2.10 - Practice Questions

Module: Environmental Effects and Federal Regulations
Covers: Sections 2.1–2.9
Question type: Original EPA 608-style multiple-choice practice
Regulatory verification basis: Module 2 content verified August 6, 2026
Answers: See 2.11 - Answers and Explanations.md

Instructions

Select the single best answer for each question.
Complete the entire set without notes or external references.
Record a confidence code for every answer:
- C3 — certain and can explain the reason.
- C2 — probably correct but not fully certain.
- C1 — guessed between two or more choices.
- C0 — no reliable basis for the answer.
Enter every incorrect, C1, and C0 response in the project error log.
Review the detailed explanations only after completing all questions.
A correct guess is not considered mastered.
Pay close attention to words such as current, historical, exempt, non-exempt, intentional, stationary, MVAC, before, and after.
These are original project questions. They are not actual EPA examination questions and are not represented as questions from any certifying provider.

Practice Record

Date:
Time started:
Time completed:
Testing condition: Closed-book
Question set: Module 2 Practice Set
Correct answers: ___ / 35
Low-confidence answers (C0–C1):
Open P1 errors after review:
Primary weak topic:

This 35-question module set is a cumulative learning assessment. The project’s separate Confirmed Ready standard of 22–25 correct out of 25 on two independent closed-book attempts applies to the project’s 25-question section-readiness assessments.

Coverage

Questions	Primary Topic
1–4	Ozone layer and ultraviolet radiation
5–8	Ozone-depletion process
9–13	Refrigerant families, ODP, and GWP
14–17	Clean Air Act, Montreal Protocol, and phaseout concepts
18–22	Venting prohibition
23–27	Refrigerant sales restrictions
28–32	Recordkeeping, enforcement, and professional responsibility
33–35	Current-versus-historical regulation comparison

Question 1

What is the primary environmental function of the stratospheric ozone layer?

A. It traps all infrared radiation leaving Earth.

B. It absorbs much of the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.

C. It produces oxygen for refrigeration equipment.

D. It prevents carbon dioxide from entering the troposphere.

Question 2

Which statement correctly compares ground-level ozone with stratospheric ozone?

A. Both are considered beneficial air pollutants at all concentrations.

B. Ground-level ozone protects against UV radiation, while stratospheric ozone causes smog.

C. They are different chemical compounds with unrelated formulas.

D. Ground-level ozone is a harmful pollutant, while stratospheric ozone provides important UV protection.

Question 3

Which ultraviolet band is normally absorbed so strongly by atmospheric oxygen and ozone that it does not reach Earth’s surface in significant amounts?

A. UVC

B. UVA

C. UVB

D. Infrared

Question 4

What is the expected effect of a reduction in stratospheric ozone?

A. Less UVA reaches Earth’s surface, but UVB is unchanged.

B. All ultraviolet radiation is completely blocked.

C. More UVB can reach Earth’s surface.

D. Ground-level ozone automatically disappears.

Question 5

Why can long-lived CFC and HCFC molecules contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion?

A. They rise directly because they are always lighter than air.

B. They can survive long enough to be transported through the atmosphere into the stratosphere.

C. They react completely with rainwater before reaching the upper atmosphere.

D. Their only environmental effect occurs at ground level.

Question 6

What releases reactive chlorine from chlorine-containing ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere?

A. Condensation on refrigeration coils

B. High atmospheric pressure

C. Strong ultraviolet radiation that breaks the molecules apart

D. Contact with liquid water at Earth’s surface

Question 7

Why can one reactive chlorine atom participate in the destruction of many ozone molecules?

A. The chlorine atom is regenerated during the catalytic reaction cycle.

B. The chlorine atom permanently changes into ozone after one reaction.

C. The chlorine atom is consumed completely during its first reaction with ozone.

D. Chlorine creates additional ultraviolet radiation during the reaction.

Question 8

Which statement about bromine and stratospheric ozone is most accurate?

A. Bromine has no role in ozone depletion.

B. Bromine affects climate but cannot react with ozone.

C. Bromine is important only in ground-level smog formation.

D. Bromine can participate in catalytic and coupled ozone-destruction chemistry.

Question 9

Which substance is used as the reference with an ozone-depletion potential of 1.0?

A. Carbon dioxide

B. HFC-134a

C. CFC-11

D. R-717

Question 10

Which substance is the reference assigned a global-warming potential of 1?

A. Carbon dioxide

B. CFC-11

C. HCFC-22

D. HFO-1234yf

Question 11

Which refrigerant-family description is correct?

A. HCFCs contain hydrogen and fluorine but no chlorine.

B. HFCs contain hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine, and carbon.

C. HFOs contain chlorine but no carbon.

D. HCFCs contain hydrogen, carbon, chlorine, and fluorine.

Question 12

Which statement about HFC refrigerants is correct?

A. They contain chlorine and therefore always have significant ODP.

B. They have zero ODP but can still have significant GWP.

C. They have zero ODP and therefore zero climate impact by definition.

D. They are exempt from all Section 608 requirements.

Question 13

Which feature distinguishes an HFO from a conventional saturated HFC in the family description used in this module?

A. Presence of chlorine

B. Absence of carbon

C. A carbon-carbon double bond

D. Use of ammonia as the primary molecule

Question 14

Which event occurred in 1987?

A. The Montreal Protocol was adopted.

B. U.S. production and import of HCFC-22 ended.

C. The Kigali Amendment entered into force in the United States.

D. The Section 608 sales restriction was extended to HFCs.

Question 15

Which statement best describes the relationship between a refrigerant production phaseout and existing equipment?

A. A production phaseout automatically requires every existing appliance to be destroyed.

B. A phaseout means recovered or reclaimed refrigerant can never be used.

C. A phaseout eliminates Section 608 service requirements.

D. A production or import phaseout does not automatically prohibit continued operation of existing equipment using lawful refrigerant supplies.

Question 16

What major U.S. HCFC-22 milestone occurred in 2020?

A. Every R-22 appliance became illegal to operate.

B. U.S. production and import of HCFC-22 ended.

C. Reclaimed R-22 became illegal to sell.

D. The Montreal Protocol was adopted.

Question 17

Which statement best describes the Kigali Amendment?

A. It created the original Section 608 technician-certification categories.

B. It established the U.S. small-appliance definition.

C. It addresses the phasedown of HFCs for climate protection.

D. It requires all HFC systems to be replaced with CFCs.

Question 18

Under the current Section 608 venting prohibition, which activity is most clearly within the covered service context?

A. Knowingly releasing a non-exempt refrigerant while repairing an appliance

B. Emission of water vapor from a cooling tower

C. Discharging nitrogen that contains no refrigerant

D. Purchasing a factory-charged refrigerator

Question 19

Which release best fits the Section 608 concept of a permitted de minimis release?

A. Purging an appliance until the pressure reaches zero because recovery would take too long

B. Releasing the contents of a recovery cylinder to avoid reclamation cost

C. Venting a small amount selected by the technician as an acceptable personal limit

D. A small hose-disconnection loss incidental to a good-faith recovery effort using required practices

Question 20

Which statement about emissions during normal equipment operation is most accurate?

A. Every operational leak is automatically legal and requires no further action.

B. Normal-operation emissions are treated separately from service venting, but other leak-repair, safety, or maintenance duties may still apply.

C. A technician may deliberately create a leak while equipment is operating.

D. Normal-operation emissions are always classified as de minimis service releases.

Question 21

A technician pressure-tests a system with nitrogen, but the discharged gas contains a non-exempt refrigerant. What should the technician do?

A. Vent the mixture because nitrogen is exempt.

B. Add more nitrogen until the refrigerant concentration is low.

C. Recover the mixture rather than intentionally venting it.

D. Release the mixture only if the system is outdoors.

Question 22

Which group consists of substitutes identified in this module as broadly exempt from the Section 608 venting prohibition in any application?

A. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water

B. Ammonia, propane, and isobutane in every application

C. R-410A, R-134a, and R-32

D. CFC-12, HCFC-22, and HCFC-123

Question 23

What major refrigerant-sales change became effective January 1, 2018?

A. All refrigerant sales restrictions were eliminated.

B. The federal sales restriction was extended to non-exempt substitute refrigerants.

C. Only CFC-12 became restricted.

D. Section 608 certification cards issued before 2018 became invalid.

Question 24

A technician holds only Section 609 certification and wants to buy refrigerant intended for a stationary air-conditioning system. Which statement is correct?

A. The purchase is authorized because Section 609 covers every refrigerant.

B. The purchase is authorized when the container is smaller than 20 pounds.

C. The purchase is authorized if the technician also owns the stationary appliance.

D. Section 609 certification alone does not authorize the stationary-refrigerant purchase.

Question 25

Which purchase can qualify for the uncertified small-can MVAC exception?

A. A container designed to hold 2 pounds or less of non-exempt substitute refrigerant for MVAC use, with the required fitting and compliant self-sealing valve

B. A 3-pound container of HFC-134a for an MVAC

C. A 1-pound container of R-410A intended for a residential heat pump

D. A 1-pound container of CFC-12 for an MVAC

A company employs a properly certified Section 608 technician and has supplied the required documentation to its refrigerant seller. May an authorized office employee pick up refrigerant for the company?

A. No. Only the individual named on the certification card may ever physically receive refrigerant.

B. No. Employers may not purchase refrigerant.

C. Yes. An authorized representative may complete the transaction for a qualifying purchaser.

D. Yes, but only if the refrigerant is exempt from the sales restriction.

Question 27

A contractor recovers R-134a from one customer’s stationary appliance and wants to sell the refrigerant to a different owner for use as refrigerant. What is generally required first?

A. Mix the recovered refrigerant with virgin refrigerant.

B. Transfer it into a smaller cylinder.

C. Add nitrogen to prove that the cylinder is not full.

D. Have the refrigerant reclaimed by an EPA-certified reclaimer unless a specific regulatory exception applies.

Question 28

Which information is part of the required refrigerant-retailer sales record discussed in Module 2?

A. Customer income, appliance efficiency rating, and outdoor temperature

B. Purchaser name, date of sale, and refrigerant quantity

C. Compressor model number, suction pressure, and motor current

D. Technician wage rate, vehicle plate number, and service address

Question 29

How long must a Section 608 technician retain a copy of the certification after the person stops operating as a technician?

A. Three years

B. Thirty days

C. One year

D. Permanently in all circumstances

Question 30

Which appliance-disposal activity is within the specific technician recordkeeping range discussed in Section 2.7?

A. Disposal of an appliance containing exactly 5 pounds of refrigerant

B. Disposal of every appliance containing 50 pounds or more

C. Evacuation for disposal of an appliance with more than 5 pounds and less than 50 pounds of refrigerant

D. Purchase of an empty recovery cylinder

Question 31

An appliance subject to the current Section 608 chronic-leak reporting provision loses 125 percent or more of its full charge during a calendar year. When is the report generally due?

A. Within 24 hours of the final service call

B. By March 1 of the following year

C. At the next refrigerant purchase

D. Only when EPA sends a written request

Question 32

Which statement about federal civil-penalty amounts in older EPA 608 study guides is most accurate?

A. The oldest printed amount always controls because certification does not expire.

B. Every violation automatically receives the current statutory maximum.

C. Penalty values are set by refrigerant manufacturers.

D. Civil monetary penalty maximums can change and must be checked against the current federal table before use.

Question 33

Which comparison correctly identifies the historical and current Section 608 commercial-refrigeration leak-repair trigger rates?

A. Historical 35%; current 20%

B. Historical 20%; current 35%

C. Historical 15%; current 30%

D. Historical 10%; current 15%

Question 34

Which statement correctly distinguishes current Section 608 leak repair from the current AIM Act leak-repair program?

A. Both apply to exactly the same refrigerants and every appliance with 50 pounds or more.

B. The AIM Act completely replaced Section 608 on January 1, 2026.

C. Current Section 608 applies to qualifying 50-pound-or-more ODS appliances, while the AIM Act can apply to qualifying 15-pound-or-more appliances containing HFCs or certain HFC substitutes.

D. The AIM Act applies only to CFC and HCFC appliances.

Question 35

Which statement correctly applies the recovery-equipment terminology and date rules discussed in Section 2.8?

A. Every historical ARI standard must now be renamed as an AHRI standard.

B. Equipment manufactured or imported from September 22, 2003 through December 31, 2016 is associated with ARI Standard 740-1995, and the equipment manufacture or import date controls the standard category.

C. The service-call date determines whether ARI 740-1993 or AHRI 740-2016 applies.

D. Any recovery machine manufactured before 2017 is automatically illegal to use.

After Completing the Set

Do not check answers until all 35 questions have been attempted.

For every incorrect or low-confidence response:

Identify the controlling concept.
Record the error in the project error log.
Identify whether the issue is scientific, regulatory, historical-versus-current, or question-reading.
Review the appropriate detailed section.
Re-explain the concept without notes.
Review why each distractor is incorrect when 2.11 - Answers and Explanations.md is available.
Recheck current EPA or eCFR authority for any unresolved regulatory question.

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EPA Section 608 Teaching Material and Universal Certification Preparation