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Question #47696
The Question
A pharmaceutical manufacturing unit accidentally discharges a massive load of broad-spectrum bactericidal antibiotics into the municipal sewage system. Upon reaching the aeration tank of the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), which of the following will be the most direct consequence on the biological treatment process?
Options
- A.
Lysis of aerobic bacteria will dismantle the floc architecture, causing the secondary effluent to retain an abnormally high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
- B.
Fungal filaments will survive the antibiotic exposure and independently form flocs, ensuring the continued aerobic oxidation of organic pollutants.
- C.
The activated sludge will settle more rapidly in the secondary settling tank due to the decreased buoyancy from halted bacterial respiration.
- D.
Methanogenic bacteria will dominate the aeration tank, prematurely initiating biogas production before the anaerobic sludge digester stage.
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Evolutionary_Exception
Tackle problems where standard rules evolve or change based on specific environmental constraints.
Concepts Behind This Question
Cyclosporin A Immunomodulation|Life Cycle of Plasmodium|Biotic Interactions - Positive/Negative sign matrix
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Students often memorize that 'flocs reduce BOD' without understanding the obligate structural synergy between bacteria and fungi required to form the mesh.
The trap tests the ability to link a micro-level pharmacological event (antibiotic-induced bacterial lysis) to a macro-level ecological/industrial failure (collapse of floc architecture and failure of BOD reduction in an aerobic environment).
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Microbes in Human Welfare - Class 12 |
| Concept | Cyclosporin A Immunomodulation |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |