Environmental Science
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interactions between humans and the environment, integrating knowledge from biology, chemistry, geology, and physics to understand natural processes and the impacts of human activities. The course covers topics such as ecosystems, biodiversity, pollution, climate change, resource management, and environmental policy. Students learn to analyze environmental problems, evaluate scientific data, and explore solutions for sustainable development. Through lectures, lab work, and case studies, participants develop a comprehensive understanding of how to assess and address key environmental challenges facing the world today.
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
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Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Utilitarian conservationists, including Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt, supported forest conservation in order to provide
A) wildlife habitats in forested areas.
B) untouched, unvisited wilderness areas.
C) homes, jobs, and recreation for people.
D) the scenic beauty found in natural areas.
E) resources, such as natural habitats, for future generations.
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following is not an example of how statistics are used?
A) Assessing the general state of a group.
B) Determining the context of how data was gathered.
C) Estimating the confidence you can have in the data.
D) Determining if your group is unusual.
E) Evaluating the relationship between variables.
Answer: B
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: 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 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) Metabolism can be seen as the process of converting
A) energy into matter.
B) potential energy into kinetic energy.
C) kinetic energy into potential energy.
D) atoms into compounds.
E) matter into potential energy.
Answer: B
Q3) Water expands when it crystallizes and freezes.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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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) The most common reason that introduced species cause trouble is because they are larger than native species.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Natural selection will ultimately make a species
A) more intelligent.
B) physically bigger.
C) better adapted to its environment.
D) more aggressive.
E) less vulnerable to its predators.
Answer: C
Q3) In general species diversity is higher near the poles than near the equator.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Human Populations
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33 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) A population would have zero population growth if
A) births + immigration = deaths + emmigration.
B) births + immigration > deaths + emmigration.
C) births + immigration < deaths + emmigration.
D) births = deaths.
Q2) 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.
Q3) According to Joel Cohen, the maximum human population that Earth can support is
A) 7-8 billion.
B) 10-12 billion.
C) 15-18 billion.
D) 20-22 billion.
E) more than 26 billion.
Q4) Human population growth most closely resembles the S-shaped growth curve.
A)True
B)False
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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36 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Tuna and great white sharks would be found within the A) benthic zone.
B) littoral zone.
C) pelagic zone.
D) hadal zone.
Q2) The main reason that there are relatively few invertebrates categorized as endangered species is because
A) we consider other groups, such as mammals, to be more interesting and desirable.
B) worldwide there are relatively few invertebrates when compared to plants.
C) it is extremely difficult to identify and count invertebrates.
D) Since there are 532 invertebrates considered endangered, none of these are true.
E) invertebrates are more numerous and the relative percentages are similar.
Q3) Most of the species that are yet undiscovered are probably A) mammals and reptiles.
B) birds and fish.
C) fungi.
D) invertebrates.
E) multicellular plants.
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Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests,
Grasslands, Parks, and Nature
Preserves
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34 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Which of the following statements regarding wildlife refuges is true?
A) While they may face other obstacles, wildlife refuges rarely have notable pollution problems.
B) Hunting is not allowed in wildlife refuges.
C) The Bureau of Land Management has made it a priority to expand designated wilderness areas on their lands.
D) Wildlife refuges are managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
E) The size and number of refuges are increasing globally.
Q3) REDD is a forest protection program sponsored by the A) United Nations Environment Program.
B) United States Endangered Species Program.
C) IPCC.
D) IUCN.
Page 8
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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) What is the advantage of genetically modified crops (GMOs)?
A) They can be designed to resist drought.
B) They offer improved resistance to pests and diseases.
C) They can be engineered to improve yield.
D) They can be altered to produce vaccines.
E) All of these are benefits to GMOs.
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 region.
Q3) High responder crops of the green revolution produce tremendous yields
A) even in severe drought conditions.
B) with primitive farming techniques and no chemical use.
C) in response to fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation.
D) in all conditions where standard crops fail.
E) in response to fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation and only "good" yields in less than ideal situations.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Organisms are physiologically able to minimize some of the effects of toxins if A) a minimal amount is taken into the body.
B) there is no exposure.
C) chemists develop vaccines and antibodies
D) DNA technology is used to change the individual's susceptibility.
Q2) 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.
Q3) Detection of toxic chemicals depends upon
A) how many chemicals are present.
B) how many individuals respond to them at a certain dosage.
C) the sensitivity of measuring techniques and how many chemicals are present.
D) whether or not individuals or groups of individuals are sensitive to them.
E) whether or not groups of individuals are sensitive to them.
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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) As far as we are currently aware, who were the first people to notice the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle?
A) scientists studying atmospheric changes
B) meteorologists
C) indigenous people in South America
D) Peruvian fishermen
E) colonial governors in South America from Spain
Q2) Which of these is true about ways that we might slow climate change, according to climate policy analysts?
A) There is no way to slow climate change.
B) There is no way to slow climate change without dramatically reducing our quality of life.
C) Slowing change is impossible without new technologies.
D) We can use a variety of climate "wedges," but these will cause considerable social disruption.
E) Developing a variety of existing strategies, such as conservation, reforestation, and alternative energy, could dramatically slow climate change.
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Chapter 10: Air Pollution
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20 Verified Questions
20 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) One of the principal ways lakes suffer from acid deposition is that
A) rocks on the bottom begin to dissolve.
B) fish eggs die and fish populations fall.
C) aquatic vegetation turns yellow.
D) plants grow excessively and choke other life.
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) There are serious signs that ozone depletion may lead to
A) UV-caused skin cancers.
B) UV-caused blindness.
C) IR-caused sunburn.
D) UV-caused skin cancers and UV-caused blindness only.
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Chapter 11: Water: Resources and Pollution
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What would you not find in water that has been through tertiary treatment?
A) Antibiotics.
B) Hormones.
C) Dissolved Metals.
D) Insecticides.
E) Antidepressants.
Q2) A method of increasing water supplies that has been successful, if expensive, is
A) desalination by reverse osmosis.
B) cloud seeding.
C) towing icebergs by ship from polar regions.
D) altering the climate's convection currents.
Q3) 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.
Q4) An oligotrophic lake would be very productive.
A)True
B)False
Page 13
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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) Rock formed from magma extruded to the surface through volcanic vents is classified as
A) sedimentary.
B) igneous.
C) metamorphic.
D) weathered rock.
E) lava.
Q2) The most abundant element in the Earth's crust is _________.
A) iron
B) silicon
C) oxygen
D) aluminum
E) hydrogen
Q3) One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in North America occurred around New Madrid Missouri in 1812.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Nuees ardentes are sonic waves associated with earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Energy
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the United States and Canada, the most common problem with using wood as a major heat source is
A) the cost.
B) wood shortages.
C) that it separates people from the utility grid.
D) the production of pollutants.
E) None of these. Using wood as an alternate source is a viable way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Q2) Fossil fuels currently supply about ____ percent of all world commercial energy supplies.
A) 95
B) 87
C) 75
D) 50
E) 33
Q3) The largest oil supply in the Americas comes from tar sands.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Recycling aluminum is most important for
A) saving raw materials (the ore).
B) saving energy.
C) saving landfill space.
D) reducing pollutants in the air and water.
E) All of these are correct.
Q2) Which of the following actions would probably encourage efficiency and recycling programs?
A) discontinue energy and water subsidies to industries when they are processing raw materials.
B) discontinue subsidies that favor the extraction of raw materials.
C) consumers asking for and buying products made from recycled products.
D) All of these are correct.
E) discontinue subsidies that favor the extraction of raw materials and consumers asking for and buying products made from recycled products are correct because industries do not receive water and energy subsidies.
Q3) Photodegradable plastics can breakdown in a landfill.
A)True
B)False
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Page 16
Chapter 15: Economics and Urbanization
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35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not a major criticism of this type of analysis?
A) People are willing to answer questions about how much they would spend to save the Amazon rainforest.
B) The quantification process compares the value of the lives of indigenous people's lives with the lives of people in the city who would be receiving the electricity.
C) The focus of this type of analysis would be mainly on the hydroelectric project rather than alternatives.
D) Monetary values are placed on intangible things like the river running freely.
E) These are all criticisms of this type of analysis.
Q2) When a factory pollutes a river, the costs and losses that affect people downstream would be called
A) indirect costs.
B) external costs.
C) incidental costs.
D) internal costs.
E) social costs.
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Chapter 16: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) CITES is an international agreement to restrict trade in hazardous chemicals.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The first college to get all of its energy from renewable resources was________________.
A) Boston College
B) University of California at Berkeley
C) Concordia University
D) Emory University
E) College of William and Mary
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