases sulphur, nitrogen, carbon, etc. gases in the atmosphere which causes the greenhouse effect and pollution.

Important Points

Wood as a fuel:

• For centuries, wood was used as domestic and industrial fuel.
• In many rural parts of our country, people still use wood as a fuel because of its easy availability and low cost.
• However, burning wood gives a lot of smoke which is very harmful to human beings.
• It causes respiratory problems. 
• Since wood burns to produce unwanted byproducts, it is not environmentally friendly.
• Wood is obtained from trees and is a naturaual resource and is not formed as a result of organic decomposition of living organisms. 

Unlike coal or crude oil, wood does not remain of a prehistoric organism, and therefore it is not fossil fuel - it's just fuel.

Additional Information

• 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. Coal is also used as fuel in various industries.
• Petroleum was formed from organisms living in the sea.
  • As these organisms died, their bodies settled at the bottom of the sea and got covered with layers of sand and clay.
• Over millions of years, absence of air, high temperature and high pressure transformed the dead organisms into petroleum and natural gas.
• A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Concept:

Energy:

• The energy possessed by an object is thus measured in terms of its capacity of doing work.
• The unit of energy is measured by joule (J).

Explanation:

Wood and animal dung:

• Animal manure and wood are two popular energy sources in Indian villages.
• It can be used to produce biogas.
• Biogas is a term used to describe a variety of gases that are created when organic matter breaks down in the absence of oxygen.
• Agricultural waste, manure, municipal trash, plant material, sewage, green waste, and food waste are some of the raw materials that can be used to make biogas.
• In some rural locations, biogas plants can be installed adjacent to homes as simple structures to provide a source of gas for cooking and lighting.

Thus, the common energy source in an Indian village is wood and animal dung.

Additional InformationElectricity:

• Electricity is one of the most commonly used forms of energy.
• The term electricity comes from the Greek word electron which means amber.
• It is converted from mechanical to electrical energy with the help of a prime mover i.e., from the turbine to the generator.

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.

Sun:

• Solar energy, one of the renewable sources of energy, is defined as the transformation of solar energy.

Key Points

• The energy crisis is the concern that the world’s demands on limited natural resources are exhausting.
• Resources, like fossil fuels that are used to power industrial society, are diminishing as the demand rises.
• These natural resources are in limited supply.
• While they do occur naturally, it can take hundreds of thousands of years to replenish the stores.
• It has nothing to do with demand and supply but highlights the fact that there are limited resources for use and consumption.

Thus, the energy crisis means the danger of extinction of fossil fuels like coal and petrol.

Important Points

There are basically two sources of energy:

Concept:

• Solar energy stored in the oceans in the form of heat is called Ocean Thermal Energy (OTE).
• The process of harnessing the thermal energy of the sea is called OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) and the devices used for the purpose are called OTEC power plants. 

Explanation:

• The Sun warms the ocean water at the surface and the wave motion mixes the warmed water downwards to the depth of about 100 m.
• This mixed warm layer is separated from the deep cold water layer and the temperature difference between these layers ranges from 10°C to 30°C.
• It is this temperature difference between the surface of the ocean and the depths of about 100 m that is used to produce electric power. 
• Thus, ocean thermal energy is due to the temperature differences at different levels in the ocean. 

Concept:

Nuclear reactor:

• It is a device in which a nuclear reaction is initiated, maintained, and controlled.
• It works on the principle of controlled chain reaction and provides energy at a constant rate.

Explanation:

• Nuclear Fuel: It is a fissionable material to be used for the fission process to take place. Therefore option 1 is correct.
• Commonly used fuels in a nuclear reactor are U233, Enriched U235, Pu239 etc. 
• Generally, uranium oxide pellets are inserted end to end into long hollow metal tubes constituting the fuel rods.
• When slow neutrons interact with the fuel, the fission starts, and the energy is released. 

Additional Information

• The moderator's function is to slow down the fast-moving secondary neutrons produced during the fission.
  • The material of the moderator should be light and it should not absorb neutrons.
  • Usually, heavy water, graphite, deuterium, and paraffin, etc. can act as moderators.
• Controller: These are made with neutron-absorbing material such as cadmium, hafnium or boron, and are inserted or withdrawn from the core to control the rate of reaction, or to halt it. 
• Lubricant: Lubricant has shown that it is possible to produce materials capable of lubricating some reactor components.
  • In order to further the development of such lubricants, the U.K.A.E.A. and the nuclear manufacturing groups have co-operated in providing lubricant manufacturers.

A ‘green’ building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life.

There are a number of features that can make a building ‘green’. These include: 

• Efficient use of energy, water, and other resources
• Use of renewable energy, such as solar energy
• Pollution and waste reduction measures, and the enabling of re-use and recycling
• Good indoor environmental air quality
• Use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable
• Consideration of the environment in design, construction, and operation
• Consideration of the quality of life of occupants in design, construction, and operation
• A design that enables adaptation to a changing environment

Any building can be a green building, whether it’s a home, an office, a school, a hospital, a community center, or any other type of structure, provided it includes features listed above.

However, it is worth noting that not all green buildings are – and need to be - the same. Different countries and regions have a variety of characteristics such as distinctive climatic conditions, unique cultures, and traditions, diverse building types and ages, or wide-ranging environmental, economic and social priorities – all of which shape their approach to green building. This is why WorldGBC supports its member Green Building Councils and their member companies in individual countries and across regions, to pursue green buildings that are best suited to their own markets.

Hence, green buildings use a minimum amount of energy, and conserve natural resources creates space for healthy living.

Key Points

The two major sources of energy can be classified:

• Conventional Sources
• Non-Conventional Sources

​

• Conventional sources of energy are those energies that have been predominantly in use for the better part of civilization.
• Non-conventional sources of energy are the up-and-coming energy sources.

Important Points

Difference Between Conventional and Non-conventional Sources of Energy: 

Concept:

• A dam is a barrier that blocks flowing water or sends it in a new direction.
• A dam can be made of various material.
• People throughout the world have built dams since ancient times.

Explanation:

About Dams:

• A dam must be high enough and strong enough to keep the water from flowing forward.
• People build dams to keep rivers from flooding and to save water.
• During heavy rains, a river’s waters may rise too high.
• Without a dam to contain it, the extra water is wasted as it flows away unused.
• With a dam in place, a deep reservoir, or pool, of water builds up behind the dam.
• This extra water can be put to many good uses.
• It might be used as a lake for boating or swimming, for drinking water, for farm irrigation, or in manufacturing.

​Important Points

About Hydropower generation:

• The force created by water rushing through pipes in a dam is useful in hydropower generation.
• The flowing water makes wheels called turbines spin.
• The turbines run machines called generators, which produce electricity.
• This type of power is known as hydroelectric power.
• It is also very costly to construct due to logistical challenges. 
• Sustainable growth refers to the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Hydropower generated from dams does not encourage sustainable growth.
• They disrupt the natural ecology of rivers, damage forests, and biodiversity.
• It displaces thousands of indigenous people from their river lifelines.
• They release large amounts of greenhouse gases, disrupt food systems, water quality and agriculture. 

​Thus,

• Dams encourage sustainable growth: is not true 
• It does not pollute water or air: is true
• Hydropower facilities can have large environmental impacts: is true
• Dams displace indigenous people from their river lifelines: is true

The correct answer is Eating local grown food.

Concept:

• The concept of a carbon footprint was first recognized in 1990.
• A carbon footprint describes how much greenhouse gas (CO₂, methane) is released into our environment by various types of events, products, and locations.

Explanation

Eating local food:

• Consuming sessional food products help to reduce carbon footprint.
• Every year it helps to reduce at least 7% to 9% of the footprint.

Hence, eating local-grown food can reduce the level of carbon footprint.

Additional Information

Eating meat and fish:

• Meat consumption has a 5-7% increase in carbon footprint every year.

Consuming preserved food like canned beans:

• Avoid consuming preserved food materials such as preserved meat, fish, and beans because refrigeration systems emit a large number of greenhouse gases into our environment, causing a carbon footprint.

Consuming dairy products:

• This industry releases approximately 14.5% of greenhouse gases every year. All these emissions mainly happen because of the fermentation process.

Eating meat and fish, consuming preserved food like canned beans, and consuming dairy products is not the correct answer.

Solar energy - Greenhouse effect - Incorrect

• The term ‘Greenhouse effect’ has been derived from a phenomenon that occurs in a greenhouse.
• A greenhouse looks like a small glasshouse and is used for growing plants, especially during winter.
• In a greenhouse, the glass panel lets the light in but does not allow heat to escape.
• Therefore, the greenhouse warms up, very much like inside a car that has been parked in the sun for a few hours. 
• The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is responsible for heating of Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
• Solar energy is trapped by the earth atmosphere and radiates slowly so as to cover our earth with a warm blanket.
• This is the natural process of the greenhouse effect on earth to maintain its temperature and makes the earth perfect for life.
• Without the greenhouse effect, the average temperature at the surface of Earth would have been a chilly –18°C rather than the present average of 15°C.
• Carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour are the major greenhouse gases that absorb the infrared radiation from the Earth and re-emit it.
• It is not caused due to solar energy but due to greenhouse gasses.

Thus, the solar energy-greenhouse effect is not the correct pair.

Additional Information

Fossil fuel-burning - Release of CO₂ - Correct

• Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is released into the atmosphere by respiration, the burning of fossil fuels for energy.
• In recent years, their quantities have increased significantly due to the burning of fossil fuels.
• The increased amount of CO₂ in the air is mainly responsible for global warming.

Nuclear power - Radioactive wastes - Correct

• Initially, nuclear energy was hailed as a non-polluting way of generating electricity.
• Later on, it was realised that the use of nuclear energy has very serious inherent problems i.e. the generation of radioactive waste.
• Safe disposal of radioactive wastes is important in nuclear power energy factories.
• Improper disposal of nuclear waste can cause serious physical and biological deformities in living organisms when directly exposed to them. 

Biomass burning - Release of CO₂  - Correct

• Biomass burning means the burning of living or dead vegetation.
• It happens during land cleaning in the agriculture process when crops are out of the field.
• In this process, a high amount of CO₂ is released into the environment.

Concept:

Resources:

• Everything available in our environment can be used to satisfy our needs.
• It is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable and can be termed a 'Resource'.

Explanation:

Resources characteristic:

• All resources are useful:
  • Utility or usability is what makes an object or substance a resource.
  • All resources have some value.
  • Time and technology are two important factors that can change substances into resources.
  • People themselves are the most essential resource.
• All resources are limited:
  • A fundamental aspect of nature is limited resources.
  • This means that the amount of labour, money, land and entrepreneurial activity that can be used to produce goods and services is finite.
  • It implies that the economy has a finite number of resources that can be used to produce goods and services at a given time.
  • Renewable resources are those which have a unlimited stock.
  • Once the stocks are exhausted it may take thousands of years to be renewed or replenished.
• All resources are interconnected:​
  • ​Resources are things people take from the planet.
  • Resources are connected to one another.
  • We are reliant on nature's resources and connected to them for the things we require to survive.

Thus, the characteristics of the resources.

All renewable resources are useful-correct.

All renewable resources are unlimited-correct.

All renewable resources are interconnected-correct.

So, all options are correct.

The correct answer is Kyoto Protocol.

Key Points

• A carbon credit is a permit that allows the company that holds it to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases.
• One credit permits the emission of a mass equal to one ton of carbon dioxide.
• The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) developed a carbon credit proposal to reduce worldwide carbon emissions in a 1997 agreement known as the Kyoto Protocol.
• The agreement set binding emission reduction targets for the countries that signed it.
• Another agreement, known as the Marrakesh Accords, spelled out the rules for how the system would work.

 Important Points

• The UNFCCC, signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit, or the Rio Conference.
• The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.

Concept:

Environment:

• The environment can be summed up as the effects of all living and non-living things that have an impact on human life.
• Non-living or abiotic elements include water, land, sunshine, rocks, and air. 
•  All live or biotic elements are animals, plants, forests, fisheries, and birds.

Explanation:

Use of resources:

• Environmental resources can be categorized as continuous, renewable and non-renewable. 
• Environmental resources that can be regenerated quickly are known as renewable resources.
• However, overuse of a renewable resource might result in its extinction, as in the cases of overfishing and groundwater extraction.
• Environmental resources that cannot be renewed, such as minerals, are referred to as non-renewable resources.
• Degraded soils may only be restored over a very lengthy period of time.
• Continuous environmental resources are those whose availability is unaffected by human use, such as solar or wind energy.
• For their biological, economic, and recreational values, natural resources are conserved.
• Unbalance in the ecosystem results from the excessive and haphazard exploitation of natural resources
• It is important to strike a careful balance between using up existing resources and replenishing them.
• Conservation is the responsible use and management of the natural world and its resources.

Thus, the use of resources is a major environmental issue.

Concept

• Biomass refers to organic plant matter.
• This is converted into fuel and used as an energy source.
• Biomass fuel is considered to be of great importance.
• It plays the role of a renewable and sustainable source of energy.
• Biomass is used for the production of electricity.
• It is capable of replacing fossil fuels.
• Organic materials which can be recycled are excellent sources to produce biomass fuel.
• The biomass can be burnt directly and later converted into methane and ethanol biofuels.

Explanation

Bagasse

• It is the fibrous plant residue left after sugarcane juice extraction.
•  In sugar factories, 30% of total sugarcane crushed is bagasse.
• This bagasse is used as a fuel to power boilers.
• It is also used to produce paper.

Thus, bagasse is a potential source of biomass energy.

Key Points 

Biogas:

• The byproducts of anaerobic digestion of organic materials are commonly referred to as ‘biogas’ because of the biological nature of gas production.
• Biogas technology refers to the production of a combustible gas (called biogas) and a value-added fertilizer (called slurry or sludge) by the anaerobic fermentation of organic material under certain controlled conditions.
• Biogas is produced by microbial activities and can be used only at the place where it is produced.
  • The main constituents of biogas are:
  • about 55-65% Methane (CH4)
  • 30-45% Carbon dioxide (CO2)
  • traces of hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
• Fractions of water vapours Waste like cow dung, poultry slurry, pig manure and other crop residue have the following biogas composition
  • Methane 50-60%
  • Carbon Dioxide 38-45%
  • Trace component 2% (Hydrogen, Hydrogen Sulphide, Non-Methane Volatile organic, etc.).

Thus, biogas is a mixture of Methane, CO2, H2 and H2S.

Additional Information

The major resources which can be used for biogas production are:

• Animal Manure
• Poultry Waste
• Pig Waste
• Night soil
• Municipal Organic Waste
• Agricultural Residues
• Forests Residues (Leafs etc)
• Aquatic Plants (like water hyacinth)
• Organic wastewater from Industries (Food processing, milk processing, etc.)
• Hotels and Restaurants
• Sanitary Landfills

The correct answer is Option 3.

• Carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community.
• It is usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Important Points:

• Carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO₂ (carbon dioxide), which were induced by all activities in a given time frame.
• Usually, a carbon footprint is calculated for the time period of a year.

Concept;

• The term ‘Greenhouse effect’ has been derived from a phenomenon that occurs in a greenhouse.
• The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon.
• It is responsible for heating of Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
• The absorption of solar radiation with the help of greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide and Methane etc.)  is called the greenhouse effect.
• An increase in the level of greenhouse gases has led to considerable heating of Earth leading to global warming.

​

Explanation:

Tidal Energy:

• Due to the gravitational pull of mainly the moon on the spinning earth, the level of water in the sea rises and falls.
• This phenomenon is called high and low tides and the difference in sea levels gives us tidal energy.
• Tidal energy is harnessed by constructing a dam across a narrow opening to the sea.

Geothermal Energy:

• Due to geological changes, molten rocks formed in the deeper hot regions of the earth’s crust are pushed upward and trapped in certain regions called ‘hot spots'.
• When underground water comes in contact with the hot spot, steam is generated.
• The steam trapped in rocks is routed through a pipe to a turbine and used to generate electricity.

Wind Energy:

• To generate electricity, the rotatory motion of the windmill is used to turn the turbine of the electric generator.
• Generally, the kinetic energy of wind changed into electrical energy.

Biogas:

• Cow-dung, various plant materials like the residue after harvesting the crops, vegetable waste, and sewage are decomposed in the absence of oxygen to give bio-gas.
• Biogas is an excellent fuel as it contains up to 75% methane.
• Methane is the major component of Greenhouse gas.

Thus, biogas can lead to the greenhouse effect.

Concept:

Conventional energy:

• Energy sources that have been in use for a long time are referred to as conventional energy sources.
• The conventional energy sources are coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydel energy, wind energy, and nuclear energy.

Explanation:

Coal:

• It is as hard as stone and is black in colour.
• Coal contains mainly carbon, the slow process of conversion of dead vegetation into coal is called carbonisation.
• It was formed from the remains of vegetation, coal is also called a fossil fuel.
• The growing demand for energy was largely met by the fossil fuels coal and petroleum.
• Fossil fuels are non-renewable or conventional sources of energy.

Thus, coal is a conventional source of energy.

Additional Information

Nuclear energy:

• Nuclear energy is one of the least harmful conventional energy sources to the environment.
• Uranium, which is less expensive than coal, is used as a fuel in nuclear power plants.

Non-conventional energy:

• Non-conventional energy is defined as energy generated by wind, solar, small hydro, tides, geothermal heat, and biomass.

Solar energy:

• Sunlight generates solar energy.
• The photovoltaic cells are exposed to sunlight based on the type of electricity required.
• The energy is used for cooking and water distillation.

Wind energy:

• Wind energy is created by harnessing the power of the wind and is primarily used to power irrigation water pumps.
• In terms of wind power generation, India is the second-largest country.

Energy Conservation:

• Energy conservation is not about making limited resources last as long as they can, that would mean that you are doing nothing more than prolong a crisis until you finally run out of energy resources altogether.
• Conservation is the process of reducing demand on a limited supply and enabling that supply to begin to rebuild itself. Many times the best way of doing this is to replace the energy used with an alternate source.
• The goal with energy conservation techniques is to

1. Reduce demand
2. Protect and replenish supplies
3. Develop and use alternative energy sources
4. To clean up the damage from the prior energy processes.
5. To reduce energy losses.

Methods of Energy Conservation:

• Install CFL Lights
• Lower the Room Temperature 
• Use Maximum Daylight
• Get Energy Audit Done
• Use Energy Efficient Appliances
• Drive Less, Walk More and Carpooling
• Switch Off Appliances When Not in Use
• Alternative Power (Switching to Solar Energy)  
• Zero Energy Balance

Note:

Energy conservation and efficiency may be related, but they have distinct definitions in the energy world.

Energy conservation involves using less energy by adjusting your behaviors and habits.

Energy efficiency, on the other hand, involves using technology that requires less energy to perform the same function.

Energy-saving light bulbs, large household appliances, smart thermostats, and smart home hubs like Constellation Connect are all examples of technology that can be energy efficient.

Mostly composed of methane, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels. It is called the cleanest fuel because when burnt, it produces only carbon dioxide and water vapor. Its key points are:

• It is used as an alternative to petrol and diesels because it is cheaper, greener and more efficient.
• It is compressed to increase the storage capacity of vehicles.
• It is environmentally friendly.
• It is safer than petrol and diesel.

Hence, the full form of CNG is Compressed Natural Gas.