Introduction to Environmental Studies Solved Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Introduction to Environmental Studies provides a broad overview of the natural environment and the complex interactions between humans and their surroundings. The course examines fundamental ecological concepts, the impact of human activity on natural systems, and pressing environmental issues such as climate change, resource depletion, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, students explore the scientific, social, economic, and ethical dimensions of environmental challenges and learn about potential solutions, including policy, technology, and sustainable practices. The course aims to foster environmental awareness and empower students to make informed decisions as global citizens.
Recommended Textbook
Principles of Environmental Science Companion Site 6th Edition by William P. Cunningham
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15 Chapters
464 Verified Questions
464 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) Evidence of progress in dealing with population problems is best illustrated by
A) current evidence of a stable population in the developing and developed world.
B) a decrease in the average number of children born to each woman.
C) current evidence of a globally stable population growth.
D) the decreasing population growth rate in the United States.
E) current evidence of a stable population in the developing world.
Answer: B
Q3) Places in the world where indigenous people live tend to have high biodiversity.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Connections, Cycles,
Flows and Feedback Loops
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34 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Water supplies contaminated with algae that produce toxins making the water unfit to drink is a result of the human impact to the A) hydrologic cycle.
B) carbon cycle.
C) nitrogen cycle.
D) sulfur cycle.
Answer: C
Q2) All members of a species that live in the same area at the same time make up a(an) A) species.
B) ecosystem.
C) community.
D) population.
E) biome.
Answer: D
Q3) Photosynthesis is a step in the global nitrogen cycle.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) There is/are usually _______ tolerance limit(s) responsible for limiting the number and location of a species. However, some organisms have ____________ that limit(s) their distribution.
A) one; a specific critical factor
B) one; other environmental conditions
C) one specific; many factors
D) many; other environmental conditions
E) many; a specific critical factor
Answer: E
Q2) As ecological development proceeds, a biological community
A) gradually stagnates.
B) becomes more diverse.
C) goes through repeated secondary succession stages.
D) goes through repeated primary succession stages.
E) becomes less complex.
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) 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) Proponents of social justice believe that environmental and social problems will decrease if
A) we can educate poor people about family planning.
B) resources are distributed fairly.
C) better ethics are taught to poor, uneducated populations.
D) we just reduce the number of people on Earth.
E) we concentrate on population control.
Q3) So far, the most successful and popular solution(s) to global overpopulation has/have been mandatory sterilization.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The main reason that there are relatively few invertebrates categorized as endangered species is because
A) we consider other groups, such as mammals, to be more interesting and desirable.
B) worldwide there are relatively few invertebrates when compared to plants.
C) it is extremely difficult to identify and count invertebrates.
D) Since there are 532 invertebrates considered endangered, none of these are true. E) invertebrates are more numerous and the relative percentages are similar.
Q2) We are usually referring to species diversity when we talk about biodiversity. However, genetic diversity is also important to ecological systems because diverse genes
A) increase the efficiency and productivity of a system because all niches are filled.
B) allow an individual organism to adapt to its changing environment.
C) are necessary for a population to evolve in a changing environment.
D) lead to diverse ecological processes in a biological community.
E) are important for a balanced ecosystem.
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Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests Grasslands
Parks and Nature Preserves
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Sample Questions
Q1) Old-growth forests are notable for containing species that A) are exotic in North America.
B) have an unusually high market value.
C) are highly adapted to their special environment.
D) are found in other North American forests, in very different environmental conditions.
E) migrate long distances to feed in the old-growth forests.
Q2) Over the past decade, the number of park visitors has _______ and park budgets have ________.
A) increased by more than one half; increased by about 25%
B) increased by one third; decreased by about 25%
C) decreased by more than one half; decreased by about 25%
D) decreased by one third; increased by about 25%
E) stayed about the same; decreased by about 25%
Q3) The loss of forests can affect rainfall patterns.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Marine reserves are more common and easier to manage than terrestrial reserves.
A)True
B)False
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Fifty years ago, there were several hundred varieties of wheat grown in the Middle East. Now a few of the more modern high responder varieties have replaced the indigenous species. What are the implications of this change?
A) The productivity of wheat should continue to rise and increase the availability of food per person.
B) Genetic resources are diminished and an epidemic of wheat disease is highly likely due to the reliance on few species.
C) The high responder varieties will need specialized harvesting methods because they are so productive.
D) The biodiversity of wheat species has increased because of the introduction of few hybrid species.
E) All of these are correct.
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Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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Sample Questions
Q1) Detection of toxic chemicals depends upon
A) how many chemicals are present.
B) how many individuals respond to them at a certain dosage.
C) the sensitivity of measuring techniques and how many chemicals are present.
D) whether or not individuals or groups of individuals are sensitive to them.
E) whether or not groups of individuals are sensitive to them.
Q2) In 1918 a flu pandemic killed more than 50 million people.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Diseases such as the recent outbreak of cholera and Ebola are
A) caused by pathogenic organisms.
B) called communicable diseases.
C) called emergent diseases.
D) happening more often in the past 20 years.
E) All of these are characteristics of diseases such as cholera and Ebola.
Q4) SARS is thought to have been spread to 160 people in seven countries by a single flight attendant.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 9: Air: Climate and Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the ecological implications of global warming?
A) Plants and animals that are residing in fragmented habitats may not be able to move to a suitable habitat.
B) In general, plants and animals will probably benefit from warmer temperatures.
C) Since farmland may be lost, the habitats for plants and animals will increase in area.
D) Since biodiversity is usually higher in warmer, milder climates, it will probably be increased.
E) Tropical ecosystems will get even warmer than they are now.
Q2) Worldwide, air pollution control efforts are least advanced or least successful in major cities of developing countries.
A)True
B)False
Q3) There has been an increase in frequency and intensity of storms and hurricanes. A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Water: Resources and Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Plants that take up heavy metals found in water would be an example of
A) containment of pollutants.
B) tertiary sewage treatment.
C) bioremediation.
D) wetland treatment.
E) in vitro extraction techniques.
Q2) The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was established as a part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
A)True
B)False
Q3) The total amount of water on the Earth ____________ from year to year and the hydrologic cycle ________________.
A) stays about the same; moves it from one place to another place
B) increases; captures it from the incoming solar radiation
C) increases; gains water from the Earth's interior
D) decreases; moves it from one place to another place
E) decreases; loses water to the atmosphere
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Chapter 11: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in North America occurred around New Madrid Missouri in 1812.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Metamorphic rocks are produced when rocks are
A) chemically weathered.
B) recrystallized by heat and pressure.
C) physically broken down.
D) melted in the mantle and recrystallized.
E) recrystallized through chemical processes.
Q3) Rocks are classified according to their A) chemical composition.
B) physical properties.
C) internal structure.
D) mode of formation.
E) All of these are used to classify rocks.
Q4) Nuees Ardentes are sonic waves associated with earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Tidal power stations operate by using the energy from waves as they crash on the shore.
A)True
B)False
Q2) _____________________ can easily be moved across land in pipelines, but must be transported in special refrigerated ships to move across oceans.
A) Natural gas
B) Anthracite
C) Light oil
D) Methanol
E) Heavy crude
Q3) Transportation consumes about ______ percent of all energy used in the US each year.
A) 13
B) 20
C) 27
D) 33
E) 39
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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Sample Questions
Q1) CERCLA legislation
A) established the NPL.
B) requires the testing of the toxicity of substances.
C) requires brownfields to be developed.
D) requires the EPA to clean up toxic waste sites.
E) all of the above.
Q2) The most often overlooked of the "three Rs" is
A) recycle.
B) reuse.
C) release.
D) redefine.
E) reduce.
Q3) The US stopped all dumping of municipal refuse into oceans in 1958.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Secure landfills are usually sealed with gravel.
A)True
B)False
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Economics and Urbanization
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Sample Questions
Q1) When a factory pollutes a river, the costs and losses that affect people downstream would be called
A) indirect costs.
B) external costs.
C) incidental costs.
D) internal costs.
E) social costs.
Q2) Which of the following is not a major criticism of this type of analysis?
A) People are willing to answer questions about how much they would spend to save the Amazon rainforest.
B) The quantification process compares the value of the lives of indigenous people's lives with the lives of people in the city who would be receiving the electricity.
C) The focus of this type of analysis would be mainly on the hydroelectric project rather than alternatives.
D) Monetary values are placed on intangible things like the river running freely.
E) These are all criticisms of this type of analysis.
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Chapter 15: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Student Environmental Acting Coalition is the largest student environmental group in North America.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The current legal system is to ______________ as community-based planning is to collaboration.
A) polarization
B) cooperation
C) wicked problems
D) dispute resolution
E) harmony
Q3) The "group of 10" environmental organizations are most useful in
A) spearheading truly radical environmental change.
B) inspiring individual direct actions by all members.
C) having strong, respected, and organized influence on national environmental policy setting.
D) initiating student environmental activism on local environmental issues.
E) inspiring individual direct actions by at least half of all members.
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