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Suggestions for Team names
Names of rivers
Names of Indian Wetlands (Chilika, Ashtamudi, Loktak, Keoladeo, Tsomoriri etc.)
Names of water bodies that are endangered

Quiz Database

• Nursery rhymes linked to water / water animals
• People – Real and otherwise 
• Olympics 
• Name the Movie 
• Hydro power projects
• Biodiversity 
• Rivers 
• Water sources and water bodies 
• Cities by the Waterfront 
• Of Ships and sailors 
• Disasters 
• Water pollution and diseases
• Coral reefs 
• Islands 
• Wetlands of International Importance in India 
• Water in literature 
• Coastal formations 
• Canals 
• Miscellaneous

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Nursery rhymes linked to water / water animals: The clue is one line of a nursery rhyme that has some relation to water. Sing the whole rhyme
(the quizmaster is requested to sing the clue line as per the rhyme’s tune)

1. ‘Out came the sun and dried up all the rain’ .
2. ‘Why did you let it go?’.
3. ‘He went to bed and wrapped his head with vinegar and brown paper’.
4. ‘Bumped his head and went to bed and couldn’t get up in the morning’.
5. ‘Little Johnny wants to play’.
6. ‘Life is but a dream’.
7. ‘Upstairs and downstairs, in my lady’s chamber’.
8. ‘There were comfits in the cabin and apples in the hold’

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People – Real and otherwise

1. This famous crocodile hunter died by a stingray barb when he was filming an underwater documentary.
2. She was instrumental in constructing a landmark case on contamination of drinking water against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. A film on her story was nominated for several academy awards. Name her.
3. Which chief minister enforced the implementation of rainwater harvesting structures across the state, with strict penalties for those who did not comply?
4. Name the French explorer, ecologist, researcher and film maker, who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. His underwater films opened the eyes of the world to the treasures of the oceans.
5. Name the Arjuna awardee who was the first Asian woman to swim across the English channel twice and the first woman to cross the seven sea channels in the five continents.
6. A barrister by profession, he was the first person in the world to swim the seven sea channels in the five continents. Name him.
7. Which social activist went on a hunger strike in 2006 to protest against raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam?
8. Which noted Indian actor has openly shown support for the Narmada Bachao Andolan?
9. Name the person who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2001. He helped villager in Rajasthan to rehabilitate their degraded habitat and bring dormant rivers back to life.
10. Name the fictional character featured in Jules Verne’s novels ‘20000 leagues under the sea’ and ‘The mysterious island’ after whom the main protagonist of an award winning animated film is named.
11. Name the fictional pirate who appears in the ‘Secret of the Unicorn’, a Tintin adventure.
12. The Stockholm water prize is a prestigious international award presented annually to an individual, organization, or institute for outstanding water- related activities. Name the Indian who won this award in 2009 for over 4 decades of work in the field of sanitation.
13. Name the activist who was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1992 and is very actively involved in the movement to stop the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river in India.
14. Water harvesting and recharging has become the need of the hour. Which Indian was honoured with the 2001 Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership for his pioneering work in water management in Rajasthan?
15. The highlight of the Singapore International Water Week is an award that honours outstanding contributions towards solving global water problems by either applying technologies or implementing innovative policies and programmes. What is the name of this award?
16. Ralegaon Siddhi is a village in Maharashtra that is considered a model of environmental conservation. Since 1975 who has led the village to implement programs like tree planting, terracing, watershed management, good sanitation practices and the use of renewable energy?
17. One of the awardees of the Jamnalal Bajaj Awards for 2010 for outstanding contributions in social development was a civil engineer who created ‘artificial glaciers’ to help Ladakhi farmers get water in April and May – critical months for sowing crop. What is his name?

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Olympics

1. Which swimmer has won the maximum number of gold medals in the Olympics?
2. Which swimmer’s record of maximum number of gold medals in a single Olympic did Michael Phelps beat at the Beijing Olympics?
3. What was the name of the venue where the swimming events were held at the 2008 Beijing Olympics?
4. Which diver cracked his head on the diving board during the preliminary springboard diving competition in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and then went on to win the Gold Medal in the event?
5. What was the nickname given to Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, who dominated the 400m freestyle event between 1998 and 2004?
6. What is the length of an Olympic size swimming pool?
7. How many lanes are there in an Olympic size swimming pool?
8. How many lanes are used in a full heat of swimming in an Olympic size swimming pool?
9. Name any one of the 4 members of the Indian swimming contingent for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
10. How many world records did Mark Spitz set at the Munich Olympics in 1972?
11. Matt Biondi won 7 medals in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. What nation was he swimming for?
12. Which is the most common brand of swimsuit used by swimmers?

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Name the Movie

1. The story of Keiko the whale.
2. A science fiction film in which a massive wave deluges Manhattan – the film depicts the catastrophic effects of both global warming and global cooling.
3. An overly protective clownfish goes searching for his son in this academy award winning film.
4. This film based on one of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales, is all about 16 year old Ariel.
5. This French Nature documentary filmwon the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2006 and was filmed in Antarctica.
6. Tom Hanks plays a modern day Robinson Crusoe stranded on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific.
7. Shark Attack by Steven Speilberg.
8. A film around the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history that occurred in 1912.
9. A documentary film about an expedition undertaken in 1947 by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl across the Pacific Ocean. The film’s title comes from the name of the raft used by the Explorer.
10. In this animated film, Cody Maverick from Shiverpool, Antarctica tries to emulate ‘Big Zee’ Zeke Topanga in a water sport on Pen Gu island.
11. This movie is an adaptation of a famous novel by Herman Melville. Gregory Peck plays Captain Ahab.
12. Three Bollywood films have been made with the same name – one starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis in 1949, another with Bobby Deol and Twinkle Khanna in 1995 and the most recent with Bobby Deol, Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra in 2005. Name the film.

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Hydro power projects

1. Scheduled for completion in 2009, Three Gorges will be the world’s largest hydroelectric dam project. Which country is it situated in?
2. Bhakra Nangal is a joint project of three Indian states: Haryana, Punjab and ____________.
3. On which tributary of Ganga is the controversial Tehri dam project?
4. Which was the first multi-purpose river valley project in India?
5. Which hydel project on the Chenab, that was being opposed by Pakistan, was cleared by a neutral expert?
6. The Baglihar dam project ran into trouble due to a river water dispute between India and which other country?
7. What is the name of the controversial dam project on the Narmada?
8. Which barrage on the river Ganga is the longest Barrage in the world and has recently been entered into the Guinness Book of World Records?
9. Which dam across the Cauvery river has a botanical garden attached to it and is a major tourist attraction near Mysore?
10. A main reservoir of the Upper Krishna Project, this dam in the Bijapur district of Karnataka was completed in July 2005.
11. From which river does the Mahatma Gandhi Power Station generate power for Karnataka?
12. Who was the architect of the Krishnarajasagara Dam?
13. Which dam in TamilNadu is usually in the news in connection with the Cauvery dispute?
14. Which dam named after a president of the United States of America forms a reservoir called Lake Mead. When completed in 1935, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure ?
15. This reservoir formed by the Bhakra dam is named after one of the Sikh gurus.
16. One of the largest civil engineering projects commissioned after Indian independence, this dam in Maharashtra is being blamed for a spate of earthquakes in the recent past.
17. This dam and a Project Tiger Nature reserve in Kerala share a name.
18. Built across the Mahanadi, this dam is the world’s largest Earthen dam.
19. Built in the state of Uttarakhand, this dam is India’s tallest dam and has been the subject of large protests from environmental groups and locals.
20. This dam creates a reservoir called Lake Nasser. It tends to increase the salinity of the Mediterranean Sea, and affects the Mediterranean's outflow current into the Atlantic Ocean.
21. On which river does the Gandhi Sagar Dam lie?

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Biodiversity

1. Which Indian company’s logo is a bird that eats small fish, frogs, insects and reptiles? This bird can see well both in air and under water?
2. Which creature’s low frequency call is the loudest noise made by a living creature?
3. Dolphins can be seen in the two largest rivers of Goa. One is the Mandovi. Name the other.
4. Which fish was used as an indicator of the levels of toxic metals in the polluted wastes in Germany?
5. What is the rare differentiating feature of Pakistani and Indian river dolphins?
6. In which marine species does the male hatch the eggs in its pouch?
7. Name the only bird sanctuary in India that’s located right on the sea shore.
8. Which is the smallest sea turtle in the world? It’s the most common turtle along the Indian coast?
9. These fish hatch in small freshwater streams. They then migrate to the sea to mature. When mature, they return to the same streams where they were hatched to spawn. Which fish are we talking about?
10. What secretion of the intestines of sperm whales was used to crate fragrances like musk?
11. In an early symptom of environmental stress, which marine organism reveals the white of its calcium carbonate skeleton and starts looking colorless / white?
12. In Spanish, it means “little fly”. How do we know this insect?
13. What percentage of frogspawn live to become an adult frog?
14. What does the red data book contain?
15. What enters a plant seed through its micropyle, when it begins to germinate?
16. Which creature has the largest brain in the animal world?
17. Which animal’s name translates from Scandinavian as “whale-horse”?
18. Which large seabird has been known to stay aloft for more than a day without flapping its wings?
19. Balaeonptera musculus is a marine mammal and the largest known mammal to have existed on Earth. What is this commonly known as?
20. Which large flippered marine mammal is famous for its tusks and stiff bristles called vibrissae that form whiskers? This animal is found in the Arctic region
21. What is the insulating layer of fat in sea mammals, which protects them from the cold, called?
22. Which cephalopod mollusk is highly intelligent and has a complex nervous system. It is the only invertebrate which has been conclusively shown to use tools.
23. Which fish has a fully cartilaginous skeleton (made up only of cartilage) and a soup made of its fin is considered a delicacy?
24. India’s Vikramshila River Dolphin Sanctuary is Asia’s only designated protected area for the endangered Ganges River Dolphin. What is the peculiarity about the Gangetic Dolphin?
25. In which part of the ocean, does the most life exist?
26. Organisms such as copepods and krill, are an important part of the food chain because they feed on algae, converting the energy into a form suitable for consumption by larger animals that cannot feed directly on the miniscule algae. What is this group of organisms called?
27. Which aquatic animal was released on a large scale in the Ganga to rid it of waste flesh?
28. What name is given to a plant that has specially adapted itself to grow in salty water?
29. Salmon was caught in this river after 60 years in 1974 when it was cleansed of pollution after intensive research. Which is the river?
30. Which aquatic plant can form impenetrable mats of floating vegetation leading to extensive eutrophication of water bodies? A single plant produces as many as 5000 seeds.
31. Which sea creatures are renowned for their communication skills – they squeal and growl, whistle, and make other sounds?
32. Which marine mammal that belongs to the same family as weasels and minks does not have a layer of blubber (fat) to help keep it warm but instead has a thick coat of fur. 
33. Name the fish that is a valued source of both food and oil and forms the basis of a historically profitable fishery in the North Atlantic. Such fishing is still an important part of the economy in countries such as Iceland and Great Britain.
34. Which large seabird spends most of its time in the air, above the oceans? It may have a wingspan of over 3.35 metres, the largest any bird in the world has. Most of them live south of the equator, and sailors believe that killing them brings bad luck.
35. A natural sponge is actually a multi-celled sea invertebrate. Which Mediterranean country has historically been the most famous and active for fishing and trading of the best natural sea sponges in the world?
36. What is the colour of dead coral?
37. Which chemical used extensively in the 1950s and subsequently banned because it was unsafe has been found in penguins, arctic seals and even in the blubber of whales?
38. Which is the smallest sea turtle in the world? It is the most common turtle along the Indian coast. 
39. Nearly two thirds of all fish caught throughout the world are hatched in which ecosystem?  
40. Which marine ecosystem is as biologically productive as a tropical rainforest? 
41. Which type of ecosystem acts as seasonal homes for migratory birds?
42. Ecologists often divide a lake into three major zones. Name them.

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Rivers

1. Which two Indian rivers form the largest delta in the world?
2. Which overused river is often dry at its mouth in the Gulf of California, though more than 50 tributaries flow into it?
3. Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarni are all rivers found in which state?
4. In which district of Karnataka does the Cauvery originate?
5. The Ganga Action Plan was initiated in three states through which the river flows. Two of the states are Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Name the third?
6. In Indian mythology, name Ganga’s son who is a central character of the Mahabharata?
7. In which river would you find the world’s largest river island , Majuli?
8. What is the name of the river formed by the confluence of Ganga and Brahmaputra?
9. Which river flowing through Cleveland, Ohio, was so polluted with industrial wastes that it caught fire in 1969? It’s classified as a fire hazard.
10. The Danube has played a central role in the cultural history of Europe. Who composed the famous waltz ‘The Blue Danube’?
11. In the book ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, Huck Finn ad Jim Watson take a rft down which river?
12. According to the epics, Sita was abducted by Ravana from the banks of which river.
13. This river was called the Amaru-Mayu or Great Serpent, Mother of Men by the locals because it looks like the huge coils of an Ananconda from a great distance.
14. We share 98.4% of our DNA with the Bonobos of Africa. They live in the rainforests sustained by one of the mightiest rivers of Africa. Which is this river?
15. Born in the Tibetan glaciers and called the Nine-Tailed Dragon this river flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
16. In which river’s basin, were the fossilized bones of the Rajasaurus narmadensis, India’s very own 65 million year old dinosaur found?
17. At 6,695 kms, which is the longest river in the World?
18. In Hindu mythology, which river is said to be the daughter of the sun god Surya and Sanjana?
19. The capital of the United States of America lies on the North bank of which river?
20. The Triveni Sangam in Allahabad is the confluence of three rivers. Ganga and Yamuna are tqo of them. Which is the third?
21. Which archipelago in the Saint Lawrence river has given its name to a popular salad dressing?
22. If you sail down the Volga River what sea would you sail into? It is the largest inland body of water in the world.
23. Which river rises in the springs of Mount Hermon in Syria flows through the Sea Of Galilee, and empties into the Dead Sea?
24. On which river in Karnataka are the famous Jog Falls (the highest falls in India)?
25. Which French river flows through Rouen and empties into the English Channel between Le Havre and Honfleur?
26. Along the banks of which river is the Taj Mahal built?
27. Which great river links Austria to the sea?
28. Most of India’s rivers flow either into the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian sea but the main river of the desert state of Rajasthan is a fine example of a river with inland drainage. Which river is this?
29. When the Yamuna leaves Delhi it is considered highly polluted but on the way to Allahabad, it is joined by another tributary and gets diluted, thereby bringing down the pollution level. Name this tributary.
30. Which river empties into the Mediterranean Sea and has two great tributaries that meet at Khartoum?
31. On 15 April 2006 which river flooded its banks and reached its highest level in 111 years, forcing residents of Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Serbia to flee their homes.
32. Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar were established on the banks of which river?
33. On which river is the Hirakud dam, the largest earthen dam in the world?
34. Which river in India serves the largest cultivable area?
35. On the banks of which river is the Srirangam temple located?
36. On which river is the Nagarjuna Sagar dam?
37. Which river was the main source of irrigation for the Vijayanagar empire?
38. Which river is known as the sorrow of Bengal
39. Which river is known as the sorrow of Bihar?
40. Which river is referred to as Vriddha Ganga or Dakshin Ganga?
41. While most rivers on the Indian subcontinent have female names, which river has a rare male name?
42. Bhagirathi and Alakananda are two headstreams of which river?

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Water sources and water bodies

1. Which is India’s largest inland brackish water lake?
2. What ecosystem does a Ramsar site denote?
3. Which major project in the north-western part of Rajasthan provides irrigation facilities to over 2.5 million hectares of the Thar desert of which 1.2 million hectares is now cultivable area?
4. Name this water source. It is a hole drilled into a deep underground rock layer, where water pressure is high. It sometimes occurs naturally at faults in the earth’s crust when the thick rock layers are broken.
5. Where on earth is most of the available fresh water found?
6. What is the cold counterpart of El Nino?
7. In which country was the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands adopted in 1971?
8. The Indira Gandhi Nahar Project primarily supplies water to which state?
9. Why is it impossible for ships to sail in the Sea of Tranquility?
10. What is the difference between a glacier and glazier?
11. Ice always covers about 85 % of this island which is supposed to be the largest in the world. What is its inappropriate name?
12. This sea in the North Atlantic ocean is the only ‘sea’ without shores because it is surrounded by ocean currents. It is covered with seaweed and large amounts of non-biodegradable plastic
13. Which sea is not fed by any large rivers, and yet has a higher salinity than any ocean?
14. Which vicious whirlpool off the north-west coast of Norway, has given its name to any dangerous whirlpool?
15. Which is the biggest fresh water lake in the world in terms of surface area?
16. The ‘Raja, Roarer, Rocket and Lady,’ are the four cascades of a famous Indian waterfall. What is the waterfall called?
17. Which is the largest lake in Africa?
18. Four of the countries that are along the coast of the Caspian sea are Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. Which is the fifth?
19. The Caspian sea is considered the source of the finest black caviar in the world. From which fish do we get black caviar?

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Cities by the Waterfront

1. Which Indian coastal city was given to the British as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza on her marriage to Charles
2. The seafort of Sindhudurg was the naval base of which Indian ruler
3. Kaalapani is the name given to which islands
4. Which capital city did Krishna set up when he fled Mathura? It is believed to be submerged now
5. Which coastal city was the earliest European settlement in India
6. In which coastal city did Vasco da Gama first set foot on Indian soil to begin the Portuguese influx into India
7. The river Amstel runs through which famous city ?
8. The Tower Bridge across the river Thames is an iconic symbol of which city
9. What was the former name of the city of Allahabad, which is situated at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible Saraswati?
10. Which famous city stands on the eastern bank of the river Hooghly? / Job Charnock is regarded as the founder of which Indian city?
11. Which city was the centre of the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946 ?
12. Near which city would you find the marble rocks of Bhedaghat ?
13. Which British overseas territory’s name when translated into Arabic means ‘Mountain of Tariq’?
14. Along which river is the town where William Shakespeare was born?
15. Which Egyptian city lies at the northern terminus of the Suez canal
16. Name the city on the Mississippi river which was worst hit by the hurricane Katrina in the year 2005 ?
17. Which city, also known as the Queen of the Adriatic, is world famous for its canals and gondolas?
18. Which city is located at the confluence of the Mula & Mutha rivers?
19. Which city along the Ganges is the starting point for those undertaking travel to the Char Dham pilgrimage?
20. Which town, famous for its mineral water, was the capital of unoccupied France between 1940 and 1944?.
21. Which island has Port Louis as its chief port and capital?
22. On how many islands is Stockholm, the ‘City on Water’, built?

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Of Ships and sailors

1. With which activist organization is the ship ‘Rainbow Warrior’ associated?
2. Which company owned the oil tanker that ran aground and caused a devastating oil spill off the coast of Alaska
3. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill the US Congress passed an act that set a schedule for modifying the design of tankers by introducing an additional layer between the oil tanks and the ocean. What is this design called?
4. Which oil tanker spilt into two and sank off the Spanish coast in 2002 causing an oil spill that is expected to affect marine life for up to 10 years
5. Which nuclear cruise missile submarine of the Russian Navy sank in the Barents sea in 2000.
6. The adventures of which famous reporter would you associate with the ‘Red Sea Sharks’?
7. Who was the captain of the ‘Pequod’ in the novel ‘Moby Dick’?
8. Which poet wrote ‘Water Water everywhere, but not a drop to drink’ in the ‘Rime of the ancient mariner’?
9. Which French aircraft carrier containing high levels of asbestos and other hazardous material was prevented from coming to a ship breaking yard in India by Greenpeace activitists?
10. Prabhat Kumar Goyal was the captain of which recently made famous ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates?
11. One of the most famous ocean liners, RMS Queen Elicabeth II (QEII) was retired from active service on 27th November 2008 to be converted into a floating hotel. Where will she be moored
12. Who wrote the Novel ‘The Hunt for Red October’?
13. Thor Heyerdahl's book about his voyage across the Pacific Ocean on which raft became a bestseller?
14. What was the name of the first Indian sailing expedition around the world?
15. Which famous explorer is associated with the ship ‘Santa Maria’?
16. Which multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a theme park ride, a series of films and novels as well as numerous video games features Capt Jack Sparrow
17. Based on which song by the Beatles, was an animated feature film produced in 1968, replete with voyages under the sea
18. According to the Bible where did ‘Noah’s Ark’ come to rest?
19. Who wanted to become the Chief of Naval services but ended up becoming the President of the USA?
20. Which exceptional test of sailing prowess, formerly known as the ‘Whitbread Round the World Race’, now shares the brand name of a globally known manufacturer of cars and vehicles?
21. Merchant seaman Alfred (Freddie) was the father of which world famous rock musician, songwriter and peace activist?
22. Which famous American athlete who won the 1912 Olympic Gold medals in the Pentathalon and Decathalon also played professional baseball, football and basketball? He briefly joined the US merchant marine in 1945
23. Which was the first ship to circumnavigate the world?
24. What was the name of the famous British ocean liner launched in 1938 which at that time was the largest ship in the world?

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Disasters

1. Which river is known as the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’ because it causes widespread human suffering due to frequent changes in course and flooding 
2. Which Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia could be one of the first nations to experience the effects of sea level rise caused by climate change. At its highest, this island is only 4.5 m above sea level –
3. What was the name of the cyclone that caused the worst recorded natural disaster in the history of Myanmar?
4. What record does the tsunami at Lituya Bay in Alaska hold?
5. What is a flood caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours called? 
6. What is the centre of a hurricane called?
7. On the SaffirSimpson Hurricane scale, what would be the reading of the most deadly storms?
8. Name the wind force scale commonly used by the shipping industry, where wind force 12, corresponds to a hurricane
9. Which country has had the top five deadliest floods as measured by death toll (excluding flooding disasters caused by hurricanes and typhoons)?
10. Located downstream of central London, which is the world’s second largest movable flood barrier in the world?
11. Which chemical did the government tell the people to add to their water tanks to decontaminate the water during the 2005 Mumbai floods?
12. The biggest known earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused one of the deadliest natural disasters in 2004. What disaster are we talking about?
13. What was the name of the ship, which spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil, making it the worst oil spill in U.S history?
14. Which city in the United States of America faced most severe loss of life and property damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005  
15. The MARPOL Convention is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. At which London based international organization was MARPOL adopted on 2nd November 1973 
16. Lowoxygen areas in the world's oceans / large lakes, where marine life cannot be supported, are called______________? They occur near inhabited coastlines and are typically a result of eutrophication.
17. What phenomenon did Tilly Smith, a school student from England see happening on a beach in Thailand in December 2004, thereby raising an alarm and saving more than a hundred lives?
18. After the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 in Indonesia, more than 36,000 people were killed. What actually killed these people?
19. The movement between which two continental plates off the western coast of Sumatra resulted in a major earthquake and tsunami in December 2004?
20. The movement between the Indian and Burmese plates resulted in a major earthquake and tsunami in December 2004. Which larger plates are these two sub-plates of?
21. Which country has had the most deaths caused by floods since the fifteenth century? The worst flood in this country occurred in 1931, which claimed an estimated 3.7 million lives.
22. Which oil tanker carrying over 70000 tons on oil capsized off north-west Spain near the coast of Galicia, in November 2002, causing a huge oil slick that devastated the fishing industry and the biodiversity of the area? This spill is considered to be the largest environmental disaster in the history of Spain and Portugal.
23. A tsunami is a giant tidal wave in the oceans, caused due to either of two natural disasters – an earthquake or a _______.
24. In March 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez was wrecked, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the ocean. This spill affected tens of thousands of seabirds, fish, sea otters, and other creatures that lived on the shores. Where did this tragedy occur?
25. Which French aircraft carrier containing high levels of asbestos and other hazardous material was prevented from coming to a ship breaking yard in India by Greenpeace activitists?
26. What causes a tsunami to lose some of its energy as it gets closer to the shore?
27. The region of Banda and its capital Banda Aceh was one of the worst hit areas during the tsunami of December 2004. Which country is Banda Aceh in?
28. The decision to name cyclones that form over the North Indian Ocean region was taken unanimously by eight countries. Seven of these are Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives and Oman. Which is the eighth?

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Water pollution and diseases

1. Which toxic element was commonly found in old water pipes?
2. Infective hepatitis is a viral water borne disease. Which organ of the body does it affect?
3. Name any one water related vector borne disease
4. Water washed diseases are caused by water scarcity where people
   cannot wash themselves, their clothes or home regularly. Name a major
   water-washed disease.
5. Which industry is a primary cause of thermal pollution of water?
6. Which scientist, who discovered that a protozoan called plasmodium
   causes malaria, was the first Indian-born winner of the Nobel Prize?
7. How do we commonly refer to the extremely dangerous disease called hydrophobia?
8. Which item has the International Maritime Organization completely banned from disposal into the sea?
9. What is point source pollution?
10. Excess of which group of compounds in drinking water can adversely affect teeth and bones
11. State the method employed to disinfect drinking water at the municipal level.
12. What is The Russian-born bacteriologist Waldemar Haffkine’s claim to fame?
13. Around 430–426 B.C., a devastating disease killed one third of the
    population of Athens, including their leader Pericles. The disease has
    long been disputed, but modern academics and medical scientists, based
    on DNA studies believe that the plague was a water borne disease. Which
    disease are we talking about?
14. From which country is Cholera said to have originated?
15. What disease does the strain S Typhi of the bacterium Salmonella Enterica cause
16. Jakob Heine was a german orthopaedist who is most famous for his study on which crippling water borne disease?
17. The presence of which bacteria indicates faecal contamination of water?
18. Dehydration, or the loss of water from the body, can take place when
    the person is in a hot, dry environment or has diarrhea and vomiting.
    In such cases, the body loses electrolytes such as halite along with
    water. What is the chemical name of halite?
19. Which metal, used in leather tanning, causes ground and surface water pollution on entering nearby water bodies?
20. Biochemical oxygen demand is a measure of how much dissolved oxygen
    is being consumed as microbes break down organic matter. A high demand
    can indicate that levels of dissolved oxygen are falling, with potential
    danger to the water body’s biodiversity. Which industry sector produces
    large amounts of organic wastes that have high oxygen demand?
21. Excess phosphorous in an aquatic environment leads to this phenomenon, which can lead to death of a lake’s biotic components?
22. Coliform bacteria in water are an indication of the presence of  _________.
23. When algae from an algal bloom die, they are broken down by bacteria that use up much of which essential element in water?
24. Filtration is a common, conventional method for water purification.
    Nowadays, a membrane technique, which removes almost all minerals and
    salts from water, is being used to purify water. What is this method
    known as?
25. Acid rain with a pH (hydrogen ion concentration) of 3.6 has 100
    times the acidity of normal rain. What is the approximate pH of normal
    rain?
26. In the olden days seeds from which tree were used as a coagulant to purify water?
27. What is the term for measuring concentration of disease – causing organisms in water?
28. BOD is the measure of the health of a river.  What is its full form?
29. What is the term given to the process in which bacteria are
    introduced to break down pollutants? This process can be used at sites
    where oil spills have occurred and damaged the soil.
30. Which industry sector contributes the largest amount of sediment and acid discharge into water bodies?
31. In water purification and waste water treatment, what is aluminium sulphate used as? 
32. Groundwater in West Bengal and Bangladesh has been found to have a
    much higher than permissible level of which element? Poisoning caused by
    long term exposure to this element causes cancer and skin diseases.
33. Many detergents and laundry powders contain phosphates. Why are environmentalists trying to get these phased out?
34. Excess of which group of compounds in drinking water can adversely affect teeth and bones? 
35. Which inorganic compounds can enter water supplies from fertilizer
    runoff or mixing with sewage and can lead to the blue baby syndrome?

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