Design Impact Solutions Practice Test

A neighborhood near a busy road has higher air pollution than a nearby park. A simple sensor showed average particulate levels of 42 units near the road and 18 units in the park over the same week. The community wants a design to monitor and reduce exposure.

Criteria for success: (1) provides reliable monitoring data that can be compared over time, (2) helps reduce people’s exposure near the school playground, (3) can be maintained by staff with limited time. Constraints: cannot block sidewalks; budget is $1,200; must not require daily calibration by experts.

Design options:

• Option A: Install one low-cost sensor on a fence near the road and post the daily number on a sign; no other changes.
• Option B: Use three identical sensors (roadside, playground, park) mounted under protective covers; collect weekly averages; plant a line of shrubs between the road and playground.
• Option C: Ask students to hold a sensor while walking around each day at different times to “get more data.”
• Option D: Build a solid wall 5 meters tall along the road.

Multiple solutions are possible. Which design best meets the criteria and constraints?

A middle school notices that stormwater from the parking lot flows into a storm drain that empties into a pond. After heavy rains, the pond often has an oily rainbow sheen and fewer insects are seen near the shore. Students want a design to reduce pollution from the parking lot.

Criteria for success: (1) reduces oil and dirt entering the storm drain, (2) requires minimal daily labor, (3) can be installed without digging deeper than 15 cm. Constraints: must not block emergency vehicle access; must be safe for students; budget is $1,500.

Proposed designs:

• Design A: Install a vegetated rain garden strip next to the lot that water flows through before reaching the drain.
• Design B: Close the parking lot on rainy days so no water can flow.
• Design C: Paint a large warning mural near the drain that says “No Pollution.”
• Design D: Place a tall wall around the entire parking lot.

Multiple solutions are possible. Which solution meets the constraints and is most likely to reduce the impact?