50 Environment & Climate Quiz Questions and Answers
This page lists 50 real questions from the Quizlino Environment & Climate Quiz category, each with four options, the correct answer and, where available, a short explanation. They are arranged from easy to hard, so you can start at the level that suits you. The full category contains 60 questions spread across its levels, so what you see here is a sample to study from, not the whole quiz.
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- Check the answer, then read the explanation even if you were right.
- Make a note of the questions you missed and come back to them after a few days.
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Environment & Climate: Easy Questions
Warm-up questions that most players can answer.
Q1. Which gas do plants absorb from the air during photosynthesis?
Answer: B. Carbon dioxide
Explanation: Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air to produce food through photosynthesis.
Q2. Which gas do plants release into the air during photosynthesis?
Answer: B. Oxygen
Explanation: Photosynthesis releases oxygen as a by-product.
Q3. What is the term for large-scale cutting down of trees and forests?
Answer: B. Deforestation
Explanation: Deforestation refers to the large-scale clearing of forests.
Q4. Which renewable energy source uses sunlight to generate electricity?
Answer: B. Solar energy
Explanation: Solar energy converts sunlight directly into electricity using solar panels.
Q5. What term describes the gradual rise in Earth's average temperature?
Answer: B. Global warming
Explanation: Global warming refers to the long-term rise in Earth's average surface temperature.
Q6. Which day is celebrated globally as Earth Day?
Answer: B. April 22
Explanation: Earth Day is observed worldwide on April 22 each year.
Q7. Complete the environmental principle: Reduce, Reuse, ___?
Answer: B. Recycle
Explanation: 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' is a common principle for managing waste.
Q8. Which atmospheric layer protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays?
Answer: B. Ozone layer
Explanation: The ozone layer absorbs most of the Sun's harmful UV radiation.
Q9. What term describes a species of plant or animal that no longer exists anywhere on Earth?
Answer: B. Extinct
Explanation: A species is called 'extinct' once it no longer exists anywhere in the world.
Q10. Which natural disaster is caused by the sudden shifting of tectonic plates?
Answer: B. Earthquake
Explanation: Earthquakes are caused by sudden movement along tectonic plate boundaries.
Q11. What is the term for water falling from clouds as rain, snow, or hail?
Answer: B. Precipitation
Explanation: Precipitation refers to any water that falls from clouds to the Earth's surface.
Q12. Which renewable energy source harnesses the power of moving water?
Answer: C. Hydropower
Explanation: Hydropower generates electricity using the energy of flowing or falling water.
Q13. What is the term for planting new trees on land that previously had none, to combat deforestation?
Answer: B. Afforestation
Explanation: Afforestation refers to planting trees in areas that were not previously forested.
Q14. Which gas makes up about 78% of Earth's atmosphere?
Answer: C. Nitrogen
Explanation: Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, making up about 78%.
Q15. What term describes animals at risk of extinction in the near future?
Answer: B. Endangered
Explanation: 'Endangered' species are those at serious risk of becoming extinct.
Q16. Which renewable energy source captures the power of moving air using turbines?
Answer: B. Wind energy
Explanation: Wind energy is generated by turbines that convert the kinetic energy of wind into electricity.
Q17. What is the term for the layer of gases surrounding Earth?
Answer: B. Atmosphere
Explanation: The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds and protects the Earth.
Q18. Which of the '3 R's' of waste management means using an item again instead of throwing it away?
Answer: B. Reuse
Explanation: 'Reuse' means using items again rather than discarding them after a single use.
Q19. What is the name for the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, land, and oceans?
Answer: B. Water cycle
Explanation: The water cycle describes water's continuous movement through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Environment & Climate: Medium Questions
A step up in difficulty, for players who know the basics.
Q20. Which greenhouse gas, released mainly by burning fossil fuels, is the main driver of climate change?
Answer: B. Carbon dioxide
Explanation: Carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuels is the leading greenhouse gas driving climate change.
Q21. Which 2015 international agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C?
Answer: B. Paris Agreement
Explanation: The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, sets global climate action targets.
Q22. What term describes energy sources, like solar and wind, that naturally replenish and won't run out?
Answer: B. Renewable energy
Explanation: Renewable energy comes from naturally replenishing sources like sun, wind, and water.
Q23. What is the term for glaciers and polar ice sheets shrinking due to rising global temperatures?
Answer: A. Ice melting
Explanation: Rising temperatures are causing glaciers and polar ice to melt at accelerating rates.
Q24. Which country is currently the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases annually?
Answer: C. China
Explanation: China is currently the world's largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases.
Q25. What term describes farming that avoids synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers?
Answer: A. Organic farming
Explanation: Organic farming avoids synthetic chemicals, relying on natural methods instead.
Q26. What does the term 'biodiversity' refer to?
Answer: A. The variety of life in a habitat
Explanation: Biodiversity refers to the variety of species and ecosystems found in a habitat.
Q27. Which group of gases, once used in refrigerators and aerosols, was found to damage the ozone layer?
Answer: B. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Explanation: CFCs were widely used in refrigerants and aerosols before being linked to ozone depletion.
Q28. What is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide to prevent it from entering the atmosphere called?
Answer: A. Carbon capture
Explanation: Carbon capture and storage technology traps CO2 before it enters the atmosphere.
Q29. Which United Nations body assesses the science of climate change and publishes major global reports?
Answer: B. IPCC
Explanation: The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is the UN's key climate science body.
Q30. Which farming technique combines growing trees alongside crops or livestock on the same land?
Answer: B. Agroforestry
Explanation: Agroforestry integrates trees with crops or livestock to boost sustainability and biodiversity.
Q31. What is the name for gases that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, contributing to warming?
Answer: B. Greenhouse gases
Explanation: Greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane trap heat, warming the planet's surface.
Q32. What term describes rivers, lakes, or oceans becoming contaminated with harmful substances?
Answer: B. Water pollution
Explanation: Water pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies by harmful substances.
Q33. What is the name of the annual UN climate conference series, with recent editions held in Glasgow and Dubai?
Answer: B. COP (Conference of the Parties)
Explanation: COP (Conference of the Parties) is the UN's annual global climate summit.
Q34. What term describes non-native species introduced to an ecosystem that can harm local wildlife?
Answer: B. Invasive species
Explanation: Invasive species are non-native organisms that can disrupt and damage local ecosystems.
Q35. What is the process of converting waste materials into new, usable products called?
Answer: B. Recycling
Explanation: Recycling converts waste materials into new products, reducing the need for raw resources.
Q36. Which renewable energy source uses heat generated from within the Earth?
Answer: C. Geothermal energy
Explanation: Geothermal energy harnesses heat from deep within the Earth to generate power.
Q37. What is a protected area of land, legally conserved for its wildlife and habitats, commonly called?
Answer: B. National park
Explanation: National parks are legally protected areas set aside to conserve wildlife and natural habitats.
Environment & Climate: Hard Questions
Challenging questions for confident players.
Q38. What does the term 'carbon footprint' refer to?
Answer: B. Total greenhouse gases produced by an activity or individual
Explanation: A carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gases an individual or activity produces.
Q39. Which 1997 international treaty was an early agreement setting binding emission-reduction targets, preceding the Paris Agreement?
Answer: A. Kyoto Protocol
Explanation: The Kyoto Protocol (1997) was an early binding treaty on greenhouse gas emissions.
Q40. What term describes the rise in ocean levels due to melting ice and warming (expanding) water?
Answer: A. Sea level rise
Explanation: Sea level rise results from melting glaciers/ice sheets and thermal expansion of seawater.
Q41. What term describes cities being noticeably warmer than surrounding rural areas due to human activity?
Answer: B. Urban heat island effect
Explanation: The urban heat island effect makes cities warmer due to concrete, traffic, and reduced greenery.
Q42. What is the name of the widely used system for classifying the world's climate zones (e.g., tropical, temperate, polar)?
Answer: B. Köppen climate classification
Explanation: The Köppen climate classification system categorises the world's climates into zones.
Q43. Which 1987 international treaty successfully phased out substances that deplete the ozone layer?
Answer: B. Montreal Protocol
Explanation: The Montreal Protocol (1987) is considered one of the most successful environmental treaties, phasing out ozone-depleting substances.
Q44. What term describes the maximum population size an environment can sustainably support?
Answer: B. Carrying capacity
Explanation: Carrying capacity refers to the maximum population an environment can sustain long-term.
Q45. What is a system called where waste from one process becomes a raw material for another, minimising overall waste?
Answer: B. Circular economy
Explanation: A circular economy aims to eliminate waste by continually reusing and recycling resources.
Q46. What term describes harmful chemicals building up in increasing concentrations as they move up the food chain?
Answer: B. Bioaccumulation
Explanation: Bioaccumulation describes how toxins concentrate more heavily in predators higher up the food chain.
Q47. Which greenhouse gas, though present in smaller amounts than CO2, traps significantly more heat per molecule over a century?
Answer: B. Methane
Explanation: Methane is far more potent than CO2 at trapping heat, though it exists in smaller atmospheric quantities.
Q48. What term measures the total volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services?
Answer: B. Water footprint
Explanation: A water footprint measures the total freshwater consumed, directly or indirectly, to produce something.
Q49. What is the name of the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, closest to the surface, where weather occurs?
Answer: B. Troposphere
Explanation: The troposphere is the lowest atmospheric layer, where nearly all weather phenomena occur.
Q50. What term describes organisms adapted to survive in extremely harsh environments, such as deep-sea vents?
Answer: A. Extremophiles
Explanation: Extremophiles are organisms able to survive in extreme conditions of heat, cold, pressure, or acidity.
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