Ecology and Environmental Issues
Exam Solutions
Course Introduction
This course explores the fundamental principles of ecology and examines pressing environmental issues facing our planet today. Topics include ecosystem structure and function, energy flow, population dynamics, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability. Students will analyze the impact of human activities on natural systems, evaluate conservation strategies, and investigate current environmental challenges such as climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, and resource depletion. Through case studies, discussions, and field observations, learners will develop a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of living organisms and their environments, as well as the scientific, social, and ethical dimensions of environmental decision-making.
Recommended Textbook Principles of Environmental Science Companion Site 6th Edition by William P. Cunningham
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15 Chapters
464 Verified Questions
464 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41174
Sample Questions
Q1) Proponents of sustainable development argue that
A) all development has environmental costs.
B) development is less important than the environment.
C) development can proceed with minimal costs to the environment.
D) the environment is less important than development.
E) development does not cause environmental damage.
Answer: C
Q2) In reading a claim by an atmospheric scientist that ozone depletion is not an actual environmental problem, a critical thinker would
A) ignore the claim because it does not align with his/her opinions.
B) feel relieved because ozone depletion was such an overwhelming problem.
C) look for evidence that is in line with past experience.
D) look for evidence of the source's reliability.
E) acknowledge the claim because an atmospheric scientist is an expert.
Answer: D
Q3) Parsimony is one of the basic principles of science.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Connections, Cycles,
Flows and Feedback Loops
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements would change this into a true statement: "Most, but not all, living organisms are made up of organic compounds"?
A) All living organisms are made up of organic compounds.
B) All living organisms are made up of inorganic compounds.
C) Most, but not all, living organisms are made up of inorganic compounds.
D) Most, but not all, living organisms are made up of organic elements.
E) Most, but not all, living organisms are made up of inorganic elements.
Answer: A
Q2) What implication(s) does the second law of thermodynamics have for biological systems?
A) Systems cannot create energy because energy is neither created nor destroyed.
B) With each transformation, less available energy is available to do work so older systems have less energy.
C) A constant supply of energy is necessary for maintenance of biological systems.
D) Energy is unlimited because it is used and reused by living organisms.
E) None of these is an implication of the second law of thermodynamics.
Answer: C
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the difference in the adaptation of a sled dog's (such as a Husky) thick coat of hair to help it withstand the cold temperatures of Arctic winters and a dog that adapts to cold temperatures in the fall by growing a thickened coat? The adaptation of the sled dog best describes adaptation at the ____________ level while the dog exposed to seasonal colder temperatures has _____________.
A) regional; natural selection at the individual level
B) individual; physiological modifications at the population level
C) population; physiological modifications at the individual level
D) species; natural selection at the population level
E) ecosystem; physiological modifications at the individual level
Answer: C
Q2) Symbiosis means
A) a relationship in which both species benefit.
B) a parasitic relationship.
C) commensalism.
D) living together.
E) a relationship in which one species benefits and the other does not benefit.
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Human Populations
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Malthus and Marx
A) worked together to form their theories.
B) agreed about the root causes of overpopulation, poverty, and social upheaval.
C) disagreed about the root causes of overpopulation, poverty, and social upheaval.
D) held the same beliefs but worked on different issues.
E) disagreed about the severity of overpopulation, poverty, and social upheaval.
Q2) Many demographers believe that birth rates generally decrease as the level of development increases because
A) raising children becomes much more expensive.
B) men are better educated and have more economic options.
C) women tend to have more influence in family planning.
D) higher levels of contaminants in drinking water tend to decrease fertility.
E) government programs tend to discourage the discussion of birth control options.
Q3) In the formula I=PAT, which of the following would be representative of the 'A'?
A) Driving an SUV.
B) Earning money to support the family.
C) Having clean drinking water.
D) The number of people living in a country.
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6
Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true?
A) Humans may have been causing extinctions thousands of years ago, but our impact has recently increased.
B) Humans are responsible for many of the mass extinctions in the geologic record.
C) Humans only began causing extinctions in the past 150 years.
D) Humans have never had significant impact on species extinctions until the past four decades.
E) Humans have been causing extinctions for thousands of years and we are still causing extinctions at about the same rate.
Q2) Habitat fragmentation usually leads to a(n)
A) decrease in biodiversity.
B) reduction in the number of introduced species.
C) increase in biodiversity due to the isolated populations.
D) increase in the number of introduced species.
E) more stable environment.
Q3) Estuaries contain a mix of fresh and salt water.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests Grasslands
Parks and Nature Preserves
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most public rangelands are in poor condition due to
A) excessive populations of wild ungulates.
B) overcrowding of private livestock.
C) too many publicly owned animals on public lands.
D) excessive urban settlement in the West.
E) the lack of water.
Q2) A promising approach to encourage conservation and preservation in developing countries is
A) utilitarian conservation.
B) biocentric preservation.
C) the REDD program.
D) ecosystem management.
E) pastoralism.
Q3) An increased number of cowbirds (a species that likes areas where grassland and forests meet) would be an indicator of
A) overharvest of timber.
B) overgrazing of grasslands.
C) increased edge habitat.
D) decreased biodiversity.
E) lack of proper habitat management.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Vitamin A deficiencies are associated with A) anemia.
B) weak bones.
C) a lack of energy, or listlessness.
D) poorly developed neural systems in embryos.
E) dry eyes and retinal degeneration.
Q2) More than 70% of all soybeans, corn, and cotton grown in the United States are genetically modified.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The three crops that humans rely on for the majority of nutrients and calories are A) potatoes, wheat, and oats.
B) wheat, rice, and maize.
C) barley, oats, and rye.
D) maize, oats, and rice.
E) oats, beans, and barley.
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Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Diseases such as the recent outbreak of cholera and Ebola are
A) caused by pathogenic organisms.
B) called communicable diseases.
C) called emergent diseases.
D) happening more often in the past 20 years.
E) All of these are characteristics of diseases such as cholera and Ebola.
Q2) Historically, the greatest threats to human health came from
A) carcinogenic or toxic chemicals.
B) psychological stress factors due to crowding.
C) pathogenic organisms.
D) teratogenic chemicals.
E) injuries (intentional and unintentional).
Q3) Two problems encountered in human health risk assessment are _______________________ and ___________________.
A) use of chemical mixtures; lack of knowledge about synergistic effects
B) lack of funding for federal mandates; lack of public support
C) extrapolation of data to low doses; extrapolation of data from non-human species to humans
D) lack of planning; the involvement of politics
E) There are no inherent problems in human health risk assessment.
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Chapter 9: Air: Climate and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most of the excessive carbon dioxide that is expected to cause global warming is generated by
A) green plants.
B) burning of fossil fuels.
C) production of cement and clearing of forests.
D) All of these are correct.
E) burning of fossil fuels and production of cement and clearing of forests only.
Q2) The use of scrubbers, precipitators, and filters on power plants and other "smokestack" industries probably accounts for a(n)
A) increase in nitrogen oxides.
B) decrease in sulfur oxides and solid particulate matter.
C) decrease in volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, solid particulate matter, and lead.
D) decrease in solid particulate matter and lead.
E) decrease in nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, solid particulate matter, and lead.
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Chapter 10: Water: Resources and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Many cities in the American Southwest rely on sources of drinking water that contaminated with __________________.
A) arsenic
B) lead
C) coliform bacteria
D) DDT
E) none of these are correct.
Q2) Best available economically achievable technology (BAT) standards are standards set for
A) nonpoint pollution.
B) toxic substances.
C) radioactive waste, specifically.
D) organic compounds.
E) all point sources.
Q3) Plants that take up heavy metals found in water would be an example of A) containment of pollutants.
B) tertiary sewage treatment.
C) bioremediation.
D) wetland treatment.
E) in vitro extraction techniques.
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Chapter 11: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following factors were not in your explanation?
A) Technological inventions can increase the efficiency of gold extraction from the ore.
B) New sources of the gold ore are found through better exploration techniques.
C) Technological inventions can increase efficiency of gold processing out of the ore.
D) As supplies decrease and prices rise it is less rewarding to explore for new sources of the gold.
E) All of these factors are based in economics and would be used in my explanation.
Q2) Metamorphic rocks are produced when rocks are
A) chemically weathered.
B) recrystallized by heat and pressure.
C) physically broken down.
D) melted in the mantle and recrystallized.
E) recrystallized through chemical processes.
Q3) Building and farming on a flood plain decreases the land's ability to absorb flood waters.
A)True
B)False
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13
Chapter 12: Energy
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41163
Sample Questions
Q1) The United States, making up less than 5 percent of the world's population, uses more than ___ of the world's commercial energy production.
A) 9/10
B) 2/3
C) 1/2
D) 1/4
E) 1/3
Q2) Which of the following statements is true?
A) World coal reserves are substantially smaller than petroleum reserves.
B) The fossil fuel most readily available and abundant in the United States and Canada is petroleum.
C) The United States has only enough proven oil supplies to last 4 years at current rates of consumption.
D) World coal reserves are only large enough to provide power for about 100 years.
E) Under normal operating conditions, you are likely to get a higher dose of radiation living next to a nuclear plant than a coal-burning plant.
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14
Chapter 13: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the United States about two-thirds of a ton of waste is generated for each person (including children). Compared to the United States, Japan and Europe generate about half that amount. One of the factors that probably does not contribute to this difference is
A) the United States collection and dumping processes mix and crush everything together so separation is not possible.
B) the fact that Japan is an island with limited space.
C) the high rate of recycling in Japan.
D) that people in the United States have a higher standard of living than Japan and Europe.
E) All of these probably contribute to the difference in the waste stream.
Q2) Chemical processing is a way of __________ hazardous waste for safe disposal.
A) reducing the volume of B) neutralizing C) incinerating
D) filtering and precipitating
E) acidifying
Q3) Secure landfills are usually sealed with gravel.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Economics and Urbanization
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Urbanization began to grow especially quickly after the A) development of agriculture.
B) beginning of the twentieth century.
C) invention of commerce and religion.
D) industrial revolution.
E) invention of record keeping.
Q2) Which would be an example of sustainable development?
A) Current use of fossil fuels in the U.S.
B) Heap-leach extraction of gold.
C) Harvest of food species to the point of extinction.
D) Development of brownfields in urban areas.
E) Suburban development programs.
Q3) Mass transportation in urban areas is one example of how cities have negative impacts on the environment.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The estimated annual value of soil formation by natural systems is more than 10 trillion dollars.
A)True
B)False
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The term conspicuous consumption describes
A) the habit of eating food even when you're not hungry.
B) the tendency of industry to not incorporate energy saving methods.
C) the inclination to buy things we don't need to impress others.
D) inefficient fuel use by power plants that produce less energy than they consume.
E) none of these are correct.
Q2) The current legal system is to ______________ as community-based planning is to collaboration.
A) polarization
B) cooperation
C) wicked problems
D) dispute resolution
E) harmony
Q3) After a problem is identified, the next step in the policy cycle is to
A) build support for the problem.
B) develop proposals.
C) set an agenda.
D) suggest changes.
E) implement policy.
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Page 17