Environmental Science
Final Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the relationships between humans and their environment, combining knowledge from biology, chemistry, geology, and social sciences. This course examines key environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, resource management, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development. Students will gain an understanding of ecological processes, environmental policies, and analytical techniques used to assess and solve environmental problems, preparing them to make informed decisions and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Recommended Textbook
Principles of Environmental Science Companion Site 6th Edition by William P. Cunningham
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15 Chapters
464 Verified Questions
464 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41174
Sample Questions
Q1) Generally, distinguished scientists
A) always agree if they really are expert scientists.
B) may have different interpretations of the same evidence.
C) never disagree once a theory is established.
D) believe each other and support each other in their work.
E) always disagree so they can prove theories.
Answer: B
Q2) In explaining your choice of an environmental science major in college to your roommate, you would probably emphasize the fact that environmental science is a(n)
A) applied interdisciplinary field with an emphasis on solving problems.
B) well-established field that has been in existence for a long time.
C) theoretical discipline that will help solve the problems created by human impact.
D) relatively new field that will identify remedies to environmental issues.
E) theoretical field with an emphasis on scientific understanding.
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Connections, Cycles,
Flows and Feedback Loops
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Energy is the ability to
A) move objects.
B) become heated.
C) transfer heat from one object to another.
D) All of these are true.
E) Both move objects and transfer heat from one object to another are true.
Answer: E
Q2) If you were to remove the top predator in a food web or food chain
A) there would be an increase in the number of producers.
B) the producer population will be depleted because there are more primary consumers or herbivores.
C) another predator would move in and take its place as top predator.
D) there would be no change in the exchange of energy since predators get very little (only 10%) of the energy from their food source.
Answer: B
Q3) Water expands when it crystallizes.
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) There is/are usually _______ tolerance limit(s) responsible for limiting the number and location of a species. However, some organisms have ____________ that limit(s) their distribution.
A) one; a specific critical factor
B) one; other environmental conditions
C) one specific; many factors
D) many; other environmental conditions
E) many; a specific critical factor
Answer: E
Q2) Evolution occurs as a result of
A) the discovery of a desirable characteristic in a population.
B) an individual's physiological modification.
C) environmental change that forces modification in a resident species.
D) better survival or reproduction rates by individuals with a particular characteristic.
E) a population's physiological modification.
Answer: D
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5
Chapter 4: Human Populations
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Family planning means enabling people to
A) have fewer children so that the population growth rate can reach ZPG.
B) have no children.
C) have many children.
D) decide in advance how many children they should have.
E) have more children if they live in a country with a birth dearth.
Q2) The doubling time for the population of South Pacific Splendor Birds would be A) 2 years.
B) 3.5 years.
C) 7 years.
D) 20 years.
E) 35 years.
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
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Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The location of specific biomes can be predicted based on A) the Coriolis Effect.
B) the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
C) precipitation and temperature.
D) seasonal variations in sunspots.
E) large landforms in the area.
Q2) The total number of living species is probably A) about 450,000.
B) between 500,000 and 1 million.
C) between 3 million and 50 million.
D) between 75 and 95 million.
E) at least 300 million.
Q3) The area marked "A" has a
A) wide precipitation range and narrow temperature range.
B) narrow precipitation and temperature range.
C) wide precipitation and temperature range.
D) wide temperature range and narrow precipitation range.
E) varying temperature and narrow precipitation range.
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Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests Grasslands
Parks and Nature Preserves
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Old-growth forests are notable for containing species that A) are exotic in North America.
B) have an unusually high market value.
C) are highly adapted to their special environment.
D) are found in other North American forests, in very different environmental conditions.
E) migrate long distances to feed in the old-growth forests.
Q2) The first symptom of range overgrazing is usually
A) gullying.
B) the absence of trees.
C) the compaction of soils.
D) desertification.
E) the disappearance of palatable herbs.
Q3) The highest rate of forest loss occurs in A) Asia.
B) North America.
C) South America.
D) Africa.
E) Europe.
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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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) A natural form of fertilizer would be
A) manure.
B) phosphorous application.
C) nitrogen.
D) corn plantings.
E) All of these are correct.
Q3) What is the advantage of genetically modified crops?
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.
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Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A factor responsible for the fast spread of emergent diseases is high population density.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following factors would explain the seemingly irrational behavior of a father who smokes (high risk factor for baby) throwing away his baby's teething rings that may contain phthalates (seemingly low risk factor for baby).
A) People tend to downplay risks that are associated with activities they are committed to or enjoy.
B) Most people do not understand the concepts of probability.
C) News media can give a biased view of hazards.
D) People tend to have an irrational fear of certain technologies that are not as well understood.
E) All of these factors can lead to the relatively irrational behavior demonstrated by the father.
Q3) In 1918 a flu pandemic killed more than 50 million people.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Air: Climate and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What type of buildings and monuments are most susceptible to acid damage?
A) granite and basalt
B) wood
C) limestone and marble
D) concrete and brick
E) brick and bronze
Q2) The most common human health response to air pollution is
A) inflammatory responses in sensitive tissues.
B) lung cancer.
C) blindness caused by deteriorating eye tissues.
D) skin cancer.
E) heart disease.
Q3) When cool, dry air sinks from the upper atmosphere toward the Earth's surface, it is
A) compressed and cooled further.
B) allowed to expand and become warmer.
C) compressed and becomes warmer.
D) forced to release any remaining moisture.
E) going to hold more water because there is more water vapor closer to the Earth's surface.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Water: Resources and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was established as a part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
A)True
B)False
Q2) A(n) ______________ is all the land drained by a particular river.
A) reservoir
B) water table
C) watershed
D) recharge zone
E) aquifer
Q3) A country's renewable water supplies are generally made up of
A) surface runoff and infiltration into accessible aquifers.
B) seasonal flooding and infiltration into accessible aquifers.
C) seasonal flooding.
D) rivers running through the country.
E) water used from an aquifer.
Q4) An oligotrophic lake would be very productive.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The United States keeps large stockpiles of bauxite to ensure a supply of aluminum. This is an example of
A) economic geology.
B) an evaporite.
C) a strategic metal.
D) a metal consumed in South America.
E) a mineral from a less-developed country.
Q2) 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.
Q3) One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in North America occurred around New Madrid Missouri in 1812.
A)True
B)False
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13
Chapter 12: Energy
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41163
Sample Questions
Q1) A reason to encourage green building designs would be that
A) it would eliminate the need for fossil fuels.
B) it would save money that would be spent on energy needs.
C) it would utilize natural gas.
D) it would eliminate brownfields.
Q2) A major factor in the conversion from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy is A) money.
B) infrastructure.
C) access to renewable forms.
D) a lack of technology to develop renewable forms.
Q3) Which country is the world leader in wind energy?
A) The United States
B) Denmark
C) France
D) Japan
E) Brazil
Q4) Energy is the capacity to do work.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Illegal dumping and storage of hazardous waste
A) continues to threaten public health.
B) has completely stopped since the Superfund Act.
C) has not stopped completely but is rare.
D) has become a problem mainly since the Superfund Act.
E) will always be present because people are not concerned about toxic wastes.
Q2) The US stopped all dumping of municipal refuse into oceans in 1958.
A)True
B)False
Q3) "Waste stream" is a term describing
A) the steady production of all waste products that humans produce.
B) the process of eliminating domestic and commercial waste.
C) the production of solid waste, specifically.
D) the intermittent production of particular wastes.
E) the production of liquid waste, specifically.
Q4) In terms of cost and safety, one of the best ways to manage hazardous waste is to produce less hazardous waste.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Economics and Urbanization
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The idea of a steady-state economy was developed by
A) Thomas Malthus
B) John Stuart Mill
C) Adam Smith
D) Henry David Thoreau
E) Karl Marx
Q2) According to the principle of new urbanism what is the ideal size of a city?
A) less than 15,000 people
B) 15,000-30,000
C) 30,000-50,000
D) 50,000-100,000
E) up to 150,000
Q3) Traditional suburban development does not
A) consist of only house lots and streets.
B) typically consist of identical parcels of land without open space.
C) facilitate social interactions among neighbors.
D) consume agricultural land and wildlife habitat.
E) All of these are characteristics of traditional suburban development.
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Chapter 15: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41160
Sample Questions
Q1) Rather than directly suing a company for damages, it can be more effective to sue
A) the individuals who are employed by the company.
B) the government for not enforcing laws that would have prevented the damage.
C) the government for making the laws so stringent.
D) the owners of the company.
E) None of these. It is most effective to directly sue the company.
Q2) The term conspicuous consumption describes
A) the habit of eating food even when you're not hungry.
B) the tendency of industry to not incorporate energy saving methods.
C) the inclination to buy things we don't need to impress others.
D) inefficient fuel use by power plants that produce less energy than they consume.
E) none of these are correct.
Q3) A primary goal of sustainable development is the reduction of the world's population by at least 30%.
A)True
B)False
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