Basic Water Practice Test
Total: 30 Questions
1. Which of the following well types is most protected from surface contamination?
a. storage well.
b. infiltration gallery.
c. rock well.
d. shallow well.
e. artesian well
2. Which minerals cause water hardness?
a. carbon and nitrogen.
b. calcium and magnesium.
c. nitrates and phosphates.
d. oxygen and manganese.
e. sulfates and chlorides.
3. A public water system must at all times provide:
a. an adequate quantity of water.
b. an adequate water pressure.
c. adequate disinfection.
d. all the above.
e. softening.
4. A source of groundwater would be a:
a. aquifer.
b. river.
c. lake.
d. reservoir.
e. mountain stream.
5. Fecal Coliform organisms sometimes found in water supplies are an indication that:
a. the water supply is contaminated.
b. harmful bacteria may be present.
c. possibly pathogenic organisms are in the water.
d. the water is unsuitable for drinking.
e. all the above.
6. A disease that may be spread by inadequately disinfected water is:
a. Acquired Immune Deficiency.
b. smallpox.
c. yellow fever,
d. dysentery.
e. all the above.
7. A common chemical you might use for disinfecting a small public water supply is:
a. bromine.
b. fluoride.
c. sodium chloride.
d. soda ash.
e. sodium hypochlorite.
8. A physical connection between a potable water supply and a home well would be:
a. acceptable.
b. a cross connection.
c. impossible.
d. unaccounted for water.
e. pathogenic.
9. The amount of chlorine in mg/L that is used up by reacting with iron, organics or bacteria is called:
a. demand
b. dosage.
c. residual,
d. disinfection.
e. free.
10. Which of the following is a physical characteristic of chlorine gas?
a. orange color.
b. slightly heavier than air.
c. corrosive when dry.
d. pungent, penetrating odor.
e. non-toxic.
11. Which of the following is part of a hypochlorinator system?
a. solution feed pump.
b. gas cylinder.
c. rotameter.
d. -notch chlorinator.
e. all the above.
12. According to the state’s requirements, all public water supply wells should be provided with concrete sealing blocks, screened vents and:
a. iron screens.
b. surge suppressor.
c. flow measuring devices.
d. vacuum gauges.
e. fluoridation equipment.
13. The drawdown of a well is determined by:
a. an air line.
b. a tape.
c. an electrode.
d. the difference in static and pumping levels.
e. the discharge pressure.
14. The pH of a water indicates whether it is acidic or basic and is expressed by a scale of numbers ranging from:
a. 0 to 14.
b. 0 to 100.
c. 1 to 14.
d. 0 to 7.
e. 7 to 14.
15. Which of the following is a required step in collecting a routine distribution sample for bacteriological examination?
a. use an approved, sterilized sample container.
b. select a sample site close to the storage tank.
c. rinse the sample bottle carefully.
d. fill the sample container completely.
e. all the above.
Halfway there. Keep going!
16. Sand filtration will remove which of the following from surface water supplies?
a. hardness.
b. nitrates.
c. turbidity.
d. taste and odor.
e. chlorides.
17. Activated carbon is used at a surface water treatment plant primarily for:
a. disinfection.
b. coagulation.
c. algae control.
d. taste and odor control.
e. hardness removal.
18. Which of the following chemicals are commonly used as coagulants in surface water treatment?
a. copper sulfate,
b. alum and ferric chloride.
c. soda ash.
d. lime.
e. a. b and c.
19. Ground storage tanks are required to be provided with which of the following:
a. screened vents.
b. approved roof hatch with locking arrangements.
c. overflows with hinged flap valves.
d. leak prevention program.
e. all the above.
20. Your elevated storage tanks should be protected against corrosion by:
a. painting.
b. cathodic protection.
c. water stabilization.
d. all the above.
e. galvanizing.
21. A public water supply system should maintain a minimum residual pressure of 20 psi and a minimum normal operating pressure of at least:
a. 35 psi.
b. 45 psi.
c. 55 psi,
d. 40 psi.
e. 50 psi.
22. Before a new or repaired water line is put in service it must be properly disinfected by providing a chlorine dosage of:
a. 20 mg/L.
b. 30 mg/L.
c. 40 mg/L.
d. 50 mg/L.
e. 60 mg/L.
23. Water-bearing formations beneath the earth’s surface that are used for public water supply are called:
a. recharge zones.
b. aquifers.
c. impervious formations.
d. outcrops.
e. pressure reduction zones.
24. The purpose of an air line on a well is to:
a. aerate the well water.
b. inject chlorine into the aquifer.
c. determine water levels in the well.
d. determine the depth to the aquifer.
e. allow the casing to breathe.
25. The mesh size is an important feature of a well screen because properly sized openings should:
a. reduce the amount of sand pumped.
b. increase the water velocity through the screen.
c. eliminate the need for any gravel pack.
d. increase scaling at the screen.
e. reduce the amount of fine sand in the aquifer.
26. When treating surface water, the process of coagulation will be most affected by the:
a. type of alum or ferrous sulfate used.
b. amount of mixing and sedimentation.
c. pH, alkalinity, temperature and chemical dosages.
d. amount of aeration and detention time.
e. color and odor of the raw water.
27. A rapid sand filter should be backwashed when the:
a. evening shift is on.
b. filtration rate drops below 2 gpm per square ft.
c. sand expansion is between 30% and 50%
d. mudballs and turbidity get high.
e. loss of head gauge indicates between 6 and 10 ft.
28. Which of the following is an acceptable level of chlorine residual at the far reaches of the distribution system.
a. 0.2 mg/L free chlorine residual.
b. 0.5 mg/L chloramine residual for a surface water supply.
c. 0.8 mg/L chloramine residual when using chloramine treatment.
d. 0.5 mg/L free chlorine residual for a groundwater supply.
e. all the above.
29. What is the approximate total volume of a circular tank in gallons if it is 30 feet in diameter, and 15 feet deep.
a. 3.375 gallons.
b. 42,390 gallons.
c. 88,380 gallons.
d. 10,600 gallons.
e. 79,300 gallons.
30. You are setting a chlorinator to provide a dosage of 4.0 mg/L. If the daily water usage is 750,000 gallons, the gas chlorinator feed rate should be set at ___________ pounds per day.
a. 3.
b. 16.
c. 20.
d. 25.
e. 52
Basic Water Practice Test Answers
| 1. e | 16. c |
| 2. b | 17. d |
| 3. d | 18. b |
| 4. a | 19. e |
| 5. e | 20. d |
| 6. d | 21. a |
| 7. e | 22. d |
| 8. b | 23. b |
| 9. a | 24. c |
| 10. d | 25. a |
| 11. a | 26. c |
| 12. c | 27. e |
| 13. d | 28. e |
| 14. a | 29. e |
| 15. a | 30. d |
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