Human Ecology Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Human Ecology explores the dynamic relationships between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. This course examines how human activities impact ecological systems and how environmental factors, in turn, influence human societies. Students will engage with topics such as population dynamics, resource use, sustainability, cultural adaptation, and the role of technology in shaping human-environment interactions. By integrating concepts from biology, anthropology, sociology, and environmental science, the course provides a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in achieving sustainable coexistence between people and their environments.
Recommended Textbook
Living in the Environment 17th Edition by G. Tyler Miller
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
25 Chapters
2615 Verified Questions
2615 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1742 Page 2
Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34716
Sample Questions
Q1) Fish, fresh air, forests, and fertile soil are examples of ____________________.
Answer: renewable resources
Q2) Which of the following is not normally an effect of poverty?
A)premature death from normally nonfatal diarrhea
B)lack of clean drinking water
C)severe respiratory illness from openly burning wood indoors
D)diseases from poor sanitation
E)heart disease and diabetes from obesity
Answer: E
Q3) Your ____________ ____________ is a set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in the world should be.
Answer: environmental worldview
Q4) While heavily dependent on the environment, we are not dependent for everything we need to stay alive and healthy.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q5) Natural Capital equals
Answer: natural resources, natural services
3
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 4
Chapter 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
102 Verified Questions
102 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34717
Sample Questions
Q1) A molecule is a combination of two or more atoms held together by forces called
Answer: chemical bonds, bonds
Q2) The population of any organism will increase, if the conditions are correct, until it reaches a point where the population cannot be sustained.This is a type of feedback loop.What type of feedback loop is this and what are the conditions that cause the feedback loop to function?
Answer: Populations will increase as long as sufficient resources are available.Taking food as an example, the population will increase as long as food is available.At some point the number of organisms will exceed the ability of the system to provide sufficient food.A portion of the population will be weakened and begin to die.If the increase has been very rapid, the population will continue to increase well past where food is insufficient.When enough of the population has died off that food is sufficient, the population will stabilize and may begin to increase once again.This is a negative feedback loop.
Q3) In a nuclear fission reaction atoms are destroyed.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 5
Chapter 3: Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They
Work
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34718
Sample Questions
Q1) Organisms that complete the final breakdown and recycling of organic materials from the remains of all organisms are the
A)detritivores
B)omnivores
C)carnivores
D)herbivores
E)decomposers
Answer: E
Q2) Nutrient cycles connect past, present, and future forms of life.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Nitrogen is a major component of all of the following except A)proteins
B)nucleic acids
C)groundwater
D)ammonia
E)DNA
Answer: C
Page 6
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 4: Biodiversity and Evolution
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34719
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not an adaptation that has made humans so successful?
A)strong opposable thumbs
B)physical strength
C)upright walking
D)complex brain
E)All of these have made us successful.
Q2) Even if a beneficial heritable trait is present in a population, the population's ability to adapt may be limited by its ____________________.
Q3) Which of the following is another name for a nonnative species?
A)native
B)invasive
C)keystone
D)indicator
E)foundation
Q4) Which of the two animals, the panda or the raccoon, is considered a generalist?
Q5) For every shark that injures a person, humans kill at least 1 million sharks.
A)True
B)False
Q6) ____________________ diversity is the most obvious component of biodiversity.
7
Q7) The species diversity of communities varies with their ____________________.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 5: Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34720
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not a limiting factor for populations in aquatic life zones?
A)temperature
B)sunlight
C)nutrient availability
D)precipitation
E)dissolved oxygen
Q2) ____________________ occurs when a member of one species feeds directly on all or part of a member of another species.
Q3) The most common form of population dispersion found in nature is
Q4) "The maximum population of a given species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely without being degraded" is the definition of
A)logistic growth
B)environmental resistance
C)exponential growth
D)carrying capacity
E)biotic potential
Q5) Choose the letter that represents a population's capacity for growth.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 6: The Human Population and Its Impact
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
111 Verified Questions
111 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34721
Sample Questions
Q1) Is immigration at its highest following the year 2000?
Q2) In areas with a low ____________________ rate women normally have fewer children.
Q3) Currently, legal and illegal immigration account for approximately how much of the U.S.annual population growth?
A)100%
B)36%
C)63%
D)24%
E)15%
Q4) Problems associated with rapid population decline include all of the following except
A)less government revenues with fewer workers
B)less new business formation
C)increased pensions and lowered retirement age
D)less likelihood for new technology development
E)increasing public deficits
Q5) In stage ____________________ of demographic transition, birth rates remain high and death rates have dropped due to improved food production and health.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 7: Climate and Biodiversity
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34722
Sample Questions
Q1) ____________________ global warming can cause climate changes that last for centuries or thousands of years.
Q2) The term greenhouse effect describes
A)occupational diseases of florists
B)the trapping of heat energy by molecules in the atmosphere
C)the effect climate change has on the economy
D)the efforts of the White House to support environmental legislation
E)mutations in DNA from UV radiation
Q3) Boreal forests are composed of a few species of coniferous evergreen trees with small, needle-shaped leaves.These trees can withstand the intense cold and ____________________ of winter.
Q4) A desert is an area where ____________________ exceeds
Q5) Scientists expect human-enhanced global warming to do all of the following except A)alter precipitation patterns
B)shift areas where we can grow crops
C)raise average sea levels
D)lower sea levels
E)shift areas where plants and animals can be found
Q6) What does the gray coloration at the bottom represent?
Page 10
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 8: Aquatic Biodiversity
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
109 Verified Questions
109 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34723
Sample Questions
Q1) Most lakes are hypereutrophic when considering the level of nutrients.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Choose the zone of open water where photosynthesis can occur.
Q3) In 2010 about ____________________ percent of the world's people are expected to be living on or near the coastal zone.
Q4) Some parts of the deepest ocean remain completely untouched by human activity.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Only about 20 percent of all inland wetlands in Germany and France have been destroyed.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Lakes that fall between the extremes of nutrient rich eutrophic lakes and nutrient poor oligotrophic lakes are called _______________ lakes.
Q7) Forty percent of the world's photosynthetic activity is conducted in the euphotic zone of the oceans.
A)True
B)False
11
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 9: Sustaining Biodiversity: the Species Approach
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34724
Sample Questions
Q1) Some toxic chemicals, such as those in DDT, can be stored in the fat tissue of animals.As these animals become food for larger and larger animals, the amount of the toxin gets larger and larger.This process is called
A)biophilia
B)biosphere
C)biotechnology
D)biomagnification
E)iophosphoresence
Q2) The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, along with other studies, indicate humans have taken over and disturbed approximately how much of the land surface?
A)40%
B)50%
C)60%
D)70%
E)80%
Q3) The ____________________ suggests we should take measures to prevent or reduce harm to the environment and human health even if some of the cause-and-effect relationships have not been fully established scientifically.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
12
Chapter 10: Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: the Ecosystem Approach
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34725
Sample Questions
Q1) Robert Costanza of the University of Vermont estimates the world's forests provide us with ecological services worth how much per year?
A)$4.7 trillion
B)$6.3 trillion
C)$11.9 trillion
D)$13.2 trillion
E)$15 trillion
Q2) Less than 5% of U.S.land is protected as wilderness, and most of that is in Alaska.
A)True
B)False
Q3) As much as ____________________% of the wood consumed in the United States is wasted unnecessarily.
Q4) Parks in developing countries possess the least biodiversity of all parks. A)True B)False
Q5) One of the biggest problems for national parks in the U.S.is
Q6) The first step in harvesting trees is to build ____________________.
Q7) Within _______________ we could eliminate the need to use trees to make paper. Page 13
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 14
Chapter 11: Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
122 Verified Questions
122 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34726
Sample Questions
Q1) Humans have explored only about ____________________% of the earth's global ocean and know little about its biodiversity.
Q2) All of the following species are a threat, or a potential threat, to the Great Lakes except
A)sea lamprey
B)zebra mussel
C)jellyfish
D)quagga mussel
E)Asian carp
Q3) Which letter indicates longlining?
Q4) Which of the following provides a damping effect on storm-driven waves and tsunamis, and will help reduce the impact of rising sea levels from global climate change?
A)continental shelf
B)coral reefs
C)mangrove forests
D)estuaries
E)tidal basins
Q5) What was the size of the catch in that year?
Q6) Which letter indicates purse seining?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 15
Chapter 12: Food, Soil, and Pest Management
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
118 Verified Questions
118 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34727
Sample Questions
Q1) UNICEF suggests that as many as two-thirds of nutrition-related childhood deaths could be prevented, at an average annual cost of $5 10 per child, using all of the following except
A)immunizing against childhood diseases
B)encouraging bottle feeding
C)preventing blindness by giving children a vitamin A capsule twice a year
D)providing family planning services so mothers space children by two years
E)increasing education for women
Q2) ____________________ agriculture is a form of industrialized agriculture often used in tropical developing countries.
Q3) Industrialized livestock production generates 18% of the world's climate-changing greenhouse gases, more than all the world's cars, buses, and planes. Most of this comes from
A)pig manure
B)rotting livestock food
C)cattle belching
D)chicken manure
E)cattle flatulence
Q4) A(n) ____________________ is any species that interferes with human welfare.
Q5) By what percentage did the catch increase from 1950 to 1970?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 13: Water Resources
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
115 Verified Questions
115 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34728
Sample Questions
Q1) At a certain depth, the area where the spaces in soil and rock are completely filled with water is called
A)the zone of saturation
B)the water table
C)an aquifer
D)surface water
E)the bedrock
Q2) Water in reservoirs behind dams now hold 50 times more water than the total amount flowing in all of the world's natural rivers.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Is desalination a viable option for the need for fresh water? Why or why not?
Q4) The advantages of withdrawing groundwater include all of the following except A)pollution is quickly removed
B)can be used for drinking and irrigation
C)exists almost anywhere
D)renewable if not overpumped
E)cheaper to extract than most surface waters
Q5) Can produce cheap electricity (hydropower).
Q6) Risk of failure and devastating downstream flooding.
Page 17
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 14: Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
115 Verified Questions
115 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34729
Sample Questions
Q1) The oceanic crust makes up less than 30% of the earth's crust.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A common form of extracting gold from rock used in Australia and North America is
A)power flushing
B)cyanide heap leaching
C)sulfuric acid leaching
D)hydraulic scouring
E)yellow-cake extraction
Q3) The Great Lakes in the United States, are the world's largest body of fresh water, and were formed when glaciers retreated after the last ice age.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A(n) ____________________ is an element or inorganic compound that occurs naturally in the earth's crust as a solid with a regular internal crystalline structure.
Q5) Choose the process in which existing rocks can be broken into small pieces.
Q6) Choose the process in which rocks are subjected to sun, wind, and precipitation.
Q7) What does the letter B represent?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 15: Nonrenewable Energy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
102 Verified Questions
102 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34730
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not a member of OPEC?
A)Saudi Arabia
B)United States
C)Kuwait
D)Nigeria
E)Venezuela
Q2) Extracting heavy oil releases less greenhouse gases per barrel than conventional oil.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Burning any carbon-containing fossil fuel releases ____________________ into the atmosphere.
Q4) From where does the majority of that difference come?
Q5) About 33% of commercial energy is wasted because of the second law of thermodynamics.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Nuclear power is the slowest growing form of commercial energy in the world. A)True
B)False
Page 19
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 16: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
103 Verified Questions
103 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34731
Sample Questions
Q1) Small hydropower projects emit more carbon dioxide and are therefore less desirable than larger projects.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is not a means to cool a building naturally?
A)orient the building to catch the sun
B)a living roof
C)open windows to catch the breeze
D)light-colored roof
E)awnings, window overhangs
Q3) A ____________________ uses the temperature differential between the surface and 3-6 meters underground to heat and cool a house.
Q4) U.S.battery makers are far behind Asian countries in developing and producing batteries for cars and other uses.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Of all commercial energy used in the United States, roughly 35% is wasted.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20
Chapter 17: Environmental Hazards and Human Health
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
103 Verified Questions
103 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34732
Sample Questions
Q1) ____________________ has reduced the life expectancy of the 750 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa from 62 to 47 years.
Q2) Birth defects can be caused by all of the following, except
A)alcohol
B)angel dust
C)benzene
D)formaldehyde
E)iodized sodium chloride
Q3) Toxicity is rated according to the amount of a substance that is necessary to kill 50% of humans, given in milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Supertoxic has an LD50 of A)less than 5 mg/kg
B)5-50 mg/kg
C)50-500 mg/kg
D)500-5000 mg/kg
E)5000-15000 mg/kg
Q4) A nontransmissible disease is caused by something other than a living organism.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The biggest viral killer is the _______________ virus.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 21
Chapter 18: Air Pollution
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
112 Verified Questions
112 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34733
Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), except A)methane
B)industrial solvents
C)carbon monoxide
D)benzene
E)components of gasoline
Q2) On the figure above, choose the letter that represents the wet acid deposition.
Q3) The biggest air pollution threat to poor people is
A)badly maintained automobiles
B)pollutants from industry
C)indoor air pollution
D)smoke from burning forests
E)dust blown into the air
Q4) Approximately how much of the air we breathe is composed of nitrogen and oxygen?
A)99%
B)77%
C)63%
D)54%
E)33%
Page 22
Q5) Based on the figure above, which lakes will be mostly affected by acid rain?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 19: Climate Disruption and Ozone Depletion
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
111 Verified Questions
111 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34734
Sample Questions
Q1) ____________________ is determined by the average weather conditions of the earth or a particular area over a long time.
Q2) The earth's lower atmosphere is composed of all of the following greenhouse gases, except
A)ozone
B)carbon dioxide
C)water vapor
D)methane
E)nitrous oxide
Q3) The ozone hole is a reduction in concentrations of ozone high above the earth in the stratosphere.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Before 150,000 years ago, when did the earth have high average surface temperatures?
Q5) One way to increase the uptake of CO is to implement a massive global ____________________ program.
Q6) Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are higher than they have been in the last ____________________ years.
Page 23
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 20: Water Pollution
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
114 Verified Questions
114 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34735
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is by far the leading cause of water pollution?
A)mining
B)factories
C)sewage treatment plants
D)agriculture activities
E)ocean-going shipping
Q2) When researchers studying Lake Washington got no action from treatment plant managers, they did which of the following?
A)went on to something new
B)went to the Washington State legislature for help
C)went to the EPA for help
D)educated the public
E)wrote more scientific articles
Q3) Human activities can greatly accelerate ____________________ by increasing the rate at which nutrients and organic substances enter aquatic ecosystems from surrounding land.
Q4) In which zone are organisms that require oxygen most likely going to be absent?
Q5) ____________________, which produce as much waste as a small city, often dump these wastes at sea, even though it is illegal in U.S.waters.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 24
Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34736
Sample Questions
Q1) In the United States, the ____________________ regulates only a small percentage of all hazardous waste.
Q2) The second law of thermodynamics makes it important that which of the following rules is followed for landfills?
A)don't bury organic material
B)don't produce dust or noise
C)don't mix different types of waste you may want to separate later
D)don't use available land for landfills
E)don't use filled land for other purposes
Q3) Modern waste-to-energy incinerators produce lower emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants than do modern landfills.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Choose the letter that represents photostabilization.
Q5) ____________________ is the combined solid waste produced by homes and workplaces.
Q6) ____________________ incinerators produce less greenhouse gases and other air pollutants than do modern landfills.
Q7) Choose the letter that represents phytodegredation.
Page 25
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 22: Cities and Sustainability
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
99 Verified Questions
99 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34737
Sample Questions
Q1) Between 1800 and 2008, the percentage of the U.S.population living in urban areas increased from 30% to 50%.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Why do raw materials brought to cities require a great amount of resources to be converted to a final product?
Q3) Which of the following statements is false?
A)A bicycle promotes physical fitness.
B)Bicycles reduce the need for parking spaces.
C)A bicycle is slightly less expensive to buy and operate than a car.
D)Annual global sales of bicycles exceed sales of cars by 2.5 times.
E)Bicycles produce no pollution.
Q4) Nearly ____ of Americans live in consolidated metropolitan areas with 1 million or more people.
A)one-tenth
B)one-quarter
C)one-half
D)three-quarters
E)nine-tenths
Q5) ____________________ are the world's largest source of outdoor air pollutants.
Page 26
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 23: Economics, Environment, and Sustainability
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34738
Sample Questions
Q1) After the easily removed natural resource, such as coal, has been taken, the cost of removal goes up with each additional unit of the resource taken.This is called the marginal cost.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is not true about green taxes?
A)70% of voters support green taxes when they are explained.
B)U.S.Congress has not introduced green taxes because of lobbyists.
C)Green taxes can reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
D)Green taxes can reduce economic competitiveness.
E)Green taxes can create many new jobs.
Q3) Which of the following is a nonuse value?
A)existence value
B)monetary cost
C)mitigation cost
D)willingness-to-pay value
E)utilitarian value
Q4) The U.S.agency with responsibility for protecting the environment is the EPA.What was the EPA budget for the year 2005?
Q5) How much money did Americans spend on potato chips in the year 2006?
Page 27
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 24: Politics, Environment, and Sustainability
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34739
Sample Questions
Q1) One of the most important lessons that Denis Hayes has learned after decades of environmental work is that democracy works when people are paying attention to the facts!
A)True
B)False
Q2) Unfortunately, the world does not have the knowledge, technologies, and financial resources to eradicate poverty and protect the earth's natural capital.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Environmental lawsuits are easy to win.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which branch of government is responsible for overseeing the agencies that carry out government policies?
A)judicial
B)executive
C)legislative
D)administrative
E)military
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 28
Chapter 25: Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/34740
Sample Questions
Q1) The spaceship-earth worldview understands the earth as a complex machine that we can dominate, change, and manage.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is not one of the human activities having the greatest harmful impact on the environment?
A)food production
B)transportation
C)home energy use
D)recycling
E)overall resource use
Q3) Research by psychologists have found that a growing number of people want more of a sense of community as opposed to more 'stuff.'
A)True
B)False
Q4) Earth-focused philosophers say that to be rooted, each of us needs to find a(n)
Q5) Our ecological footprints ____________________ the earth's estimated ecological capacity.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 29