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Environment Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Environment Quizzes, Trivia

Environment Trivia

Environment Trivia Quizzes

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All about the wonderful world around us- and what people have done to that world. The best games are listed on the main page. You'll find many others in several different categories!
98 Environment quizzes and 1,372 Environment trivia questions.
Sub-Categories:
Ecology Ecology (14 quizzes)
Environmental Problems Environmental Problems (20)
Weather Weather (54)
1.
Saving Our Planet
  Saving Our Planet   great trivia quiz  
Photo Quiz
 10 Qns
Unless colonization of the moon or Mars works out, Earth is the only celestial body we can live on. Here are ten simple things that we can all do to preserve our planet.
Average, 10 Qns, Joepetz, May 27 22
Average
Joepetz gold member
May 27 22
1213 plays
2.
  Earthly Cycles   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz on cycles and processes in nature.
Average, 10 Qns, crisw, Dec 21 12
Recommended for grades: 7,8,9
Average
crisw gold member
11244 plays
3.
  Please Accept Our Refuse Now!   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
One person's refuse can be another's useful resource - come see how waste disposal is being handled in the 21st century.
Average, 10 Qns, looney_tunes, Mar 17 20
Recommended for grades: 8,9,10
Average
looney_tunes editor
Mar 17 20
1393 plays
4.
  The Life Cycle of a Little Red Balloon editor best quiz   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Each year millions of innocent balloons are created, inflated, used frivolously, casually destroyed, then heartlessly discarded. Are you versed in the technological and ecological issues of balloon manufacture? (Warning: some humorous content.)
Difficult, 10 Qns, uglybird, Nov 29 12
Difficult
uglybird
4300 plays
5.
  What is Green Energy?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
To protect the environment from global warming, green energy is becoming the main source of energy for the future. Green energy is a natural source of energy generated from sunlight, water and wind.
Average, 10 Qns, sw11, Sep 01 23
Average
sw11 gold member
Sep 01 23
443 plays
6.
  British Wildlife (fauna, flora and conservation)    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
It's a general quiz, covering mammals, plants, birds, trees, insects, fungi...Enjoy it!
Difficult, 20 Qns, willuk100, May 20 17
Difficult
willuk100
1836 plays
7.
  A Walk in the Woods    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I always enjoy a walk in the American woods. However, being informed in advance of what you might encounter and how to deal with it can make your encounter with nature more enjoyable. See if you know what to do.
Tough, 10 Qns, jstagamtome, Oct 06 19
Tough
jstagamtome
Oct 06 19
2550 plays
8.
  After the Toilet Flushes    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A daily routine for each of us, but who gives a second thought about what happens when we're done using the john? Find out some interesting details.
Average, 10 Qns, Lwaxy, Mar 28 19
Average
Lwaxy
Mar 28 19
2019 plays
9.
  Waste-to-Energy    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The amount of municipal waste produced every day is still growing. Containing among others plastics and biomass, it is a source of energy. This is a quiz on turning waste to energy.
Difficult, 10 Qns, Laujan, Nov 21 15
Difficult
Laujan
2108 plays
10.
  After the Toilet Flushes 2    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
It's so convenient to flush things down the toilet even when it was not designed to be a garbage bin. With some things this is fine. But with other things it is not. All sorts of problems come from thoughtless flushing.
Average, 10 Qns, Lwaxy, Dec 21 19
Average
Lwaxy
Dec 21 19
445 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What is the phenomenon in which sun rays are visible out of the top or bottom of a cloud?

From Quiz "A Little Bit of Weather"





Environment Trivia Questions
1. Hopefully everyone knows cooking grease is fine neither in the sink nor in the toilet. There are many images of fatbergs of gigantic size. But what other commonly "toiletted" household waste is a main ingredient in these fatbergs?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes 2

Answer: Wet wipes

Fatbergs started to become a problem when disposable wet wipes were used regularly. Sewer workers coined the term, coming from fat and berg, modelled after iceberg. Of course, an iceberg is something much nicer to look at.

2. In modern toilets, the bends collecting toilet water are shaped like certain letters. Can you identify the shapes?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes

Answer: S,U,J and P

The flush toilet was not invented by one person at a specific time but can be found in separate developments as early as the 26th century BC. The Romans are well known for theirs as well, although they had no fancy shaped bends.

3. In most countries around the world, municipal solid waste is put into landfills. In some countries, among others the Netherlands, Germany and recently the United Kingdom, land filling is prohibited or discouraged. Why?

From Quiz Waste-to-Energy

Answer: All these reasons play a role

The prohibition of landfills is maintained by placing a fine on landfills that is higher than the cost of handling the waste in different ways.

4. There are lots of deer in my woods, and they tend to munch just about anything I plant. What did I plant this year that they would not touch?

From Quiz A Walk in the Woods

Answer: Daffodils

The daffodils actually contain a toxin for the deer, and they are the safest thing to plant. Tulips are so popular with deer they are called "deer candy", and hostas don't have a chance. They are munched down to the ground.

5. By what process do plants create food?

From Quiz Earthly Cycles

Answer: Photosynthesis

Plants are not the only organisms to use photosynthesis; some bacteria do so as well.

6. How do fatbergs form?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes 2

Answer: Alkaline fluids turn fat and assorted insoluble matter into a solid substance

Fatbergs can be as solid as concrete. Some fatbergs take months to remove with special equipment.

7. Not every toilet is connected to a sewer system. Septic tanks and similar inventions are also used. In which country was a worm-based composting toilet developed?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes

Answer: New Zealand

There were actually some concerns the poor worms could be negatively affected by having to deal with human waste.

8. There are 6 reptiles native to Britain: adder, grass snake, slow worm, common lizard, sand lizard, and...

From Quiz British Wildlife (fauna, flora and conservation)

Answer: smooth snake & Smooth snake & Smooth Snake

A very rare inhabitant of lowland heaths.

9. What gas is a byproduct of the process that plants use to make food in nature?

From Quiz Earthly Cycles

Answer: Oxygen

Most of the world's oxygen supply comes from plants.

10. If they weren't so hard to remove, fatbergs could be a good source of what?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes 2

Answer: Biogas and biodiesel

A fatberg found under London in 2017 was almost completely turned into biodiesel. The leftover piece is now on display in a museum.

11. Usually, gravity takes the waste materials down the drain and out of the house. How are suction and subsequent clogging issues reduced?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes

Answer: Vent systems bring fresh air to the pipes.

Usually, those vents exit via your roof, so you need to make sure there are no bird nests or leaves in them if they are not properly covered.

12. What is the most common way of generating energy from municipal solid waste?

From Quiz Waste-to-Energy

Answer: Incineration

Anaerobe digestion is done with wet organic waste, like manure. Bacteria produce biogas (ca. 70% methane) from the organic matter in an environment without oxygen. During composting of waste, bacteria digest the organic matter in an environment with oxygen and produce mainly CO2. This method does not generate energy.

13. Plants need nitrogen in order to grow. Nitrogen in the air is not usable by plants. What is the most common process by which nitrogen is made available to plants?

From Quiz Earthly Cycles

Answer: Bacterial action

Many plants have nodules on their roots where nitrifying bacteria live.

14. At the treatment facilities, the waste is usually put in a large pond to settle. Why?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes

Answer: This way, the liquid on top can be pumped into the recycling process while the solid waste may be used as fertilizer.

Some of the solid waste may also be used as fuel substitute.

15. Now, let's focus on the incineration of waste. If you look into an industrial waste incinerator in operation, what do you see?

From Quiz Waste-to-Energy

Answer: A cosy yellow fire, like in a fireplace

Not only is there a looking glass in the incinerator, there are cameras as well, so the operators in the control room can keep an eye on the fire.

16. Which wild plant is also known as 'Jack by the hedge'?

From Quiz British Wildlife (fauna, flora and conservation)

Answer: Garlic mustard

Traditionally used to flavour sauces and still used in salads.

17. What is an organism that breaks down dead organisms called?

From Quiz Earthly Cycles

Answer: Decomposer

Without decomposers, the Earth would be covered in many feet of dead stuff- yuck!

18. What type of energy can be generated by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon?

From Quiz What is Green Energy?

Answer: tidal

Tidal energy is generated from the rise and fall of tides in the sea or ocean level, due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. Tidal power was developed during the twentieth century. The Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station in South Korea with a power capacity of 254 MW. When completed in 2011, it surpassed the 240 MW Rance Tidal Power Station in France, which was the world's largest for 45 years.

19. There are also harmful chemicals in the sewers. Besides cleaning products, where do those come from?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes 2

Answer: Each of these causes pollution

Antibiotics simply flushed away is one of the reasons bacteria develop resistance. The amount in the sewers is not enough to kill them; instead it helps those bugs to develop coping mechanisms. Hormone products get into freshwater and cause changes to fish. Cigarette butts release all the bad stuff they filtered from the smoke, including nicotine and heavy metals. Not to mention they also add to the clogging. Cosmetics add to both clogging and pollution as well. Especially bad are cotton pads and buds.

20. One of the concerns with incineration is the possibility of hazardous emissions. Modern incineration plants have extensive procedures in place to minimize this. Much of the potential danger is associated with which type of emission?

From Quiz Please Accept Our Refuse Now!

Answer: Gas products of combustion

While all of these potentially pose environmental problems, the most significant one is gaseous emissions. The gasses produced in the process will contain all kinds of undesirable substances, and the plant has a series of stages to remove them, so that only carbon dioxide and water are released from the chimneys. These include: a) electrostatic precipitators to remove particulate matter, which is then disposed of along with the other solid waste products; b) scrubbers that remove impurities - first a spray of water that contains chemicals to remove heavy metals and acidic gases, next a spray that removes sulfur dioxide, finally a scrubber to remove residual moisture; c) catalytic conversion or selective non-catalytic conversion removes nitrogen oxides. The water from the scrubbers is then treated to remove the materials it has absorbed, collecting them as sludge before the cleaned water is released. Solid waste, or slag, is also carefully treated to remove reusable substances such as metals before the solids are separated into fragments according to particulate size. Some fractions are useful as a replacement for gravel in construction. The rest finds its way to landfill.

21. What does a filter system to clean up water look like?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes

Answer: The water runs over a filtration medium like carbonized coal, gravel or stones to provide oxygenation.

Large surfaces are used instead of sand to allow for the forming of bacterial films, fungi and protozoa. This is important because this bio-film is the key agent removing or at least reducing the organic content in the water. It is important that this bio-film does not become too thick or the filter will clog. Worms and insect larvae help to achieve the optimal thickness.

22. Is the energy generated with the incineration of municipal solid waste considered renewable energy?

From Quiz Waste-to-Energy

Answer: Around half of the energy produced is considered renewable, since around half of the waste is organic matter.

In the Netherlands municipal solid waste is stated to have 47% organic matter. Therefore, for 47% of the electricity produced from the waste, a waste incinerator company can receive a subsidy for renewable energy production.

23. What is the Latin name of the ash tree?

From Quiz British Wildlife (fauna, flora and conservation)

Answer: Fraxinus excelsior

Fagus silvatica = beech, Corylus avellana = hazel, Castanea sativa = sweet chestnut

24. Ultimately, all of the energy in all life cycles on land originally came from the ...

From Quiz Earthly Cycles

Answer: Sun

Yep. The plants turned the sun's energy into food.

25. Some sewage treatment facilities do find which valuable resources in ash from burned sludge?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes 2

Answer: Gold, silver, copper, zinc & other metals

In the city of Suwa in Japan, about two kilos of gold per ton of ash is extracted. There are gold mines with lower output than this. Unfortunately, only a few facilities work to retrieve these resources.

26. What Nordic country has developed such efficient Waste to Energy infrastructure that they do not have enough domestic refuse to power the system, and have started importing waste from other countries?

From Quiz Please Accept Our Refuse Now!

Answer: Sweden

All four of these countries import waste for their Waste to Energy programs, but Sweden is the only Nordic country listed. Their Waste to Energy processes are so efficient that only about 4% of all waste ends up in landfill. As of 2012, Sweden had used up existing landfills, and the country was not producing enough refuse to keep the plants running, so they began importing trash. They started importing the shortfall, nearly 100,000 tons a year, from nearby countries such as Norway. Norway pays Sweden to take their excess waste, Sweden processes it, and the ash product is returned to Norway where it goes into landfill, at a much smaller volume than the original would have been. There are plans to extend this to take in waste from countries further away which have more substantial landfill disposal practices, such as Italy and the Baltic states.

27. Some environmental organisations have remarks on the environmental friendliness of waste-to-energy plants. What is considered a problem?

From Quiz Waste-to-Energy

Answer: During waste incineration, harmful substances are released.

The flue gas cleaning equipment takes up around two thirds of the volume of the plant, all in order to make sure that the flue gases are clean, before they are released to the environment.

28. In what phase of the water cycle does rain fall?

From Quiz Earthly Cycles

Answer: Precipitation

Snow, sleet, and any other forms of water falling from the sky are also precipitation.

29. Wind and hydro turbine generators are converting what energy into electrical power?

From Quiz What is Green Energy?

Answer: kinetic

Wind and hydro turbine engines are converting kinetic energy to electrical energy. Wind farms can be built on land or offshore in large bodies of water such as oceans, seas and lakes. Hydropower plants generate power from dams built across rivers. Hydropower was the earliest type of power generation plant used in history.

30. Another step in a waste management system is Rotating Biological Contactors. In what country were these contactors first used?

From Quiz After the Toilet Flushes

Answer: Germany

A very similar system is used in aquariums. They are also known as Rotating Biological Filters.

This is category 16
Last Updated Nov 23 2024 5:44 AM
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