Environmental Science Exam
Questions
Course Introduction
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the interactions between humans and the natural environment, focusing on the study of biological, physical, and chemical processes that shape the planet. This course covers key topics such as ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change, natural resource management, pollution, and sustainability. Through an integration of theory and practical approaches, students examine how scientific principles can be applied to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable solutions for current and future generations.
Recommended Textbook
Elemental Geosystems 6th Edition by Robert
W. Christopherson
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16 Chapters
1791 Verified Questions
1791 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Foundations of Geography
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140 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) An angular distance measured east or west of a prime meridian from the center of Earth is termed
A) longitude.
B) latitude.
C) zenith.
D) Greenwich distance.
Answer: A
Q2) The prime meridian and the 180th meridian are opposite halves of the same great circle.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Which of the following is the most popular and widely used map prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey?
A) a topographic map
B) a Robinson projection
C) a resources map
D) portolan chart
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Solar Energy, Seasons, and the Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Sun and Earth formed from a collapsing cloud of dust and gas.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) As soon as the scientific basis for ozone destruction by CFCs was worked out, political leaders in the U.S. immediately proposed legislation to ban the production of all CFCs.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The thermosphere closely corresponds to the A) ionosphere.
B) heterosphere.
C) homosphere.
D) exosphere.
E) both the ionosphere and the heterosphere.
Answer: E
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Chapter 3: Atmospheric Energy and Global Temperatures
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following has the \(\underline { \text { lowest } }\) albedo?
A) pack ice off the coast of Antarctica
B) snow that is polluted and several days old
C) dry concrete
D) forests
E) the Moon's surface in full sunlight
Answer: E
Q2) The lowest temperature recorded on Earth to date was in
A) Antarctica in July.
B) Antarctica in January.
C) Alaska in February.
D) Russia in January.
Answer: A
Q3) Land has a ________ specific heat than water and therefore heats more ________.
A) higher; slowly
B) higher; quickly
C) lower; slowly
D) lower; quickly
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of Hadley cells?
A) They dominate the polar circulation.
B) They appear most vertically symmetrical on either side of the equator at the equinoxes.
C) They are associated with the subpolar low pressure systems.
D) They occur at great depth in the oceans.
Q2) The Polar high above the North Pole is a ________ pressure system that produces variable winds that flow in a/an ________ pattern.
A) strong; cyclonic
B) strong; anticyclonic
C) weak; cyclonic
D) weak; anticyclonic
Q3) Forceful \(\underline { \text { northward } }\) flowing warm currents in the Northern Hemisphere are the A) equatorial countercurrents.
B) California and Peru currents.
C) upwelling and downwelling currents.
D) Gulf Stream current and Kuroshio.
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Chapter 5: Atmospheric Water and Weather
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Sample Questions
Q1) When hurricanes first form in the Northern Hemisphere, they usually travel from ________, and later from ________ as they move to higher latitudes.
A) east to west; west to east
B) west to east; east to west
C) north to south; west to east
D) any path is equally likely
Q2) The term deposition refers to
A) water freezing to ice.
B) ice melting to water.
C) vapor condensing into liquid.
D) water vapor freezing to ice.
Q3) Saline lakes are usually in tropical areas.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Weather is
A) the climate of a region.
B) the short-term condition of the atmosphere.
C) the long-term atmospheric condition, including extremes that may occur.
D) a reference to temperature patterns only.
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Chapter 6: Water Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Clay has a ________ field capacity because ________.
A) large; the pores between the particles are bigger
B) large; there are more particles (i.e., there is greater surface area) for the water to adhere to
C) small; the pores between the particles are bigger
D) small; there are fewer particles (i.e., there is less surface area) for the water to adhere to
Q2) Which of the following is true regarding the hydrologic cycle?
A) The bulk of the precipitation occurs over land.
B) Very little moisture is advected from the sea to the land.
C) 22 percent of Earth's precipitation falls over the oceans.
D) 78 percent of all precipitation falls on the oceans.
Q3) The largest practical potential source of fresh water in North America is A) groundwater.
B) ice sheets and glaciers.
C) stream discharge.
D) soil moisture.
Q4) Rain is measured at more than 100,000 stations worldwide.
A)True
B)False
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Global Climate Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is false regarding Marine West Coast climates?
A) They are dominated by mP air masses.
B) The air masses in this region are unstable.
C) These climates experience very cold winters because of their high latitude (about 45 degrees to 55 degrees north).
D) The weather is quite unpredictable.
Q2) In which climate region does corn, soybean, hog and cattle production dominate?
A) Mediterranean
B) Tropical Monsoon
C) Humid Continental Warm Summer
D) Low-Latitude Hot Steppe
E) Humid Subtropical Hot Summer
Q3) Some studies have shown that adopting policies to limit global climate change will be economically beneficial, even if climate change itself is not considered part of the financial equation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The condition of the atmosphere at any given time and place is called climate.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: The Dynamic Planet
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which layer of the planet forms 80 percent of Earth's total volume, and has an average density of 4.5 grams per cm²?
A) continental crust
B) oceanic crust
C) mantle
D) core
Q2) The mineral crystals in a sill would be ________ those in a lava flow.
A) larger than
B) smaller than
C) the same size as
Q3) The deepest places in the ocean are those in which rifting occurs.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The heat that melted the early Earth was derived from
A) nuclear fusion.
B) radioactive decay.
C) chemical reactions.
D) sunlight.
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Chapter 9: Earthquakes and Volcanoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) All earthquakes rated using the revised Richter moment magnitude scale have been rated higher than those rated on the original Richter scale.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Compressional stress along a fault can result in a dropped footwall block relative to the hanging-wall side, producing a
A) reverse fault.
B) lateral fault.
C) normal fault.
D) strike-slip fault.
Q3) The phrase "considerable-to-serious damage to buildings" would be used in the ________ scale.
A) Richter
B) Mercalli
C) Beaufort
D) Moh's
Q4) Geologically speaking, the continents began forming relatively recently.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Weathering, Karst Landscapes, and Mass Movement
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Sample Questions
Q1) Stream transport involves all of the following \(\underline {\text { except } }\)
A) saltation.
B) bed load.
C) traction.
D) sheet flow.
Q2) The average size of sediment in a natural levee is ________ that found in the surrounding floodplain.
A) larger than
B) smaller than
C) the same size as
Q3) Which of the following is true of the longitudinal profile of most rivers?
A) It always changes at a constant rate from the headwater region to the sea.
B) It is convex in shape.
C) It is concave in shape.
D) It is gentle upstream and steep downstream.
Q4) Because rivers constitute such a small percentage of Earth's total water supply, they play a small role in landform change.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Wind Processes and Desert Landscapes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is false regarding loess?
A) It consists of fine-grained clays and silts and can form vertical cliffs.
B) It serves as good agricultural land.
C) It is derived from glacial outwash plains or deserts.
D) It has low binding strength.
Q2) A characteristic cone-shaped depositional feature in the desert that usually forms at the mouth of a canyon is known as a/n
A) bajada.
B) playa.
C) bolson.
D) alluvial fan.
Q3) Rocks that appear pitted and grooved, and sometimes polished smooth by eolian processes, are termed A) ventifacts.
B) yardangs.
C) desert pavements.
D) alluvium.
Q4) Much of desertification is due to human actions.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: The Oceans, Coastal Processes, and Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) The fact that the mixing zone in the ocean constitutes a ________ percentage of the total ocean volume means that wastes dumped into the ocean will be ________ diluted.
A) large; quickly
B) large; slowly
C) small; quickly
D) small; slowly
Q2) Several years ago, a movie was made about a cruise ship that was overturned by a tsunami while at sea. This plot is not valid because
A) tsunamis do not have the energy to overturn a ship of that size.
B) tsunamis do not occur in the open ocean.
C) tsunamis do not form high waves while in the open ocean.
D) All of these are true.
Q3) Coral bleaching results in the death of corals.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Plunging breakers develop where the bottom profile of the coast is steep.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Glacial and Penglacial Landscapes
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Sample Questions
Q1) A valley glacier that extends beyond the confines of its valley and coalesces with other valley glaciers along the base of a mountain range is termed
A) an ice field.
B) a piedmont glacier.
C) a cirque glacier.
D) a valley glacier.
Q2) Glacial ice can form during the duration of a single winter season in most glacial areas.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is true?
A) Earth's axial tilt varies through time.
B) The ellipticity of Earth's orbit varies through time.
C) Earth wobbles on its axis.
D) All of the above are true.
E) B and C only
Q4) Global warming has doubled the depth of the active layer in Siberia.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: The Geography of Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) The surface of the Moon is covered with loose rock debris and fine particles. Given this, and what you know about the Moon, the surface material
A) could be considered a soil because regolith is present.
B) could be considered a soil because physical weathering processes occur.
C) could not be considered a soil because no organic matter is present and no organic processes occur.
D) both A and B
Q2) Which diagnostic epidpedon is associated with the fertile soils of the central U.S., is dark in color, humus-rich, and has good structure?
A) ochric
B) histic
C) mollic
D) plaggen
Q3) White to pale hues in soils are generally associated with A) iron oxides.
B) silicates and aluminum oxides.
C) humus.
D) plant matter.
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Chapter 16: Ecosystems and Biomes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The names taiga and boreal forest apply to the biome designated A) alpine tundra.
B) northern needleleaf forest.
C) temperate rain forest.
D) midlatitude broadleaf and mixed forest.
Q2) Which of the following is false regarding biomes?
A) Biomes are subdivisions of ecosystems.
B) The term "biome" applies to both terrestrial and marine associations of plants and animals.
C) Biomes are named for the dominant vegetation found in them.
D) Biomes can be divided into units called formation classes.
Q3) A forest has ________ inertial stability and ________ resilience.
A) high; high
B) high; low
C) low; low
D) low; high
Q4) If decomposers did not exist, the flow of nutrients would increase and the food chain would expand rapidly.
A)True
B)False
17
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Chapter 17: Earth and the Human Denominator
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Sample Questions
Q1) It is estimated that, after 1999, Earth will have added another billion people by the year
A) 2012.
B) 2020.
C) 2032.
D) 2038.
Q2) Most population growth is in less-developed countries.
A)True
B)False
Q3) During the 1980s, efforts to develop alternative energy supplies and to increase energy efficiency \(\underline { \text { increased } }\text { substantially }\).
A)True
B)False
Q4) By the end of 2008, Earth's population reached
A) 5.5 billion.
B) 6.7 billion.
C) 7.5 billion.
D) 8.5 billion.
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