Human Impacts on the Environment
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Course Introduction
This course explores the diverse and far-reaching ways human activities influence the natural environment, from local to global scales. Students will examine the origins and consequences of environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, pollution, and resource depletion. By integrating perspectives from ecology, sociology, economics, and policy, the course encourages critical analysis of the drivers behind environmental degradation and the effectiveness of various mitigation and adaptation strategies. Through case studies and current events, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in creating a more sustainable relationship between society and the environment.
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
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Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Parsimony is one of the basic principles of science.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Random samples are used
A) to eliminate bias from a study.
B) Only when large samples are not available.
C) To eliminate the need for a rigorous method of choice.
D) Only in double-blind medical experiments.
Answer: A
Q3) Compared to poorer countries, which of the following is not true of richer nations?
A) They have a higher per capita GDP.
B) They have higher fertility.
C) They have lower infant mortality.
D) They have higher adult literacy.
E) They have higher life expectancy.
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Matter and Energy of Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) What implication(s) does the second law of thermodynamics have for biological systems?
A) Systems cannot create energy because energy is neither created nor destroyed.
B) With each transformation, less available energy is available to do work so older systems have less energy.
C) A constant supply of energy is necessary for maintenance of biological systems.
D) Energy is unlimited because it is used and reused by living organisms.
E) None of these is an implication of the second law of thermodynamics.
Answer: C
Q2) Living plants and the ocean are known as "carbon sinks" because
A) they are made of carbon.
B) they create carbon.
C) they destroy carbon.
D) they store carbon.
E) due to gravity, carbon is found closer to the ground.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities
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Sample Questions
Q1) Evolution occurs as a result of
A) the discovery of a desirable characteristic in a population.
B) an individual's physiological modification.
C) environmental change that forces modification in a resident species.
D) better survival or reproduction rates by individuals with a particular characteristic.
E) a population's physiological modification.
Answer: D
Q2) ___________ is the place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives.
A) Adaptation
B) Habitat
C) Tolerance range
D) Resource partition
E) Niche
Answer: B
Q3) In general species diversity is higher near the poles than near the equator.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Human Populations
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Sample Questions
Q1) The graph indicates that more children die
A) in the last stage of the demographic transition.
B) in the first stage of the demographic transition.
C) when their mothers are illiterate.
D) when their mothers are literate.
E) when their mothers are poor.
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) One of the _________ effective ways to stabilize populations is to _________.
A) most; provide free contraceptives
B) least; provide free contraceptives
C) least; decrease child mortality
D) most; decrease child mortality
E) most; expect mandatory sterilization
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Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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Sample Questions
Q1) Desert biomes would fall in the area marked by the letter
A) A.
B) B.
C) C.
D) D.
E) E.
Q2) The giant panda is considered to be a _________________ species.
A) keystone
B) umbrella
C) flagship
D) indicator
E) principal
Q3) Historically, the greatest threat to grasslands has been
A) damage by off-road vehicles.
B) air pollution.
C) conversion to farmland.
D) global climate change.
E) mineral extraction.
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Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests,
Grasslands, Parks, and Nature
Preserves
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Sample Questions
Q1) Diversity can be preserved by linking reserves together with corridors.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Most commercial loggers prefer "clear-cut" harvesting because it
A) is the most environmentally sustainable type of harvest.
B) is the most efficient way to get valuable small timber without disturbing the larger early successional trees.
C) is the most efficient, cheapest harvest method using large, fast machinery instead of costly labor.
D) is the most effective way to refresh soil with sun and rain.
E) does not waste any trees.
Q3) Knowing that there are many endangered species found in the old growth forests of the United States, what might you expect remains today of all the old growth forests that stood in the United States before European settlement?
A) about 90 percent
B) about 35 percent
C) about 50 percent
D) about 25 percent
E) less than 10 percent
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) The parent material layer of a soil is composed of weathered
A) humus.
B) organic detritus and roots.
C) residual aluminum and iron.
D) soil.
E) rock fragments.
Q3) What is the advantage of genetically modified crops (GMOs)?
A) They can be designed to resist drought.
B) They offer improved resistance to pests and diseases.
C) They can be engineered to improve yield.
D) They can be altered to produce vaccines.
E) All of these are benefits to GMOs.
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Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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Sample Questions
Q1) Historically, the greatest threats to human health came from
A) carcinogenic or toxic chemicals.
B) psychological stress factors due to crowding.
C) pathogenic organisms.
D) teratogenic chemicals.
E) injuries (intentional and unintentional).
Q2) Organisms are physiologically able to minimize some of the effects of toxins if
A) a minimal amount is taken into the body.
B) there is no exposure.
C) chemists develop vaccines and antibodies
D) DNA technology is used to change the individual's susceptibility.
Q3) An allergen
A) is a toxic substance.
B) is a natural pathogen.
C) over-stimulates the immune system.
D) attacks the nervous system.
Q4) In 1918 a flu pandemic killed more than 50 million people.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Climate
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Sample Questions
Q1) Nineteen of the 20 warmest of the last 150 years have occurred since 1980.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The change in ocean temperatures brought on by climate change could lead to an extreme cold period in Europe due to a change in the
A) thermohaline circulation.
B) reductions in El nino/La nina oscillation.
C) albedo increases.
D) Milankovitch cycles.
Q3) Which of these is NOT among our most important greenhouse gases?
A) sulfur dioxide
B) methane (CH<sub>4</sub>)
C) nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O)
D) fluorine gases (such as CFCs)
E) carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>)
Q4) There has been an increase in frequency and intensity of storms and hurricanes.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Air Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) A major source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is
A) incomplete burning of hydrocarbons.
B) combustion of sulfur-containing fuel.
C) photochemical oxidation.
D) CO in the atmosphere.
E) CO<sub>2</sub> in the atmosphere.
Q2) 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.
Q3) Given what we know about the probability of the greenhouse effect, the best thing to do is
A) consider the implication of immediately ceasing 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 technological advances to help decrease the effects of climate change.
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Chapter 11: Water: Resources and Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Withdrawal is the total amount of water
A) lost in transmission, due to evaporation or leakage.
B) taken from rivers, lakes, or aquifers.
C) used in manufacturing or agriculture.
D) altered or polluted in human activities.
E) lost due to chemical transformation because of human use.
Q2) The activity that uses the greatest share of U.S. household water is
A) bathing.
B) drinking and cooking.
C) flushing the toilet.
D) washing clothes and dishes.
E) watering lawns.
Q3) On the graph of clean drinking water per person, each letter represents a country. Which of the following is most likely?
A) A is the United States; B is India.
B) A is India; B is the United States.
C) A is the United States; B is Canada.
D) A is China; B is India.
E) A is India; B is Canada.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) A giant sea swell known as a tsunami is caused by A) typhoons.
B) earthquakes.
C) lunar gravity.
D) unusual tides combined with seasonal storms.
E) a strong wave during an exceptionally high tide.
Q2) Nuees ardentes are sonic waves associated with earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The physical breakdown of a rock into smaller pieces is called
A) the rock cycle.
B) sedimentation.
C) chemical weathering.
D) mechanical weathering.
E) abrasion.
Q4) 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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Chapter 13: Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Fossil fuels currently supply about ____ percent of all world commercial energy supplies.
A) 95
B) 87
C) 75
D) 50
E) 33
Q3) Tidal power stations operate by using the energy from waves as they crash on the shore.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hazardous waste is anything that
A) causes human health threats.
B) severely contaminates the environment.
C) is toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, corrosive, or explosive.
D) has the potential of causing health problems.
E) All of these are correct.
Q2) The US stopped all dumping of municipal refuse into oceans in 1958.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Using bacteria to 'eat' the oil from an oil spill would be an example of A) energy recovery.
B) bioremediation.
C) phytoremediation.
D) brownfield recovery.
Q4) Using the heat from a trash incinerator to power nearby facilities is a process known as
A) energy recovery.
B) recycling.
C) massburn.
D) composting.
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Chapter 15: Economics and Urbanization
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Sample Questions
Q1) Mass transportation in urban areas is one example of how cities have negative impacts on the environment.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which is not a goal of smart growth?
A) reduction of noise, air and water pollution
B) increased access to artistic and cultural opportunities
C) reduction of substandard housing
D) improved communication among members of the community
E) all of these are goals of smart growth.
Q3) In many U.S. cities, poor, undereducated, minority, and other less powerful groups are often concentrated
A) in urban centers.
B) at city margins.
C) outside of the city entirely.
D) in a ring of satellite settlements around a city.
E) None of these. Usually the poor, undereducated, minority, and other less powerful groups are distributed throughout the area.
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Chapter 16: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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Sample Questions
Q1) Environmental literacy partly consists of being able to
A) read environmental science journals.
B) understand the basic principles of ecology.
C) write and publish in environmental journals.
D) carry out ecological models and experiments.
E) interpret environmental data from a citizen science project.
Q2) Civil law is to _______________ as criminal law is to crimes against the state or society.
A) legislation rulings
B) administrative actions
C) standings
D) interactions between individuals
E) precedents
Q3) 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
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