Waste Management Previous Year Questions ICSE Class 10 Geography

Study Material

Students of ICSE Class 10 should refer to Waste Management ICSE Class 10 Geography previous year questions and solutions. below which have come in past board exams. You should always go through questions that have come in previous years. This will help you to understand the pattern of questions in ICSE Class 10 Geography and prepare accordingly. This will help you to get better marks in ICSE Class 10 Board Exams

ICSE Class 10 Geography Waste Management Last Year Questions

Students should learn the important questions and answers given below for Chapter Waste Management in Geography for ICSE Class 10. These board questions are expected to come in the upcoming exams. Students of ICSE Class 10th should go through the board exams questions and answers for ICSE Class 10 Geography which will help them to get more marks in exams.

Board Exam Questions Waste Management ICSE Class 10 Geography

Waste Management ICSE Class 10 Geography

Short Answer Type Question

Question:. What do you mean by Eutrophication?
Answer: It is the process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients that stimulate the
growth of aquatic plant life usually resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question: How does waste accumulation affect the environment?
Answer: Becomes an eyesore for spoils the landscape Causes pollution Affects terrestrial life adversely
Leads to health hazards.

Question: What was the cause of the following?
(i) The Bhopal Tragedy
(ii) The Minamata Disease
(iii) The Chernobyl Disaster.

Answer: (i) Due to Methyl Isocynate Gas
(ii) Due to Methyl Mercury
(iii) Due to Nuclear Radiation.

Need for Waste Management

Very Short Answer Type Question

Question: What do you mean by sewage?
Answer: Sewage is a type of wastewater either domestic or municipal wastewater that is produced from a
community of people e.g. wastewater from sinks, cloth washers, water used to flush toilets, soap water, etc.

Short Answer Type Question

Question; State two reasons why waste management is important.
Answer: Waste management is a important because-
(i) Improperly stored refuse can cause health, safety and economic problems.
(ii) Transmission of diseases due to accumulation of wastes is a major threat to people and environment.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question: ‘Methane is an air pollutant that causes Greenhouse effect.’ Name three sources of this gas.
Answer: The three sources of Methane gas are-
(i) Mining
(ii) Wetlands
(iii) Landfills

Question: What is Acid Rain? Mention two of its effects.
Answer: Acid rain is the result of excessive acids in rainwater which are formed when oxides like nitrogen dioxide
and sulphur dioxide react with water.
Any two of the following:
Increases acidity in the soil and destroys forests and crops Corrodes buildings, monuments, bridges
Contaminates air and water
Affects the nervous system and health in general Aquatic life affected adversely.

Safe Disposal of Waste

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question: State one source of gaseous waste.
Answer: One source of gaseous waste is automobiles, factories, burning of fossil fuels.

Question: State the main objective of the treatment of gaseous waste.
Answer: The main objective is to minimise the generation of gaseous waste.

Question: Name two common diseases caused as a result of gaseous pollution.
Answer: Asthma and Bronchitis.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question: (i) Mention any two sources of waste.
(ii) What are Biodegradable Waste?

Answer: (i) Domestic waste Industrial waste Agricultural waste Municipal waste
(ii) It is a waste which decompose through the actions of bacteria, fungi and other living organisms.

Question: (i) “Waste segregation is important.” Give a reason to support your answer.
(ii) Why is nuclear waste harmful?

Answer: (i) Waste should be segregated to make for easier waste management/ to help identify the best method of waste disposal.
(ii) Nuclear waste is hazardous as it can remain radio-active for thousands of years/ if it is not disposed off properly it continues to be hazardous/it can enter the human body food and water/ the damage it causes is irreparable/
it affects future generations.

Question: (i) What is understood by biodegradable waste?
(ii) State one source of gaseous waste.

Answer; (i) Biodegradable waste is waste that can be easily broken down by natural processes of decomposition.
(ii) Exhaust from vehicles/burning of fossil fuels in factories and thermal power plants/burning of wheat or rice straw/methane from cattle sheds.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question: List some important initiatives of the Indian Government to improve the management of solid wastes.
Answer: (i) Collection of Municipal Solid Wastes- By organising house-to-house collection of solid wastes and keeping bio-medical and industrial wastes separate.
(ii) Storage of Municipal Solid Wastes- Storage facilities or bins should have easy to operate design for handling, transfer and transportation of waste.
(iii) Transportation of Municipal Solid Wastes- Covered vehicles to prevent the wastes from being scattered.
(iv) Segregation of Municipal Solid Wastes- Undertake phase programme to ensure community participation in waste segregation.

Question: Explain briefly the meaning of the following terms:
(i) Composting
(ii) Incineration
(iii) Segregation

Answer: (i) Composting of waste is an aerobic method of decomposing solid wastes.
(ii) Incineration – It is the method of burning the waste to reduce its weight and volume so that it can be disposed easily.
(iii) Segregation – It refers to separation of waste into different categories of waste. The most popular segregation is biodegradable and nonbiodegradable.

Reduce Reuse Recycle Waste

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question: What do you mean by recycling?
Answer: The process of changing the waste and non-useable materials into potentially useful materials is called
Recycling.

Question. Name three water-borne diseases.
Answer: Jaundice, typhoid, cholera.

Question. Explain the need for management of waste.
Answer: (i) The problem with waste is that it remains in our environment. We move waste from one place to another but never get rid of it completely.
(ii) Nature has recycled waste materials for millions of years. However, human population has increased so rapidly during the last century that the environment is now threatened by our activities and the wastes they produce.
(iii) Much damage is done to the environment by the pollution of air, degradation of soils and contamination of water sources such as rivers, lakes, etc.

Question. Name three greenhouse gases.
Answer: Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, CFC etc.

Question. Where is the Ozone layer found in the atmosphere ?
Answer: Ozone layer is found in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 20 to 30 kilometres above the earth.

Question. What are the causes of depletion of the Ozone layer ?
Answer: (i) Ozone layer has been revealed from different researches that when the Oxides of Nitrogen (NO and NO2) come in contect with Ozone (O3), their chemical reaction destroys Ozone layer.
(ii) Besides this supersonic aeroplanes move through the stratosphere and emit huge amount of Nitrogen gas which depletes the Ozone layer.
(iii) Another important causation factor of Ozone layer depletion is Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which have strong power to damage the ozone layer.

Question. Explain briefly the need to check the depletion of Ozone layer.
Answer: (i) A hole has been observed in the Ozone layer in the Stratosphere near Antarctica.
(ii) This hole allows the ultraviolet rays of the sun to reach the earth directly without any obstacle of filtration. These ultraviolet rays cause many disease like skin cancer and cataract.
(iii) The ultraviolet rays cause genetic disorders which ultimately affect heredity.
(iv) Increased concentration of ultraviolet rays disturb ecological balance in marine ecosystem.
(v) Green algae, fish and other animals on continental shelves get affected by ultraviolet rays. Young cells and larvae of organisms living in aquatic  ecosystems get destroyed.
(vi) Vegetables are very sensitive to the ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet rays can damage physical and chemical properties of any complex chemical substance.
(v) Plastic becomes brittle when they come in contact ultraviolet rays.

Question. What is Greenhouse Effect ? How is it related to Global Warming ?
Answer: (i) The rate of absorption of solar radiation by earth and its emission back into space as infrared waves balances the heat on the earth. This  phenomenon plays a very important role in maintaining surface temperature of the earth.
(ii) The carbon dioxide and other gases form a blanket around the globe which prevents the passage of infrared waves from the earth back into space.
(iii) Concentration of solar radiation produces much heat, making the earth a very warm place. This phenomenon is similar to that of a greenhouse in which the glass enclosed area gets heated up due to the insulation from the rest of the environment.
(iv) The warming up of the atmosphere is due to the greenhouse effect. Hence, Global Warming is also known as Greenhouse Effect.

Question. What are the consequences of Acid Rain ?
Answer: (i) Acid rain increases acidity in the soil and destroys forests and crops.
(ii) It corrodes buildings, monuments, statues, bridges, fences and railings. For example, acid rain produced by the pollutants from the Mathura oil refinery has been turning the white marble surface of the Taj Mahal into yellow.
(iii) It poses a serious threat to human health, since it contaminates air and water.
(iv) It affects the human nervous system by causing neurological diseases.
(v) Aquatic species are affected due to aid rain.
(vi) Acid rain affects the plant growth. Plant leaves get burnt and dry.

Question. What is acid rain ? Mention two of its effects.
Answer: Acid rain means the presence of excessive acids in rain water. The effects of acid rains ?
(i) Acid rain increases acidity in the soil and destroys forests and crops.
(ii) It corrodes buildings, monuments, statues, bridges, fences and railings.
(iii) It poses a serious threat to human health, since it contaminates air and water.

Question. What role does the Ozone layer play to protect life on earth ?
Answer: Due to the presence of Ozone layer, ultraviolet rays from the sun cannot reach the earth surface directly. Ozone layer absorbs the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun and protects the life on the Earth from their harmful effects.

Question. What is the effect of pollution on soil ?
Answer: (i) Soil is the foundation for a healthy biosphere. Precipitation from air as acid rain and dry deposition of pollutants on land surface contribute to soil pollution.
(ii) Chemicals and minerals in the soil react with chemical pollutants. These pollutants combine with plant nutrients and the plants are consumed by animals. Polluted soils cause reduction in mineralisation and decomposition processes.
(iii) Transformation of sulphur, nitrogen, availability of phosphorus, biological nitrogen fixation in soil are affected by acid rain.
(iv) Soil fertility and aeration are also reduced. Earthworms, nematodes, etc., are destroyed by toxic chemicals.

Question. What is Acid Rain ? How is it caused ?
Answer: (i) Acid Rain means the presence of excessive acids in rainwater.
(ii) Burning of coal, wood or petroleum produced sulphur and nitrogen. These two react with oxygen and are converted into their respective oxides – sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which are soluble in water.
(iii) During rain, these oxides react with large quantities of water vapour in the atmosphere to form acids like sulphuric acid, sulphurous acid, nitric acid and nitrous acid.
(iv) These acids, when they precipitate together with rain or snow leads to acid rain.

Question. Name two common diseases caused as a result of gaseous pollution.
Answer: Bronchitis, asthama.

Question: Explain briefly how as a student you can help in the reduction of waste generation.
Answer: Learn to reduce consumption of goods/learn to recycle and reuse

Question. Name three diseases which occur because of waste accumulation on land.
Answer: Waste accumulation leads to breeding of flies insects rodents etc. which
give rise to diseases such as cholera, typhiod, plague etc.

Question. Explain the dangers which pose a serious threat to the ecosystem because of waste accumulation.
Answer: The following dangers, posed by global pollution due to accumulation of wastes, threaten the survival of the ecosystem and call for the need to manage waste.
Transmission of Diseases :
(i) Waste on Land : Various diseases spread on epidemic scale due to waste accumulation on land and water bodies. Vectors like flies, mosquitoes, rodents and pet animals transmit these diseases. The waste is a breeding ground for such vectors. Hence, there is an urgent need to manage waste disposal in an effective manner. Here is a list of common diseases spread by mosquitoes, flies, rodents and pet animals.
(a) Housefly : Typhoid, diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, gastro-enteritis, etc.
(b) Sand fly : Kala-azar, sandfly fever, etc.
(c) Tsetse fly : Sleeping sickness.
(d) Mosquitoes : Malaria, yellow fever, dengue, chickengunia, encephalitis, etc.
( e ) Rodents : Plague, salmonellosis, etc.
(f) Pet animals : 1. Dog- Rabies, hydrated diseases, etc.
2. Cat – Dermatophytosis, anthrax, etc.
(ii) Waste in Water : Water without human interference is in its pure form. Industrialisation and urbanisation pollute water in the following
manner :
(a) Sewage contains organic matter that cannot be decomposed. Besides, the sewage has pathogenic agents.
(ii) Industrial and commercial waste has toxic agents including metal salts and complex synthetic organic chemicals.
(iii) Fertilizers and pesticides produce pollutants.
(iv) There are also other pollutants like radioactive substances.
Human beings are affected by pollution :
1. by drinking contaminated water,
2. by using contaminated water for purposes of personal hygiene and recreation.

Question. State the consequences of Global Warming..
Answer: (i) Global temperature is likely rise by 2 to 5ºC during the next century. Due to rise in temperature by 2ºC to 5ºC, there is a chance of melting of ice caps on Earth’s poles. This melting of ice will result in the rise of the sea level. Large stretches of low lying areas will submerge and many island countries will face deep encroachment by sea water. Some may disappear altogether.
(ii) As the increase in temperature will be uniform all over the surface of the world, there will be serious climatic changes. This will bring various changes in wind and rain patterns.
(iii) Higher temperature will cause rise in transpiration, which in turn, will affect the groundwater table.
(iv) As the climatic belts shift from equator towards pole, the vegetation would also shift away from the equator.
(v) Insects and pests will increase in the warmer climatic conditions. Thus, pathogenic diseases will multiply.

Question. Name two diseases which are spread through pet animals.
Answer: (i) Dog : Rabies, hydrated diseases.
(ii) Cat : Dermatophytosis, anthrax.

Waste Management ICSE Class 10 Geography