Human Impact on the Environment
Review Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the various ways in which human activities have transformed the natural environment, with an emphasis on the causes and consequences of environmental change. Topics include population growth, urbanization, agriculture, deforestation, pollution, climate change, resource exploitation, and loss of biodiversity. Students will examine both the local and global effects of these impacts, analyze case studies, and explore potential strategies for creating a more sustainable relationship between humans and the environment. The course encourages critical thinking about the balance between development and conservation, and the ethical considerations surrounding environmental stewardship.
Recommended Textbook
Environmental Science 13th Edition by G.
Tyler Miller
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17 Chapters
1902 Verified Questions
1902 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
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89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The tragedy of the commons is a phenomenon that occurs only when the number of users is small.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which of the following best describes the concept of environmental degradation?
A)using solar power at a rapid rate
B)growing crops for food
C)cutting trees for wood products faster than the trees can regrow to maturity
D)letting agricultural runoff cause oxygen depletion and fish kills downstream
E)two of these answers
Answer: E
Q3) An ecological ____________________is an irreversible shift in the behavior of a natural system.
Answer: tipping point
Q4) The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply is called its ____________________.
Answer: sustainable yield
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Science, Matter, and Energy
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107 Verified Questions
107 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Atoms as a whole have no net electrical charge.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The small, dense center of an atom
A)S
B)H+
C)Electron
D)Proton
E)neutron
F)CO2
G)Na
H)Nucleus
I)mass number
J)NO3-
K)Isotopes
Answer: H
Q3) Which letter represents primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers?
Answer: B
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They
Work
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177 Verified Questions
177 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of a biotic factor that would impact a population of praying mantis?
A)the density of the population of praying mantis
B)the shifts in temperature from day to night in the local habitat
C)the local humidity and frequency of rainfall
D)exposure to warm winds, which might cause desiccation (dehydration)
E)frequent rainstorms that wash away local topsoils
Answer: A
Q2) The process by which water is evaporated from the surface of plants is called ____________________.
Answer: transpiration
Q3) The hydrologic cycle is driven primarily by
A)solar energy and gravity
B)solar energy and the moon
C)solar and mechanical energy
D)mechanical and chemical energy
E)chemical energy and the moon
Answer: A
Q4) The ____________________ cycle does NOT include the atmosphere as a reservoir.
Page 5
Answer: phosphorous
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Chapter 4: Biodiversity and Evolution
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94 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If the concentration of atmospheric oxygen on Earth increased by less than 5%, the planet would likely ignite into a giant fireball
A)True
B)False
Q2) Houseflies would probably adapt to an environmental change much more quickly than a human.
A)True
B)False
Q3) How does the bird labeled E compare with the birds labeled A, B, C, and D?
Q4) The size of the planet has significant influences that impact life on the planet.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Amphibians are
A)frogs, toads, and salamanders.
B)fish, frogs, and salamanders.
C)salamanders, sea anemone, and frogs
D)clams, oysters, frogs, and toads.
E)none of these answers
Q6) In what way are the birds labeled A, B, C, and D similar?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control
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Sample Questions
Q1) Mistletoe is an example of a(n) _____________________.
Q2) Permanent equilibrium is a condition that most ecologists now recognize as existing in mature, late-successional ecosystems.
A)True
B)False
Q3) You are visiting a nature preserve in Costa Rica with a classmate.
a.Your companion comments on the bright colors and beauty of many species of frogs and insects that you encounter on your excursion.
a.Explain to this person the function that the bright colors serve in the context of ecosystem functioning.
Q4) A relationship in which both species benefit is best labeled
A)competition
B)predation
C)mutualism
D)parasitism
E)commensalism
Q5) Clearly explain the current view of succession in ecosystems.
Q6) A common tick is an example of a(n) ____________________.
Q7) Compare and contrast primary succession and secondary succession.
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Chapter 6: The Human Population and Urbanization
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126 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) ____________________ pollution in the air can affect various plant and animal species such as sea turtles.
Q2) A high infant mortality rate is most often associated with A)a high standard of living
B)undernutrition
C)malnutrition
D)undernutrition and malnutrition
E)affluence
Q3) Which of the following factors can be said to favor urban sprawl?
A)cheap gasoline
B)affordable land
C)increased prosperity
D)poor urban planning
E)all of these answers
Q4) City government buildings have solar panels to help heat the buildings.15.70% of the paper used in the city is recycled.
A)reliance on solar energy
B)biodiversity
C)chemical cycling
Q5) Explain the term demographic momentum and provide a real-life example.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Climate and Biodiversity
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137 Verified Questions
137 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) At the equator, warm air rises and then moves north and south, toward the poles.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Humans affect mountain biomes by
A)extracting trees and minerals
B)increased use for recreation
C)increased air pollution from urban areas
D)all of these answers
E)none of these answers
Q3) The profundal zone is the deepest zone in an ocean ecosystem.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Differences in climate result mostly from long-term differences in ____________________ and ____________________.
Q5) Observe the second graph which is from a cold desert.
a.What month of the year would you expect to see flowers bloom in the cold desert?
Q6) Most large commercial marine fisheries are located in estuaries.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Sustaining Biodiversity: the Species Approach
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103 Verified Questions
103 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) whooping crane
A)low reproductive rate
B)specialized niche
C)narrow distribution
D)feeds at a high trophic level
E)rare
F)fixed migratory pattern
G)commercially valuable
H)large territory
Q2) Animals listed as endangered or threatened cannot be ____ in the United States.
A)injured
B)hunted
C)collected
D)killed
E)all of these answers
Q3) salt cedar
A)endangered species
B)plant species that are sources of drugs for humans
C)deliberately introduced invasive species
D)accidentally introduced invasive species
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Chapter 9: Sustaining Biodiversity: the Ecosystem Approach
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84 Verified Questions
84 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What area on the graph represents a slight recovery in the collapsed fishery?
Q2) Wilderness serves as a(n) ____________________ bank.
Q3) The area of ocean needed to sustain the consumption of fish for an average person, nation, or the world is called the
A)footprint
B)ecological footprint
C)biodiversity print
D)fishprint
E)foodprint
Q4) The hotspots strategy is thought to be a very _____ way to protect much of the earth's remaining biodiversity.
A)expensive
B)cost effective
C)questionable
D)unscientific
E)politically correct
Q5) List at least five ways that we can protect tropical forests and begin to slow their destruction and loss.
Q6) Recreation and jobs are two ____________________ services that forests provide. Page 11
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Chapter 10: Food, Soil, and Pest Management
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120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) There are sufficient food resources being produced to meet the basic nutritional requirements of every person on the planet.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Broad-spectrum pesticides may increase the number of a pest species through
A)development of genetic resistance
B)killing of predators of the pest species
C)killing of parasites that may have kept the population of the pest low
D)both killing of predators of the pest species and killing of parasites that may have kept the population of the pest low
E)all of these answers are correct
Q3) Sustainable agriculture
A)uses pesticides
B)minimizes soil erosion
C)requires high inputs of fossil fuel
D)relies mainly on chemical fertilizers
E)wastes water
Q4) If the metric tons of fish harvested per year is reduced by 50% how will this reduction affect the sustainable yield?
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Chapter 11: Water Resources and Water Pollution
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133 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a point source of pollution?
A)acid deposition
B)urban streets
C)oil tankers
D)suburban lawns
E)parking lots
Q2) According to the World Resources Institute, what percentage of the water that people use throughout the world is unnecessarily wasted?
A)one-tenth
B)one-third
C)one-fourth
D)one-half
E)two-thirds
Q3) On the primary and secondary sewage treatment figure, choose the letter that represents where sludge is dried before being disposed of.
Q4) Drip irrigation is used on ____________________%of irrigated crop fields in the United States, and ____________________% of irrigated crop fields worldwide.
Q5) Explain the advantages and disadvantages of large dams and reservoirs.
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Chapter 12: Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
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99 Verified Questions
99 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an environmental impact associated with common mining practices?
A)deforestation
B)groundwater contamination
C)subsidence of land above mines
D)air pollution
E)all of these answers
Q2) On the figure of the earth's crust, choose the letter that represents the inner core.
Q3) Granite is a type of ____________________ rock.
Q4) The dirt wall left after contour mining is called a spoil.
A)True
B)False
Q5) ____________________ forms when a preexisting rock is subjected to high temperatures.
Q6) Nonrenewable mineral resources renew over millions to billions of years.
A)True
B)False
Q7) On the figure of the earth's crust, choose the letter that represents hot material rising through the mantle.
15
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Chapter 13: Energy
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Using information from this chapter about consumption of products of crude oil, and combining it with information from chapter 10 on food production, explain something you can do in your day-to-day life that can significantly help reduce energy consumption.
Q2) All of the following statements accurately describe the office-home building of the Rocky Mountain Institute except:
A)Solar energy provides 90% of the household electricity.
B)The Institute's heating bill is just less than $50 per month.
C)A central greenhouse in the building humidifies the building and helps to heat it and purify the air.
D)Except for office equipment power, the building draws a little more electricity than a single 100-watt light bulb would draw.
E)Solar energy provides about 99% of the hot water used in the building.
Q3) The net energy loss from production of electricity by nuclear power plants exceeds 90%.
A)True
B)False
Q4) About ____________________ of the electricity used in the United States is produced by burning coal.
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Chapter 14: Environmental Hazards and Human Health
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Sample Questions
Q1) Only water-soluble toxins can accumulate in body tissues and cells.
A)True
B)False
Q2) ethyl alcohol
A)essentially nontoxic
B)slightly toxic
C)moderately toxic
D)very toxic
E)extremely toxic
F)supertoxic
Q3) About ____ of the world's people are at risk from malaria.
A)two million
B)10 percent
C)1 billion
D)25%
E)40%
Q4) A very effective and inexpensive defense against the spread of malaria is a(n)
Q5) Nitrites used in food processing and wine production can act as a mutagen and cause ____________________.
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Chapter 15: Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ozone
Depletion
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Sample Questions
Q1) ____________________ aims to be the first country to become carbon neutral.
Q2) Soot generated in Europe is darkening arctic ice and lessening its ability to reflect sunlight, thereby hastening the disappearance of ice in the Arctic.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In a warmer world, we would expect more
A)droughts
B)hurricanes
C)prolonged heat waves
D)desert expansion
E)all of these answers
Q4) Which of the following statements is true?
A)Thermal inversion occurs when a layer of cold air prevents warm air from rising.
B)Thermal inversions exacerbate pollution problems.
C)Thermal inversions last only a few minutes to a few hours.
D)Normally, cool air near Earth's surface expands and rises, carrying pollutants higher into the troposphere.
E)Thermal inversions help prevent air pollution.
Page 18
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Chapter 16: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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Sample Questions
Q1) Make cars that last longer.
A)first priority
B)second priority
C)third priority
Q2) An integrated waste management approach for industrial enterprises
A)eliminates unnecessary packaging
B)makes a product require frequent replacement
C)uses more material
D)encourages built-in obsolescence
E)all of these answers
Q3) Which of the following statements is correct?
A)We should view hazardous wastes as wasted resources.
B)We should view solid wastes as materials we should not be producing in the first place.
C)We should view solid wastes and hazardous wastes as being the same thing.
D)We should view hazardous wastes as something we should not be producing in the first place.
E)None of these answers are correct.
Q4) ____________________ is a form of recycling that mimics nature's recycling of nutrients.
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Chapter 17: Environmental Economics, Politics, and Worldviews
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Sample Questions
Q1) It is easier to live sustainably when you
A)Have a sense of place.
B)Live simply.
C)Seek environmental wisdom instead of information.
D)All of these answers.
E)None of these answers.
Q2) Green taxes or ecotaxes
A)can be administered by existing tax agencies
B)help bring about full-cost pricing
C)encourage businesses to develop environmentally beneficial technologies
D)discourage pollution
E)all of these answers
Q3) The practice of including the estimated harmful environmental and health costs of resource use in the market price of goods and services is called
Q4) A guiding principle for environmental sustainability that advises us not to make decisions that cannot be reversed later if the decision turns out to be wrong is the
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Q5) What lifestyle choice does Gandhi's principle of enoughness address and how does it help the environment?