Fall, 2008, ESRM100/ENVIR110                                                                             Exam3.1A, December 7, 2008

 

Correct answers are highlighted in RED

 

Exam3.1 includes Questions 1-40

 

1)  The subject of this course is (please answer as it will be graded):
A. Environmental Science
B. Soils and Land Use
C. Soil and Plant Analysis
D. Soil Chemistry and Fertility

2)  (Discussion list) Seattle has proposed and passed a _____ tax on plastic grocery bags.
A. 5 cent
B. 10 cent
C. 15 cent
D. 20 cent

3)  (Discussion list) The beaches of what U.S. state are disappearing at a rapid rate?
A. Hawaii
B. Montana
C. Alaska
D. British Columbia

4)  (Please answer honestly. Any answer will be given full credit.) Having two questions on the exam from the Discussion list encouraged me to read the discussion list when I wouldn't have otherwise. I believe I learned more about Environmental Science because of this.
A. Yes, it helped me learn more Environmental Science, and it should be kept
B. No, I don't think this requirement helped and it should be dropped.

5)  In the broadest sense, the core of modern science is _________.
A. a descriptive process with little predictive value
B. anecdotal at best
C. the ongoing process of formulating and testing hypotheses
D. the development of new technology

6)  Any major proposed federal action likely to have significant impacts on the human environment requires the completion of a(n) ____________.
A. Social Effects Analysis
B. Environmental Impact Statement
C. Biological Opinion Statement
D. Cost-Benefit Analysis

7)  Most major environmental organizations maintain offices in California so that they can monitor environmental policies and lobby legislators more effectively.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.

8)  The BLM is a federal agency managing natural resources in the Department of the Interior. BLM stands for _________.
A. Bureau of Land Management
B. Bureau of Livestock and Mining
C. Bureau of Lumber and Mining
D. Bureau of Lousy Management

9)  Contacting legislators can be an effective way to influence government policies.
A. True
B. False

10)  The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been used to support national and local environmental laws.
A. True
B. False

11)  What ecological service is estimated to have the highest annual value, at 17.1 trillion $ U.S.
A. Soil
B. Water regulation and supply
C. Pollination
D. Wildlife Habitat

12)  Development always causes environmental degradation.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.

13)  When cities have expanded and merged with other neighboring cities, these giant urban complexes are called _________.
A. Metropolitan Areas
B. Neo-Babylonian Communities
C. Megalopolises
D. Inner Cities

14)  An effective way to create a sense of identity and community in urban areas is to ______.
A. make community meetings mandatory
B. enforce civil ordinances diligently
C. emphasize local history, culture, and environment
D. enact laws to implement sustainable planning regardless of citizen desires

15)  All of the following are attributes of sustainable urban planning EXCEPT _______.
A. cluster housing or open space zoning
B. locate shopping and services close to people so less automobile use needed
C. expanded lanes on highways
D. maintain greenbelts

16)  Which of the following is NOT an example of Ecological Services?
A. Nutrient cycling.
B. Maintenance of biological diversity.
C. Outdoor recreational opportunities.
D. Creating pollution.

17)  A major criticism of Gross National Product as an economic measure is that it _______.
A. accounts for ecosystem damage
B. accounts for population health
C. does not account for ecological impacts
D. accounts for natural resource depletion

18)  ___________ is considered to be the most preferable way to shrink the waste stream.
A. Life-cycling
B. Reusing
C. Restoring
D. Composting

19)  In developing countries, thousands of people live and work in _________ located in megacities even though the health conditions are abysmal.
A. recycling facilities
B. sewage treatment
C. open dumps
D. land abutting rivers

20)  In the U.S., some farmers produce all the fuel they need to run their farms by generating _____ anaerobically from ________.
A. carbon dioxide; straw wastes
B. methane; animal manure
C. phosphorus; crop wastes
D. propane; straw wastes

21)  ________ has the most successful recycling program in the world where ____ of the household and industrial wastes are recycled.
A. China; three-fourths
B. South America; three-fourths
C. United States; half
D. Japan; half

22)  __________ operate mostly as unregulated areas where anyone can dispose of waste by simply dropping it off.
A. Sanitary landfills
B. Composting facilities
C. Open dumps
D. Waste repositories

23)  __________ include all forms of wastes that result from residential, mining, agricultural, commercial, and industrial activities whereas a special category of wastes called __________ are discarded materials known to be harmful to human or other life forms.
A. Trash; municipal wastes
B. Hazardous and toxic wastes; solid wastes
C. Rubbish; polluting wastes
D. Solid wastes; hazardous and toxic wastes

24)  Which of the following is a reason for public concern related to garbage incinerators?
A. Initial construction costs too low so too many being built.
B. Communities want to recycle more.
C. High levels of dioxins released into the atmosphere.
D. Wastes should be exported and not processed locally.

25)  Sites that qualify for the National Priority List, with financing from the federal Superfund program for clean up, are considered to be especially hazardous to human health and environmental quality because they are leaking or have the potential to leak ___________.
A. detergents
B. nitrates
C. mutagenic materials
D. All of the above

26)  At present rates of consumption, proven-in-place coal reserves are predicted to last ______.
A. 20 years
B. 200 years
C. 500 years
D. Indefinitely

27)  Radioactive uranium atoms are unstable. When these atoms are struck by a high-energy subatomic particle called a neutron, they undergo __________ which releases energy and more neutrons.
A. fossil fuel combustion
B. nuclear fusion
C. nuclear fission
D. passive heat absorption

28)  __________ taps high-pressure, high temperature steam fields below the earthÕs surface to create usable energy for human needs.
A. Geothermal power
B. Hydroelectric power
C. Tidal power
D. Geologic power

29)  In 2003, the United Kingdom and Sweden embarked on an ambitious program to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Of the new energy sources, ____ is likely to be the greatest contributor to achieving these goals.
A. offshore wind power
B. cogeneration (combined production of heat and electricity)
C. nuclear power
D. bioenergy

30)  Many geologists expect that within a decade or so world ______ production will peak and then begin to decline.
A. coal
B. oil
C. natural gas
D. biomass

31)  One of the best ways to avoid current energy shortages and to relieve the environmental and health effects of our current energy technologies is to ______.
A. build solar farms
B. use less energy and use it more efficiently
C. extract more resources from proven-in-place reserves
D. enforce environmental laws already in place

32)  Active solar heat systems use __________ to collect and transform solar energy into a usable form for human activities.
A. moving substances such as heat-absorbing fluid medium
B. masonry
C. photovoltaic cells
D. parabolic mirrors

33)  Many problems were presented in the Coal-Bed Methane case in the book. Which of the following is a problem resulting from methane extraction from a typical coal-bed?
A. Not enough water is available on a daily basis to extract methane.
B. Too much effluent is released that is contaminated with salt and other minerals.
C. Wells on ranches contain too much water.
D. Aquifers are replenished with water.

34)  The immense mass of solid and semisolid metal in the earthÕs inner and outer core layers generates ________.
A. the oceanic tides
B. a thicker oceanic crust
C. a magnetic field that envelops the earth
D. volcanoes

35)  The upper layer of the mantle has convection currents that break the crust into a mosaic of huge blocks called ______ that slide across the earthÕs surface like immense icebergs.
A. floating cups
B. sinking spoons
C. Richter trays
D. tectonic plates

36)  Sandstone belongs to the _____________ classification of rocks.
A. igneous
B. metamorphic
C. sedimentary
D. mixed

37)  Most economically valuable minerals exist everywhere in high amounts so it is easy and economical to mine for these resources.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.

38)  ______ are caused by the grinding and jerking of tectonic plates as they slide past one another.
A. Tsunamis
B. Subjunction zones
C. Ocean building processes
D. Earthquakes

39)  Human populations living near Mt. Rainier, WA are at risk from ________.
A. pyroclastic flows from nearby volcanoes such as Mount St. Helens and Mt. Adams
B. future mudflows from Mount Rainier
C. a deposit from a tsunami in the Puget Sound
D. limestone poisoning from tainted groundwater

40)  The 1977 federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) requires better restoration of strip-mined lands. Since the passing of the SMCRA, the record for strip-mine reclamation has ________.
A. grown much worse because the SMCRA was repealed in 1990
B. improved substantially
C. not changed at all because it is ignored by the mining industry and federal agencies have no jurisdiction over the private sector
D. grown worse because of the scarcity of minerals

Begin Optional Exam2makeup, questions 41-80

41)  Much of the western United States has ________ fresh water to meet all the demands placed on this resource.
A. insufficient
B. sufficient
C. surplus
D. excess

42)  Which of the following is NOT an essential role that water has on earth?
A. As long as you have food, you donÕt need water.
B. Regulates body temperatures of organisms
C. Removes waste products from living organisms
D. It is the medium in which all living processes occur

43)  Most of the worldÕs rainiest regions are found in the _______ biome or coastal _______.
A. Tundra; wetlands
B. Boreal; mountains
C. Temperate; wetlands
D. Tropical; mountains

44)  Most of the earths fresh water is in liquid form and readily available for human consumption.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.

45)  Which of the following methods is the cheapest and most effective way to reduce pollution?
A. Use toxin consuming microbes
B. Avoiding its production and release in the first place
C. Recycling and reclamation efforts
D. Chemical and metal extraction

46)  A cost effective method of alternative wastewater treatment implemented in some developing and under developed countries is the creation of __________ or __________ to assimilate wastes.
A. riparian buffer zones; natural processes
B. wetlands; tertiary treatment
C. waste diversion systems; secondary treatment
D. natural; artificial wetlands

47)  As a result of the 1972 Clean Water Act, states are required to identify waters not meeting water quality goals and to develop __________ (TMDL) for each pollutant and each listed water body.
A. total maximum daily loads
B. total minimum daily loads
C. trade mission data levels
D. total muskellunge daily limits

48)  Over the past century, water use has increased about _________ as fast as population growth.
A. half
B. twice
C. ten times
D. one hundred times

49)  In attempting to control greenhouse gas emissions, both _____ and ______ are being pursued as alternatives to fossil fuels.
A. nuclear power; renewable energy sources
B. coal; natural gas
C. nuclear power; coal
D. nuclear power; natural gas

50)  Air quality in the U.S. has improved dramatically in the past decade for major large-volume pollutants. However, emissions of ________ have NOT decreased.
A. nitrogen oxides and particulates
B. volatile organic compounds
C. sulfur dioxide
D. lead

51)  Methane, one of the greenhouse gases, is released by ______.
A. landfills
B. humans
C. birds
D. deforestation

52)  Air pollution affects not only human health, but also ecosystems. Which of the following is seen as a potential effect of air pollution emissions on ecosystems?
A. Increased production of agricultural crops.
B. No impact on ecosystems.
C. Increasing the growth of high elevation forests.
D. Acid deposition, making streams and soils intolerable for some species.

53)  In the US, human-induced acid rain is most serious in ________.
A. Alaska
B. Northeast states
C. low elevation forests
D. northern California

54)  Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but it is present in smaller atmospheric concentrations than carbon dioxide.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.

55)  Which of the following is a widely implemented measure aimed at reducing pollution from auto emissions?
A. Using catalytic converters in car engines.
B. Increase the use of gasoline in cars.
C. Include industrial air filter on cars.
D. Install longer tail pipes on cars.

56)  Which is an effective approach to control air pollution?
A. Use high sulfur coal.
B. Increase electricity consumption.
C. Add air filters that take particulate matter out of emissions.
D. Control pest outbreaks.

57)  The increasing prevalence or reporting of toxic substances in our environment is most likely due to ___________?
A. the fact that we have never looked for them before
B. the realization that any amount of dangerous material is unacceptable to society
C. the disappearance of "full service" gas stations
D. our more sensitive measuring techniques that allow trace amounts to be measured

58)  Alcohol is the world's most prevalent __________, which causes abnormalities during embryonic growth and development.
A. antigen
B. teratogen
C. mutagen
D. neurotoxin

59)  Carcinogens, or cancer-causing substances, can cause __________.
A. fetal alcohol syndrome
B. allergic reactions
C. malignant tumors from out-of-control cell growth
D. nerve cells to die

60)  Two-thirds of all current AIDS infections are in __________ but the disease is rapidly spreading in South and East Asia.
A. sub-Saharan Africa
B. inner cities
C. China
D. Latin America

61)  __________, or substances that activate the immune system, can act directly as __________ which serve to stimulate the production of specific antibodies.
A. Mutagens; allergens
B. Allergens; cancer
C. Toxins; hazards
D. Allergens; antigens

62)  _________ are much more vulnerable than ______ to environmental toxins.
A. Old people; children
B. Children; adults
C. Animals; people
D. Mammals; fish

63)  SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is an ______ disease that has not previously been known or that has been absent for at least 20 years.
A. immigrant
B. invasive
C. emergent
D. exotic

64)  Which of the following is one of the National Health recommendations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a healthy diet?
A. Limit your physical activity.
B. Choose a diet high in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
C. Eat a low variety of foods.
D. Intake a moderate amount of salt

65)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified 20,000 types of soil in the United States alone. Different soil types are NOT produced because of the influence of __________ on soil formation.
A. different parent materials
B. climate
C. topography
D. disease organisms

66)   Chronic __________ causes goiters (a swollen thyroid gland), stunted growth and reduced mental abilities.
A. protein
B. depression
C. iodine deficiency
D. starch deficiency

67)  In the United States, most of our foods require less energy to produce, process and get them to markets than they yield when we eat them.
A. True
B. False

68)  Poor farmers around the world get better yields from growing _______ varieties on their lands.
A. traditional
B. genetically modified
C. exotic
D. invasive

69)  The United States has a policy of over-producing food. One of the biggest negative effects of this policy is that _______________.
A. most of the excess food feeds only rich people
B. it does not eliminate the root causes of starvation
C. it drives up domestic food prices
D. the cost of production translates into higher taxes

70)  At least _________ of all fresh water withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and groundwater supplies is used for agricultural irrigation.
A. One-quarter
B. One third
C. half
D. two-thirds

71)  As a whole, the food system in the United States consumes about 16% of the total energy we use.
A. True
B. False

72)  In North America, less land is being cultivated now than 100 years ago.
A. True
B. False

73)  In the United States, fire control resulted in every blaze on public land to be put out. This policy has _______________.
A. decreased the fire risk of these forests
B. allowed forest communities to regenerate
C. decreased the amount of woody debris that accumulates
D. increased the amount of wood debris in these forests

74)  The U.S. Forest Service has begun to shift its policies to focus on __________, which attempts to integrate sustainable ecological, economic, and social goals.
A. maximum timber production
B. "cut out and get out"
C. forest preservation
D. ecosystem management

75)  Good forest management requires __________ which maintains habitat for many forest species.
A. cutting all young trees
B. removing all logging residues
C. removing all dead trees
D. keeping dead trees

76)  Approximately half of the people in the world depend on _______ as their principal source of heating and cooking fuel.
A. coal
B. firewood or charcoal
C. oil
D. natural gas

77)  The largest tracts of forest land in the world are found in ______ and in the _______ biome.
A. Asia; boreal
B. Central America; tropical
C. North America; deciduous
D. Russia; boreal

78)  If you were creating a new national park, and you wanted to preserve all of the park's ecological values, what would be the ideal basis for developing a resource management strategy?
A. political boundaries
B. the natural biogeographical area
C. private landholding interests
D. commercial development on the park borders

79)  If fire is suppressed in forests, the density of trees in the forests will ________.
A. increase
B. decrease
C. not change
D. change in an unpredictable manner

80)  The clearing and burning of forests releases a great deal of __________ into the atmosphere which contributes significantly to global climate change.
A. ozone
B. nitrogen
C. hydrogen
D. carbon

Begin Optional Exam1makeup, Questions 81-120

81)  Most of a deep lakeÕs photosynthetic activity is in the ________.
A. Benthos
B. Thermocline
C. Epilimnion
D. Hypolimnion

82)  About 70 percent of all known species are _______.
A. Invertebrates
B. Amphibians
C. Birds
D. Bacteria

83)  Freshwater ecosystems vary widely because they are greatly influenced by the immediately surrounding terrestrial ecosystems.
A. True
B. False

84)  Which of the following statements is false?
A. Exotic species threaten biodiversity because they can turn into superagressive ÒweedyÓ invaders.
B. Some animal populations have been greatly reduced or deliberately exterminated because they compete with our use of resources.
C. Genetic assimilation significantly decreases a speciesÕ risk of extinction.
D. The American chestnut, once the major tree species of the east coast, was nearly wiped out by a fungal blight that was accidentally brought in from China.

85)  Conifer trees are more efficient in carrying out photosynthesis during the summer months than deciduous trees are.
A. True
B. False

86)  Which of the following is not a threat to a speciesÕ genetic diversity?
A. Founder effect
B. Genetic drift
C. Demographic bottleneck
D. Continental drift

87)  _______ are broad environmental types with similar climatic, topographic, and soil conditions and roughly comparable biological communities.
A. Ecosystems
B. Ecotones
C. Habitats
D. Biomes

88)  _______ value is the value of simply knowing that a particular species has not been destroyed.
A. Inherent
B. Contingent
C. Innate
D. Existence

89)  In some countries, populations are growing so rapidly that human demands exceed the sustainable yield of local forests, grasslands, croplands, and water resources. These countries are said to be caught in a _______ trap.
A. Demographic
B. Growth
C. Dependency
D. Prosperity

90)  Human populations began to grow rapidly after _______, partly due to increased communication among nations, agricultural developments, and better health care and hygiene.
A. 5000 B.C.
B. A.D. 1000
C. A.D. 1600
D. A.D. 1850

91)  If immigration were stopped, the United States and Canada would have nearly stable populations.
A. True
B. False

92)  Family planning allows couples to _______.
A. Control their reproductive lives.
B. Have fewer children.
C. Have more children.
D. All of the above.

93)  Often, the best way to improve child survival is to ensure the rights of women.
A. True
B. False

94)  _______ has a negative population growth rate.
A. China
B. Nigeria
C. Japan
D. Ethiopia

95)  _______ is the physical ability to reproduce, while _______ describes the actual production of offspring.
A. Fertility, fecundity
B. Fecundity, fertility
C. Fertility, pregnancy
D. Pregnancy, fertility

96)  Which of the following is not a rapidly growing country?
A. Kenya
B. Libya
C. Jordan
D. Hungary

97)  A communityÕs _______ is the rate of biomass accumulation, or the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy stored in living (or once-living) organisms.
A. Fundamental productivity
B. Primary productivity
C. Biotic transformation rate
D. Successional rate

98)  _______ is a symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other species is neither benefited nor harmed.
A. Commensalism
B. Mutualism
C. Parasitism
D. Endemism

99)  Young grizzly bears are forced to leave their parentsÕ territory as soon as they are independent. This is an example of how organisms cope with _______ competition.
A. Mutualistic
B. Intraspecific
C. Antagonistic
D. Interspecific

100)  Competition among members of the same species is called _______ competition.
A. Mutualistic
B. Intraspecific
C. Antagonistic
D. Interspecific

101)  Cattle egrets catch insects kicked up by grazing cows. These birds benefit from their relationship with the cows, who are apparently indifferent to the presence of the egrets. This is an example of a _______ relationship.
A. Mutualistic
B. Commensal
C. Intraspecific
D. Parasitic

102)  _______ is a symbiotic relationship in which both members of the partnership benefit.
A. Interdependence
B. Endemism
C. Mutualism
D. Commensalism

103)  Which of the following is not a predator?
A. Lion
B. Carnivore
C. Omnivore
D. Detritovore

104)  Diverse communities always exhibit a high degree of ecological complexity.
A. True
B. False

105)  Acids are formed when hydrogen ions (H+):
A. Combine with amino acids
 B. Dissolve into a solution, increasing the H+ concentration
 C. Combine with other substances, reducing the H+ concentration
 D. Disassociate from oxygen

106)  A(n) __________ includes the biological community and its immediate physical environment.
A. Ecosystem
 B. Population
 C. Food web
 D. Closed system

107)  __________is the byproduct of the photosynthetic process and becomes part of organic molecules.
A. Protein
 B. Glucose
 C. Oxygen
 D. Water

108)  The membranous organelle where photosynthesis happens is called a __________.
A. Chlorophyll
 B. Chloroplast
 C. Nucleus
 D. Cell wall

109)  With a trophic pyramid, energy __________ by a factor of __________ as it moves up levels.
A. Increases; 10
 B. Increases; 100
 C. Decreases; 10
 D. Decreases; 100

110)  Protozoa and bacteria are examples of:
A. Photosynthetic organisms
 B. Fungi
 C. Living molecules
 D. Single-celled organisms

111)  Photosynthesis is the conversion of energy from the sun into:
A. Heat
 B. Proteins
 C. Physical energy
 D. Chemical energy

112)  __________ is defined as the biomass produced in a given area and time.
A. Photosynthesis
 B. A trophic level
 C. Productivity
 D. Energy exchange

113)  Which of the following is the best definition of sustainable development?
A. Development that meets the needs of the present.
B. Development that meets the needs of the present while preserving endangered ecosystems.
C. Development that ensures that present consumption rates can be sustained in the long term.
D. Development that meets the needs of the present while preserving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

114)  Satellite images and surface temperature data show that polar regions, especially in Eurasia, are becoming green earlier in the year and staying green longer than ever in recorded history. This could be viewed as evidence of:
A. significant climate change possibly as a result of human activities such as fossil fuel combustion
B. ozone depletion in the stratosphere
C. a slight decrease in the distance from the earth to the sun
D. increased accumulation in the atmosphere of greenhouse gases such as nitrogen and oxygen gas.

115)  Environmental scientists strive to be _________ in learning how humans affect our  surroundings and how we are affected by our surroundings.     
A. Dogmatic
B. Subjective
C. Omnicient
D. Objective

116)  Which of the following is a renewable resource?
A. biomass
B. oil
C. natural gas
D. coal

117)  If you flip a coin 3 times, what is the probability that you will get 3 heads in a row?
A. 1/2
B. 1/3
C. 1/4
D. 1/8

118)  Which of the following best describes the scientific method?
A. Collect data, formulate and test hypothesis, interpret data, draw conclusions
B. Make observations, formulate hypothesis, collect and interpret data, draw conclusions
C. Formulate and test hypothesis, make observations, collect and interpret data, draw conclusions
D. Make observations, collect and interpret data, formulate hypothesis, draw conclusions

119)  If you say that a particular activity is immoral, you are making a(n) _______ statement.
A. Value
B. Impersonal
C. Objective
D. Factual

120)  ___________ thinking is sometimes referred to as Òthinking about thinking.Ó  It involves examining theories, facts, and options in a systematic, purposeful, and responsible manner.
A. Logical
B. Analytical
C. Critical
D. Reflective