Environmental Studies
Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary course that explores the complex relationships between humans and the natural environment. The course examines ecological principles, environmental challenges such as pollution, climate change, natural resource depletion, and biodiversity loss, as well as the social, political, and economic factors influencing environmental policy and sustainability efforts. Students will critically analyze case studies, engage in discussions on environmental ethics, and investigate strategies for promoting sustainable development at local, national, and global levels. The goal is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute thoughtfully to environmental problem-solving and stewardship.
Recommended Textbook
Environmental Economics and Management Theory Policy and Applications 6th Edition by Scott
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884 Verified Questions
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Chapter 1: The Role of Economics in Environmental Management
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Sample Questions
Q1) A polluting source that cannot be identified accurately and degrades the environment in a diffuse, indirect way is a
A) stationary source
B) point source
C) nonpoint source
D) mobile source
Answer: C
Q2) The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) of 1969
A) calls for Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) on major legislative proposals
B) coordinates environmental tasks among federal agencies
C) guides all environmental policy formulation in the United States
D) all of the above
E) (c) and (d) only
Answer: D
Q3) Natural pollutants are those linked to human activity.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: Modeling the Market Process: a Review of the Basics
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Sample Questions
Q1) If a perfectly competitive firm is a profit-maximizer, it produces where
A) MR > MC
B) P > MR
C) P = MC
D) TR = TC
Answer: C
Q2) If demand for clean water is specified as P = 140 - 2Q, and the market price is $40, then consumer surplus at that price level is
A) $2500
B) $3000
C) $1600
D) $50
Answer: A
Q3) The supply curve is positively sloped because marginal cost (MC) rises with output (Q).
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Modeling Market Failure
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Sample Questions
Q1) Based on the model, the firm's M\(\pi\) function must be
A) M\(\pi\) = 20 - 0.8Q
B) P<sub>E</sub> = $22.50
C) M\(\pi\) = 0.3Q
D) M\(\pi\) = 20 - 0.1Q
Answer: B
Q2) A public good
A) possesses the characteristic of nonrivalry in consumption
B) is one whose benefits cannot be shared
C) is provided by the public sector
D) has nonexcludable benefits
E) both (a) and (d)
Answer: E
Q3) The Coase Theorem assumes
A) transactions are costless
B) damages are accessible and measureable
C) both (a) and (b)
D) none of the above
Answer: C
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Conventional Solutions to Environmental
Problems: Command-And-Control Approach
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Sample Questions
Q1) A standard that specifies a pollution limit along with the equipment to be used to achieve that limit is called a performance-based standard.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Suppose the combined abatement standard is set at 22 units and firm J and firm K have MAC functions of MAC<sub>J</sub> = 0.5A, and MAC<sub>K</sub> = 0.75A, respectively. If firm J is abating 10 units and firm K is abating 12 units, firm K should abate more units and firm J should abate less.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Based on the model given, the cost-effective solution would arise if
A) each firm abates 20 units of pollution
B) firm X abates 8 units, and firm Y abates 32 units
C) firm Y does all the abating because its MAC is lower
D) firm X abates 24 units, and firm Y abates 16 units
E) none of the above
Q4) Standards are the fundamental basis of most environmental policies.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Economic Solutions to Environmental Problems: the Market Approach
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the textbook application, the United States pays a higher tax rate on gasoline than any nation in the European Union (EU).
A)True
B)False
Q2) Suppose that for some abatement equipment market, the MSB = 502 - 1.2Q, and MPB = 302 - 0.8Q, then the Pigouvian subsidy must equal 804 - 2Q at the efficient output level to achieve the efficient output level.
A)True B)False
Q3) If Firm X is abating 9 units with an MACS1U1B1XS1U1B0 = 0.6AS1U1B1XS1U1B0 , and Firm Y is abating 11 units with an MACS1U1B1YS1U1B0 = 0.9AS1U1B1YS1U1B0 , then Firm Y should do less of the abating and Firm X should do more in order to lower the overall costs of abatement.
A)True B)False
Q4) A pollution charge follows the "polluter-pays principle."
A)True B)False
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Chapter 6: Environmental Risk Analysis
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Sample Questions
Q1) Actuarial risks are based on factual data.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following are examples of involuntary risks?
A) skydiving
B) mountain climbing
C) being exposed to secondhand smoke
D) (b) and (c) only
E) none of the above
Q3) According to benefit-cost analysis
A) identification of the "acceptable" risk level is based on the criterion of allocative efficiency
B) the efficient risk level is found where the MSB and MSC of risk reduction are equal
C) the risk level associated with the maximum difference between TSB and TSC of risk reduction is allocatively efficient
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
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Chapter 7: Assessing Benefits for Environmental Decision Making
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Sample Questions
Q1) Increased fish populations linked to water pollution policy would be a type of secondary environmental benefit.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The averting expenditures method
A) uses spending changes on goods that act as substitutes for environmental quality
B) defines personal environmental quality as the relevant market
C) has the disadvantage of jointness of production, which biases the benefit estimate
D) all of the above
Q3) The benefit estimation method that uses surveys about hypothetical market conditions is
A) the averting expenditure method
B) the contingent valuation method
C) the travel cost approach
D) the political referendum approach
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Chapter 8: Assessing Costs for Environmental Decision Making
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explicit costs include
A) monitoring expenses incurred by the government
B) enforcement costs paid by the public sector
C) compliance costs incurred by all economic sectors
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Q2) Incremental cost assessment involves
A) valuing TSC at a single level of abatement
B) subtracting baseline TSC prior to undertaking policy from post-policy TSC
C) summing baseline TSC and post-policy TSC
D) finding the ratio of TSC to MSC at a given abatement level
Q3) Incremental costs are the accumulated expenditures associated with an environmental policy initiative.
A)True
B)False
Q4) When implementing environmental policy, all expenses paid by the government plus compliance costs paid by all economic sectors are known as explicit costs.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Benefit-Cost Analysis in Environmental Decision Making
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Sample Questions
Q1) Present value determination is a procedure that corrects a value for the rate of inflation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The present value of net benefits (PVNB) is
A) found as (PVB - PVC)
B) equal to the ratio of PVB to PVC
C) equal to the ratio of PVC to PVB
D) not relevant to benefit-cost analysis
Q3) Matters of equity are explicitly integrated into the decision rules that govern benefit-cost analysis.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In the expression for present value of benefits (PVB), (b<sub>t</sub>/[1+r<sub>s</sub>]<sup>t</sup>), with b<sub>t</sub><sub> </sub>= B<sub>t</sub>/(1 + p)<sup>t</sup>,
A) b<sub>t</sub> represents incremental nominal benefits
B) B<sub>t</sub> represents incremental real benefits
C) b<sub>t</sub> represents incremental real benefits
D) p stands for the opportunity cost of money
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Chapter 10: Defining Air Quality: the Standard-Setting Process
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Sample Questions
Q1) Prior to the 1950s, all air quality laws in the United States had been enacted at the state and local levels of government.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Based on the textbook application, in the United Kingdom,
A) there are no official air quality standards
B) limit values are defined for some of the same pollutants covered by the U.S. NAAQS
C) standards for pollutant levels are set to be equivalent to those in the United States
D) none of the above
Q3) Standards set to control air toxics in the United States
A) are known as the NAAQS
B) are the same as those set for greenhouse gases
C) are intended to attain the maximum reduction for each toxic achievable, known as MACT
D) are solely benefit-based
Q4) The NAAQS are established using benefit-cost analysis.
A)True
B)False
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Improving Air Quality: Controlling Mobile
Sources
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the United States, regulations on mobile sources A) are imposed only at the state and local levels of government B) are outlined in Title II of the CAAA of 1990 C) are solely market-based D) impose controls on vehicles only, with no regulations on fuels
Q2) A benefit-based standard is one that A) considers the benefits balanced with the costs of that standard B) maximizes the marginal external benefit (MEB) of the standard C) is set to the point at which MEB is zero D) none of the above
Q3) The reported Air Quality Index (AQI) uses data from the EPA's monitoring of metropolitan statistical areas.
A)True
B)False
Q4) According to a study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, a uniform standard imposed on motor vehicles would be more cost-effective than a two-tiered standard.
A)True
B)False
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Improving Air Quality: Controlling Stationary
Sources
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Sample Questions
Q1) The GHG permitting requirements
A) are applicable to both mobile and stationary sources
B) will not be in force until 2016
C) are part of the New Source Review requirements
D) all of the above
Q2) China's acid rain problem is relatively minor because it is among the lowest consumers of coal in the world.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Two new NO<sub>X</sub> cap-and-trade programs were launched under the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR).
A)True
B)False
Q4) NO<sub>X</sub> contributes both to acid rain and to the formation of ground-level ozone.
A)True B)False
Q5) Acid rain is a local pollution problem.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 13: Global Air Quality: Policies for Ozone Depletion and Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) The first mandatory cap-and-trade program launched in the United States was the one established by the Western Climate Initiative (WCI).
A)True
B)False
Q2) The EPA's Endangerment finding
A) had no effect on GHG regulation in the United States
B) asserted that GHGs posed a threat to the health and welfare of current and future generations
C) argued that GHGs present no danger to public health and welfare
D) indicated that only HFCs could endanger public welfare and recommended that they be banned from production and consumption
Q3) In the market for fossil-fuel-based electricity, too many resources are allocated to production because the associated MSC is above the MPC.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The largest "hole" in the earth's ozone layer occurs over North America.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Defining Water Quality: the Standard-Setting Process
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Sample Questions
Q1) Based on the benefit-cost analysis of the Clean Water Act presented in the text, Total Social Benefits (TSB) exceed Total Social Costs (TSC) and hence U.S. water quality standards are set at the allocatively efficient level.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The hydrologic cycle illustrates the
A) natural process that links all water resources together
B) natural movement of water from the ocean to wetlands
C) link between point and nonpoint sources
D) none of the above
Q3) Groundwater and surface waters are about equal in volume.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Sources of water runoff include
A) farms
B) highways
C) publicly owned treatment works
D) all of the above
E) (a) and (b) only
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Chapter 15: Improving Water Quality: Controlling Point and Nonpoint Sources
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Sample Questions
Q1) The use of watershed-based NPDES permits allows for permitting multiple point sources within a single watershed.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Giving states control of nonpoint source pollution
A) has no advantages
B) can be problematic because states generally have inadequate data to assess the problem
C) is advantageous because it results in greater consistency of control
D) was not the original intent of the 1987 legislation
Q3) Funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program was supplemented by funds allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
A)True B)False
Q4) Because the effluent limitations are set uniformly, achieving a cost-effective solution is unlikely.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Protecting Safe Drinking Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) Suppose that the U.S. market for bottled water is modeled as follows: S = MSC = 1 + 0.3Q D = MSB = 5 - 0.1Q, where Q is billions of gallons per year and MSC and MSB are in dollars per gallon.
a. What is the equilibrium quantity (Q<sub>E</sub>) and price (P<sub>E</sub>) in the U.S. bottled water market?
b. At equilibrium price and quantity, how much total revenue will bottled water suppliers receive in a given year?
c. Assume that concerns about tap water potability increase demand for bottled water, and that the new demand (D<sup>' </sup>) is represented by the following: D<sup>'</sup> = MSB<sup>'</sup> = 7 - 0.1Q
What is the new equilibrium quantity (Q<sub>E</sub>' ) and price (P<sub>E</sub><sub> </sub>') in the U.S. bottled water market?
Q2) The water pricing scheme that offers an economic incentive to conserve water usage is the declining block pricing structure.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Managing Hazardous Solid Waste and Waste Sites
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Sample Questions
Q1) Identification of hazardous wastes under the law relies on risk-benefit analysis.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Under the Superfund law (CERCLA),
A) remedial actions are official short-term responses to restore immediate control
B) high-risk sites are placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) through a risk-ranking system
C) only current waste site owners are potentially responsible parties (PRPs)
D) EPA has no authority to force responsible parties to pay for damages
Q3) According to the textbook application, Love Canal was originally contaminated by runoff from a military base.
A)True
B)False
Q4) According to the textbook application, GE was ordered to dredge the Hudson River
A) because it illegally dumped chemicals into the river
B) even though its release of PCBs into that river was done legally
C) under the rulings of RCRA
D) none of the above
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Managing Municipal Solid Waste
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Sample Questions
Q1) A front-end, or retail, disposal charge is a fee levied at disposal on the quantity of waste generated.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The city whose unit pricing program is considered to be the prototype is Philadelphia.
A)True
B)False
Q3) When a flat fee pricing system is used, the MPC is coincident with the horizontal axis.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Electronics wastes are a potential problem because
A) recovery rates have been declining
B) consumption of electronics products and hence waste generation are rising over time
C) some contain toxic materials
D) all of the above
E) (b) and (c) only
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Chapter 19: Controlling Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals
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Sample Questions
Q1) The first TSCA inventory was published in the 1970s.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Pesticide reregistration refers to a reevaluation of a previously licensed pesticide that is already on the market.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Risk perception of chemical exposure does not always align with actual risk.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was passed in the 1970s.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The incremental benefits of pesticide use can be modeled as the change in consumer and producer surplus associated with an increase in the demand for an agricultural crop.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: Sustainable Development: International Environmental Agreements
and International Trade
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Sample Questions
Q1) The protectionist view
A) argues that nations should protect their borders from transboundary pollution
B) believes that trade can create unfair competition or lose jobs to other nations
C) supports environmental policy only if it protects domestic jobs
D) ignores environmental issues, focusing only on the effects of trade on competition and employment
Q2) The London Convention 1972 and the 1996 Protocol are aimed at the problem of
A) acid rain
B) ozone depletion
C) climate change
D) dumping wastes at sea
Q3) The pessimistic view of the shape of the Environmental Kuznets Curve is
A) linear from the origin
B) an inverted-U shape that flattens out after some critical income level
C) a perfectly symmetric inverted-U shape
D) a flattened U-shape
Q4) Protectionists support the use of trade barriers, such as tariffs and quotas.
A)True
B)False
22
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Chapter 21: Sustainable Approaches: Industrial Ecology and
Pollution Prevention
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Sample Questions
Q1) Design for the Environment (DfE) is a government-mandated program that promotes environmental considerations as part of the design and development of products.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The United States is the only country to legislate pollution prevention.
A)True
B)False
Q3) According to the textbook application, industrial symbiosis in Kalundborg, Denmark
A) is based on the development of an industrial ecosystem
B) involves one private firm and one municipality
C) relies on incineration to succeed
D) represents a linear flow of materials
Q4) Environmental technology transfers can involve dark green or light green technologies.
A)True B)False
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