State any two harmful effects of acid rain.

1. It ACIDIFIES lakes, rivers and ponds, killing fish and other aquatic life, and it damages the soil by leaching away essential minerals, so that plants and forests die.
2. It CORRODES buildings and monuments made of marble and limestone — the damage to the Taj Mahal is the standard Indian example — and corrodes metal structures, bridges and statues.

Two effects, one mark each, and they should be DIFFERENT IN KIND — one biological, one on materials.

WHAT CAUSES IT: oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, released by burning fossil fuels, dissolve in atmospheric moisture to form sulphuric and nitric acids, which fall as rain with a pH below 5.6.

The corrosion of marble has a name worth knowing: STONE LEPROSY, and the Taj Mahal is its most famous victim — which is why industries around Agra were restricted.

Other acceptable effects: damage to crops and reduced yields; irritation of the eyes, skin and respiratory tract in humans.