Human Impact on the Environment Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
This course examines the ways in which human activities have transformed the natural environment, focusing on both historical developments and contemporary issues. Students explore the causes and consequences of resource extraction, pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, urbanization, and global population growth. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the course analyzes the social, economic, and political drivers of environmental change and evaluates strategies for sustainable development, environmental conservation, and policy responses at local, national, and global scales.
Recommended Textbook
Sustaining the Earth 11th Edition by G. Tyler Miller
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14 Chapters
1050 Verified Questions
1050 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
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Sample Questions
Q1) Meeting current and future basic resource needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their basic needs is considered a(n)
A)natural income.
B)trade-offs.
C)scientific solutions.
D)environmentally sustainable society.
E)natural capital degradation.
Answer: D
Q2) Life has been sustained on the earth
A)for approximately six billion years.
B)since the time of the last impact of the meteorite.
C)through millions of years of ice ages and long warming periods.
D)since the human species has been around.
E)because of renewable resources.
Answer: C
Q3) How many Earths are we currently using compared to the earth's ecological capacity?
Answer: We are currently using 1.5 Earths.
Q4) A chemical dumpsite would be an example of a(n) ____________________ pollutant.
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Answer: point source
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Chapter 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) Photosynthesis
A)converts glucose into energy and water.
B)requires the combustion of carbon.
C)produces carbon dioxide and oxygen gas.
D)produces glucose and oxygen gas.
E)produces glucose and carbon dioxide gas.
Answer: D
Q2) Atmospheric nitrogen can be used directly by multicellular plants and animals.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Energy can be formally defined as
A)the random motion of molecules..
B)the capacity to do work or to transfer heat.
C)a force that is exerted over some distance.
D)the movement of molecules.
E)the loss of matter.
Answer: B
Q4) The variation in a population is called _____________________.
Answer: genetic diversity
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Biodiversity and Evolution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Seawater covers what percent of the earth's surface?
A)12
B)23
C)46
D)71
E)89
Answer: D
Q2) ____________________ facilitates one species developing into two through mutation and natural selection.
Answer: Reproductive isolation
Q3) The aquatic ecosystem with the world's highest net primary productivity per unit area are found in the
A)euphotic zone.
B)abyssal zone.
C)bathyal zone.
D)coastal zone.
E)profundal zone.
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Community Ecology, Population Ecology, and the Human Population
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Sample Questions
Q1) The drop in China's total fertility rate between 1972 and 2012 has caused the average age of that country's population to decline.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The relationship between honeybees and flowers is
A)competition.
B)commensalism.
C)parasitism.
D)mutualism.
E)predation.
Q3) A population crash occurs when
A)a population approaches its carrying capacity.
B)environmental resistance comes into play gradually.
C)resources are essentially unlimited.
D)a population overshoots the carrying capacity and environmental pressures and shortfalls begin to exert their effects.
E)the population growth rate slows.
Q4) The gradual establishment of communities in areas where soil did not previously exist is known as ____________________.
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Chapter 5: Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach
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Sample Questions
Q1) Biodiversity scientists view the worldwide decline in bird species with alarm because
A)birds are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
B)birds are an important source of food for many people.
C)birds are excellent environmental indicators.
D)birds live in nearly every climate and biome.
E)about three fourths of all bird species live in forests.
Q2) Which of the following is false?
A)Habitat islands can be wildlife preserves set aside to sustain endangered species.
B)Habitat islands are isolated fragments of wildlife habitats.
C)Habitat islands often cannot support the number of individuals required to sustain a population.
D)Habitat islands may be national parks, protected areas, or freshwater lakes.
E)Habitat islands are often surrounded by industrial areas.
Q3) The best way to deal with harmful invasive species is to prevent them from becoming established in an area.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How can harmful invasive species disrupt ecosystems? Provide an example.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Sustaining Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach
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Q1) The removal of a single or small groups of mature trees is called
A)selective cutting.
B)seed-tree cutting.
C)clear-cutting.
D)shelterwood cutting.
E)strip cutting.
Q2) Excluding Greenland and Antarctica, forests cover about 31% of the earth's land.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Biodiversity hotspots are
A)typically near coral reefs and have low rates of endangered species.
B)cover more than 25% of the earth's land surface.
C)areas especially rich in plant species that are found nowhere else and are in great danger of extinction.
D)freshwater habitats threatened by invasive species.
E)only found in habitat islands near volcanoes.
Q4) What is ocean acidification and why is it a threat to marine biodiversity?
Q5) Commercial forests grow exclusively Christmas trees.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Food, Soil, and Pest Management
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Q1) Crop rotation depletes nutrients in the topsoil more than when only a single crop is used year after year.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In natural ecosystems, what types of organisms feed off pest species and control the pest populations?
A)prey
B)rodents
C)pesticides
D)natural enemies
E)insects
Q3) Which scientist is responsible for alerting the public and scientific community to the threats of pesticides?
A)Rhonda Stavinski
B)Rachel Carson
C)Jacques Cousteau
D)Linda Applebaum
E)Tracy Lee
Q4) Goiter is caused by a deficiency of ____________________.
Q5) Explain how eating fish or poultry leads to more sustainable agriculture.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Water Resources and Water Pollution
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Q1) Water found in the spaces of soil, gravel, and rock is called A)infiltration.
B)percolation.
C)groundwater.
D)runoff.
E)surface water.
Q2) Groundwater can be recharged laterally from nearby lakes, streams, and rivers.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Of the following, the most ecologically responsible way to dispose of sewage sludge is by
A)incineration.
B)dumping it into the deep trenches of the ocean.
C)using conventional landfills.
D)treating it and using it as fertilizer.
E)taking it to a landfill.
Q4) Name at least three reasons explaining why the Great Lakes suffer from water pollution.
Q5) Freshwater is naturally purified, recycled, and distributed in the
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Chapter 9: Nonrenewable Energy Resources
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Q1) Coal has a low cost relative to other nonrenewable energy sources when environmental costs are included.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Most of the energy used worldwide comes from renewable energy sources.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The 2011 nuclear power accident in Japan
A)was a result of global warning
B)increased the public confidence in nuclear power safety and regulation
C)exposed several design flaws and a failure to develop worst-case scenarios
D)will not lead to increased cancers due to the quick and efficient clean-up response
E)is no longer leaking nuclear waste into the ocean
Q4) The source of energy for nuclear power involves
A)nuclei splitting apart into lighter nuclei when struck by neutrons.
B)delta and iota particles.
C)isotopes combining into higher mass number nuclei.
D)combustion of methane and carbon dioxide at the same time.
E)the capture of photosynthetic energy produced my high mass number isotopes.
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Chapter 10: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of biomass?
A)crude oil
B)solar energy
C)synfuels
D)petroleum
E)agricultural waste
Q2) In cogeneration systems
A)both heating and cooling are produced.
B)both coal and oil are used.
C)use a battery in case the main system fails.
D)two useful forms of energy are produced from the same fuel source.
E)heat from the earth is used to produce electricity.
Q3) Photovoltaic cells
A)produce more carbon dioxide than burning fossil fuels.
B)operate only on clear days.
C)have high air and water pollution during operation.
D)have a fairly high net energy yield.
E)are cheap compared to fossil fuels.
Q4) According to the accompanying diagram, what percentage of U.S. commercial energy is converted to a useful form or material?
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Chapter 11: Environmental Hazards and Human Health
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Sample Questions
Q1) The damage to health resulting from exposure to a chemical is known as the A)dosage. B)toxicity. C)transmissibility. D)variance. E)response.
Q2) The study of the pattern of a disease in a population is known as A)pathology. B)oncology. C)epidemiology. D)ecology. E)bacteriology.
Q3) Probability gives us a mathematical estimate that an event is likely to occur. A)True B)False
Q4) ____________________ is the process of estimating how much harm a hazard can cause to human health or the environment.
Q5) ____________________ is the process of deciding how and at what cost to reduce a particular risk.
Page 13
Q6) Discuss the distinction between risk assessment and risk management.
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Chapter 12: Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ozone
Depletion
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Q1) The world's economies are not affected by the climate change.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A temperature inversion is the result of
A)precipitation.
B)cold air drainage.
C)a layer of warm air lying atop cooler air near the ground.
D)a cold blanket of air that prevents warm air from rising.
E)mixing of cool and warm air.
Q3) The health risks of indoor air pollution are generally greater in developed urban areas because people who live and work in these areas spend the majority of their time indoors or inside vehicles.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which method would be least effective in improving U.S. air pollution laws?
A)Refocusing on pollution prevention
B)Increasing vehicle fuel efficiency
C)Better ventilating homes and buildings
D)Increasing regulations on motorcycles and two-cycle engines
E)Better regulation of airports and cruise ships
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Chapter 13: Urbanization and Solid and Hazardous Waste
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Sample Questions
Q1) How much of the hazardous and toxic waste produced in the United States is unregulated?
A)100%
B)95%
C)50%
D)5%
E)1%
Q2) The fly ash waste produced by the electric power plant in the industrial ecosystem in Kalundborg, Denmark is used by
A)greenhouses.
B)pharmaceutical plants.
C)cement manufacturers.
D)fish farms.
E)area homes.
Q3) What is an advantage of sanitary landfills for the disposal of solid waste?
A)discouragement of waste production
B)low operating cost
C)containment of greenhouse gases
D)less contamination of groundwater
E)better traffic ad air pollution controls
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Chapter 14: Economics, Politics, Worldviews, and Sustainability
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Q1) Command and control approaches to environmental regulation concentrate on enforcing cleanup instead of pollution prevention.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The ____________________ principle in evaluating environmental policies states that we should try not to make any decisions that cannot be reversed later if necessary.
Q3) Internalizing external costs
A)involves making the market price approach the true cost of an economic good.
B)fails to include the cost of pollution.
C)omits the costs of taxes.
D)increases the chance for environmental degradation.
E)lowers the cost of goods and services.
Q4) Food production, transportation, home energy use and resource use have major impacts on the environment. Give two examples of how you can reduce your environmental impact for each activity.
Q5) Identify and describe three principles that can be used to guide environmental policy makers as they craft guidelines that minimize environmental harm.
Q6) Why are more companies embracing environmental regulations?
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