Free PE Environmental exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the PE Environmental exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1An engineer checks the uplift on a fully submerged, sealed treatment tank that displaces 12 m³ of water. With water density 1,000 kg/m³ and g = 9.81 m/s², what is the buoyant force?

   1. A. 12.0 kN
   2. B. 117.7 kN
   3. C. 1,177 kN
   4. D. 0.118 kN

   Answer: B

   Explanation: The handbook states, "it is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the water that it displaces." Thus F = 1,000 × 9.81 × 12 = 117,720 N = 117.7 kN.

   Reference: DOE Fundamentals Handbook: Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Fluid Flow, Volume 3 — Module 3, p. 2, Buoyancy

2. 2An engineer interprets a TCLP result for a solid waste proposed for land disposal. Which environmental behavior is the test designed to simulate?

   1. A. Total destruction during controlled incineration
   2. B. Complete digestion of the waste's metal content
   3. C. Leaching after disposal with municipal solid waste
   4. D. Volatilization during ambient waste storage

   Answer: C

   Explanation: EPA states, "The test was designed to model a theoretical scenario in which a waste is mismanaged by placing it in an unlined landfill containing municipal solid waste." TCLP evaluates contaminant mobility in that leaching scenario, not total composition or destruction.

   Reference: Hazardous Waste Characteristics — Is it allowable to increase the strength of the acid solution in SW-846 Method 1311?

3. 3An engineer compares the life-cycle impacts of beverage packages with different container sizes. Which functional unit provides an equivalent service basis?

   1. A. Manufacture of 1,000 individual containers
   2. B. Manufacture of 1,000 kg of packaging
   3. C. Sale of $1,000 worth of packaging
   4. D. Delivery of 1,000 L of beverage

   Answer: D

   Explanation: EPA states, "A beverage container study might consider 1,000 liters of beverage as an equivalent use basis for comparison". The delivered beverage service is held constant despite different container sizes or masses.

   Reference: Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practice — Chapter 2, p. 11, functional unit selection

4. 4During an EPA Method 5 particulate traverse, how should the sampling nozzle be oriented at each sampling point?

   1. A. With its tip pointing directly into the gas stream
   2. B. With its tip pointing directly away from the gas stream
   3. C. With its tip perpendicular to the local gas stream
   4. D. With its tip parallel to the nearest stack wall regardless of flow

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Method 5 directs, "Position the nozzle at the first traverse point with the tip pointing directly into the gas stream." Facing the local stream is part of representative particulate sampling.

   Reference: Method 5—Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions from Stationary Sources — Section 8.5.2, sampling train operation

5. 5New investigation data reveal a previously unrecognized contaminant pathway. At what earliest project stage should the engineer incorporate this evidence into the conceptual site model?

   1. A. At completion of remedial construction
   2. B. At completion of post-closure care
   3. C. During the current site investigation
   4. D. During the next property acquisition

   Answer: C

   Explanation: EPA states, "The CSM should be initiated at the start of a project and carefully maintained and updated throughout the life of the site activities." Incorporate the new pathway during the investigation rather than deferring it to later construction, care, or transaction milestones.

   Reference: Data Quality Objectives Process for Hazardous Waste Site Investigations — Develop/Refine the Conceptual Site Model, printed p. 15

6. 6At a general-industry facility subject to federal OSHA, an engineer classifies a small hazardous-substance spill for HAZWOPER planning. Immediate-area employees can safely absorb and control it at the time of release. How does 1910.120(a)(3) classify this response?

   1. A. Emergency response to an uncontrolled release
   2. B. Post-emergency response following stabilization
   3. C. Incidental-release response outside the emergency-response definition
   4. D. Hazardous-materials technician emergency response

   Answer: C

   Explanation: OSHA states, "Responses to incidental releases of hazardous substances where the substance can be absorbed, neutralized, or otherwise controlled at the time of release by employees in the immediate release area, or by maintenance personnel are not considered to be emergency responses within the scope of this standard." The stated capability and release conditions fit that boundary, without exempting other applicable safety requirements.

   Reference: Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, 29 CFR 1910.120 — 29 CFR 1910.120(a)(3), Emergency response definition

7. 7A water-storage basin is open to the atmosphere. An engineer evaluates gauge pressure at a port 5.0 m below the surface. For density 1,000 kg/m³ and g = 9.81 m/s², what pressure should be used?

   1. A. 4.91 kPa
   2. B. 150.4 kPa
   3. C. 49.1 kPa
   4. D. 0.491 kPa

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The handbook states, "the pressure exerted by a column of water is directly proportional to the height of the column and the density of the water". Gauge pressure is ρgh = 49,050 Pa; atmospheric pressure is not added.

   Reference: DOE Fundamentals Handbook: Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Fluid Flow, Volume 3 — Module 3, p. 4, Relationship Between Depth and Pressure

8. 8For the federal aqueous-waste corrosivity characteristic, an engineer evaluates the alkaline pH criterion. What is the lowest pH that meets this alkaline criterion?

   1. A. 10.0
   2. B. 11.0
   3. C. 12.0
   4. D. 12.5

   Answer: D

   Explanation: EPA identifies aqueous wastes with "pH less than or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 12.5". The alkaline branch starts at pH 12.5; other corrosivity pathways are separate.

   Reference: Hazardous Waste Characteristics — Is SW-846 Method 9045D applicable to organic liquid waste matrices?

9. 9A treatment-equipment comparison includes raw-material extraction, manufacture, use and maintenance, and final waste management. Which life-cycle system boundary encompasses this scope?

   1. A. Cradle-to-grave
   2. B. Cradle-to-gate
   3. C. Gate-to-gate
   4. D. Gate-to-grave

   Answer: A

   Explanation: EPA identifies major life-cycle stages as "raw material acquisition, materials manufacture, production, use/reuse/maintenance, and waste management." Including acquisition through final management corresponds to a cradle-to-grave boundary.

   Reference: Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practice — Abstract, p. iv, major life-cycle stages

10. 10A Method 5 run recovers 10.0 mg of blank-corrected dry particulate mass from 2.00 dry standard m³ of sampled gas. What particulate concentration does this represent?

    1. A. 20.0 mg/dscm
    2. B. 0.200 mg/dscm
    3. C. 5.00 mg/dscm
    4. D. 10.0 mg/dscm

    Answer: C

    Explanation: Method 5 identifies "Concentration of particulate matter in stack gas, dry basis, corrected to standard conditions". Concentration is collected mass divided by sampled dry standard volume: 10.0/2.00 = 5.00 mg/dscm.

    Reference: Method 5—Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions from Stationary Sources — Sections 12.1 and 12.9, particulate concentration