Environmental Systems Test Bank
Course Introduction
Environmental Systems explores the intricate interactions within and between natural and human-made environments, examining the cycles, processes, and feedback mechanisms that regulate ecosystems. The course covers topics such as energy flow, nutrient cycling, ecosystem structure and function, biodiversity, and the impact of human activities on the environment. Students will gain a systems-thinking approach to analyzing environmental challenges, developing skills to assess sustainability, evaluate environmental risks, and design strategies for responsible management of natural resources. Emphasis is placed on real-world applications, case studies, and quantitative analysis to foster an integrated understanding of environmental dynamics.
Recommended Textbook
Principles of Environmental Science Inquiry and Applications 7th Edition by William P Cunningham
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16 Chapters 511 Verified Questions 511 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3832 Page 2
Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76441
Sample Questions
Q1) The statement, "Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs" is an example of
A) inductive reasoning.
B) deductive reasoning.
C) hypothesis testing.
D) reductive reasoning.
E) parsimony.
Answer: A
Q2) Biocentric preservationists, first led by John Muir, advocate saving natural areas for their
A) beauty and wildlife habitat.
B) hunting and fishing value.
C) wood and mineral resources for the future.
D) tourism and recreation potential.
E) economic value in cleaning the air and preventing soil erosion.
Answer: A
Q3) Places in the world where indigenous people live tend to have high biodiversity.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Matter and Energy of Life
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38 Verified Questions
38 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76433
Sample Questions
Q1) _______________________ are characteristics of an entire system that are greater than the sum of its parts.
A) Open systems
B) Closed systems
C) Disturbances
D) Emergent properties
E) Feedback loops
Answer: D
Q2) What implication(s) does the law of conservation of matter have for humans?
A) We cannot create energy because it is neither created nor destroyed.
B) As matter is recycled it loses some of its integrity so we need to be careful when we dispose of goods.
C) Natural resources are unlimited because they are used and reused by living organisms.
D) Disposable goods are not going "away" when we throw them out.
E) All of these are implications of the law of conservation of matter.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76432
Sample Questions
Q1) Two unpalatable or dangerous species which have warning patterns or colors and appear similar are an example of _________________.
A) symbiosis
B) competitive exclusion
C) mutualism
D) Batesian mimicry
E) Mullerian mimicry
Answer: E
Q2) In a biological community where diversity is great, such as a tropical rainforest, the abundance of any one species is likely to be
A) great.
B) small.
C) widely variable from year to year.
D) the same from year to year.
E) unrelated to diversity.
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Human Populations
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Many demographers believe that birth rates generally decrease as the level of development increases because
A) raising children becomes much more expensive.
B) men are better educated and have more economic options.
C) women tend to have more influence in family planning.
D) higher levels of contaminants in drinking water tend to decrease fertility.
E) government programs tend to discourage the discussion of birth control options.
Q2) Technological optimists argue that technological advances have A) led to the increase in human population but whether we can continue is of great concern.
B) proven Marx wrong in his predictions of famine and disaster.
C) proven Malthus wrong in his predictions of famine and disaster.
D) been developed because there are more people, supporting the view that more people are the "ultimate resource."
E) been a neutral factor in the issue of population growth.
Q3) Human population growth most closely resembles the S-shaped growth curve.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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36 Verified Questions
36 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76430
Sample Questions
Q1) Ecological diversity is a measure of the number of
A) different kinds of organisms within a community or ecosystem.
B) different versions of the same gene in an ecological community.
C) sizes, colors, and shapes of organisms within an ecological community.
D) niches, trophic levels, and ecological processes of a biological community.
E) different species in an ecosystem.
Q2) The main reason for the current high rate of animal extinctions is
A) uncontrolled sport hunting in the developed world.
B) commercial harvesting of wildlife in Africa.
C) drought conditions caused by the greenhouse effect.
D) habitat destruction worldwide.
E) None of these by themselves cause high rates of animal extinctions, but together they combine to cause high rates.
Q3) Habitat fragmentation usually leads to a(n)
A) decrease in biodiversity.
B) reduction in the number of introduced species.
C) increase in biodiversity due to the isolated populations.
D) increase in the number of introduced species.
E) more stable environment.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests,
Grasslands, Parks, and Nature Preserves
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76429
Sample Questions
Q1) An increased number of cowbirds (a species that likes areas where grassland and forests meet) would be an indicator of
A) overharvest of timber.
B) overgrazing of grasslands.
C) increased edge habitat.
D) decreased biodiversity.
E) lack of proper habitat management.
Q2) The highest rate of forest loss occurs in A) Asia.
B) North America.
C) South America.
D) Africa.
E) Europe.
Q3) Most public rangelands are in poor condition due to A) excessive populations of wild ungulates.
B) overcrowding of private livestock.
C) too many publicly owned animals on public lands.
D) excessive urban settlement in the West.
E) the lack of water.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76428
Sample Questions
Q1) Sustainable farming
A) is cheaper and safer than conventional farming.
B) is safe, although it causes weed problems.
C) uses fewer chemicals but more water than conventional methods.
D) is an invention of modern agricultural research.
E) is safer than conventional farming, but much more expensive.
Q2) What are two common diseases that result from protein deficiencies?
A) dysentery and diarrhea
B) dysentery and scurvy
C) scurvy and pellagra
D) goiter and cretinism
E) marasmus and kwashiorkor
Q3) Famines are most often serious when there is
A) a very serious drought.
B) no room to expand agriculture.
C) steady population growth.
D) drought and war together.
E) an attempt by indigenous people to return to old traditions and lands.
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9
Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76427
Sample Questions
Q1) Two problems encountered in human health risk assessment are _______________________ and ___________________.
A) use of chemical mixtures; lack of knowledge about synergistic effects
B) lack of funding for federal mandates; lack of public support
C) extrapolation of data to low doses; extrapolation of data from non-human species to humans
D) lack of planning; the involvement of politics
Q2) With respect to exposure to toxins which statement is correct?
A) Acute effects are much worse than chronic effects.
B) Acute effects are not as bad as chronic effects.
C) Acute effects are the immediate results of a single exposure, chronic effects are those that are long-lasting.
D) Acute effects are permanent, chronic effects may be short or long term but go away over time.
Q3) Which of the following is an example of a neurotoxin?
A) Malaria
B) Formaldehyde
C) Mercury
D) DDT
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Climate
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21 Verified Questions
21 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76426
Sample Questions
Q1) When El Niño occurs every three to seven years, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by trade winds
A) surges back eastward toward South America.
B) becomes much warmer than usual, strengthening trade winds.
C) cools dramatically.
D) sinks and therefore cools substantially.
E) surges northward toward Japan.
Q2) Given what we know about the likelihood of climate change, the best thing to do is
A) immediately cease all industrial activity.
B) wait and see how much temperatures change before we change our habits.
C) severely cut back on production of greenhouse gases.
D) not worry about greenhouse gas production.
E) focus on the development of advanced technologies such as ocean fertilization to will decrease the effects of climate change.
Q3) Nineteen of the 20 warmest of the last 150 years have occurred since 1980.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Air Pollution
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20 Verified Questions
20 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76440
Sample Questions
Q1) Primary pollutants are those that are
A) released directly in dangerous forms.
B) produced in the greatest quantities.
C) the most dangerous.
D) the most threatening to people.
E) classified by the EPA as the most dangerous and abundant.
Q2) ________ is/are examples of secondary pollutants.
A) Aerosols
B) Volatile organic compounds
C) Photochemical oxidants
D) Combustion gases
E) Dust from soil erosion
Q3) The __________________ is an international treaty designed to eliminate CFCs.
A) Montreal Accord
B) Kyoto Protocol
C) International Agreement on CFC Reduction
D) Montreal Protocol
E) Clean Air Act
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Chapter 11: Water: Resources and Pollution
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76439
Sample Questions
Q1) Factories, sewage treatment plants, and oil wells are __________ sources of water pollution.
A) point
B) primary
C) nonpoint
D) tertiary pollutant
E) secondary
Q2) Tertiary treatment of sewage produces water that is NOT free of
A) nutrients
B) metals
C) pathogens
D) solids
E) organic material
Q3) The heating of natural waterways by power plants and other industrial facilities is a form of water pollution.
A)True
B)False
Q4) An oligotrophic lake would be very productive.
A)True
B)False
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76438
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following would you not use to classify a rock you found on a recent hike?
A) chemical composition.
B) physical properties.
C) internal structure.
D) mode of formation.
E) color.
Q2) "Subduction" is the process of a tectonic plate
A) falling freely into the mantle.
B) being forced below another plate.
C) melting without moving.
D) sliding alongside another plate.
E) being sucked into the outer core.
Q3) The eruption of a volcano can cause global climate changes by causing stratospheric ozone reduction, allowing increased ultraviolet light to reach the Earth's surface.
A)True
B)False
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14
Chapter 13: Energy
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Photovoltaic cells work because solar energy striking their surface
A) causes the cells to liquefy as they heat.
B) releases electrons, causing an electric potential in attached wires.
C) is collected in the form of photons and sent through attached wires.
D) causes an uneven magnetic charge to develop.
E) changes to chemical energy.
Q2) Tidal power stations operate by using the energy from waves as they crash on the shore.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland have higher standards of living by most measures than Americans or Canadians
A) because their energy consumption is much greater.
B) because they are closer to energy supplies.
C) even though their energy use is about equal to ours.
D) even though their energy use is much less than ours.
E) None of these. Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland do not have higher standards of living compared to Americans or Canadians.
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15
Chapter 14: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76436
Sample Questions
Q1) In recent decades, unregulated open dumps have ____________ in developing countries.
A) nearly disappeared
B) mostly become regulated
C) remained the primary disposal method
D) been replaced by incineration and methane generation
E) been replaced by sanitary landfills
Q2) In the case of sanitary landfills, the cost of disposing of wastes is _____ as technology provides safer alternatives.
A) slowly increasing
B) slowly decreasing
C) staying relatively stable
D) sharply increasing
E) sharply decreasing
Q3) A single PVC bottle in a truckload of PET plastic could make the PET useless for recycling.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Economics and Urbanization
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76435
Sample Questions
Q1) Businesses are now willing to become "green" because
A) it improves their public image.
B) it saves money.
C) doing so is expensive but makes good advertising.
D) doing so improves their image and saves money in the end.
E) they need to obey laws and comply with government regulations.
Q2) In 2000 what continent had the highest percentage of people living in urban areas?
A) North America
B) Europe
C) Asia
D) South America
E) Africa
Q3) An example of an intangible resource, or one that is difficult to place a monetary value on, is
A) solar energy.
B) satisfaction.
C) human labor.
D) capital.
E) extinct species.
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Page 17
Chapter 16: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76434
Sample Questions
Q1) After a problem is identified, the next step in the policy cycle is to
A) build support for the problem.
B) develop proposals.
C) set an agenda.
D) suggest changes.
E) implement policy.
Q2) The Christmas Bird Count is an example of _____________________.
A) citizen science
B) ecosystem management
C) environmental literacy
D) international treaty
E) none of these are correct
Q3) The case of the president of a Colorado company who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for knowingly contaminating the water table is an example of a A) common law case.
B) tort law case.
C) statute law case.
D) administrative law case.
E) criminal law case.
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Page 18