Environmental Studies
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Environmental Studies explores the complex relationships between humans and their natural surroundings, integrating concepts from biology, chemistry, geology, and social sciences to examine the causes and consequences of environmental issues. Through the study of ecosystems, resource management, sustainability, and environmental policy, students gain a holistic understanding of current global challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The course emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving, preparing students to engage with and address environmental concerns at local, national, and international levels.
Recommended Textbook
Natural Hazards 4th Edition by Edward A. Keller
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14 Chapters
1033 Verified Questions
1033 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Natural Hazards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why it is necessary for scientists to study natural hazards?
A) A study of natural hazards can tell us where different hazards are possible.
B) A study of natural hazards can tell us what effects to expect from a hazard.
C) A study of natural hazards can tell us what effects we may have on the frequency of a hazard.
D) A study of natural hazards may give us more time to make predictions and warnings.
E) All of the above are reasons why scientists study natural hazards.
Answer: E
Q2) Natural hazards in the U.S. only occur in the San Francisco area of California.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Which of the following factors is used to calculate risk of a natural hazard?
A) Probability of event happening
B) Amount of property damage expected
C) Number of deaths possible
D) Amount of damage to roads and bridges
E) All of the above factors are used to calculate risk.
Answer: E
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Internal Structure of the Earth and Plate
Tectonics
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70 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Volcanism at transform plate boundaries is derived from melting of crustal rock.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) If you were studying photographs of another planet, what features would you look for to determine whether or not plate tectonic activity is occurring or has ever occurred? Answer: You might look for linear belts of mountain ranges, volcanoes, or trenches as well as linear fault zones. You might also look for evidence of continental (i.e., granitic) crust and oceanic (i.e., basaltic) crust, which should be at significantly different elevations due to their differences in density. Less dense continental crust should be at significantly higher elevations than denser oceanic crust.
Q3) Tectonic plates are actively separating at convergent plate boundaries and subduction zones.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Earthquakes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The mayor of Peaceful, California (population = 300,000) has asked you to develop a comprehensive plan for earthquake mitigation in her community. During historic times Peaceful, which is located along the San Andreas fault, has experienced a few large, damaging earthquakes and many small earthquakes. Describe several specific measures that you would recommend as part of your mitigation plan.
Answer: Possible mitigation measures for Peaceful, California:consult (or make) a detailed geologic or earthquake hazard map of the area to examine bedrock type (and determine areas at risk for ground amplification or liquefaction, consult (or make) a detailed geologic map of the area to examine active fault locations, pass zoning laws to restrict development in most hazardous areas, pass new building codes designed to strengthen new construction or reinforce existing structures by strengthening existing structures (retrofitting), monitor precursors (foreshocks, ground swelling, etc), require mandatory earthquake insurance, set up earthquake warning systems, increase public education about earthquake safety, and offer money to relocate those in the most hazardous areas.
Q2) Seismic gap refers to a region where no seismic activity ever occurs.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Tsunamis
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following describes the tsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958?
A) M 9 earthquake triggered a 10 m tsunami (up to 40 m high in certain locations), which caused the meltdown of 3 nuclear reactors and killed more than 20,000 people in a country that has many high seawalls that were built to protect it from tsunamis.
B) M 9 earthquake triggered a 10 m tsunami, which was the deadliest tsunami ever, killing more than 200,000 people in several countries.
C) M 7.7 earthquake triggered a massive landslide, which fell into the water and caused water to surge over 500 m above the normal water level.
D) Volcanic explosion caused part of the volcano to collapse into the ocean, producing a 35 m tsunami that killed 36,000 people.
Q2) All tsunamis in recorded history have occurred in the Pacific Ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q3) It was said that scuba divers who were out in the ocean came up after the Indonesian tsunami passed to find the land devastated. They didn't see a thing. Could that have happened? Explain why or why not.
Q4) What is Structural Control and how does it help to minimize the tsunami hazard?
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Chapter 5: Volcanoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which volcano type is composed mostly of pyroclastic debris?
A) Shield volcano
B) Stratovolcano
C) Lava dome
D) Cinder cone
E) Composite cone
Q2) In which of the following tectonic plate settings are volcanoes typically <b>NOT</b> found?
A) Mid-ocean ridge
B) Continental rift
C) Subduction zone
D) Transform fault
E) Hotspot
Q3) The history of an area's rocks can give a timeline of past volcanic eruptions.
A)True
B)False
Q4) There have never been any caldera eruptions in the U.S. and probably won't be in the future.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Flooding
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the role of a drainage basin?
A) Rivers empty into a drainage basin, which represents a lake or the ocean.
B) A drainage basin is the area drained by a river and all of its tributaries.
C) A drainage basin is very permeable soil into which flood waters seep instead of going into a river.
D) A drainage basin is very impermeable soil, where flood waters are held and eventually evaporate instead of going into a river.
E) A drainage basin is a set of underground tunnels that drain water into the ocean.
Q2) If you were running water through a hose, how would you increase the discharge of water coming from the hose?
A) Turn up the water at the faucet
B) Hold your finger over half of the opening in the hose
C) Connect the hose to a sprinkler
D) Connect the hose to a spray gun
Q3) Construction of levees can actually make floods worse in areas upstream and downstream from the construction.
A)True
B)False
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8
Chapter 7: Mass Wasting
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Sample Questions
Q1) Building homes on a slope can increase the mass on the slope and the potential for landslides.
A)True
B)False
Q2) La Conchita, CA was a site of two massive landslides within 10 years of each other.
One theory for the landslide was that it was caused in part by an Avocado Farm at the top of the slope. Explain two different ways that the cultivation of avocadoes could contribute to the slides. Give 3 suggestions for what the avocado growers could do to reduce the occurrence of future slides in the area.
Q3) Does adding vegetation to a slope make it more or less stable?
A) More stable because the roots will draw water deeper into the ground instead of allowing water to saturate the surface
B) More stable because the vegetation roots will hold together loose soil
C) Less stable because the vegetation adds weight to the slope
D) Less stable because the vegetation will keep more water at the surface of the slope
E) It depends on the slope, adding vegetation could make the slope either more or less stable.
Q4) Explain how landslides are linked to both flooding and fires.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Subsidence and Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is <b>NOT</b> an indication that there are expansive soils in an area?
A) Wavy bumps on surfaces
B) Tilting sidewalks
C) Cracks in building foundations
D) Popcorn-like weathering texture in the soil
E) Large circular holes with broken pieces of rock at the bottom
Q2) Describe how volcanoes are associated with land subsidence.
Q3) Which of the following is the correct order of soil grain size from smallest to largest?
A) Clay, silt, sand, gravel
B) Silt, clay, sand, gravel
C) Sand, silt, clay, gravel
D) Gravel, sand, silt, clay
E) Silt, sand, clay, gravel
Q4) The water content of a soil can be important in determining engineering properties such as the strength of a soil and its potential to shrink and swell.
A)True
B)False
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Atmosphere and Severe Weather
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does atmospheric pressure change within the troposphere?
A) It increases with increasing altitude.
B) It stays the same with increasing altitude.
C) It decreases with increasing altitude.
D) It increases and then decreases with increasing altitude.
E) It decreases and then increases with increasing altitude.
Q2) There were many hazards discussed in this chapter. Choose two hazards that you would consider able to cause catastrophe and two that you would not consider catastrophic. Explain your reasoning.
Q3) Which of the following is <b>TRUE</b> about tornado prediction?
A) It is not possible to know when or where a tornado will occur.
B) Doppler Radar can show exactly when a tornado will form up to 6 hours prior to touchdown.
C) Doppler Radar can show when a tornado will form, but it can't show where it will touchdown.
D) Tornado prediction is very good, but most people don't follow warnings.
E) Conditions for tornadoes can be spotted on radar and tornadoes can be detected once they develop.
Q4) Explain how humans can affect the weather.
Q5) Give an example of conduction, convection and radiation heat transfer processes.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Hurricanes and Extratropical Cyclones
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the primary difference between a tropical depression and a tropical storm?
A) Amount of spin
B) Wind speed
C) Amount of rain
D) Cloud Height
E) Storm surge amount
Q2) What does it mean if a hurricane warning has been issued?
A) Conditions are good for a hurricane to form in your area.
B) You should open your windows and doors for the hurricane winds to blow through.
C) A hurricane is likely to make landfall in the next 24 hours.
D) Meteorologists have spotted a tropical storm and they are watching to see if it will turn into a hurricane.
Q3) Describe two situations in which hurricanes will lose their energy and start to decrease in energy. Explain why these situations result in a loss of energy for the hurricane.
Q4) What are the similarities and differences between a tropical and extratropical cyclone?
Q5) Describe the development of the extratropical cyclone.
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Chapter 11: Coastal Hazards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How would you spot a rip-current from the shore?
A) Look for an area where waves are moving towards the shore
B) Look for an area where longshore are moving quickly parallel to the shore
C) Look for an area of calm surrounded by breaking waves
D) Look for an area of intense breaking waves
E) Rip currents are not visible from the shore.
Q2) What is the swash zone?
A) Where waves break
B) Between the surf zone and the breaker zone
C) Where the longshore bar forms
D) Where the waves surge up the beach and then flow back towards the ocean
E) Where the highest tides reach
Q3) What is the "Managed Retreat Solution"?
A) Adding sand to locations that need sand
B) Adding more jetties and breakwaters
C) Rethinking land uses and developing less of the coastal zone
D) Adding more hard stabilizations to the beach
E) Using a variety of soft stabilizations to save beach
Q4) Describe one hard stabilization method, how it works to minimize coastal erosion and the drawbacks of using it.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Climate and Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Shrinking of the ice caps is not really a problem for people, just for arctic animals.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Give examples of data sources that are in the Instrumental Record, Historic Record and Paleo-proxy record.
Q3) Which of the following is <b>NOT</b> a piece of evidence that the Earth is warming?
A) Ocean temperatures are increasing.
B) Glaciers are melting.
C) Earthquake activity is increasing.
D) Sea levels are rising.
E) Permafrost is melting.
Q4) Glaciers have always covered the continents and it is only in our current time that the glaciers have been confined to polar climates.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Is the greenhouse effect itself a bad thing? Explain why or why not.
Q6) Explain other causes of climate change besides human interaction.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Wildfires
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Sample Questions
Q1) Florida is the only U.S. state that has never experienced wildfire.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Little can be done in the area of public education about wildfire due to the technical nature of that information.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Prescribed burns to reduce the fuel load have been extremely successful in stopping large wildfires in southern California.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Wildfires are a phenomenon caused only by human interaction.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Weather, especially temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and wind, has a dominant influence on wildfire.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Explain what happens to fuel during the preignition phase.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Impacts and Extinctions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Big Bang occurred about 4.6 billion years ago.
A)True
B)False
Q2) People be shouldn't be overly worried about asteroid impacts. Which of the following is <b>NOT</b> a reason why?
A) The incidence of large asteroid impacts is rare.
B) Risk, although relatively high, is averaged over thousands of years.
C) Scientists are working on methods to prevent possible asteroid impacts.
D) The Earth's atmosphere will vaporize all asteroids before they reach the ground.
Q3) Asteroid impacts are rare and therefore our risk of death from them is essentially zero.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What triggered the formation of the Sun?
A) Supernova explosion
B) Big Bang explosion
C) Radioactive decay of uranium
D) Electromagnetic attractions
E) No one knows.
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