Correct answers are highlighted in RED
Exam3.2
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) The idea of
_________ labeling products holds consumers accountable for the choices they
make
A. Food
B. Carbon
C. Automobile
D. Ecosystem
3) (Discussion list) Economists usually
disagree on any particular issue because of the uncertainty of __________ (pick
the best answer from the discussion).
A. Human nature
B. The weather
C. Money transfer systems
D. Environmental regulations
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)
A major problem with international environmental treaties is that
_________.
A. they are too rigid for
many developing nations
B. they are too rigid for
many industrialized nations
C. there is no body that
can legislate or enforce international environmental protection
D. interest in creating such
treaties is minimal
6)
The primary agency responsible for protecting environmental quality in
the United States is the ________.
A. Economic Protection
Service
B. Environmental
Protection Agency
C. Environmental
Preservation Agency
D. Environmental Quality
Protection Service
7)
Which of the following is NOT a basic tenet of precautionary action?
A. People have a duty to
take anticipatory steps to prevent harm.
B. Science has all the
answers to complex environmental problems.
C. Alternatives should be
examined before proceeding with a new technology.
D. Decisions must be informed,
open, democratic, and include everyone affected.
8)
The __________ operates more than 500 national wildlife refuges and
administers the Endangered Species Act.
A. National Park Service
B. U.S. Forest Service
C. Bureau of Land Management
D. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service
9)
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) focuses almost all of its efforts on
_________.
A. litigation
B. lobbying
C. attacking corporations
D. land acquisition
10)
Strategic Lawsuits against Political Participation, or SLAPP suits, are used
to _______.
A. prevent minorities from
participating in environmental policy decision-making
B. punish corporate
polluters
C. retaliate against
citizens who criticize businesses that pollute
D. restrict pollutersŐ
access to the political process
11) Which of the following is a suggestion for sustainable urban
planning?
A. Reduce commercial
development near residential areas.
B. Discourage alternative
transportation (walking, bicycles, etc.).
C. Promote conventional
housing development.
D. Limit the size of a
city.
12)
The dense traffic, smoky factories, and use of ____ or _____ fires for
cooking and heating often create a thick pall of air pollution in cities in the
developing countries.
A. oil; propane
B. kerosene; propane
C. oil; gasoline
D. wood; coal
13)
Examples of externalized costs include _________.
A. soil erosion from
farming activities
B. materials used to produce
a product
C. the company causing an
oil spill paying for the mitigation efforts
D. human capital in making a
product
14)
Increasing concentration of populations in cities, and a transformation
of land use and society to a metropolitan pattern of organization is called
________.
A. Mechanization
B. Assimilation
C. Centrification
D. Urbanization
15)
Shantytowns and squatter settlements ring the outskirts of most cities
located in the developing countries.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.
16)
Hubbert curve is a model showing the exploitation rates of _________
resources and natural resource depletion rates.
A. renewable
B. non-renewable
C. biomass
D. solar
17)
The Beyond the Limits model of economics and resources use incorporates
_________ and _______, pollution abatement and new public policies to update
the Limits to Growth model.
A. societal services;
population destabilization
B. ecological services;
rising pollution levels
C. technology; population
stabilization
D. limits to technological
progress; population control
18)
One of the greatest sources of unnecessary domestic waste is __________.
A. excess packaging for
marketing purposes
B. contamination of
recyclable products
C. demolition of affordable
housing by developers
D. demanufacturing of
obsolete consumer products
19)
Until recently, many cities in the United States disposed of their
municipal refuse, industrial waste, sewage, and sewage sludge into __________.
A. the ocean
B. farm lands
C. waste repositories
D. composting facilities
20)
After the Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Corporation paid Cambodian
officials a bribe, the corporation was allowed to dump toxic incinerator waste
near a small coastal Cambodian village. This is an example of ___________.
A. Boistfort dumping
B. Land farming
C. Poor political judgment
D. Garbage imperialism
21)
__________ plastics break down when exposed to ultraviolet radiation
whereas __________ plastics incorporate materials such as cornstarch that
microorganisms can decompose so that plastic breaks up into smaller pieces.
A. Biodegradable;
photodegradable
B. Biodegradable; synthetic
C. Photodegradable;
biodegradable
D. Synthetic; environmental
22)
The United States produces 11 billion tons of solid waste each year,
half (50%) of which is produced by __________.
A. overburden from strip
mines
B. industry
C. municipalities
D. agriculture
23)
The __________ utilizes microorganisms to absorb, accumulate, and
detoxify a variety of toxic compounds.
A. physical treatment of
hazardous wastes
B. incineration of hazardous
wastes
C. chemical processing of
hazardous wastes
D. bioremediation of
hazardous wastes
24)
__________ are large areas of contaminated properties that have been
abandoned or are not being used to their potential because of real or suspected
pollution.
A. Dead zones
B. Industrial sites
C. Toxic waste dumps
D. Brownfields
25)
A method to dispose of toxic wastes is to recycle them as ____________.
A. roofing materials
B. as storage containers for
non-food items
C. asphalt or concrete
filler for building highways
D. liners for open dumps
26)
The regions of North America with the greatest potential for substantial
new oil discoveries are all areas that are prime ______ areas.
A. industrial
B. clean water
C. wildlife
D. forest
27)
In the United States, the largest share of energy used is consumed by
______ followed by the _______ sector.
A. residential;
transportation
B. commercial; residential
C. industry;
transportation
D. commercial; residential
28)
Fossil fuels are __________ created by living organisms millions of
years ago and buried in sediments, where ____________________ concentrated and
transformed them into energy-rich compounds.
A. organic chemicals, low
pressures and temperatures
B. organic chemicals, high
pressures and temperatures
C. inorganic chemicals, low
pressures and temperatures
D. inorganic chemicals, high
pressures and temperatures
29)
In poorer, developing countries _______ provides more than 90 percent of
the energy used for heating and cooking.
A. coal
B. hydroelectric power
C. wind
D. biomass
30)
The major sources of commercial energy worldwide are _______.
A. coal, oil, and natural
gas
B. coal, oil and nuclear
reactors
C. wood, peat, and coal
D. oil, natural gas, and
wood
31)
A __________ uses stationary natural materials or absorptive structures
with no moving parts to collect solar energy.
A. generator
B. cooking stoves
C. passive heat absorption
D. cogeneration
32)
Hydropower dams use turbines to convert the kinetic energy of __________
into electric power.
A. steam
B. moving water
C. water evaporation
D. hot springs
33)
The main concern with harvesting tidal energy is that the dams required
to generate the necessary high tide/low tide differential would ______.
A. have short life spans due
to the damaging effects of ocean waves
B. allow saltwater
flooding behind the dam and cause heavy siltation
C. increase hospitable
conditions for disease vectors such as mosquitoes
D. have high initial
start-up costs and very low return on the investment
34)
Placer mining washes out pure nuggets of metal from the sediments of
streambeds. Since 1849, placer miners have used water cannons to do the work.
This method _________.
A. fills stream ecosystems
with sediment
B. has no substantial effect
on aquatic organisms
C. is more physically
dangerous to metal-industry workers than underground mining
D. both A and B above
35)
The disposal of radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada is
controversial because _________.
A. the stored waste will
remain highly radioactive for more than 500,000 years, but the site is only
predicted to keep the waste materials isolated and secure for 10,000 years.
B. the high-waste to be
stored at Yucca Mountain is currently stored at more than 30 temporary sites
which are clearly unsafe for the long term
C. the Yucca Mountain area
is situated near 30 seismic faults and seven dormant volcanoes
D. All of the above
36)
Which of the following materials provides the greatest savings in energy
use when recycled? HINT – think about the energy required to produce it
using raw source materials.
A. Paper.
B. Glass.
C. Food waste.
D. Aluminum.
37)
When a tectonic plate is pushed beneath another plate, a _________ zone
distorts the Earth's crust.
A. phreatic
B. interstitial
C. subduction
D. Violent
38)
Smelting is the roasting of ores to release metals. The immediate and
DIRECT impact of this practice is that it becomes a major source of __________.
A. water pollution
B. air pollution
C. groundwater contamination
D. not a major source of
pollution
39)
Metals consumed in the greatest quantity by world industries include
____, _____, manganese, copper and nickel.
A. iron; aluminum
B. silver; gold
C. diamonds; aluminum
D. diamonds; gold
40)
Plate tectonics cause _________.
A. continental drift
B. the weathering of
mountains
C. the ozone hole
D. floods
Begin Optional Exam2makeup, questions
41-80
41)
________ play a vital role in the hydrologic cycle because their lush
plant growth stabilizes soil and hold back surface runoff.
A. Rivers
B. Streams
C. Aquifers
D. Wetlands
42)
Which of the following uses of water accounts for the largest portion of
human related withdrawal?
A. Domestic
B. Industry
C. Agriculture
D. Evaporation
43)
Arsenic occurs naturally in the sediments that make up the Ganges River
Delta. In Bangladesh, arsenic poisoning is occurring because __________.
A. surface waters are too
contaminated so arsenic contaminated groundwater from deep wells is used for
drinking
B. mining activities is
releasing arsenic into the drinking water
C. contaminated water flows
from the mountains of Nepal to Bangladesh
D. sewage is released into
rivers used for drinking water
44)
The distribution of the earths water shows that ______ percent of the
total water is in oceans and saline lakes and unavailable for direct human
consumption.
A. 10.5
B. 30.5
C. 60.5
D. 96.5
45)
In municipal sewage treatment process, physically separating large
solids from the waste stream with screens and settling tanks is an example of
__________.
A. sewage sludge production
B. primary treatment
C. secondary treatment
D. tertiary treatment
46)
The low dissolved oxygen levels downstream of a sewage treatment
facility is called the __________.
A. oligotrophic zones
B. eutrophication
C. oxygen sag
D. nonpoint source pollution
47)
The Water Wars on the Klamath case presented in the book illustrated the
conflicts among _______.
A. federal agencies fighting
to control water use
B. water uses for irrigation
and recreational sports
C. Native American tribes,
commercial fishermen and farmers who wanted irrigation water
D. environmentalists and
fishermen
48)
Over __________ percent of the worldŐs living biomass is contained in
the oceans.
A. 10
B. 30
C. 50
D. 90
49)
Which of the following air pollutants is matched correctly to the
problems associated with it?
A. Particulate matter -
eutrophication, growth of weedy species
B. Sulfur dioxide - health
damage, visibility reduction
C. Nitrogen oxides - land
clearing fires
D. Volatile organic
compounds - asbestos fibers, cigarette smoke
50)
Global mean temperatures have changed in a pattern similar to the
changes recorded for atmospheric _________ concentrations.
A. nitrogen
B. oxygen
C. carbon dioxide
D. sulfur
51)
Microbes and plankton are not very sensitive to UV radiation and would
probably not be adversely affected by a hole in the ozone layer.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.
52)
What is the greatest source of indoor air pollution in less-developed
countries?
A. Inefficient gas heaters.
B. Tobacco smoke.
C. Methane produced in
poorly ventilated poultry plants.
D. Poorly ventilated
heating and cooking fires.
53)
Humans live in which zone of the atmosphere?
A. The troposphere.
B. The stratosphere.
C. The mesosphere.
D. The thermosphere.
54)
The Milankovitch cycle refers to ____________.
A. the long-term climate
cycles of glaciers advancing and retreating
B. climate variations due
to changes in Earth's orbit, and the resulting "wobble" as the
Earth's axis tilts
C. weather cycles resulting
in periodic drought in certain areas of the world
D. changes in atmospheric
pressure with the accumulation and precipitation of water moisture in the air
55)
Stresses from atmospheric acid deposition do not have any bearing on
pest outbreaks or reduced nutrient availability in soils.
A. True
B. False
C.
D.
56)
Which of the following has been implicated as a human-caused activity
contributing to global warming?
A. Burning garbage.
B. Burning of fossil
fuels.
C. Converting grasslands to
forests.
D. Converting agricultural
lands to grazing lands
57)
Even rather dilute toxins present in the environment can reach dangerous
levels inside cells and tissues of living organisms through a process known as
________.
A. bioaccumulation
B. biocentrism
C. bioremediation
D. biodegradation
58)
Which of the following is an example of toxic and hazardous substances
found in a typical home?
A. Disinfectants and
pesticides
B. Paint
C. Glue
D. All of the above
59)
HIV/AIDS is an example of a(n) __________ disease, which is now the
fifth greatest cause of deaths from contagious diseases.
A. emergent
B. insurgent
C. eminent
D. divergent
60)
The leading and number one cause of global disease burden was _______ in
1990; however, _________ is predicted to become the leading cause of global
disease burden in 2020.
A. malnutrition; respiratory
cancer
B. malaria; perinatal
conditions
C. iron anemia; birth
defects
D. pneumonia; heart
disease
61)
In humans, most of the enzymes responsible for processing waste products
and reducing the toxicity of poisons are located in the __________.
A. kidneys
B. liver
C. pancreas
D. gall bladder
62)
A special class of metabolic poisons that specifically attack nerve cells
are known as ___________.
A. neurotoxins
B. mutagens
C. neurons
D. teratogens
63)
About what fraction of Americans are considered to be overweight?
A. One-tenth
B. One-fourth
C. One-third
D. Two-thirds
64)
Some people suffer from __________ which is caused by formaldehyde
activating the immune system.
A. food poisoning
B. neurotoxin syndrome
C. the sick building
syndrome
D. carcinogens
65)
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium, is ____________.
A. a cause of increased
pesticide spraying
B. not approved for use by
organic farmers
C. not commonly found in
nature
D. an insecticide
66)
Soils harbor many organisms. The soil layer closest to the bedrock
contains thousands of species and billions of individual organisms per hectare.
A. True
B. False
67)
The _______ contains most of the living organisms and organic material
in the soil, and it is in this layer that most plants spread their roots to
absorb water and nutrients.
A. surface litter (O
horizon)
B. topsoil (A horizon)
C. subsoil (B horizon)
D. weathered parent material
(C horizon)
68)
More than half of all _______ used in the United States are administered
to livestock, mostly in confinement facilities.
A. agricultural crops
B. water
C. herbicides
D. antibiotics
69)
As incomes rise in developing countries, food choices shift towards a
greater consumption of ____________.
A. potatoes
B. livestock meat
C. bread
D. rice
70)
Some rice paddies in Southeast Asia have been farmed continuously for a
thousand years and are highly degraded today.
A. True
B. False
71)
___________ are plants that yield more than other varieties if given
optimum levels of fertilizer, water, and protection from pests and diseases.
A. Genetically modified
organisms
B. Hybrids
C. High responders
D. Transgenic organisms
72)
Which of the following is a cause of famine?
A. Armed conflict and
political oppression
B. Insect outbreaks
C. Commodity hoarding
D. All of the above
73)
Even though the United States has an extensive park system, many of
these parks protect ____________ than biodiversity or ecological complexity.
A. game animals
B. rocks, ice and snow
C. cultural heritages
D. indigenous communities
74)
Wolves have been introduced to ecosystems such as Yellowstone National
Park because they keep elk and deer from exceeding the land's carrying
capacity. In a food chain, they are called _______________.
A. primary consumers
B. top predators
C. producers
D. herbivores
75)
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Single-species forest
stands often support high levels of biodiversity.
B. Monoculture forestry
pays a lot of attention to replanting and replacing trees cut during harvest.
C. Single-species forest
stands are highly efficient at controlling erosion.
D. Monoculture forestry
produces trees that grow slowly and are easy to harvest.
76)
In tropical forests, vines _____________ responsible for increasing the
loss of more trees after the harvesting of 1 or 2 trees per hectare.
A. are extremely rare so
they are not
B. increase the fire risk of
forests and therefore are
C. strongly link the
canopies of several trees and are
D. have no impact on logging
operations even though they are
77)
Proposals for extracting resources from the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge (ANWR) mostly involve _____________.
A. drilling for oil and
gas
B. gold mining
C. hunting caribou
D. copper mining
78)
Which of the following can help maintain genetic exchange and prevent
the high extinction rates characteristic of isolated and fragmented areas?
A. small reserves
B. habitat corridors
C. inholdings
D. habitat islands
79)
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the most threatened plant
species are found in __________ compared to any other major American biome.
A. wetlands
B. forests
C. rangelands
D. aquatic ecosystems
80)
The IUCN's world conservation strategy for natural resources does NOT
include the following strategy ___________.
A. maintain essential
ecological processes on which human survival and development depends
B. preserve genetic
diversity essential for breeding programs
C. ensure utilization of
wild species and ecosystems is sustainable
D. increase the role of
zoos in maintaining the population of wild species
Begin Optional Exam1makeup, questions
81-120
81)
_______ are cool tropical forests found high in the mountains, where fog
and mist keep vegetation wet all the time.
A. Boreal forests
B. lacustrine forests
C. Tropical rainforests
D. Cloud forests
82)
_______ trees shed their leaves in winter to conserve water and provide
resistance to freezing.
A. Coniferous
B. Epiphytic
C. Deciduous
D. Evergreen
83)
_______ ecosystems are moist, cool, and dominated by conifers.
A. Chaparral
B. Deciduous forest
C. Boreal forest
D. Tundra
84)
_______ ecosystems, with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters, are often
dominated by evergreen shrubs with hard, waxy leaves.
A. Tundra
B. Mediterranean
C. Taiga
D. Montane forest
85)
Deserts and tundra may take centuries to recover after human
disturbance.
A. True
B. False
86)
_______ are wetlands with trees, while _______ are wetlands without
trees.
A. Marshes, bogs
B. Bogs, marshes
C. Fens, swamps
D. Swamps, marshes
87)
Europe, North America, and some of the wealthy Asian countries are the
principal importers of wild animals and animal products.
A. True
B. False
88)
Coral reefs are among the most species-rich and productive ecosystems in
the world.
A. True
B. False
89)
Describe lifeboat ethics according to author Garret Hardin.
A. Social justice is the key
to solving population problems.
B. Helping the poor will
only further threaten the earthŐs resources.
C. Growing prosperity in
less-developed nations will eventually reduce population sizes.
D. Less-developed countries
can learn from the mistakes of more-developed countries and achieve population
stability relatively quickly.
90)
Over the past 50 years, fertility rates have declined dramatically in
every region of the world except _______.
A. Southeast Asia
B. Africa
C. The western Pacific
D. Europe
91)
Family planning and birth control are essential for stabilizing
populations.
A. True
B. False
92)
Which of the following is a neo-Marxian belief?
A. Claims of resource
scarcity are only an excuse for inequity and exclusion.
B. Population problems can
only be solved through technological development and social justice.
C. Population problems are
caused primarily by the unfair distribution of wealth and resources.
D. All of the above.
93)
Falling death rates and birth rates due to improved living conditions
usually accompany economic development. This pattern is called _______.
A. Population overshoot
B. Irruptive growth
C. Demographic transition
D. Economic transition
94)
Over the past 300 years, declining mortality has been the primary cause
of most population growth.
A. True
B. False
95)
According to current projections, over the next 50 years most of the
worldŐs population growth will occur in developing nations.
A. True
B. False
96)
Since about A.D. 1000, the human population curve has assumed _______.
A. a J shape
B. a S shape
C. a C shape
D. an U shape
97) The _______ of a species describes the role played by
that species in a biological community.
A. Biotic potential
B. Commensal function
C. Ecological niche
D. Synergistic function
98)
Weeds such as dandelions, which produce highly mobile offspring, can be
described as _______.
A. Epiphytes
B. Opportunists
C. Consumers
D. Parasites
99) _______ is the highest level of taxonomic organization
– for example, Animalia.
A. Species
B. Kingdom
C. Phylum
D. Family
100) In order to protect themselves from predators, fish often
exhibit a _______ distribution pattern.
A. Linear
B. Random
C. Ordered
D. Clustered
101) Some growth-limiting factors, such as disease and stress,
increase mortality rates as populations increase. These factors are called
_______.
A. Intrinsic
B. Extrinsic
C. Density-dependent
D. Density-independent
102) _______ tend to be rarer and less resilient to disturbance
or change than _______.
A. Specialists, generalists
B. Generalists, specialists
C. Opportunists, weedy species
D. Weedy species,
opportunists
103) _______ are formed by a mutualistic association between a
fungus and a photosynthetic partner.
A. Bromeliads
B. Mosses
C. Epiphytes
D. Lichens
104) Species _______ is an expression of the number of
individuals of a particular species in an area.
A. Abundance
B. Diversity
C. Complexity
D. Resilience
105) Water can ionize and break into:
A. O2 (oxygen) and OH-
(hydroxide ions)
B. H+ (hydrogen ions) and OH- (hydroxide ions)
C. H+ (hydrogen ions) and O2 (oxygen)
D. H+ (hydrogen ions) and O3 (ozone)
106) An example of carbon recycling is:
A. Use of electric cars
B. Bonding of Hydrogen
C. Internal ATP translocation
D. Coal and oil burning
107) A group of organisms interacting in an area comprises a(n):
A. Ecosystem
B. Species
C. Food web
D. Biological community
108) Oxidation occurs when an atom or molecule:
A. Gains an electron
B. Gains a proton
C. Loses an electron
D. Loses a proton
109) __________is the reverse of photosynthesis and results in
the release of chemical energy.
A. Oxidation
B. Light-dependent reactions
C. Cellular respiration
D. Metabolism
110) Two examples of an acidic solution are:
A. Ammonia and lemon juice
B. Wine and lye
C. Human blood and ammonia
D. Vinegar and lemon juice
111) Multiple organisms feeding within an ecosystem is called a:
A. Biological community
B. Species chain
C. Trophic level
D. Food web
112) Water is important to life because of its:
A. Ability to ionize
B. High heat capacity
C. Ability to expand when transformed to a solid
D. All of the above
113) Which gas is most often associated with global warming?
A. carbon monoxide
B. carbon dioxide
C. ozone
D. sulfur dioxide
114) Rachel Carson's 1962 book, Silent Spring, heralded the movement of modern
environmentalism. The book
addressed the threat of __________ to humans as well as other species.
A. global warming
B. soil erosion
C. wetland draining for
development and agriculture
D. pollutants and toxic
chemicals
115) Indigenous or native peoples account for __________% of the
worldŐs population.
A. 10
B. 20
C. 30
D. 40
116) Scientists sometimes use mathematical __________ to
simulate real systems.
A. Archetypes
B. Approximations
C. Models
D. Paragons
117) About __________ billion people now occupy the earth.
A. 2
B. 4
C. 6
D. 8
118) Currently, the average number of children born per woman
worldwide is about __________.
A. 1
B. 3
C. 5
D. 7
119) A case study in the text considers the proposed dredging of
about 2 million cubic meters of contaminated sediments in the Hudson River. The
main contaminants targeted for removal are known as:
A. Dioxins
B. Pesticides
C. Polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBŐs)
D. Heavy metals
120) Which of the following is not a step in critical analysis?
A. Distinguish between facts
and values.
B. Recognize and assess
assumptions.
C. Distinguish source
reliability or unreliability.
D. Disregard conceptual
frameworks.