Environmental Problems and Solutions Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
This course explores the major environmental challenges facing the world today, including climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and waste management. Students will examine the scientific, social, and economic factors contributing to these problems and evaluate both traditional and innovative solutions. Through case studies and real-world examples, the course encourages critical thinking about sustainable development, policy-making, and individual and societal responsibilities. By the end of the course, students will have gained a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues and the practical tools needed to contribute to effective and meaningful solutions.
Recommended Textbook
Environmental Science 13th Edition by William P Cunningham
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25 Chapters
1265 Verified Questions
1265 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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51 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ecological footprint of countries like Madagascar and the United States are very similar.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which country uses the most coal to produce electricity?
A)China
B)India
C)United States
D)Russia
Answer: A
Q3) Which of the following is NOT a problem being addressed by environmental scientists?
A)Finding resources for a human population growing at almost 80 million people a year.
B)Providing clean drinking water.
C)Assessing and finding solutions to climate change.
D)Creating processes that promote sustainability in everyday life.
E)Creating a better transportation system for food distribution to the populace.
Answer: E
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Principles of Science and Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) The damage to an ecosystem caused by a hurricane or flood can be referred to as
A)An open system
B)An emergent property
C)Equilibrium in nature
D)A disturbance
E)Negative feedback loop
Answer: D
Q2) The ability of an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance is known as A)resilience
B)stability
C)fitness
D)emergence
Answer: A
Q3) Which of the following is a closed system?
A)A cave with abundant life that was sealed off from the outside world during a landslide 100 years ago.
B)An underwater ocean cave
C)an aquarium
D)a forest habitat
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Matter, Energy, and Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) Energy enters a system as sunlight and a producer is able to produce 10 kilograms of tissue.If eaten, the producer would produce about ______ kilogram(s) of consumer tissue that would provide about __________ kilogram(s) of tissue for a secondary consumer.
A)100; 10
B)10; 1
C)100; 1
D)1; 0.1
E)10; 0.1
Answer: D
Q2) A cell is:
A)The smallest molecule exhibiting organic characteristics
B)A building block for DNA
C)A small organic compound made of carbon, water, and nitrogen
D)Made up of DNA
E)The smallest unit in which life processes go on
Answer: E
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Evolution, Biological Communities, and Species
Interactions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Intraspecific competition is competition among ________ for resources.
A)Predators and prey
B)Plants and animals
C)Producers, consumers and detritivores
D)Members of different species
E)Members of a single species
Q2) A species can withstand a wide range of pH as an adult but the juveniles can only withstand a narrow range of pH.The abiotic factor, pH, would best be described as a A)Stress factor
B)Intolerance factor
C)Tolerance limit
D)Critical factor
E)Physical factor
Q3) A climax community is one that
A)Is relatively stable and long lasting
B)Lasts forever
C)Contains oaks or white spruce
D)Is impervious to disruption
E)Is adapted to periodic disruption
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Chapter 5: Biomes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Tropical seasonal forests are specially adapted to tolerate
A)Annual cycles of extreme heat and extreme cold
B)Years of drought followed by years of rain
C)Annual cycles of severe drought and heavy rain
D)Extreme drought and cold at the same time
E)Extreme heat
Q2) Which type of wetland is noted for producing peat?
A)Swamps
B)Marshes
C)Bogs and fens
D)Estuaries
E)Coastal areas
Q3) Cloud forests are found in the ________ areas in tropical regions.
A)Hot coastal
B)Cool mountainous
C)Cool plains
D)Low elevation
E)Valley
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Chapter 6: Population Biology
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Sample Questions
Q1) An organism with ___________ "strategies" would be considered to have __________ natality.
A)K-adapted; high
B)R-adapted; high
C)K-adapted; low
D)R-adapted; low
E)R-adapted; high AND K-adapted
Q2) Density-independent population control factors cause mortality
A)When the population becomes too large
B)When the density becomes too high
C)When the population becomes too small
D)When the density becomes too low
E)Regardless of population size
Q3) Exponential growth would be represented by a ____ curve?
A)J-shaped
B)S-shaped
C)straight
D)bimodal
E)linear
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Human Populations
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Sample Questions
Q1) The graph indicates that more children die
A)In the last stage of demographic transition
B)In the first stage of demographic transition
C)When their mothers are illiterate
D)When their mothers are literate
E)When their mothers are poor
Q2) Historical evidence shows that plagues and diseases:
A)Are highly effective at slowing population growth
B)Affect population growth for at least a century
C)Affect relatively few people in a population
D)Are devastating to human population growth
E)Cause only minor or temporary setbacks in population growth trends
Q3) The demographic transition refers to a country's change from
A)High birth and death rates to low birth and death rates
B)High to low birth rates and low to high death rates
C)Low to high birth rates and high to low death rates
D)A majority of young people to a majority of elderly people
E)A majority of elderly people to a majority of young people
Q4) Draw a graph that shows the relationship of education for females and infant mortality rates.Appropriately label the x and y axes.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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Sample Questions
Q1) One positive aspect of the current state of world diseases is that domestic animals and wildlife are not experiencing epidemics.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following tissues is more likely to develop cancers?
A)Skin, because there is a high cellular reproduction rate to replace injured cells
B)Eyes, because they are always exposed to light
C)Fat, because of bioaccumulation
D)Bones, because of the increased radiation in our environment
E)No one tissue is more likely to develop cancer when compared to another type of tissue
Q3) Which of the following is not a problem with generalizing the results of LD50 to humans?
A)Closely related species can have different reactions.
B)Different individuals of the same species can have different reactions.
C)Differences in physiology and metabolism can lead to different reactions.
D)Smaller species generally have reactions that are more sensitive.
E)Differences in metabolism can lead to different reactions.
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Chapter 9: Food and Hunger
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) The Harvard food pyramid recommends 6-11 servings of bread, rice, cereal, and pasta.
A)True
B)False
Q3) People who subsist on starchy foods, such as cassava, potatoes, and white rice
A)Often receive insufficient protein.
B)Are usually severely overweight.
C)Have the healthiest possible diet.
D)Are sure to meet all their nutritional needs.
E)Are usually suffering from goiter.
Q4) Agricultural cropland is shrinking worldwide.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Farming: Conventional and Sustainable Practices
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following uses the LEAST amount of energy in industrialized farming practices?
A)Fuel for tractors and other machines
B)Production of chemical fertilizer
C)Use of pesticides
D)Drying the crops in the field
E)Transporting the crops to market
Q2) Wind erosion is most likely to cause problems in
A)Forested grazing lands on high mountains
B)Open, arid regions
C)Fertile river bottoms with annual floods
D)Agricultural regions in the far north
E)Protected, arid regions
Q3) Pest organisms tend to be
A)Specialist species
B)Generalist species
C)Migratory species
D)Endemic species
Q4) Compare and contrast industrial farming with organic farming in terms of food production and pesticide use.
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Chapter 11: Biodiversity
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Sample Questions
Q1) Extinction is the term used when all members of a species
A)Disappear in a locality
B)Die
C)Live in zoos
D)Are threatened with imminent habitat loss
E)Are in danger of disappearing in a locality
Q2) Soil formation and water purification are examples of _________ based on the biodiversity that benefit humans.
A)Aesthetic benefits
B)Geological cycles
C)Availability of food
D)Health benefits
E)Ecological services
Q3) In general, funding for recovery programs is given to species that are
A)In most danger
B)Most important
C)Most well known
D)Most numerous
E)Keystone species
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Biodiversity: Preserving Landscapes
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Sample Questions
Q1) _________, ___________, and ___________ are the largest producers of both paper pulp and industrial wood.
A)Costa Rica; Ecuador; Mexico
B)Canada; Europe; the United Kingdom
C)Brazil; Africa; Southeast Asia
D)Russia; Canada; the United States
E)Europe; Russia; Central Africa
Q2) Most commercial loggers prefer "clear-cut" harvesting because it
A)Is the most environmentally sustainable type of harvest
B)Is the most efficient way to get valuable small timber without disturbing the larger early successional trees
C)Is the most efficient, cheapest harvest method using large, fast machinery instead of costly labor
D)Is the most effective way to refresh soil with sun and rain
E)Does not waste any trees
Q3) What does REDD stand for?
A)Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Dust
B)Removing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation
C)Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation
D)Reducing Exploitation from Deforestation and forest Degredation
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Chapter 13: Restoration Ecology
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Sample Questions
Q1) The first wildlife refuge established in the United States was
A)Pelican Island
B)Arctic National
C)Yellowstone
D)Rocky Flats
E)Baskett Slough
Q2) One of the reasons that it is difficult to restore an oak savanna is that
A)Too many weedy species take over the oak saplings
B)There are no natural fires to control vegetation due to human development of the areas
C)Too many trees are cut down illegally for their timber value
D)Too many wild animals destroy the bark of the trees
E)There is not enough suitable land remaining
Q3) Wetlands are critical for wildlife survival because they
A)Are highly productive and are sources of food
B)Allow animals to cool off
C)Contain few, but rare, species
D)Provide vast amounts of habitat
E)All of these are correct
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Geology and Earth Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) The fundamental characteristic(s) that distinguish(es) a mineral is/are its _______.
A)Chemical composition only
B)Grain size
C)Chemical composition and its crystal structure
D)Crystal structure only
E)Organic materials.
Q2) The word "igneous" comes from a Latin word meaning
A)Water
B)Fossil
C)Sediment
D)Fire
E)Compressed
Q3) It takes _______________ energy to recycle waste aluminum (e.g., beverage cans) compared to the energy of extracting new aluminum from bauxite.
A)About half as much
B)About twice as much
C)About one-twentieth as much
D)About the same
E)Slightly more
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Page 16
Chapter 15: Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT an important greenhouse gas?
A)Methane
B)Nitrous oxide
C)Sulfur dioxide
D)Carbon dioxide
Q2) Current concentration of CO<sub>2</sub> in the atmosphere is _______ according to the Keeling graph.
A)300ppm
B)375 ppm
C)over 400ppm
D)350ppm
Q3) Glacier National Park has lost _______ glaciers since 1910 when the park was created.
A)All of its
B)No
C)Between 50-60
D)Over 120
E)About 30
Q4) What does the acronym ENSO stand for? Describe the weather patterns in the U.S.as a result of ENSO.
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Chapter 16: Air Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Criteria pollutants are those that
A)Contribute the most to air quality degradation
B)Are most highly toxic even in small quantities
C)Are easiest to get rid of
D)Cause the most damage to buildings
E)Set the standards for other pollutants
Q2) Pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and ozone cause
A)Relatively little damage to plants
B)Mortality in most plants
C)Reduced yields in crop plants as well as visible damage
D)Damage only to highly sensitive plant species
E)Immediate chlorosis and then death to most plants
Q3) Which of the following criteria pollutants result mainly from burning coal?
A)Photochemical oxidants
B)Sulfur dioxide
C)Suspended particulate materials
D)Methane
E)Carbon monoxide
Q4) Compare and contrast the effects of ozone in the stratosphere and troposphere.
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Chapter 17: Water Use and Management
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Sample Questions
Q1) Subsidence and sinkholes
A)Can, with difficulty, be reversed and the ground surface raised again
B)Are probably a permanent loss of an aquifer
C)Are a consequence of saltwater intrusion
D)Leave gaps in the bedrock that then fill up with salt water
E)Increase the total area of recharge zones
Q2) The activity that uses the greatest share of U.S.household water is
A)Bathing
B)Drinking and cooking
C)Flushing the toilet
D)Washing clothes and dishes
E)Watering lawns
Q3) Water scarcity occurs when
A)Renewable water supplies are slow to recover.
B)Populations are evenly dispersed.
C)Renewable water supplies are slow to diminish.
D)The demand for water exceeds the available amount or when poor quality restricts its use.
Q4) Compare and contrast the water diversion projects in China and California.
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Chapter 18: Water Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Aquifers are especially susceptible to contamination
A)Around wells
B)Near their recharge zones
C)When they are shallow
D)Around injection wells
E)All of these are correct
Q2) Best practical technology (BPT) is legally required for all
A)Point source polluters
B)Priority toxic pollutants
C)Pollution and polluters
D)Common toxic pollutants
E)Municipal planning officers to control urban runoff
Q3) In the diagram, which of the following organisms would probably be found in the area marked 3 and higher?
A)Mayfly and stonefly larvae
B)Mosquito larvae
C)Bullhead catfish and gar
D)Gar, blackfly, and midge larvae
E)Leeches and isopods
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Page 20
Chapter 19: Conventional Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the name of the shale basin that is located under much of the northern Appalachian Mountains?
A)Devonian Shale Basin
B)Barnett Shale Basin
C)Marcellus Shale Basin
D)Delaware Shale Basin
Q2) Hydraulic fracturing breaks what kind of rock layer to release methane?
A)Shale
B)Limestone
C)Granite
D)Slate
Q3) One ____________ of natural gas is that it is ____________ than either coal or oil.
A)Disadvantage; harder to ship and store
B)Advantage; easier to build infrastructure for transporting it
C)Disadvantage; harder to sell
D)Advantage; easier to find
E)Disadvantage; less abundant
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21
Chapter 20: Sustainable Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Wind energy is an option that has few global supporters.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Since the 1920s, hydropower production has
A)Risen, but not as fast as fossil fuel use
B)Fallen due to disinterest
C)Fallen due to a lack of available sites
D)Become our most important energy source
E)Stayed at about the same level
Q3) The idea of cogeneration is to actively use ________ electricity generating plants.
A)Solar as well as coal energy to produce electricity at
B)Warm water as well as steam to produce electricity at
C)Two kinds of fuel (e.g., coal and oil) at
D)Both electricity and waste steam heat from
E)Two different types of thermal conversion machines for increased efficiency at
Q4) Capturing waste heat in a thermal-electric plant can increase efficiency from 30 percent to 80 or 90 percent.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 21: Solid, Toxic, and Hazardous Waste
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Sample Questions
Q1) The main method for disposing of municipal wastes in the United States is ________, while ________ is the main method in Japan.
A)Incineration; recycling
B)Recycling; landfilling
C)Landfilling; recycling
D)Landfilling; incineration
E)Recycling; incineration
Q2) Recycling, in terms of solid waste management, means
A)Reusing materials
B)Melting or shredding to make new products
C)Keeping intact but putting to a new use
D)Using less of the material in production of a product
E)All of these
Q3) Contamination in the Love Canal was from a(n)
A)Active petrochemical plant
B)Major toxic waste disposal firm
C)Long-abandoned city and chemical factory dump
D)Neighboring county whose groundwater seeped into the canal
E)Sanitary landfill
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Chapter 22: Urbanization and Sustainable Cities
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Sample Questions
Q1) Curitiba, Brazil is famous for its
A)Successful mass transit program
B)Zero population growth program
C)Particularly disastrous rainforest destruction
D)Complete environmental breakdown due to uncontrolled industry
E)Revitalized city nightlife
Q2) The Altgeld Gardens on Chicago's South Side is an excellent example of the cleanup
A)And use of brownfields
B)Of a shantytown
C)And elimination of a squatter town
D)And elimination of a shantytown
E)That results from laws and regulations
Q3) Suburbs are known for
A)Uniform, single family detached houses
B)Affordable housing for minorities
C)Presence of artistic and cultural opportunities
D)Creating a sense of community and identity
E)Independence from an automobile
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24
Chapter 23: Ecological Economics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ecology and economy are both derived from the Greek word "Oikos" meaning
A)The study of something
B)How things work
C)Relationships
D)Environment
E)Household
Q2) In economic terms, "demand" is how much of something
A)People want
B)People need
C)People will buy at current prices
D)Is available on the market
E)People will buy regardless of price
Q3) In Limits to Growth, the Club of Rome predicted that
A)Steady-state economic systems were not viable
B)Sustained economic growth of most countries was likely for the near future
C)Predicting the future was impossible
D)Technology would help mitigate the effects of increased populations
E)Economic collapse is likely if we do not reduce population growth
Q4) Draw a classic supply/demand curve.Label the x axis, y axis, and market equilibrium.
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Chapter 24: Environmental Policy, Law, and Planning
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Q1) After an original idea is turned into a bill, it
A)Is introduced in the House and Senate
B)Needs to be sponsored by a legislator
C)Is referred to a committee
D)Undergoes subcommittee hearings
E)Needs to be marked up
Q2) Criminal case is to jury as administrative case is to
A)Jury
B)Judge
C)Financial penalties
D)Settlements
E)Standings
Q3) There were quite a few environmental laws that were passed in the 1970s.Why is it important for people living in the twenty-first century to be familiar with these and other more recent environmental laws? In your discussion, discuss at least four specific examples.
Q4) Resilience is the ability of an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 25: What Then Shall We Do
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Sample Questions
Q1) A vegetarian diet has a lower climate change impact than a beef-based diet.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements is true?
A)The best thing about sustainable development is that it is carried out without significant investments of technology
B)Nongovernmental organizations have become significant players in international environmentalism and development
C)No important international agreement has ever been violated once the international community passed it
D)Public concern about environmental protection is always higher where pollution is most severe
E)The best thing about sustainable development is that it is carried out without significant investments of money
Q3) Conservation International is an NGO that carries out well-publicized confrontations.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe ten things you can do to reduce consumption.
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