Earth Systems Science Test Questions
Course Introduction
Earth Systems Science is an interdisciplinary course that explores the dynamic interactions among Earth's major components: the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Students examine how energy and matter flow through these systems, driving processes such as climate regulation, plate tectonics, and ecosystem dynamics. The course emphasizes the interconnectedness of physical, chemical, and biological processes and examines how human activities are influencing global systems. By analyzing real-world data and case studies, students gain a holistic understanding of Earth's systems and the complexity of environmental challenges facing our planet today.
Recommended Textbook
Sustaining the Earth 11th Edition by G. Tyler Miller
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14 Chapters
1050 Verified Questions
1050 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
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Sample Questions
Q1) As part of the path to sustainability, tradeoffs most specifically refer to
A)trading environmental quality for economic growth.
B)trading quality of life issues for ecological enhancements.
C)resolving conflicts through compromise.
D)solving environmental conflicts.
E)recognizing that human activities degrade natural capital.
Answer: C
Q2) Non-renewable resources include ____________________ sources such as oil and natural gas that cannot be recycled.
Answer: energy
Q3) Make an argument supporting the statement that individuals matter in making the shift toward environmental sustainability?
Answer: Sustainability begins with our daily choices. It only takes 5-10% of the population in a community to bring about major change in a relatively short time frame.
Q4) How many Earths are we currently using compared to the earth's ecological capacity?
Answer: We are currently using 1.5 Earths.
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Chapter 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) A set of organisms that are similar in genetic make up and reproduce sexually to produce fertile offspring are members of the same species.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) A possible explanation of what is observed in nature or the results of an experiment is called a scientific _____________________.
Answer: hypothesis
Q3) Draw or describe a scientific model using at least five steps.
Answer: Problem - Learn what is known - question - experiment - data - analysis - form hypothesis - test hypothesis - evaluate hypothesis - generate theory - model.Any combination of five steps in the correct order (it is acceptable to skip steps).
Q4) The _____________________ explains why a barrel of oil can be used only once as fuel.
Answer: second law of thermodynamics
Q5) The nucleus of an atom consists of one or more _____________________ and in some cases, one or more neutrons.
Answer: protons
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Chapter 3: Biodiversity and Evolution
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Sample Questions
Q1) The coastal zone contains 90% of all marine species but makes up only what percent of the world's ocean?
A)0.5
B)2
C)10
D)30
E)45
Answer: C
Q2) Which zone of the ocean may have some fish and crustaceans that are blind or have their own light sources?
A)oligotrophic.
B)continental.
C)bathyal.
D)euphotic.
E)abyssal.
Answer: E
Q3) The vertical zones of the open sea (euphotic, bathyal, and abyssal) are differentiated primarily by the penetration of ____________________.
Answer: sunlight
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Community Ecology, Population Ecology, and the Human Population
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Sample Questions
Q1) The current world population is approximately
A)1.5 billion.
B)4.2 billion.
C)7.1 billion.
D)10.1 billion.
E)15.8 billion.
Q2) Rats are examples of ____________________ because they reproduce and disperse rapidly and produce many offspring to ensure survival of the species.
Q3) What is the difference between mutualism and commensalism?
Q4) Non-native or invasive species are threatening and should be eradicated.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Although total fertility rates have decreased, the world's population has still not stabilized.
A)True
B)False
Q6) On the exponential growth of reindeer figure, choose the portion of the graph that represents the number of reindeer that can be sustained indefinitely in a given area.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is false?
A)Habitat islands can be wildlife preserves set aside to sustain endangered species.
B)Habitat islands are isolated fragments of wildlife habitats.
C)Habitat islands often cannot support the number of individuals required to sustain a population.
D)Habitat islands may be national parks, protected areas, or freshwater lakes.
E)Habitat islands are often surrounded by industrial areas.
Q2) Captive breeding programs in zoos
A)eliminate the need to preserve critical habitats.
B)require the captive population to number between 100 and 500.
C)increase the genetic variability of species.
D)are relatively inexpensive to operate.
E)are used for all zoo species.
Q3) An endangered species is any species that
A)can undergo alteration of its genetic traits.
B)might become rare within the next century.
C)has so few individuals it may soon becomes extinct.
D)will eventually become threatened or rare.
E)can be considered economically important, but is rare.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Sustaining Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach
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Sample Questions
Q1) How have marine reserves helped marine ecosystems?
Q2) Wolves were reintroduced to the Yellowstone ecosystem in ____.
A)1620
B)the 1920s
C)1954
D)1995
E)2003
Q3) Which approach is being used by some countries to protect and sustain marine biodiversity?
A)harvesting the ocean's food supply
B)understanding that the sea is an inexhaustible resource
C)establishing marine sanctuaries
D)focusing on ocean acidification
E)creating artificial ecosystems
Q4) Reducing soil erosion, purifying air and water, and influencing climate are examples of the ____________________ of forests.
Q5) List and define four types of ecological restoration. Why is restoration important?
8
Q6) Discuss at least three difficulties associated with protecting marine fisheries.
Q7) Identify the four steps to tropical deforestation.
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Chapter 7: Food, Soil, and Pest Management
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Sample Questions
Q1) If an aphid is an example of a crop-eating pest, what is a lady bird beetle (lady bug) that eats the aphid?
A)A natural enemy
B)A pesticide
C)A parasite
D)An invasive species
E)A nematode
Q2) Describe the current state of the green revolution and where you see the future going.
Q3) What causes waterlogging?
A)desertification
B)an excess of saltwater intrusion
C)heavy rain
D)erosion
E)a rise in the water table from irrigation
Q4) What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of commercial pesticides and more sustainable pesticides? Which do you think is the best choice for the future?
Q5) Two problems associated with ____________________ are salination and waterlogging.
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Chapter 8: Water Resources and Water Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Great Lakes contain 95% of the fresh surface water in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Marine life can recover from crude oil spills most rapidly in
A)cold and calm waters.
B)warm waters with rapid currents.
C)cold waters with rapid currents.
D)warm and calm waters.
E)estuaries.
Q3) The Aral sea disaster led to which one of the following?
A)salinization, fish and wildlife kills, and human health problems
B)fish and wildlife kills, increased crop yields, and human health problems
C)human health problems, increased irrigation projects, and increased water pollutants
D)increased crop yields, fish and wildlife kills, and decreased pesticide use
E)decreased pesticide use, increased water pollutants, and salinization
Q4) The 2010 Gulf of Mexico blowout illustrates point source water pollution.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are three ways to increase the water supply in a region?
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Chapter 9: Nonrenewable Energy Resources
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Q1) ____________________ has a mix of different combustible hydrocarbons that must be separated in order to be used.
Q2) The major types of coal vary in the amount of heat, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide released per unit mass when they are burned.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The United States is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
A)True
B)False
Q4) The largest tar sand deposits can be found in A)Canada. B)Colombia.
C)Nigeria.
D)Venezuela. E)Russia.
Q5) Most of the energy used worldwide comes from renewable energy sources. A)True B)False
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Chapter 10: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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Q1) Solar thermal systems used to generate electricity are the best option for energy generation in desert areas as there are no environmental impacts.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Converting plant sugars into simple sugars creates which biofuel?
A)ethanol
B)methane
C)propane
D)ethane
E)butane
Q3) ______________________ are an example of a source of geothermal energy that utilizes drilling from wells.
Q4) Electric vehicles currently available
A)use a combination of an electric motor and a gasoline engine.
B)use only an electric motor.
C)have batteries guaranteed to last the life of the car.
D)are the same price as other similar non-electric vehicles.
E)are not energy efficient.
Q5) Electric-gasoline powered vehicles are called ____________________.
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Chapter 11: Environmental Hazards and Human Health
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Q1) In order to account for uncertainty, regulators typically set allowed levels of exposure to toxic substances at 100 or even 1000 times the estimated harmful levels.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The system responsible for defense against disease and harmful substances is the A)circulatory system.
B)endocrine system.
C)immune system.
D)excretory system.
E)reproductive system.
Q3) A risky activity, such as smoking, may be deemed less risky than it really is because of the immediate gratification it provides.
A)True
B)False
Q4) At low toxin dosages, scientist often choose the no-threshold dose response model. A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss the distinction between risk assessment and risk management.
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Chapter 12: Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ozone
Depletion
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Q1) In the short term, some humans may benefit from which of the following climate change effects?
A)melting glacial ice
B)rising sea levels
C)permafrost melt
D)biodiversity loss
E)agricultural shifts
Q2) Photochemical smog can most easily reduced by a drop in emissions of ____.
A)carbon monoxide
B)nitrous oxides
C)ozone emissions
D)water
E)PANs
Q3) Chlorofluorocarbons can be used to combat global warming.
A)True
B)False
Q4) ____________________ are manmade compounds that have been widely used as refrigerants and in spray propellants.
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Q5) ____________________ poisoning, mostly affecting children, can cause mental retardation and brain damage.
Chapter 13: Urbanization and Solid and Hazardous Waste
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Q1) ____________________ are excavated depressions such as ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liquid hazardous wastes are stored.
Q2) What is an advantage of sanitary landfills for the disposal of solid waste?
A)discouragement of waste production
B)low operating cost
C)containment of greenhouse gases
D)less contamination of groundwater
E)better traffic ad air pollution controls
Q3) Instead of being sent to landfills, containers made from bioplastic could be composted to produce a soil conditioner.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which country burns about 54% of its municipal solid waste in incinerators?
A)United States
B)Japan
C)Switzerland
D)Great Britain
E)Denmark
Q5) Discuss three challenges faced by cities as urbanization expands.
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Chapter 14: Economics, Politics, Worldviews, and Sustainability
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following business activities represents a service-flow business?
A)farming
B)leasing and servicing copy machines
C)selling gasoline
D)extracting natural gas
E)selling electric bicycles
Q2) Which of the following is an assumption of ecological economists?
A)Resources are limited and we should not waste them.
B)Pollution control and economic growth are not interrelated.
C)The potential for economic growth is essentially unlimited.
D)Current economic models should be fine-tuned to help offset environmental damage.
E)Government should bear full responsibility for environmental damage through subsidies.
Q3) Command and control approaches to environmental regulation concentrate on enforcing cleanup instead of pollution prevention.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How do the views of ecological economists differ from those of neoclassical economists?
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