Troy Invitational — Water Quality

Water Quality · Division B · Troy Invitational · 2021

82 questions · 100 points · 50 min

Use your time efficiently by skipping questions you don’t know, and by eliminating choices on the multiple-choice questions. Short answer questions are autograded, but I will go through and manually check for typos and alternate spellings. The warmup section and first few questions of each section are easier than the rest of the test. Skip to those if you get stuck.

Warmup Section

Question 1

1 pt

Water is a chemical.

TrueFalse

Question 2

1 pt

Secondary consumers eat primary consumers.

TrueFalse

Question 3

1 pt

In water treatment, clarification is adding chemicals to oxidize particulate matter and reduce turbidity.

TrueFalse

Question 4

1 pt

The euphotic zone:

A. Is hard to photosynthesize inB. Is the same as the neritic zoneC. Extends about 200 m below the surfaceD. Is populated primarily by mermaids

Question 5

1 pt · select all that apply

Corals get their food by which of the following?

A. absorbing from the sandB. filter-feedingC. symbiotic algaeD. osmosis

Question 6

1 pt

Which of these atmosphere components is primarily responsible for ocean acidification?

A. CO₂B. H₂OC. CH₄D. C₃H₈

Question 7

1 pt

Which of the following processes of the water cycle return water to the atmosphere?

A. percolationB. transpirationC. runoffD. assimilation

Question 8

1 pt

Which of the following is not a plausible limiting nutrient in aquatic ecosystems?

A. phosphateB. nitrateC. ironD. sodium

Question 9

1 pt

Which of the following is not a way to measure salinity?

A. titrationB. colorimetryC. refractometryD. conductivity

Question 10

1 pt

Aquatic organisms have access to less oxygen than terrestrial ones.

TrueFalse

Part I: Estuary and Marine Ecosystems

Question 11

1 pt

Nitrogen's main reservoir in its cycle is:

A. soilB. organismsC. atmosphereD. water

Question 12

1 pt

Plants get most of their carbon from the:

A. atmosphereB. soilC. sunD. void

Question 13

1 pt

Each organism is only found in a single trophic level.

TrueFalse

Question 14

1 pt

How many major ocean garbage patches are there?

Question 15

1 pt

In a habitat with evenly-distributed resources, you would expect the organism distribution to be:

A. uniformB. randomC. clumpedD. patterned

Question 16

1 pt

Which of the following estuary types are formed by rising sea levels causing river mouths to go under?

A. fjordB. coastal plainC. bar-builtD. tectonic

Question 17

1 pt

Red tides are primarily caused by:

A. foraminiferaB. radiolariansC. diatomsD. dinoflagellates

Question 18

1 pt

Which of the following is false about oysters?

A. They filter the waterB. New oysters can settle on older oysters, forming reefsC. They increase turbidityD. They are a vital part of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem

Question 19

1 pt

What does secondary wastewater treatment primarily target?

A. inorganic dissolved pollutantsB. organic pollutantsC. large debrisD. sediment

Question 20

1 pt

Which of the following is true about mangroves?

A. They increase turbidity by aerating sediments through root growthB. They serve as nurseries for aquatic organismsC. They are only found in freshwaterD. They are poorly adapted to low-oxygen conditions

Question 21

1 pt · select all that apply

Which of the following are true about alum?

A. It is first added to the water in flocculationB. It is first added to the water in coagulationC. The cations are the important partD. The anions are the important part

Question 22

2 pts · select all that apply

Which of the following are true about atolls?

A. They are generally considered precursors to barrier reefsB. Their formation process is more complex than the theory put forward by DarwinC. The central lagoon was formed through a mass extinction eventD. Generally, calcareous algae are considered good for reef formation, while filamentous algae are not

Question 23

2 pts · select all that apply

Which of the following are true about succession?

A. In primary succession, no organisms have lived in the area for a long time, or at allB. In secondary succession, organic substrate is already presentC. Secondary succession is not possible in marine environments because there is not soilD. Succession stops entirely when the community becomes a climax community

Question 24

1 pt

Which of the following is the largest coral reef?

A. Florida ReefB. Great Barrier ReefC. Great Chagos ReefD. Chesapeake Bay

Question 25

1 pt

Noxious animals developing similar appearances to each other is what type of adaptation?

A. Cryptic colorationB. Warning colorationC. Müllerian mimicryD. Batesian mimicry

Question 26

2 pts

Limestone acts as a ____ , preventing bodies of water from experiencing drastic changes in ____ .

Question 27

1 pt · select all that apply

San Francisco Bay is an example of what type of estuary?

A. TectonicB. Bar-builtC. Slightly stratifiedD. Salt wedge

Question 28

1 pt

What percent of the ocean is composed of salt ions other than sodium or chlorine? (Do NOT include the percent symbol in your answer)

Question 29

1 pt

Which of the following is NOT a step in the nitrogen cycle?

Question 30

3 pts · select all that apply

Select all organisms that count as algae.

Question 31

1 pt

If the krill population were to suddenly disappear, which population of species would be impacted the most?

A. FishB. PhytoplanktonC. Blue whaleD. Seagull

Question 32

1 pt · select all that apply

Which organism(s) would be regarded as a keystone species in the above ecosystem?

A. PhytoplanktonB. SeaweedC. ZooplanktonD. Penguin

Question 33

1 pt

There are only 2 planktivores in the above ecosystem.

TrueFalse

Question 34

1 pt

There is intraspecific competition between penguins and elephant seals.

TrueFalse

Question 35

1 pt

Since penguins and elephant seals prey on the same species, they cannot coexist indefinitely. Which law is this statement based on?

A. Gause's LawB. Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selectionC. Humphrey's lawD. Murphy's law

Part II: Coral Reef Macroflora and Fauna Identification

Question 36

1 pt

What is the common name of the above organism? (Spelling should match the spelling on the official rules)

Question 37

1 pt

What method does the above organism use to reproduce?

A. BuddingB. FissionC. Viviparous reproductionD. Broadcast spawning

Question 38

1 pt

Which region does this organism reside in?

A. GlobalB. Indo-PacificC. Atlantic

Question 39

1 pt

What is the common name of the above organism? (Spelling should match the spelling on the official rules)

Question 40

1 pt · select all that apply

Which of the following are NOT a color that the above organism to be?

Question 41

1 pt

These organisms are commonly attacked by Aspergillus sydowii, a species of pathogenic fungi. What disease does this fungi cause?

A. SydoniosisB. SporotrichosisC. AsparagusD. Aspergillosis

Question 42

1 pt

Up to how many centimeters can this organism grow up to? (Do NOT include units in your answer)

Question 43

1 pt

The biggest threat to these organisms is nutrient pollution.

TrueFalse

Question 44

1 pt

What is the common name of the above organism? (Spelling should match the spelling on the official rules)

Question 45

1 pt

What phylum does the above organism belong to?

Question 46

4 pts · select all that apply

Mark all methods of reproduction that these organisms use.

Question 47

1 pt · select all that apply

Which of the following pose threats to these organisms?

A. Nutrient PollutionB. Curio CollectionC. Blast FishingD. Poison Fishing

Question 48

1 pt

These organisms have skeletons composed of what mineral?

A. SilicateB. SulfateC. Calcium CarbonateD. Sodium Carbonate

Question 49

2 pts

The spicules of these organisms may be composed of ____ (2 words) or ____ (1 word).

Question 50

1 pt

These organisms are able to control the flow of water using their osculum, ostia, and flagella.

TrueFalse

Question 51

1 pt

What is the common name of the above organism? (Spelling should match the spelling on the official rules)

Question 52

1 pt

What is this organism's conservation status?

Question 53

2 pts

These organisms can grow to lengths of up to ____ meters and can weigh up to ____ kilograms.

Question 54

1 pt

How many tons of coral do adults of the above organism consume annually?

A. 2 tonsB. 5 tonsC. 10 tonsD. 7 tons

Question 55

1 pt

What is the common name of the above organism? (Spelling should match the spelling on the official rules)

Question 56

1 pt

If necessary, these organisms will eat others of the same species.

TrueFalse

Question 57

1 pt

What is the name of the escape mechanism these organisms use to escape predators?

A. Shell HardeningB. Liquid DischargeC. Caridoid Escape ReactionD. Burrowing

Question 58

1 pt

What type of feeding habit does this organism have?

A. PredatorB. ScavengerC. Filter feederD. Suspension feeder

Question 59

1 pt

These organisms have blue blood due to the presence of ____ .

Question 60

1 pt

BONUS: What are the chances of finding a blue variant of these organisms, such as the picture above?

A. One in a million chanceB. One in a thousand chanceC. One in two million chanceD. One in five thousand chance

Part III: Water Monitoring and Analysis

Question 61

1 pt

Which of the 9 factors of the Water Quality Index is weighed the most in importance?

Question 62

3 pts

What are the EPA's 6 Contaminants for Water Evaluation?

Question 63

1 pt · select all that apply

Which of the following are reasons that pH might decrease with increasing temperature?

A. Acids disassociate less at higher temperaturesB. Water self-ionizes more without changing acidityC. Plants photosynthesize more at high temperaturesD. Decomposition occurs at a higher rate

Question 64

1 pt · select all that apply

Why don't more organisms colonize the deep water layer, if it's so nutrient-rich?

A. lack of rock erosionB. excessive oxygenC. high pressuresD. lack of sunlight

Question 65

1 pt

What is the oxidation number of phosphorus in the phosphate ion?

A. -8B. -5C. +5D. +7

Question 66

1 pt

If nitrate is turned into its conjugate acid, what would its formula be?

A. HNO₃B. H₂NO₃C. H₃NO₃D. N₂O₆

Question 67

1 pt · select all that apply

Oxygen, on a molecular level, is very good at:

A. stealing electronsB. dissolve in waterC. diffusing into organismsD. breaking into ions

Question 68

1 pt

How does turbidity increase temperature?

A. particles colliding with each other generates heatB. More light is absorbed by particles and converted to heat energyC. E = mc², and the mass in particulate matter is converted to thermal energyD. the particles serve as a substrate for decomposing microbes, and the decomposition process heats up the water

Question 69

1 pt

What does the Lacey Act do?

A. Makes it illegal to dump refuse directly into water sourcesB. Bans the trafficking of illegal wildlifeC. Close live fish tradeD. Created Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

Question 70

3 pts

Name the three main methods of water desalination.

Question 71

1 pt

Write out the dissociation reaction of aragonite.

Question 72

3 pts

What is the normal concentration of aragonite in the worldwide oceans in Ω? Will corals be able to live in this concentration of aragonite? Why or why not?

Question 73

3 pts

Calculate the BOD of a sample of water of the initial concentration of oxygen is 10 mg/L and the concentration after a 5 day BOD test is 5 mg/L. The dilution was performed using 100 mL of the original sample in a 500mL BOD bottle. Show your work.

Question 74

1 pt

What unit is typically used to measure turbidity?

A. JSTUB. NTUC. mg/LD. lm

Question 75

1 pt

Which does not increase if a lake undergoes eutrophication?

A. TurbidityB. Algal concentrationC. DOD. BOD

Question 76

1 pt

What interesting event sparked the passing of the landmark 1972 Clean Water Act?

Question 77

1 pt

Which of the following is responsible for the acidity of acid rain?

A. HClB. SO₂C. CO₂D. NH₃

Question 78

1 pt

Bacteria play a major role in the conversion of phosphorus compounds in the phosphorus cycle.

TrueFalse

Question 79

1 pt

Which of the following is an example of point source pollution?

A. Runoff from city streetsB. Hot water dumped from a power plantC. Fertilizers from the agricultural sectorD. Refuse from the native fauna

Question 80

1 pt

The area of the ocean at the mouth of the Mississippi River has an unusual concentration of oxygen. What is this condition called?

A. SupersaturatedB. AnoxiaC. HypoxiaD. Hyperoxia

Question 81

1 pt

A hydrometer measures which of the following properties?

A. Specific GravityB. SalinityC. ConductivityD. Mass

Question 82

1 pt

After creating a sample of water, you determine that the concentration of hydroxide is 5.3 * 10⁻⁴ M. What is the pH of this solution?