Effects of acid rain include

• A. Damages lakes, forests, buildings, soil nutrients, and aquatic life.
• B. Increases soil nutrients.
• C. Enhances crop growth.
• D. Decreases metal corrosion.

Answer: (A)

Acid rain lowers the pH of rain, surface waters, and soils, triggering a cascade of harmful chemical and biological effects. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from burning fossil fuels react in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acids, their deposition to lakes, soils, and surfaces acidifies the environment and disrupts normal chemical processes.

This broad impact is why the option describing damages to lakes, forests, buildings, soil nutrients, and aquatic life is correct. In lakes and streams, the lower pH stresses or wipes out many aquatic organisms and changes the availability of nutrients. In soils, acid rain leaches away essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, while increasing the mobility of toxic metals such as aluminum, which harms plant roots and reduces forest health. Buildings and monuments, especially those made of limestone or marble, weather faster as acids chemically react with the minerals, leading to deterioration.

The other statements don’t fit the reality of acid rain. It does not increase soil nutrients; it tends to strip them away. It does not enhance crop growth; acidic stress generally reduces plant productivity. It also does not decrease metal corrosion; acidic conditions typically accelerate corrosion.