Course Introduction
Environmental Science Exam Preparation Guide
Environmental Science explores the complex interactions between the natural world and human society, examining topics such as ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity, energy resources, pollution, and the impact of human activity on the environment. This interdisciplinary course provides students with a foundational understanding of key scientific principles, current environmental issues, and sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. Through lectures, case studies, and hands-on activities, students will analyze the causes and consequences of environmental problems, develop critical thinking skills, and learn about strategies for promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable development.
Recommended Textbook
Environmental Science 14th Edition by G. Tyler Miller
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17 Chapters
1891 Verified Questions
1891 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2140
Page 2
Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
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92 Verified Questions
92 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/42627
Sample Questions
Q1) An important goal of environmental science is to learn how life on the earth has thrived and survived.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the following is an example of recycling?
A) collecting and remelting aluminum beer cans and making them into new cans
B) cleaning and refilling soft-drink bottles
C) selling used clothing at a garage sale
D) saving leftovers in a peanut butter jar
E) using household water to water a garden
Answer: A
Q3) Identify problems that result from lack of sanitation.
Answer: -- widespread disease
-- polluted water and air
-- decrease in workforce because of disease, etc.
Q4) The IPAT model of environmental impact takes into consideration population size, technology, and ____________________.
Answer: affluence
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Chapter 2: Science, Matter, and Energy
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113 Verified Questions
113 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The scientists, with enough data,
A) would be able to prove that there is a correlation between butterfly populations and hot springs
B) would not be able to prove a correlation between the butterfly populations and hot springs, but could disprove it
C) Would be able to prove or disprove a correlation, depending on the numbers D) would not be able to prove or disprove a correlation between the butterfly populations and hot springs
E) would be able to prove that there is a correlation between the butterfly populations and hot springs, but would not be able to disprove it
Answer: D
Q2) salt
A)High-quality matter
B)Low-quality matter
C)High-quality energy
D)Low-quality energy
E)Both high-quality matter and high-quality energy
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They
Work
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172 Verified Questions
172 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) With regards to productivity of an ecosystem, which of the following statements is accurate?
A) GPP is greater than NPP because of the metabolic process of photosynthesis.
B) GPP is greater than NPP because of the metabolic process of respiration.
C) NPP is greater than GPP because of the metabolic process of photosynthesis.
D) NPP is greater than GPP because of the metabolic process of respiration.
E) There is no significant difference between GPP and NPP.
Answer: B
Q2) Electrical storms and lightning fix _________into a form that plants and animals can use.
A) Phosphorus
B) Nitrogen
C) Carbon
D) Sulfur
E) Water
Answer: B
Q3) According to the second law of thermodynamics, energy can be recycled.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Biodiversity and Evolution
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93 Verified Questions
93 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Coastal states in the United States typically have more ecosystems than land-locked states.
A)functional diversity
B)genetic diversity
C)ecological diversity
D)species diversity
Q2) A change in the genetic composition of a population is called
A) Emigration
B) Mutation
C) natural selection
D) Evolution
E) genetic drift
Q3) Biomes are
A) large aquatic regions of the earth with distinct climate and certain species adapted to them
B) large terrestrial regions of the earth with distinct climate and certain species adapted to them
C) groups of populations living in harmony in a given ecosystem
D) all the biological portions of the planet
E) types of forests that are extensive and widespread on a continent
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Chapter 5: Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control
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92 Verified Questions
92 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The relationship between a lion and a zebra is said to be that of a(n)
Q2) The interaction of two species with each can actually affect the evolution of those species.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Permanent equilibrium is a condition that most ecologists now recognize as existing in mature, late-successional ecosystems.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following best categorizes the most common form of interspecific species interactions?
A) Competition
B) Mutualism
C) Parasitism
D) Commensalism
E) Predation
Q5) Clearly describe in what ways predation is actually beneficial to the prey population.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: The Human Population and Urbanization
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112 Verified Questions
112 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following countries has the fastest growing population?
A) China
B) United States
C) France
D) Great Britain
E) Germany
Q2) The crude birth rate is the number of live births per _____ persons in a given year.
A) 50
B) 100
C) 500
D) 1,000
E) 10,000
Q3) You live in an ecocity where the world's best bus system transports about 72% of all commuters each day. You may be living in_______________.
Q4) As countries become more ____________________, their populations tend to grow more slowly.
Q5) Birth and death rates generally decline as countries develop economically.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Climate and Biodiversity
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145 Verified Questions
145 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Climate
A) describes weather conditions over long periods of time.
B) describes weather conditions over short periods of time.
C) describes average patterns of weather.
D) both describes weather conditions over long periods of time, and describes average patterns of weather
E) both describes weather conditions over short periods of time, and describes average patterns of weather
Q2) Climate and vegetation vary with changes in latitude and with changes in ____________________.
Q3) created by polyps and zooxanthellae
A)euphotic zone
B)coral reef
C)Lake
D)tropical grassland
E)cold forest
F)temperate desert
Q4) On the temperate-zone lake figure, choose the zone primarily inhabited by invertebrates, such as decomposers, which can live in the low oxygen.
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Chapter 8: Sustaining Biodiversity: the Species Approach
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104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is not true about the Convention on Biological Diversity?
A) It has been ratified by 191 countries.
B) It legally commits participating governments to reducing the rate of biodiversity loss.
C) It focuses on ecosystems rather than individual species.
D) It has been ratified by the United States.
E) Implementation has been slow.
Q2) Extinction can be the result of habitat fragmentation.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Captive breeding programs in zoos
A) eliminate the need to preserve critical habitats
B) can be used for most species except mammals
C) increase the genetic variability of species
D) require the captive population to number between 100 and 500
E) are very unsuccessful
Q4) As an example of how individuals matter in the efforts to save wild species, describe how poachers in Thailand became part of the ecotourism industry.
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10
Chapter 9: Sustaining Biodiversity: the Ecosystem Approach
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85 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Countries with the largest areas of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified trees, in order from largest to smallest certified areas, are:
A) United States, Poland, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and Sweden
B) Sweden, United States, Canada, Russia, Brazil, and Poland
C) Russia, Canada, United States, Sweden, Poland, and Brazil
D) Canada, Russia, Sweden, United States, Poland, and Brazil
Q2) What point on the graph represents the year when 20,000 fishermen and fish processors lost their jobs?
Q3) If a stream is located at the bottom of a slope of forest that has been strip cut or selectively cut, the stream would likely be ____________________.
Q4) List or describe at least five ways that we can protect tropical forests and begin to slow their destruction and loss.
Q5) All of the following are approaches to helping ecosystems recover except
A) Rehabilitation
B) secondary succession
C) Replacement
D) creating artificial ecosystems
E) Restoration
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Food, Soil, and Pest Management
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121 Verified Questions
121 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Food production worldwide is now less than in previous decades.
A)True
B)False
Q2) If the metric tons of fish harvested per year is reduced by 50% how will this reduction affect the sustainable yield?
Q3) Which of the following would not be used to describe polyculture?
A) Plants mature at various times.
B) The plot of land is left unmanaged for long periods of time.
C) Fertilizer use and water use are reduced.
D) Pesticides are rarely needed.
E) It produces higher yields than high-input monocultures.
Q4) Explain how growing corn in the Midwest creates a 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico.
Q5) Switching to integrated pest management in the United States
A) will be easy to do because it is very simple
B) is hindered by government subsidies for using chemicals and by opposition from chemical manufacturers
C) is difficult because it only works for a few pests
D) is strongly opposed by environmentalists
E) is easy to accomplish but is opposed by organic farmers
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Chapter 11: Water Resources and Water Pollution
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128 Verified Questions
128 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Saltwater intrusion into freshwater (drinking water) supplies can occur when
A) land subsidence occurs
B) snowpack is used as drinking water in areas close to saltwater bodies
C) groundwater is withdrawn near saltwater bodies
D) water is drawn from desert lakes to irrigate crops
E) runoff of agricultural fields drains into wells
Q2) Drip irrigation is used on ____________________%of irrigated crop fields in the United States, and ____________________% of irrigated crop fields worldwide.
Q3) Water covers about ____% of the Earth's surface.
A) 51
B) 61
C) 71
D) 81
E) 91
Q4) Large dams and reservoirs
A) reduce danger of flooding upstream
B) disrupt migration and spawning of fish
C) cannot be used for outdoor recreation
D) can be used to provide electric power
E) two of these answers are correct
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Chapter 12: Geology and Nonrenewable Minerals
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96 Verified Questions
96 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Tectonic plates can slide and grind past each other at a(n)
A) ocean ridge
B) convection cell
C) transform fault
D) subduction zone
E) seam fault
Q2) Which of the following statements is false?
A) Market prices clearly reflect dwindling mineral supplies.
B) High prices would encourage recycling and reuse.
C) Low mineral prices are caused by failure to include the external costs of mining.
D) Low prices encourage waste and faster depletion.
E) Two of these choices are false.
Q3) Mangrove forests can be helpful in damping down the effects of tsunamis. However, coral reefs do not have any beneficial role in the face of a tsunami.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Briefly explain why caution is advised in proceeding with the new and powerful use of nanotechnology.
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Chapter 13: Energy
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117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about net energy is false?
A) Some forms of energy have a higher net energy ratio than others.
B) The useable amount of high-quality, useful energy available from a given quantity of energy resource is called its net energy yield.
C) All forms of energy supply the same amount of net energy yield.
D) Both the first and second laws of thermodynamics govern the use of fossil fuels and other energy resources.
E) Only the first law of thermodynamics governs the use of fossil fuels and other energy resources.
Q2) Sunlight reflected onto a "power tower" is a great idea for collecting solar energy, but there is no way to store the collected energy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) World oil supplies and prices are expected to be controlled long-term by A) OPEC
B) the United States
C) Mexico
D) Russia
E) Saudi Arabia
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Environmental Hazards and Human Health
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97 Verified Questions
97 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Although it has been largely phased out in most countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) supports the limited use of ____________________ to control the spread of malaria.
Q2) Neurotoxins are always synthetic chemicals.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The most preventable kind of hazard is smoking.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Common antimalarial drugs have become more effective against the Plasmodium parasites since about 1970.
A)True
B)False
Q5) mercury
A)essentially nontoxic
B)slightly toxic
C)moderately toxic
D)very toxic
E)extremely toxic
F)supertoxic
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Chapter 15: Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ozone
Depletion
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137 Verified Questions
137 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The estimated tipping point of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere is ____________________ ppm.
Q2) While climate change is a serious threat to natural ecosystems, it is not a threat to human health.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Kyoto treaty to reduce global warming
A) does not require developing countries to make any cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions
B) requires participating countries to cut CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub>, and N<sub>2</sub>O emissions
C) went into effect in 2005
D) was not supported by the U.S. after 2001
E) all of these answers
Q4) Is the projected change of the surface temperature of the Earth worrisome? Why?
Q5) Clearly describe a positive feedback loop associated with global warming.
Q6) On the atmospheric layers figure, choose the layer that contains ozone, which keeps approximately 95% of the sun's ultraviolet radiation from reaching the Earth's surface.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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Sample Questions
Q1) Closed-loop recycling is the same as secondary recycling.
A)True
B)False
Q2) ____________________ are inefficient because they are expensive to build, they discharge toxic emissions, and they can produce a toxic ash.
Q3) All of the following are true about the Superfund program except
A) The program is now broke.
B) Superfund expired in 1995.
C) All of the sites originally listed as a severe threat to human health were cleaned up.
D) In November 2010, nearly 1,300 sites were listed as Superfund sites.
E) Taxpayers rather than polluters are now paying for cleanups.
Q4) The best and cheapest ways to deal with solid and hazardous wastes are waste reduction and pollution prevention.
A)True
B)False
Q5) In primary recycling, waste products are converted into different products.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Environmental Economics, Politics, and Worldviews
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Sample Questions
Q1) A citizen-based global sustainability movement that is emerging is comprised of
A) a loosely connected worldwide network of grassroots NGOs
B) regulatory agencies within governments that oversee environmental laws
C) special interest groups that lobby for restriction of environmental laws
D) environmentalists that have won elections
E) a well-funded movement to change the way public lands are used in the U.S.
Q2) You have a lively discussion about environmental issues with a fellow student in your class. This student tells you that her family has purchased a bio-diesel fuel generator and uses it to produce fuel for the family vehicles. They collect used cooking oil from local fast-food restaurants to supply the raw materials for this process. This demonstrates an understanding of which key topics of environmental literacy?
A) Pollution prevention and waste reduction
B) Renewable energy resources
C) Environmentally sustainable economic systems
D) Environmental worldviews
E) All of these answers
Q3) In recent years, most major U.S. federal environmental laws and regulations have been ____________________.
Q4) List seven things you can do to influence environmental policy.
Page 19
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