Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
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Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers (July-Dec 2025)
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Question 1. Which of the following terms correctly describes a chemical substance causing undesirable biological effects on human health or ecosystems?
a) Contaminant
b) Pollutant
c) Organic Matter
d) Nutrient
Question 2. Increase in local air temperature or micro-climatic effects are mainly due to
a) Bioaccumulation
b) Urban Heat Island Effect
c) Stubble burning
d) Soil Salinization
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
Question 3. Which concept refers to the exploitation of shared natural resources by individuals leading to eventual depletion or degradation?
a) Exponential growth
b) Geometric growth
c) Tragedy of the Commons
d) Linear growth
Question 4. Why are regulations (laws and policies) considered necessary for achieving sustainable development, despite the possibility of individuals voluntarily protecting the environment?
a) Regulations always eliminate pollution entirely.
b) Individuals typically prefer pollution and degradation.
c) Voluntary actions alone cannot ensure complete adherence to sustainable practices.
d) Regulations are only useful in developed countries.
Question 5. What does a high R² value (close to 1) indicate when fitting population data to a mathematical growth model?
a) The model poorly fits the data and should be rejected.
b) The model accurately represents the relationship between observed data points over time.
c) The population is decreasing rapidly.
d) There is no meaningful relationship between the variables.
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
Question 6. Which of the following correctly differentiates between renewable and non-renewable resources?
a) Renewable resources are materials from deep within Earth, while non-renewable resources are from shallow subsurface areas.
b) Renewable resources can naturally replenish within a human lifetime; non-renewable resources cannot.
c) Renewable resources are used exclusively in energy generation; non-renewable resources are used for agriculture.
d) Renewable resources are typically privately owned; non-renewable resources are usually common property.
Question 7. What primarily distinguishes an Ecopolis from an Agropolis or Petropolis?
a) An Ecopolis is entirely reliant on fossil fuels
b) An Ecopolis exports its waste to the surrounding countryside.
c) An Ecopolis recycles and manages waste within its own boundaries, emphasizing renewable energy.
d) An Ecopolis depends exclusively on imported resources.
Question 8. Which of the following best describes a linear economy as discussed in the lecture?
a) A system where waste is minimized and recycled within the city.
b) A system where resources are taken, used, and disposed of without recycling.
c) A city designed to operate solely on renewable energy.
d) An economy based on sustainable design principles.
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
Question 9. What is urban mining?
a) Extracting minerals from deep underground in urban areas.
b) Recycling and recovering valuable materials from used electronic products within the city.
c) Building new mines in urban outskirts.
d) Exporting city waste to rural areas for disposal.
Question 10. Which of the following is considered a perpetual resource?
a) Coal
b) Solar energy
c) Groundwater from deep Subsurface
d) Minerals
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
Question 11. What natural service is provided by vegetation that helps regulate the local climate?
a) Soil erosion
b) Air purification and climate control through CO2 uptake and transpiration
c) Fossil fuel formation
d) Groundwater mining
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
Question 12. A city has a population of 2 million and an affluence (per capita consumption) of 15 units. Initially, the technology factor T is 1.2, resulting in an environmental impact I. If the city improves technology, reducing T to 0.8, what is the percentage reduction in environmental impact I, assuming population and affluence remain constant?
a) 33.30%
b) 40%
c) 25%
d) 50%
Question 13. Which of the following is NOT considered an input in Life Cycle Assessment?
a) Raw materials
b) Energy
c) Gaseous emissions
d) Water
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
Question 14. If a house consumes 6000 kWh of electricity per year and its area is 120 square meters, what is its EPI?
a) 20 kWh/m²/year
b) 40 kWh/m²/year
c) 50 kWh/m²/year
d) 60 kWh/m²/year
Question 15. In 2019, Earth Overshoot Day was on 29th July, and in 2020, due to the COVID lockdown, it moved to 22nd August. How many days of improvement were gained?
a) 15 days
b) 22 days
c) 24 days
d) 31 days
Question 16. A commercial building consumes 12,000 kWh of electricity annually and has a floor area of 300 square meters. What is its Energy Performance Index (EPI)?
a) 30 kWh/m²/year
b) 40 kWh/m²/year
c) 50 kWh/m²/year
d) 60 kWh/m²/year
Question 17. The global ecological footprint per person is 2.8 global hectares, and the global biocapacity per person is 1.6 global hectares. By how many global hectares per person is the demand exceeding the supply?
a) 1
b) 1.2
c) 2
d) 4.4
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers
Question 18. A city currently uses 2 million MWh of electricity annually. Of this, 75% comes from fossil fuels, and the rest from renewables. The city aims to reduce its fossil fuel dependency to 60% over the next 5 years by increasing renewable sources. If the total electricity demand grows by 5% annually (geometric growth model), what is the expected amount of electricity (in MWh) generated from fossil fuels after 5 years, assuming the target is met exactly?
a) 1,531,537 MWh
b) 1,209,375 MWh
c) 1,200,000 MWh
d) 1,350,000 MWh
Question 19. Which population growth model describes a scenario where the population increases by a fixed percentage per increment of time, resulting in a continuously rising curve?
a) Arithmetic (Linear) Growth
b) Geometric Growth
c) Logistic Growth
d) Circular Growth
Question 20. What scenario best illustrates the concept of the “Tragedy of the Commons”?
a) Private farms managing their own crops sustainably.
b) Industries treating their wastewater before discharging it.
c) Individuals excessively using shared resources, causing depletion and environmental harm.
d) Governments enforcing strict environmental regulations.
These are Environmental Science Nptel Week 1 Assignment Answers