Free AEP Practice Questions

Question 1

During a calendar month, a metal-parts manufacturer generates 80 kg of nonacute hazardous waste and 1.6 kg of acute hazardous waste. It generates no acute-waste spill residues and ships all of the waste off site before month-end. No counting exclusion or episodic-generation provision applies. Under federal RCRA rules, which classification and basis are correct for that month?

Accepted Answer

Large quantity generator, because acute hazardous waste generation exceeds 1 kg.

Answer

Very small quantity generator, because nonacute waste generation is below 100 kg.

Answer

Small quantity generator, because combined hazardous waste generation is below 1,000 kg.

Answer

Very small quantity generator, because no hazardous waste remains on site at month-end.

Question 2

An engineer is considering a heated transfer line for a process chemical. Before selecting an operating temperature, the engineer needs to identify conditions that could destabilize the chemical and the hazardous products it could release on decomposition. Where in the Safety Data Sheet is that information principally located?

Accepted Answer

Section 10: Stability and reactivity

Answer

Section 9: Physical and chemical properties

Answer

Section 7: Handling and storage

Answer

Section 5: Fire-fighting measures

Question 3

Two monitoring wells are screened in the same interval of an unconfined aquifer. Their measuring-point elevations use the same surveyed datum, and water levels are measured at the same time. The western well has a measuring-point elevation of 122 m and water 17 m below that point. The eastern well has an elevation of 118 m and water 11 m below its measuring point. Which interpretation of hydraulic head along this east-west line is supported?

Accepted Answer

Head decreases westward: 107 m in the eastern well and 105 m in the western well.

Answer

Head decreases eastward: 139 m in the western well and 129 m in the eastern well.

Answer

Head decreases eastward: 122 m in the western well and 118 m in the eastern well.

Answer

Head decreases eastward: 105 m in the western well and 107 m in the eastern well.

Question 4

A manufacturer proposes rerouting process wastewater from a permitted surface-water outfall to a municipal sanitary sewer. The plant manager says, "The treatment plant has an NPDES permit, so our wastewater will be covered." What is missing from that assessment?

Accepted Answer

The industrial discharge must satisfy applicable pretreatment and local sewer-discharge requirements.

Answer

The municipal sewer connection must retain the factory's existing direct-discharge limits unchanged.

Answer

The factory must apply the treatment plant's final-effluent limits at the factory's sewer connection.

Answer

The wastewater must meet federal drinking-water limits before the municipal treatment plant receives it.

Question 5

A 200 mL spill of a known, nonflammable dilute alkaline cleaner is contained in a compatible work tray. No one is exposed, no drain is threatened, and the assessment identifies no inhalation or fire hazard. Nearby employees are trained and equipped for this exact spill under a written absorption-and-collection procedure. Which response is proportionate to these conditions?

Accepted Answer

Have the trained employees collect the spill using the established incidental-spill procedure.

Answer

Evacuate the entire facility and wait for an external hazardous-materials team to handle the tray.

Answer

Keep the material in the open tray until the next scheduled hazardous-waste collection visit.

Answer

Add acid in the tray to neutralize the cleaner before collecting the resulting mixture.

Question 6

A chemical-blending plant could emit 12 tons per year of one hazardous air pollutant without operating restrictions. A federally enforceable permit restriction limits its potential to emit that pollutant to 8 tons per year; actual emissions are 6 tons per year. Combined potential emissions of all hazardous air pollutants are 18 tons per year, and no other individual hazardous air pollutant reaches 10 tons per year. No other Title V trigger applies. Which conclusion uses the correct permitting basis?

Accepted Answer

It is not a major source because its restricted potential emissions are below both applicable hazardous-air-pollutant thresholds.

Answer

It is a major source because unrestricted capacity of 12 tons per year exceeds the single-pollutant threshold.

Answer

It is a major source because combined potential emissions of 18 tons per year exceed the 10-ton threshold.

Answer

It is not a major source because actual emissions of 6 tons per year control regardless of operating restrictions.

Question 7

A chronic oral exposure assessment reports a hazard quotient of 2.4 for one contaminant in drinking water. The exposure estimate and reference dose use compatible units and assumptions. A community briefing should explain this result as:

Accepted Answer

A dose above the noncancer reference dose, warranting evaluation without predicting illness in exposed people.

Answer

A predicted 2.4% probability that an exposed person will develop the contaminant's noncancer health effect.

Answer

A lifetime cancer risk 2.4 times background, requiring comparison with the community's existing cancer incidence.

Answer

Evidence of an acute toxic exposure that, by itself, requires immediate evacuation of everyone using the supply.

Question 8

Records and site reconnaissance at a former degreasing shop identify a solvent drain that discharged to an unlined sump. The Phase I environmental site assessment identifies a release concern but contains no soil or groundwater results. There is no immediate exposure emergency. To determine whether those media were affected, the next scope of work should be:

Accepted Answer

A targeted Phase II investigation of soil and groundwater around the sump and potential migration pathways.

Answer

Another records-only assessment, deferring sampling until documentary evidence proves that a release occurred.

Answer

Excavation of the entire former process area, with analytical testing deferred until removal is complete.

Answer

Sampling confined to upgradient groundwater, using those results to decide whether the sump affected the site.

Question 9

A facility has correctly identified a spent solvent as an F-listed hazardous waste based on a toxicity listing. Representative testing finds no hazardous-waste characteristic. No exclusion or delisting applies. The manager proposes removing the hazardous-waste designation because the laboratory results are below the characteristic thresholds. Which response resolves the issue?

Accepted Answer

Retain the designation: a toxicity-based listing still applies when characteristic tests are negative.

Answer

Remove the designation because a complete set of negative characteristic tests supersedes the listing.

Answer

Remove the designation if the facility generates less than 100 kg of this waste during the calendar month.

Answer

Change the designation to universal waste because spent solvent can be recovered and used again.

Question 10

A packaging printer is comparing four technically feasible projects that all maintain product quality. Which project is pollution prevention through source reduction, rather than management of pollution after it is generated?

Accepted Answer

Reformulate the ink to use less solvent per acceptable finished package.

Answer

Distill the spent cleaning solvent and return the recovered fraction to use.

Answer

Capture solvent vapor from the printing exhaust on activated carbon beds.

Answer

Route solvent-laden exhaust through an oxidizer before releasing it outdoors.

Free AEP Practice Questions

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