Activity 1A - Introduction to EIA Select the most appropriate response to the following questions: 1. Where undertaken, EIA should be used to help determine whether consent is given for development a. never b. hardly ever c. often d. always 2. The primary reason for Environmental Impact Assessment is to a. mitigate existing environmental impacts of development b. predict the size of impacts of developments c. describe proposed developments d. identify the environmental consequences of development in advance 3. Which of the following statements are false? a. land use planning systems do the same thing as EIA b. EIA is intended to be a rational and comprehensive assessment c. EIA is costly and time consuming d. EIA is a process 4. EIA is necessary because? a. development is bad for the environment b. there is growing interest in sustainability c. environmental impacts of developments are of public interest d. none of the above 5. Which environmental principle best reflects the intent of EIA?
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. Where undertaken, EIA should be used to help determine whether
consent is given
for development
a. never
2. The primary reason for Environmental Impact Assessment is
to
a. mitigate existing environmental impacts of
development
b. predict the size of impacts of developments
c. describe proposed developments
3. Which of the following statements are false?
a. land use planning systems do the same thing as EIA
b. EIA is intended to be a rational and comprehensive
assessment
c. EIA is costly and time consuming
d. EIA is a process
4. EIA is necessary because?
a. development is bad for the environment
b. there is growing interest in sustainability
c. environmental impacts of developments are of public
interest
d. none of the above
c. reduce reuse recycle
Activity 1B - Introduction to EIA Practice
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. Impacts on which of the following should not be considered in an
EIA?
a. Ecological
d. Impacts on environmental consultants
2. Which of the elements of the EIA process does the following
expression
describe?...identifying at an early stage, from all a project's
possible impacts, those that are
the crucial, significant ones....
d. mitigation
3. Which of the elements of the EIA process does the following
expression
describe?.....narrowing the application of EIA to those projects
that may have significant
environmental impacts....
a. screening
b. scoping
4. Which of the elements of the EIA process does the
following expression
describe?.....establishing the present and future states of the
environment in the absence
of the project......
d. mitigation
5. Which of the following best describes why public involvement is
necessary and
integral to EIA?
a. Without incorporating stakeholder views EIA cannot
be expected to accurately record the
impact significance of the project
b. Public acceptability is important to ensure that
political proponents of the project are re-elected
c. The law requires that the public are notified of
developments
d. The developer who does not undertake public consultation
will be able to undertake the project
more quickly
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. An Environmental Statement should examine the potential impacts
of a
development and present them from
a. the regulator's perspective
b. the developer's view
2. The European Commission wanted to introduce EIA
because
a. it would improve environmental conditions across
Europe
b. it would reduce costs for European businesses
c. it would reduce competition amongst European
businesses
d. it would reduce competition with international
businesses
3. EIA under Directive 97/11 differs from EIA under the US NEPA in
that it
a. only relates to programmes
b. only deals with effects on humans
c. only relates to private sector developments
d. covers both public and private sector
develpments
4. Projects requiring EIA may be subject to consent
procedures
a. after the EIA has been carried out
b. before the EIA has been carried out
c. whilst the EIA is being carried out
d. at any point in the process
5. Canadian EIA Legislation is distinctive because
a. It was the first to be enacted
b. It was the last to be enacted
c. It enshrines the requirement for public
participation
d. It is the most comprehensive impact assessment
system
Activity 3A - Public Involvement Principles
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. The best way to deal with opposition to development proposals is
to
a. ignore it
c. involve objectors once the Environmental Statement is
complete
2. Which statement best summarises public involvement?
a. informing the public about the project
b. engaging the public in participating in
project impact evaluation
c. engaging the public in promoting the project
d. minimising bad publicity about the project
3. Which statement best summarises the role of negotiation within
EIA public
involvement processes?
a. Allows different interest groups to resolve disputes and
differences by recognising each others
viewpoints and values
b. Allows two way flow of information between the
proponent and the public
c. Allows developer/proponent to avoid bad publicity
d. Allows decision makers to provide permission for the
project to proceed
4. The responsibility and cost related to undertaking public
consultation and
involvement in EIA should fall on
a. the developer
5. Which of the following statements is true?
a. EIA involves a wide range of actors and agencies
b. EIA mainly involves developers and the public
c. EIA is largely a matter for developers
d. EIA is mainly an issue affecting developers and
regulators
Activity 4A - Screening Basics
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. What are the key factors whoch must be taken into account when
determining
whether a project requires EIA or not?
a. Size of the project
b. Size of the project and sensitivity of the
surrounding environment
c. Size of the project, sensitivity of the surrounding
environment and effect on local communities
d. Size of the project, sensitivity of the surrounding
environment, effect on local communities and
opinion of the developer
2. In some jurisdictions, project size is used as a proxy screening
criteria. What is the
key problem with this approach?
a. Size matters but its also where it is located that
counts
b. Projects can in certain cases be split up in order
that they fall below the threshold criteria
c. Projects may use different processes, technologies or
design which vary their impacts
irrespective of size
d. All of the above
3. Which of the following is never an acceptable outcome of the
screening process?
a. A full and comprehensive EIA is required
b. EIA consideration is not required
c. No further level of EIA is required
d. A more limited EIA is required
4. Where a preliminary EIA is carried out during screening, which
of the following
should not be included?
a. A description of the proposal
b. Review of the degree of public concern and interest
about the proposal
c. A plan for mitigation measures
d. Review of the potential impacts of the proposal and their
likely significance
5. Why aren’t all projects subject to EIA?
a. If all projects were subject to EIA, costs would be
higher and overall benefits of EIA relatively
lower
b. If all projects were subject to EIA, costs would be
lower and overall benefits of EIA relatively
higher
c. If all projects were subject to EIA, consultants and
practitioners would not be able to cope with
demand
d. If all projects were subject to EIA, wrong decisions
would be made about a proportion of these
projects
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. Scoping is important to the EIA process because
a. it decides from all the possible impacts which are
the potentially significant ones
b. it saves the developer money
c. it ensures the environmental effects of the project are
all considered in detail
d. it identifies all possible alternatives
2. Which of the following are not required to be included in a
scoping report or ToR?
a. an overview of the community that is likely to be
affected
b. description of the screening process
c. an overview or profile of the proposal and receiving
enironment
d. the possible alternatives to the project
3. Best practice scoping requires
a. relevant experience of other similar developments
b. using formal scoping techniques
c. a site visit
4. Which of the following should be included in the scoping
study/ToR?
a. the policy and institutional frameworks under which the
EIA will be conducted
b. problems with data availability
c. spatial amd temporal parameters for detailed
studies
d. all of the above
5. Why does the responsibility for scoping vary from case to
case?
a. different projects require different determining
authorities
b. requirements for scoping vary from project to
project
c. requirements for scoping vary across different EIA
systems
d. scoping intent varies according to the sensitivity of the
receiving environment
(is mcq k a b c d sb kr k daikha cross he aata)
Activity 6A - Impact Analysis Basics
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. Which of the following is not a material consideration when
making impact
predictions of environmental damage?
a. the period of time an impact will last for
b. the benefits of the project for jobs and the
economy
c. the area over which an impact will occur
d. the intensity of environmental damage within the impact
zone
2. Which of the following are indirect impacts?
a. visual impact of a chimney in a power station
project
b. impact of mining raw materials for building a new
power station
c. predicted noise impact of a new road in operation
3. An impact threshold is best described as:
a. a point at which a small dose increase causes a
relatively large response
b. a point of maximum or minimum impact
c. a point of no change in the dose-response
relationship
d. a point where permanent environmental damage is
caused
4. The dose-response relationship can best be defined
as:
a. the relationship between the impact and the effort needed
to clean up the environment
afterwards
b. the relationship between the impact and the
response of people to the environmental damage
c. the relationship between the amount of impact agent and
the resultant change in the
environment
d. the relationship between the amount of impact agent and
the time taken for the change in the
environment to take effect
5. Uncertainty is inherent within the impact assessment process,
because:
a. it involves predicting the future
b. we do not have complete knowledge of the way in
which environmental impacts occur
c. we do not know what value future generations will ascribe
to different aspects of the natural
environment
Activity 6B - Impact Characterisation
You may need to conduct independent research to answer the
following questions, which relate
to the assessment of specific types of impacts common in
EIA.
1. In what type of impact might you provide impact predictions in
terms of Biological
Oxygen Demand?
2. Particulate emissions are:
a. fine dust usually measured by quantity and size in
microns, such as PM10 (up to 10 microns)
b. not included in air pollution studies
c. fine dust defined as chemically toxic
d. limited in their impacts to nuisance effects
3. Modelling stack emission pollution predictions invariably
requires the following
variables:
b. weather data
c. topographic data
4. A noise impact is best defined as
a. very loud emissions
d. intermittent peaks
a. landscape impact cannot be measured because it is
subjective
b. landscape impact is a cultural concept
c. landscape impact for a given development is independent
of setting
d. landscape impact is only an issue in national parks
(is ka 3 n 4 nae ho raha link open kr k daikh laina ap log khud b
(http://sustainability-
research.mcgill.ca/documents/EIA%20readings/eia-local/page192.htm)
Select the most appropriate response to the following
questions:
1. If the state of knowledge is insufficient to be able to
confidently and precisely
predict an impact, we should:
a. discount it from consideration
b. apply the precautionary principle by assuming
the highest likely value
c. apply the precautionary principle by abandoning the
project
d. apply the precautionary principle by assuming a nominal
value
2. Which best describes the process of extrapolation?
a. inferring within an existing data set
b. extending beyond an existing data set
c. drawing a line between two or more data points
d. creating a new data set
3. Which of the following criteria should not contribute to the
process of establishing
impact significance?
b. sensitivity of the receiving environment
c. views and values of the public
d. views and values of the developer
4. Which of the following statements is true?
a. magnitude is not relevant in impact assessment
b. magnitude is primarily subjective
c. predicting significance involves value judgements
about importance
d. predicting significance is objective
5. Which of the following is not a valid explanation of why
monetisation is rarely
attempted in EIA?
a. because there are problems in ascribing monetary values
to many environmental assets
b. because many people refuse to put a cash value on a
view
c. because we do not know how valuable current environmental
assets are to future generations
d. because it would render all developments
unprofitable
Activity 7A - Mitigation Basics
Please select the most appropriate response from the following
questions:
1. Which of the following require mitigation?
a. significant adverse impacts
b. significant positive effects
d. any impacts which are negative
2. The developer would normally prefer 'acceptance and trade-off'
to 'impact
reduction by design' because:
a. costs are lower
c. it generally has less impact on project design
d. it generally has more effect on project design
3. Tree screening is a common mitigation technique to reduce visual
impacts by
softening the lines of hard development in a rural landscape. Young
trees, however, may
die during their early years, thus eliminating the mitigative
effect. Tree screening soft
landscaping can best be achieved by:
a. Using eucalypts with a high growth rate
b. Using high barriers instead of trees
c. Making provision for aftercare and replacement
d. Never using tree screening
4. Which of the following general approaches to mitigation is most
likely to offer the
best environmental option to mitigate for the damage to
landscape caused by a proposed 5-
year phase of mineral working?
a. Providing screening
c. Impact reduction by re-design
d. Restoration plan and finance
5. One pitfall of construction traffic route mitigation is that
truck drivers may fail to
use the least-impact, approved route. How may this problem best be
overcome?
a. Assume that only half of the drivers will use the
approved route when carrying out impact
assessment
b. Recommend signage and temporary road narrowing
blocks to ensure the route is followed
c. Require that smaller vehicles are used as this will
reduce the impact
d. Require drivers to take half-loads to reduce the
impact
(http://sustainability-research.mcgill.ca/documents/EIA%20readings/eia-local/page162.htm)
Activity 7B - Mitigation of Specific Impacts
Further research may be required to answer the following questions
about mitigation of specific impacts.
1. Road noise is often mitigated by the construction of acoustic
barriers between the
noise source and the receptor. Which of the following secondary
impacts is most likely to
result?
2. To reduce flood risks downstream of a river section which
is to be culverted passing
through an urban area, the following measure should be
considered:
a. Incorporate high friction surfaces in the culvert
b. Recommend that the culvert is enlarged
c. Recommend that low friction surfaces be used in the
culvert
d. Recommend that culverts are closed during storm
events
3. Mitigation is possible through specifying the timing of
activities in order to avoid
nesting/breeding times for which of the following
impacts?
a. Operation of a tidal barrage scheme
b. Operation of a pipeline project across an
estuary
c. Construction of a pipeline project across an
estuary
d. Construction and operation of a hard rock quarry
4. If significant severance to equestrian movements is predicted to
occur arising from
a new proposed road development, which of the following mitigation
options will be most
appropriate?
a. Recommend a subway is incorporated, with steps at each
side leading under the road
b. Recommend a bridge is incorporated, with ramps
at each side leading over the road
c. Recommend a level crossing is incorporated
d. Recommend the road is widened to prevent crossing
5. Under what circumstances would a monitoring programme be the
most
appropriate form of mitigation?
a. Where a known archaeological dig site is located under
the proposed project site
b. Where a listed building is located on the proposed
project site
c. Where there is former evidence of archaeological
interest in the area
d. Where a project will not disturb soil or underground
structures
Activity 8A. EIA Reporting Basics
Please select the most appropriate response from the following
questions:
1. Which of the following elements is/are least appropriate for
inclusion in the EIA
Report or Environmental Statement (ES)?
a. Assessment methods
d. Indirect significant effects
2. Which of the following elements should be reported within an EIA
Report/ES which
follows best practice?
d. All of the above
3. Why should residual impacts be included in the EIA
Report/ES?
a. Because it is mandatory in all EIA regulations
b. Because they provide key information for the
public
c. Because they provide key information for the
developer
d. Because otherwise pollution residues will not be
considered
4. Which of the following is commonly overlooked yet important for
inclusion in the
EIA Report/ES?
d. Need for the project
5. Which of the following best describes the function of the
Environmental
Management Plan as part of the EIA report/ES?
b. It describes the environmental impacts of the
proposal
c. It describes the actions and auditing procedures
required
d. It describes the project proposal in detail
Activity 8B - The Non-Technical Summary/Executive
Summary
Please select the most appropriate answer to the following
questions:
1. The primary purpose of the NTS is:
a. To act as a developer’s guide
b. To act as a layperson’s guide
c. To act as an aide memoir
d. To act as a promotional guide
2. Which of the following may be considered to be technical terms
and therefore not
used (or at least explained adequately) in the NTS?
a. Assessment
b. Alternatives
c. dB(A)
d. kg
3. Which of the following EIA aspects should be included within an
NTS?
a. Assessment methods
d. All of the above
4. Which of the following elements should be reported within an NTS
which follows
best practice?
b. Illustration showing residual impacts
c. Environmental baseline
d. All of the above
5. Why should the NTS text not make regular references to (or quote
from) the main
EIA report or Environmental Statement?
a. Because this is against the regulations
b. Because the NTS should be a ‘stand-alone’
document
c. Because quotes from the ES may be incorrect
d. Because this is against copyright rules