GEOG 2051 : Test 2 Sample Questions Bank
Chapter 7: Water Resources
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the
question.
1) Which of the following water withdrawal habits do developing nations exhibit?
A) They withdraw the greatest amounts for the industrial sector.
B) Their pattern of water usage is very similar to that of the United States.
C) They withdraw the greatest amounts for agriculture.
D) They withdraw equal proportions for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use.
Answer: C
2) The Nile and Colorado rivers are examples of
A) exotic streams
B) two of Earth's greatest rivers in terms of discharge
C) streams with increases in downstream flows
D) internal drainage systems
Answer: A
3) Surplus (SURPL) does not include which of the following?
A) overland flow B) soil moisture recharge C) water oversupply D) total runoff
Answer: B
4) Clay has a __________ field capacity because ________.
A) large; there are more particles (i.e., there is greater surface area) for the water to adhere to
B) small; there are fewer particles (i.e., there is less surface area) for the water to adhere to
C) large; the pores between the particles are bigger
D) small; the pores between the particles are bigger
Answer: A
5) Of the example stations, which of the following experiences the greatest moisture deficits?
A) Kingsport, Tennessee B) Jacksonville, Florida
C) Omaha, Nebraska D) Phoenix, Arizona
Answer: D
6) The term "ground water mining" refers to
A) the excavation of tunnels to reach ground water
B) the removal of overlying rock to reach ground water
C) the use of ground water to mine minerals
D) the removal of ground water at a rate faster than that at which it can be replaced
Answer: D
7) Precipitation that reaches Earth's surface penetrates the soil surface through the process of
A) infiltration B) interception and throughfall C) percolation D) throughfall
Answer: A
8) The High Plains aquifer
A) received much of its water from melting glaciers in the past
B) averages about 30 inches of rain per year
C) is not Earth's largest aquifer
D) was not heavily mined until the 1960s
Answer: A
9) Which of the following is an example of the consumptive use of water?
A) using water for a bath
B) water that evaporates from an irrigated field
C) hydroelectric power production
D) river navigation
E) all of the above
Answer: B
10) Which of the following is a potential source of ground water pollution?
A) dumps B) pesticides and fertilizers C) septic tanks D) all of these
Answer: D
11) Which of the following is true regarding the hydrologic cycle?
A) The bulk of the precipitation occurs over land.
B) 22 percent of Earth's precipitation falls over the oceans.
C) Very little moisture is advected from the sea to the land.
D) 78 percent of all precipitation falls on the oceans.
Answer: D
12) Soil moisture that plants are capable of accessing and using is called
A) gravitational water B) hygroscopic water C) available water D) wilting point water
Answer: C
13) Which of the following is true regarding potential evapotranspiration (POTET) in the United States?
A) The highest values are in the South and East.
B) Complete measurements and a map of POTET have yet to be prepared.
C) It coincides with precipitation amounts.
D) The highest values are in the Southwest.
Answer: D
14) Which of the following conditions are necessary for a surplus to exist?
A) Water is added to the soil when actual evapotranspiration is less than potential evapotranspiration.
B) Water is added to the soil when actual evapotranspiration is equal to potential evapotranspiration and the
soil is full of moisture.
C) Water is added to the soil when the deficit is very small.
D) Water is added to the soil when potential evapotranspiration is less than actual evapotranspiration.
Answer: B
15) The hydrologic cycle includes water
A) in the atmosphere
B) at the surface of the Earth and in the oceans
C) at a depth of up to several kilometers below the surface
D) all of the above
E) at and below the surface only
Answer: D
16) Transpiration refers to
A) the outward movement of water from plant leaves
B) the movement of free water molecules away from a wet surface
C) evaporation
D) an amount of moisture loss from the surface that cannot be measured
Answer: A
17) Which of the following can measure evapotranspiration?
A) weighing lysimeter B) anemometer C) rain gauge D) evaporation pan
Answer: A
18) This activity uses the least amount of withdrawn water in the United States
A) domestic-commercial B) industry-mining
C) steam-electric power D) irrigation-livestock
Answer: B
19) The water balance for Kingsport, Tennessee exhibits
A) net demands for water for 10 months of the year
B) water deficits in the summer months
C) a net water surplus (SURPL) during each month of the year
D) water deficits each month of the year
Answer: B
20) Excess surface water percolates through the zone of _________ to reach the zone of _________ and
the water table.
A) hydration; infiltration B) water table; water deposit
C) porosity; permeability D) aeration; saturation
Answer: D
21) Approximately what percent of the U.S. population derives a portion of its fresh water from
groundwater sources?
A) 90 percent B) 50 percent C) 10 percent D) 30 percent
Answer: B
22) Hurricane Camille
A) led to restrictive zoning along the Gulf Coast so that properties were not rebuilt after the storm in the
same vulnerable areas
B) evidently produced damage and property loss that exceeded any presumed moisture benefits
C) produced floods only along the Gulf Coast
D) created deficit abatement (drought-ending) precipitation that produced benefits exceeding damages
Answer: D
23) Actual evapotranspiration (ACTET) is determined by
A) PRECIP - DEFIC B) ACTET - DEFIC C) POTET - DEFIC D) PRECIP - SURPL
Answer: C
