Environmental Science
Final Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the complex interactions between the natural world and human society. This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of ecology, geology, biology, chemistry, and atmospheric science, providing a broad understanding of how natural systems function and respond to human activity. Topics include ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity, energy resources, pollution, climate change, and sustainable development. Students learn to critically analyze environmental issues, evaluate the impact of human actions, and consider strategies for managing natural resources and mitigating environmental problems on both local and global scales.
Recommended Textbook
Keller Natural Hazards 3rd Canadian Edition by
Edward A. Keller
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15 Chapters
1580 Verified Questions
1580 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Natural Hazards
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91 Verified Questions
91 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) List two natural hazards that can be influenced by human activities. Answer: Forest fires.Floods.Landslides.
Q2) A lightning bolt expends more energy than a tornado.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Global warming will result in warmer oceans and may affect the magnitude of storm events.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Which of the following is NOT a proactive response to a natural hazard?
A) land use planning
B) reconstruction
C) insurance
D) evacuation
E) artificial controls
Answer: B
Q5) List two natural hazards over which human activities have no influence. Answer: Earthquakes.Volcanoes.Tsunami.
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Internal Structure of Earth and Plate Tectonics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why aren't volcanoes associated with continent-continent convergence?
A) Both plates are too buoyant to sink into the asthenosphere.
B) The continental plate isn't hot enough to cause volcanoes.
C) Volcanoes are not associated with convergent plate boundaries.
D) Rising magma from melted plates can't break through continental crust.
E) Volcanoes only occur on islands in the ocean and not on land.
Answer: A
Q2) The energy for plate tectonics comes from
A) the magnetic field of the earth.
B) heat from the sun.
C) gravity between the earth and moon.
D) ocean currents.
E) heat from the earth's core.
Answer: E
Q3) During subduction,one plate sinks under another tectonic plate.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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4
Chapter 3: Earthquakes
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) List the four types of waves produced by earthquakes. Answer: P-waves,S-waves,Rayleigh waves and Love waves.
Q2) Shear waves can travel through solids and liquids,but not through gases.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The time lag between the arrival of the different types of seismic waves is a function of distance from the earthquake focus.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Intraplate earthquakes occur at the boundary between plates.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q5) An earthquake of magnitude 5 has a shorter return period than an earthquake of magnitude 4.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Tsunamis
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103 Verified Questions
103 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss,with examples,the differences between the primary and secondary effects of tsunami.
Q2) The largest tsunamis in Earth's history have been triggered by
A) asteroid or comet impacts.
B) landslides.
C) earthquakes.
D) volcanic eruptions.
E) severe weather events.
Q3) In which area are tsunamis most common?
A) Indian Ocean
B) Pacific Ocean
C) Japan
D) California
E) Caribbean
Q4) Local tsunamis can be especially deadly because of reduced warning and reaction times.
A)True
B)False
Q5) A tsunami watch or warning system is only the first step in ensuring preparedness in a tsunami prone area.Discuss.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Volcanoes and Volcanic Eruptions
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following eruptions had the highest Volcanic Explosivity Index?
A) Mount St. Helens, 1980
B) Mt. Pinatubo, 1991
C) Kilauea, 2007
D) Yellowstone caldera, 600,000 years ago
E) Mt. Unzen, 1991
Q2) What changes in volcanic gas composition could indicate an imminent eruption?
Q3) Lahars are avalanches of hot gas,ash and volcanic rock fragments that flow down slopes during eruptions.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the role of education and experience in decreasing fatalities from volcanic hazards.
Q5) Which of the following is the most common volcanic rock on Earth?
A) basalt
B) andesite
C) dacite
D) rhyolite
E) granite
Q6) What is the Volcanic Explosivity Index? What factors contribute to it?
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Landslides
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115 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Is Turtle Mountain,the site of the Frank slide,at risk from another landslide? Explain.
Q2) Clearcutting timber on geologically stable land has little influence on landslide-related erosion.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In you were an engineer tasked with monitoring landslides along a mountainous stretch of the Trans-Canada highway,during what season(s)would you be most concerned about rockfalls?
Q4) What is the definition of a landslide cause?
Q5) Which of the following areas of North America has the lowest landslide risk?
A) British Columbia
B) the Canadian Prairies
C) the Appalachians
D) the U.S. Great Plains
E) the St. Lawrence River Valley
Q6) There are no benefits to landslides,as they provide no Natural Service Function.
A)True
B)False
Q7) Describe the material in and consistency of a debris flow.
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Chapter 7: Snow Avalanches
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105 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is hoar?
Q2) What is the primary force that drives an avalanche?
Q3) What was a common trigger for snow avalanches in the Alps during World War I?
A) earthquakes
B) artillery fire
C) cavalry movements
D) refugees crossing snow fields on foot
E) unusual spring weather
Q4) Describe the slope angle for which avalanche frequency is rare.
Q5) In the early 20th century,transportation-related activities accounted for most snow avalanche deaths.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Fences or nets installed in the start zone of an avalanche path
A) are effective in protecting all infrastructure.
B) are inexpensive.
C) are common in North America.
D) inhibit tree growth in the avalanche path.
E) can help support the snow pack.
Q7) Why is there little snowfall on Antarctica?
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Chapter 8: Subsidence and Soil Expansion and Contraction
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101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which areas are most prone to subsidence?
A) areas underlain by permafrost
B) swampy areas
C) areas underlain by limestone
D) river deltas
E) all of the above
Q2) Soils containing smectite clay minerals have a high potential for swelling and shrinking because
A) the relatively large, plate-shaped clay crystals pack together tightly.
B) the very small clay crystals have a large surface area to attract water molecules.
C) the clay-rich soils allow water to percolate through easily.
D) organic matter in the soils retains water during dry periods.
E) the soil particles break apart easily during freeze-thaw cycles.
Q3) Extracting oil from subsurface sandstone reservoirs can induce or accelerate subsidence.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Name two ways in which we can prevent damage from subsidence.
Q5) What is a disappearing (and/or reappearing)stream?
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Chapter 9: River Flooding
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a secondary effect of flooding?
A) loss of life by drowning
B) damage to infrastructure
C) hunger
D) damage to crops
E) sediment deposition
Q2) How does an oxbow lake form?
Q3) Flooding is more likely after heavy rain falls on water-saturated soil,compared to heavy rain falling on dry soil.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following is NOT a factor in determining the amount of damage caused by floods?
A) land use in floodplains
B) strength of dykes
C) depth and velocity of floodwaters
D) season of flooding
E) size of the watershed involved
Q5) Describe the features of an anastomosing river channel pattern.
Q6) How are pools formed in a meandering river?
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Chapter 10: Atmosphere and Severe Weather
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89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Reflectivity of a surface is referred to as its A) albedo.
B) latent heat.
C) sensible heat.
D) absorption factor.
E) emission quotient.
Q2) Human activity plays no part in extreme weather.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A linear belt of individual storm cells is called a A) mesocyclone.
B) tornado.
C) supercell.
D) squall line.
E) dryline.
Q4) Heat waves are worse in urban areas than in rural areas.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Under what conditions do tornadoes form?
Q6) What are the risks to the public of issuing tornado watches and warnings?
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Chapter 11: Hurricanes and Extratropical Cyclones
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113 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is different about an extratropical cyclone as compared to a tropical cyclone?
A) Extratropical cyclones are associated with frontal activity.
B) Extratropical cyclones are associated with low pressures.
C) Extratropical cyclones are associated with storm surges.
D) Extratropical cyclones spin counter-clockwise.
E) Extratropical cyclones have distinct areas of calm called eyes.
Q2) A larger fetch will result in a larger storm surge.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following may NOT increase with increasing category on the Saffir-Simpson scale?
A) wind speed
B) storm surge amounts
C) central pressures
D) rainfall amounts
E) All of the above will increase for larger categories of storms.
Q4) Hurricane Juan was a category 5 hurricane that made landfall in Nova Scotia.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Waves, Currents, and Coastlines
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Sample Questions
Q1) How can damming rivers upstream contribute to erosion problems at the shoreline?
A) Dams prevent natural flood events that would erode and reshape beaches.
B) Dams trap sediment that would otherwise supply sand to beaches.
C) Dams reduce water flow year round, allowing tidal currents to erode farther inland.
D) Dam construction weakens sea cliffs.
E) Artificial floods of water released from dams causes extreme erosion.
Q2) Wave erosion is limited in the arctic due to a reduction in fetch caused by sea ice.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Rogue waves only appear in the open ocean during stormy conditions.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Under which of the following conditions will longshore drift occur?
A) wave crests approaching parallel to the shoreline
B) wave crests approaching a rocky headland
C) wave crests approaching at an angle to the shoreline
D) wave crests higher than average
E) wave crests lower than average
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Wildfires
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Under what conditions do wildfires develop?
Q2) If you were a geologist,what evidence might you find (in rocks or sediments)that would indicate that wildfires had occurred in the past?
A) fossilized pine cones
B) grass pollen
C) clay layers
D) charcoal
E) oak bark
Q3) When combustion takes place
A) ignition occurs.
B) the fuel is chemically degraded.
C) energy is absorbed.
D) pyrolysis occurs.
E) volatile gases are produced.
Q4) A fire in which the tops of most of the trees are burned is called a/an
A) surface fire.
B) intermittent crown fire.
C) ground fire.
D) continuous crown fire.
E) tree top fire.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Climate Change
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118 Verified Questions
118 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a typical hazard involved with glaciers?
A) People can fall into the crevasses in the glaciers.
B) Glaciers can block rivers causing floods.
C) Glacier ice can cause avalanches.
D) Glaciers can break of pieces into the ocean creating icebergs that disrupt shipping.
E) Glaciers can trigger volcanic eruptions.
Q2) What is the difference between weather and climate?
Q3) The interglacial interval we live in today is called
A) the Younger Dryas.
B) the Pleistocene Epoch.
C) the Holocene Epoch.
D) the Cenozoic Era.
E) the Medieval Warm Period.
Q4) List two natural sources of methane to the atmosphere and two sources of methane related to human activities.
Q5) Methane is an important contributor to atmospheric warming.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic used for?
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Meteorite Impacts and Extinctions
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123 Verified Questions
123 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the significance of the Tunguska River Valley in Siberia in terms of asteroids?
A) It is where the largest comet was sighted.
B) It is where a large airburst of an asteroid occurred in recent history.
C) It is the site of a crater that marks the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.
D) It is the site of the largest impact crater ever recorded on Earth.
E) It is a site of enormous wildfires in prehistoric times.
Q2) There are more impact craters found on continents than in the oceans because asteroids are more likely to strike land.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Barringer Crater
A) is a simple crater.
B) is a complex crater.
C) is located in the province of Quebec.
D) was created by an airburst.
E) is not a crater.
Q4) The Barringer Crater is the oldest recorded impact even in recorded history.
A)True
B)False
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