Environmental Issues
Test Questions
Course Introduction
This course examines the major environmental issues facing the planet today, exploring the scientific, social, economic, and political dimensions of topics such as climate change, pollution, resource depletion, loss of biodiversity, and sustainable development. Students will analyze the causes and consequences of environmental problems, assess policy and technological solutions, and consider the roles of individuals, communities, governments, and industries in addressing these global challenges. Through case studies and discussion, the course encourages critical thinking about how to balance human needs with environmental protection for present and future generations.
Recommended Textbook
Principles of Environmental Science Inquiry and Applications 7th Edition by William P Cunningham
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16 Chapters
511 Verified Questions
511 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3832 Page 2
Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76441
Sample Questions
Q1) The best definition of a hypothesis is a(n)
A) proof of a proposed theory.
B) proposed theory that has been tested numerous times.
C) theory based on experiments.
D) argument based on acute intuition.
E) proposed explanation based on observation.
Answer: E
Q2) Compared to poorer countries, which of the following is not true of richer nations?
A) They have a higher per capita GDP.
B) They have higher fertility.
C) They have lower infant mortality.
D) They have higher adult literacy.
E) They have higher life expectancy.
Answer: B
Q3) Places in the world where indigenous people live tend to have high biodiversity.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Matter and Energy of Life
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38 Verified Questions
38 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not a molecule?
A) O<sub>3</sub>
B) O<sub>2</sub>
C) C
D) DNA
E) H<sub>2</sub>O
Answer: C
Q2) Photosynthesis produces sugars from
A) water, carbon dioxide, and energy.
B) water, other sugars, and oxygen.
C) oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water.
D) carbon dioxide, enzymes, and energy.
E) oxygen, water, and energy.
Answer: A
Q3) Photosynthesis is a step in the global nitrogen cycle.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A community with hundreds of different types of primary producers, a few herbivores, and only one carnivore, has
A) little complexity.
B) little diversity.
C) a great deal of complexity.
D) low productivity.
E) a great deal of productivity.
Answer: A
Q2) ___________ is the place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives.
A) Adaptation
B) Habitat
C) Tolerance range
D) Resource partition
E) Niche
Answer: B
Q3) In general species diversity is higher near the poles than near the equator.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Human Populations
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33 Verified Questions
33 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) The most industrialized country listed is
A) Country "A."
B) Country "B."
C) Country "C."
D) None of the countries listed are likely to be industrialized.
E) It is impossible to use the data in the table to identify an industrialized country.
Q3) Which of the following is a mechanical barrier to conception?
A) abortion
B) condoms
C) birth control pills
D) vasectomies
E) IUD
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6
Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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36 Verified Questions
36 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Species diversity is most concentrated in
A) North America and Europe.
B) South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
C) South Africa, Australia, and Europe.
D) Oceania, East Asia, and Antarctica.
E) North America, South America, and Africa
Q2) The giant panda is considered to be a _________________ species.
A) keystone
B) umbrella
C) flagship
D) indicator
E) principal
Q3) The base of the marine food web is
A) phytoplankton.
B) sharks.
C) sea stars.
D) coral reef organisms.
Q4) 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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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most sustainable land use in tropical forests is probably A) logging.
B) cattle grazing.
C) monoculture agroforestry.
D) intensive, efficient modern row cropping.
E) milpa farming.
Q2) Seasonal migration allows grazing livestock to
A) use the most fertile pastures continuously.
B) use marginal lands year after year with modest environmental damage.
C) produce more young animals with less range.
D) depend more on domestic pastures.
E) use only the most nutritious plants in a pasture.
Q3) The loss of forests can affect rainfall patterns.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A more sustainable form of managing grasslands is
A) swidden agriculture.
B) rotational grazing.
C) corridor development.
D) maintenance of edge habitat.
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of these is not a benefit found with reduced tillage farming?
A) Water conservation.
B) Soil preservation.
C) Increased crop yields.
D) Soil aeration and loosening.
E) Decreased insects and weeds.
Q2) The parent material layer of a soil is composed of weathered A) humus.
B) organic detritus and roots.
C) residual aluminum and iron.
D) soil.
E) rock fragments.
Q3) 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.
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Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is true?
A) If a substance is toxic, its toxicity is highly dependent on its form and where it is present in the environment.
B) If a substance is toxic, it is equally toxic regardless of its form or where it is present in the environment.
C) The most important factor in the toxicity of a substance is the route by which it enters our bodies.
D) None of these statements are true.
Q2) As a society, we usually focus money and attention on health risks that are
A) most serious.
B) easiest to clean up.
C) most well publicized and frightening.
D) easiest to research.
Q3) Historically, which of the following considerations in setting standards for toxic exposure has been emphasized the least?
A) Information about how toxins affect natural ecological systems.
B) Different members of the population have different sensitivities to toxins.
C) Information about both chronic and acute exposures to a toxin.
D) The bioaccumulation potential of the toxin.
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Climate
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21 Verified Questions
21 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The two main gases making up the lower atmosphere are
A) helium and hydrogen.
B) carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
C) oxygen and methane.
D) nitrogen and oxygen.
E) oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Q2) Paying to plant trees because you use carbon in your daily life would be an example of
A) carbon reduction.
B) cap and trade.
C) carbon offsets.
D) carbon production [ambiguous].
E) going carbon neutral.
Q3) When El Niño occurs every three to seven years, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by trade winds
A) surges back eastward toward South America.
B) becomes much warmer than usual, strengthening trade winds.
C) cools dramatically.
D) sinks and therefore cools substantially.
E) surges northward toward Japan.
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Chapter 10: Air Pollution
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20 Verified Questions
20 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Primary pollutants are those that are
A) released directly in dangerous forms.
B) produced in the greatest quantities.
C) the most dangerous.
D) the most threatening to people.
E) classified by the EPA as the most dangerous and abundant.
Q2) The air pollutant least successfully removed from the air by technologies in developed nations is
A) carbon dioxide.
B) sulfur oxides.
C) nitrogen oxides.
D) particulate matter.
E) VOCs.
Q3) The most common human health response to air pollution is
A) inflammatory responses in sensitive tissues.
B) lung cancer.
C) blindness caused by deteriorating eye tissues.
D) skin cancer.
E) heart disease.
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Water: Resources and Pollution
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The hydrologic compartment that contains the greatest amount of fresh water is
A) groundwater.
B) the Great Lakes.
C) living organisms and biomass.
D) ice and snow.
E) clouds in the atmosphere.
Q2) A TMDC measures the toxicity of a metal found in a water body.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Most water in the atmosphere has evaporated from the ocean, and ______ rain falls back into the sea. About ________ % of the earth's total rain falls on land.
A) most; 10
B) most; 20
C) less; 55
D) less; 70
Q4) The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was established as a part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Pressurized fluid injected into a well is used in a mining process called
A) fracking.
B) heap-leach extraction.
C) placer mining.
D) injection molding.
Q2) The continental crust of the earth is _____________ while the oceanic crust is _____________.
A) similar in composition to the outer core; thicker and lighter than the continental crust
B) thicker and lighter than the oceanic crust; similar in composition to the mantle
C) similar in composition to the mantle; thicker and lighter than the continental crust
D) similar in composition to the outer core; similar in composition to the mantle
E) thicker and lighter than the oceanic crust; similar in composition to the inner core
Q3) Nuees ardentes are sonic waves associated with earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
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14
Chapter 13: Energy
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Transportation consumes about ______ percent of all energy used in the US each year.
A) 13
B) 20
C) 27
D) 33
E) 39
Q2) Which of the following statements is false?
A) Improving standards of living have been repeatedly demonstrated to require increased energy consumption.
B) An average house built today requires only half the energy used by a new home in 1974.
C) For an average home, standby appliances consume up to 25% of the electricity used in a month.
D) Most potential heat from fuel is lost as waste heat.
E) All of these are true.
Q3) The largest oil supply in the Americas comes from tar sands.
A)True
B)False
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Photodegradable plastics can breakdown in a landfill.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In the case of sanitary landfills, the cost of disposing of wastes is _____ as technology provides safer alternatives.
A) slowly increasing
B) slowly decreasing
C) staying relatively stable
D) sharply increasing
E) sharply decreasing
Q3) Composting is a waste disposal method that
A) is useful only for single households.
B) is technologically complex.
C) vastly reduces total waste volumes.
D) is more environmentally costly than landfilling.
E) is not realistic for college students.
Q4) In terms of cost and safety, one of the best ways to manage hazardous waste is to produce less hazardous waste.
A)True
B)False
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Economics and Urbanization
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The emphasis in the traditional U.S. suburban development is on ____. This is reflected by the _____.
A) flexible housing; variety of living arrangements supported by most suburban zoning ordinances
B) walking; pedestrian-friendly streets
C) social interactions; pedestrian-friendly streets and parks
D) ease of shopping and running errands; nearby availability of goods and services
E) the automobile; prominent streets, garages, and driveways
Q2) In 1950 only ____ percent of the world's population lived in cities.
A) 16
B) 22
C) 31
D) 38
E) 43
Q3) The dilemma of public property use presented by Garret Hardin is also called the "free rider problem."
A)True
B)False
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17
Chapter 16: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A primary goal of sustainable development is the reduction of the world's population by at least 30%.
A)True
B)False
Q2) 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.
Q3) As more environment-oriented jobs become available, the number of students prepared for them is
A) staying the same.
B) increasing.
C) decreasing.
D) increasing dramatically.
E) slightly increasing.
Q4) CITES is an international agreement to restrict trade in hazardous chemicals.
A)True
B)False
Page 18
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