1. The interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment is
2. Groups of individuals that are closely related and can interbreed are called ________; a group of living things interacting with one another and with their living/nonliving environment is called a/an ________.
3. We say that environmental science is interdisciplinary. Interdisciplinary means
4. Air, water, soil, plants, and wind as well as processes such as photosynthesis are examples of
5. Collectively, we are living unsustainably and degrading the earth's natural capital at an expanding rate.
6. Gross domestic product (GDP) measures
7. Very poor nations
8. An example of a perpetual resource is
9. Land owned by a community or government that is available for use by citizens is called a(an)
10. In contrast to reuse, recycling materials completely changes their form (but not their substance). Which of the following may be recycled?
11. The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply the people in a particular area with resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use is called the
12. The ecological footprint
13. We tend to mark the beginning of pivotal events in human history. The most recent such pivotal event was the
14. An example of biodegradable point source pollution is
15. The five main causes of environmental problems include population growth, unsustainable resource use, excluding environmental costs from market prices, inadequate environmental education, and
16. Which of the following is false?
17. We buy a table that is made from a beautiful tropical hardwood. The table's price is high. Even so, the price usually does not include
18. Which of the following statements is true?
19. When making environmental decisions, which of the following must come before all others in the decision-making process?
20. A grassland is composed of many plant species that rely on many factors for survival. In addition to the plants, there exist many animals that graze or eat each other. Sometimes these populations of plants and animals get too large, but there is always something that keeps their population in check. The life drama of growth and death, life and decay, winter and summer play out year after year. The aspect of sustainability that allows living organisms to take in needed atoms and molecules, and to return these same atoms and molecules at life's end, is called
21. Natural science
22. A hypothesis is
23. A simulation or approximate representation of a system being studied is an/a
24. An apple falls to the earth. Similarly, leaves, stones, and baseballs all fall to the earth when released. Our conclusion is that all things fall to the earth's surface when dropped. This is an example of inductive reasoning.
25. To conduct good science, scientists use
26. Some scientists make claims about the coming global climate change; others disagree. We say that such science
27. Which of the following best describes water, H2O?
28. A solution contains more hydroxide (OH-) than hydrogen (H+) ions. Which of the following would best describe the solution?
29. The fundamental structural unit of life is the
30. Since salt is concentrated NaCl molecules, we say that it is
31. When water is boiled, the liquid is changed to a gas. We say that a ________ ________ has occurred.
32. The energy present in sunlight is ________ energy.
33. Energy
34. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that the energy coming out of a system is always less than the energy put into the system.
35. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that
36. Your friend wants to buy a new car. He asks your advice, since he wants an efficient car and knows you know the latest on green technology cars. Your advice makes him change his mind from the red SUV to the blue hybrid. In this conversation, changing his mind was a/an
37. Cancer-causing pollutants called PCBs are in the Hudson River (NY); they increase the risk of fish getting cancer by X%. Another pollutant in the river increases the risk of cancer by Y%. When both of these pollutants are present, the cancer risk goes up by much more than X% + Y%. This is called
38. The basic, fundamental unit of life is the
39. Even though it interacts with others of its kind and with the abiotic realm around it, a single living individual is best described as a/an
40. Fossil fuels are found in the
41. Large terrestrial regions with distinct climates and distinct species adapted to them are called
42. Which of the following is not true of solar energy reaching the earth?
43. Carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere naturally trap some of the light that reflects back from the earth's surface. The light is converted to heat, with the gases acting as insulating blankets. This natural process warms the earth enough to support life. This process is called
44. Think of a terrestrial forest ecosystem (we have presumably all walked in a forest). From an ecological point of view, ecosystems such as this are actually simple to understand.
45. Limiting factors are abiotic factors that can enhance or prevent growth of a population, even if all other factors are at or near the optimum. Which of the following would be an example of a limiting factor?
46. Organisms that gain their energy and nutrients from eating plants are called
47. Organisms that gain their nutrients by breaking down organic compounds in the absence of oxygen do so by
48. Heat is a byproduct of each energy transformation in an ecosystem. Therefore, this represents a one way energy flow from the sun through the ecosystem.
49. Both energy and nutrients flow through ecosystems. Which of the following is true?
50. If asked to pick the model that best illustrates real-world biotic ecosystem interactions, you should pick the
51. Energy flow pyramids show
52. The relationship between gross primary production (GPP), net primary production (NPP), and respiration energy (R) is
53. Which of the following does not qualify as a biogeochemical cycle?
54. Evaporation and ________ are responsible for putting water into the atmosphere.
55. ________ is the only significant natural process that moves carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
56. A significant cause of natural sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere is
57. Ecosystem study primarily involving GIS (geographic information system) is usually most closely associated with
58. Biodiversity refers to the variety of
59. Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace both first proposed
60. Evolution
61. A random change in an organism's DNA is called
62. Populations, not individuals, evolve.
63. Disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to a particular disease
64. When scientists refer to "survival of the fittest," fitness refers to a species'
65. Scientific evidence suggests that the earth's surface has changed significantly over time, as great land masses have moved past and/or into each other. These shifting land masses are connected to subsurface structures called
66. Climate changes and asteroids impacting the earth may be seen as opportunities for evolutionary change.
67. The process whereby one species changes into one or more other species over time is called
68. Fortunately for the world, the golden toad, once thought extinct in its Costa Rican rainforests, has been rediscovered.
69. If you found 20 different plant species in a 1m2 area, but only one of each species, we would say there was
70. The American alligator, once nearly hunted to extinction, is making a comeback. It plays an essential role in its habitat because its nesting mounds and resting holes are important to the lives of other species. The alligator is also important in keeping some prey populations in check. Should such an important species become extinct, there would be devastating consequences to its ecosystem. Such a species is called a/an ________ species.
71. The role that a species plays in its ecosystem, its "way of life" or pattern of living, is called its
72. Some lichens (an "organism" composed of a fungus and an alga) are particularly sensitive to industrial pollutants, especially factory smoke. Scientists have been able to use lichens as a measure of pollution since greater lichen deaths mean higher pollution amounts. Because we can use lichens in this way, we say they are
73. While some landowners may consider beavers a pest, they are important to their ecosystem: the dams they build create wetland that many other species use. Because of the role they play, we call them ________ species.
74. ________ occurs when one organism feeds on the body of, or the energy used by, another organism, usually by living on or in it.
75. Which of the following illustrates a predator-prey relationship?
76. Some prey are able to avoid predation by mimicry. An example of mimicry is when a
77. The relationship formed between organisms that affect each other's evolution is called
78. This interaction benefits one organism, but neither helps nor harms a second organism.
79. One way that species reduce competition for the same resources is by
80. Which of the following is not within the study of population dynamics?
81. Organismal populations may grow, shrink, or remain stable over time. Population change
82. Which of the following is false?
83. Which of the following is true? Exponential growth
84. Species with a capacity for a high rate of increase of ten produce many small offspring and give them little or no parental care. Such species are called ________ species.
85. A volcanic eruption destroyed most of the population of a species of monkey living in the area. The few that survived will now reproduce and rebuild the population, however the resulting population will have a reduced genetic diversity. This scenario describes
86. Examples of density-dependent population limiting factors include all of the following except
87. Skunks have few predators, yet their populations change relatively little from one year to the next. Such a species demonstrates ________ pattern of variation in its population size.
88. Population controls are factors that limit population size for a given environment. Which of the following would be considered a human population control?
89. The following is an example of primary succession.
90. The following is an example of secondary succession.
91. The ability of a living system to be restored through secondary succession after a moderate disturbance is called
92. From the first 2 billion people on planet earth, it took just 50 years to add 2 billion more. The next 2 billion people were added 25 years later. Assuming the growth rate were to remain constant, when might we expect the next 2 billion people?
93. For the past 200 years, human population growth has
94. Human populations have been able to grow at the expense of other species, altering other habitat to meet our needs. One way we have altered the environment is by
95. The sustainable human carrying capacity of the earth is ________ people.
96. A given population has increased in size. An increase in what factor besides birth rate may be directly responsible?
97. The world's total fertility rate, that is, the average number of children born to women in a population during their reproductive years, has been
98. The average number of children that couples in a population must bear to replace themselves is
99. When women have access to education and paid employment outside the home, the total fertility rate decreases.
100. One of the best measures of a society's quality of life is
101. The U.S. life expectancy
102. If the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman were achieved tomorrow, the world's population would
103. Age structure diagrams that indicate rapidly growing populations have the shape of a/an
104. Age structure diagrams may be used to
105. Germany, Bulgaria, and Russia have the following in common:
106. A number of factors that may affect the future world population size are out of our control. Which of the following should not be included in this list?
107. A high birth rate, low death rate, and an increase in population size are all indicative of the ________ stage of the demographic transition.
108. A majority of married women throughout the world use modern birth control.
109. Climate is
110. The tropics are warmer than the poles primarily because
111. Air
112. An ENSO (El Niño - Southern Oscillation)
113. A total of ________ convection cells (re)distribute warm, moist air and cold, dry air masses, resulting in conditions leading to various biomes.
114. All of the following are greenhouse gases, except
115. Air that travels over a mountain range is ________ than it was before going over.
116. The two most important factors that distinguish biomes are precipitation and
117. When we say that parallel changes in vegetation type occur when we travel from the equator to the poles and from lowlands to mountaintops, we are recognizing that changes in biomes in the two situations are similar. What we are really comparing is biome changes that occur in
118. Although variations in a number of the following factors often occur, which is the defining character of a desert?
119. Which of the following is not one of the three desert types?
120. Although variations in a number of the following factors often occur, which is the defining character of grassland?
121. Short-grass prairies fit within the ________ grasslands.
122. Areas of permanently frozen soils in arctic tundra are called
123. The chaparral biome is largely maintained by
124. Although tropical rainforests are very diverse and high in species richness, it is almost impossible to carry out sustainable agriculture on tropical rainforest soils. This is because
125. Which of the following statements regarding tropical rainforests is false?
126. Unlike either tropical rainforests or coniferous forests, temperate deciduous forest species lose their leaves in the winter. They do this
127. Mountains play a significant ecological role in all of the following ways except:
128. Which of the following is false?
129. The largest of four, this ocean contains more than one-half the earth's water and covers one-third of the earth's surface.
130. The primary producers responsible for up to 70% of primary productivity near the ocean surface are
131. Key factors that determine the types and numbers of organisms found in different ocean water layers include temperature, food availability, light availability, nutrient availability, and
132. We continue to live in an "Age of Discovery," learning about nature all around us. Some areas have been more thoroughly researched than others, which means that some areas still have many secrets to reveal. Which of the following do we currently know the least about?
133. Examples of organisms that live in the abyssal zone are
134. The euphotic zone of deep aquatic systems is
135. This aquatic zone makes up only 10% of the world's ocean area, but contains 90% of all marine species.
136. Areas that are partially enclosed bodies of water where rivers meet the sea, and therefore areas of mixed fresh and salt water, are called
137. Beaches experience a high and low tide several times a day. The land region between high and low tides is called the
138. Coral reefs are among the world's
139. Although a number of factors vary, the primary factor that defines each of the three open ocean zones (euphotic, bathyal, abyssal) is
140. A recent research report of open ocean findings showed that
141. In a 2008 four-year study, researchers discovered that one primary species has greatly affected the world's oceans.
142. Because of its high amount of sunlight and nutrients that wash in from the land, this freshwater zone has a high biodiversity. Species include crayfish, turtles, frogs, and rooted plants.
143. A large lake that has clear, cold water and very few organisms living in it is called a ________ lake.
144. Freshwater rivers and streams may begin as melting snow on mountains or melting glaciers, or as runoff from precipitation on mountains. The region producing the water for rivers and streams is called the
145. The entire land area that delivers freshwater runoff, sediments, and dissolved oxygen and nutrients is called the
146. The portion of a freshwater river that empties into the ocean may be described as
147. Which of the following is not considered a freshwater inland wetland?
148. Humans can validly be accused of degrading and disrupting many freshwater systems; we cannot be accused of
149. Passenger pigeons no longer exist anywhere in the world. We say that they have undergone
150. Natural or background species extinction rates are about
151. The last major mass extinction occurred 65 million years ago, at which point all of the dinosaurs were lost. What do we believe caused this mass extinction?
152. California condors, black rhinos, and mountain gorillas all have this in common:
153. When the focus for saving a species from extinction is what that species can do for humans, we say that it has ________ value.
154. An example of existence value might be
155. A bioprospector might search a tropical rainforest for species
156. Saving the blue whale from extinction simply because it has as much right to exist as humans or any other species is based on its ________ value.
157. Wanting to exterminate all great white sharks because of fear, loathing, repulsion, etc., might best be called
158. Which of the following is false?
159. The U.S. state with the highest extinction rate is
160. Major causes of habitat fragmentation include
161. Which statement is true?
162. Giant African land snails, kudzu, and European wild boars all have this in common in the U.S.:
163. A chemical pollutant becomes incorporated into body tissues at a certain concentration. Predators eating many such organisms concentrate the chemical even more. This increasing concentration in higher tropic levels is called
164. Poaching of wild animals is usually for
165. Seed banks
166. "When substantial preliminary evidence indicates that an activity can harm human health or the environment, we should take precautionary measures to prevent or reduce such harm, even if some of the cause-and-effect relationships have not been fully established, scientifically." This is
167. Tree plantations
168. The most diverse and sustainable forest type is the
169. Forests are important to the world's people because
170. We are cutting forests faster than they are able to replenish themselves.
171. The method of tree harvesting that is most damaging to the environment is
172. Forest fires are always a bad thing.
173. Which of the following is a consequence of unsustainable logging practices and deforestation?
174. Scientists think that at least one-half of the world's known species live in
175. The Amazon basin is found in which country?
176. Fire as a tool of forest management
177. Much of the wood cut in the U.S. is used to produce pulp for making paper. We could reduce the cutting of trees used for this purpose by
178. Realistic ways that we can reduce tropical rainforest deforestation and promote sustainability include
179. In rangelands and grasslands, livestock tend to gather around ________, making these areas particularly vulnerable to damage.
180. In developing nations, national parks are highly protected areas that act as sanctuaries to wildlife.
181. This environmental activist group, composed of more than 1 million members worldwide, is responsible for buying and protecting land, waterways, and wetlands.
182. Biodiversity hot spots are
183. Ecosystems that we have degraded are irreversibly damaged.
184. .The process of fixing human-caused damage to natural ecosystems is called
185. Which best illustrates an intentional desire on the part of humans to share their habitats with other species?
186. This vast region is economically very valuable, yet ironically is poorly understood. Because we have so much to learn, it is considered a "research frontier."
187. Some 90% of fish living in the ocean spawn (reproduce)
188. Blamed for two-thirds of all fish extinctions in the U.S., this ongoing problem is a major source of ecosystem disruption.
189. The largest projected population growth should occur
190. The "I" of the acronym HIPPCO stands for
191. Average sea level
192. The area of ocean needed to sustain the consumption of an average person, nation, or the world is called the
193. CITES is a
194. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
195. When marine reserves are established to protect species within them, studies have shown that within 2-4 years after strict protection begins
196. Global warming leading to rising sea levels is thought to
197. Which of the following management systems deals with getting the best fish yield, taking into account interactions among species?
198. Each year, up to $34 billion are given as fishing subsidies. These subsidies
199. A market-based system called individual transfer rights (ITR) can be used to control access to fisheries, yet a problem with this system is
200. Studies clearly indicate that
201. Given that humans have been on the earth for a long time, modifying it to suit their own desires, it comes as no surprise to learn that aquatic species have been pushed out of at least ________% of their habitat.
202. Wild rivers are those
203. There is growing evidence that the current harmful affects of human activities on the earth's terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services
204. Which statement is false?
205. Chronic malnutrition means
206. A long-term diet lacking trace amounts of iodine may result in
207. A severe shortage of food accompanied by long-term hunger of most of the population, many deaths, and social disruption is called
208. Ironically, those who are overnourished face similar health problems of those who are undernourished.
209. These foods provide almost 50% of daily calories consumed by people of the world.
210. Industrialized agriculture is also called high-input agriculture because
211. Which type of farming is most used by the poor tropical farmer?
212. Soil "layers" of distinctive composition are called soil
213. The green revolution was made possible by large inputs of water, fertilizers, and pesticides, increasing the number of crops grown per year per plot of land, and
214. For thousands of years we have been modifying plants by crossbreeding and hybridization. These processes have yielded the domesticated crop plants we eat today. Aside from the 10-15 years it takes to develop a new variety of tomato or corn, what disadvantage is there to new varieties produced by this method?
215. Meat animals (primarily cattle, pigs, and chickens)
216. The fastest growing area of food production currently is
217. The "blue revolution" refers to
218. Topsoil erosion leads to
219. Repeated annual application of irrigated water in dry climates leads to a buildup of salts in upper soil layers in a process called
220. Genetically modified (GM) foods
221. The kind of chemical used to kill pest plants is called a/an
222. An old method of farming has been found to be helpful in keeping pest populations low. This practice is
223. In order to help improve food production, governments sometimes ________ as a way of helping farmers.
224. Terracing, contour planting, strip planting, and wind breaks all have this in common: they are mainly used to
225. In terms of being healthy and living longer, studies indicate the poorest diet
226. The world's single biggest cause of illness is
227. We interfere with the Hydrologic Cycle if we
228. Fortunately, the resource freshwater is fairly evenly divided throughout nations and continents.
229. Groundwater refers to
230. Annual surface runoff in rivers and streams not lost by seasonal floods, and therefore available for human use, is called
231. One in ________ people per year lack regular access to enough clean water for drinking, cooking, and washing.
232. The current land area experiencing severe or extreme drought is approximately
233. Water is limited, resulting in competition for this resource. In the U.S., competition for water results in
234. Cities provide water to their citizens. The majority of these citizens
235. Aquifers
236. Land subsidence and sinkholes are problems that sometimes occur as water is withdrawn. These sometimes occur in/at/beneath
237. Hydroelectric dams along large rivers
238. For desert cities such as Las Vegas, Nevada, aquifers and ground water have been depleted. The city recycles its water used in bathing, swimming pools, and fountains. Given the need for drinking water in such a large city, the source of the water must be
239. There are no disadvantages of hydroelectric dams.
240. Both California and China have plans to move vast amounts of water from one part of the land to another. The primary reason that each feels water need to be moved is
241. Forcing saltwater through a membrane filter with extremely small pores to produce freshwater is called
242. According to water experts, the main cause of water waste is
243. The single biggest domestic water use in the U.S. is
244. A natural area that is prone to flooding is called a
245. The science devoted to the study of the earth's surface and its interior is
246. Lithosphere is
247. Geologists call the liquid, molten rock nearest the earth's center the
248. Regions of crust sometimes collide. These collision zones are called
249. A process that moves large pieces of rock would be
250. Liquid rock flowing from active volcanoes is called
251. The worst volcanic disaster in U.S. history occurred at
252. The specific point where an earthquake begins is called the
253. An earthquake reading of 6.8 on the Richter scale is ________ times more powerful than a reading of 5.8.
254. Earthquakes that occur on the ocean floor
255. Sodium chloride (table salt) in a water solution will dry to form crystals that we then identify
256. The interaction of physical and chemical processes that change rocks from one type to another is called the
257. Limestone would best be classified as a
258. A good, yet relatively inexpensive, low temperature conductor of electricity is
259. A major advantage of metallic minerals is that
260. Metal-mining waste material is called
261. Mineral resources
262. Given that metallic minerals are limited resources, depletion time
263. New technology(ies) that can be used to extract metals from low-grade ore include:
264. Styrofoam has been found to be a suitable substitute for
265. The science devoted to the study of the earth's surface and its interior is
266. Lithosphere is
267. Geologists call the liquid, molten rock nearest the earth's center the
268. Regions of crust sometimes collide. These collision zones are called
269. A process that moves large pieces of rock would be
270. Liquid rock flowing from active volcanoes is called
271. The worst volcanic disaster in U.S. history occurred at
272. The specific point where an earthquake begins is called the
273. An earthquake reading of 6.8 on the Richter scale is ________ times more powerful than a reading of 5.8.
274. Earthquakes that occur on the ocean floor
275. Sodium chloride (table salt) in a water solution will dry to form crystals that we then identify
276. The interaction of physical and chemical processes that change rocks from one type to another is called the
277. Limestone would best be classified as a
278. A good, yet relatively inexpensive, low temperature conductor of electricity is
279. A major advantage of metallic minerals is that
280. Metal-mining waste material is called
281. Mineral resources
282. Given that metallic minerals are limited resources, depletion time
283. New technology(ies) that can be used to extract metals from low-grade ore include:
284. Styrofoam has been found to be a suitable substitute for
285. Fossil fuels and ________ are nonrenewable types of energy.
286. ________ is/are used as the raw material(s) in the production of cleaning fluids, pesticides, plastics, medicines, and synthetic fibers.
287. The thick, gooey liquid consisting of hundreds of different hydrocarbon molecules that is pumped out of the ground is called
288. Refining crude oil
289. Oil prices in 2008 were about
290. Saudi Arabia has the world's largest crude oil reserves at 25%. The nation with the second-largest crude oil reserves is
291. In the U.S., the projected trend of automakers is
292. The United States produces 9% of the world's oil but consumes
293. Oil recovery is not 100% efficient. Typically, ________ barrel(s) of oil is/are extracted for every ________ barrels of oil found.
294. Bitumen is a material found in
295. The solid combustible mixture of hydrocarbons called kerogen is found in
296. Which of the following is true?
297. Which statement regarding natural gas is false?
298. Which statement is true?
299. Heat is the potential enemy of nuclear reactors. Excess heat is prevented and/or controlled by
300. Nuclear power plants
301. A significant disadvantage of nuclear energy is that
302. Nuclear power plants produce a significant amount of radioactive wastes that must be appropriately disposed of/contained. These wastes remain radioactive (and deadly!) for
303. Which of the following is not considered an appropriate option for the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant?
304. The process used to join two smaller atomic nuclei, releasing energy in the process, is called
305. In terms of overall energy efficiency, the U.S.
306. Recycling materials such as steel and other metals saves energy and money because
307. New European, Japanese, and Chinese cars are all significantly more fuel-efficient than U.S. automobiles because these countries
308. Cars that produce no CO₂ in their exhaust include
309. Green architecture
310. In terms of keeping houses warm, the most energy-efficient thing we can use/do is
311. Retrofitting existing conventional buildings to make them energy efficient means
312. Much energy savings result from using high-efficiency products (e.g., superinsulation, double-pane windows, tankless hot water heaters, etc.), yet we are slow to replace our old technology. A main reason for this is that
313. One nation is committed to getting all of its energy from renewable resources by 2050. This nation is
314. Biomass, wind, and moving water all have this in common:
315. Water that is heated in copper pipes, exposed to full sunlight, is pumped inside the house to a heat storage unit. This type of heating is
316. Which is true? Solar cookers used in India (reflective dishes or boxes that concentrate sunlight to cook food)
317. Solar (photovoltaic) cells work by
318. Although many alternative energies will probably contribute, many feel that by the end of this century, this will be the world's number-one renewable source of electricity.
319. Humans have used water power for millennia. Modern hydropower works by
320. Humans have used wind power for millennia. Modern wind power works
321. Biomass energy
322. Geothermal energy
323. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel source. An advantage of hydrogen over fossil fuels is that
324. Analysts agree that the key to making a shift to a more sustainable energy future will include economics, politics, and
325. Risk assessment is
326. HIV is considered a/an
327. One major problem of infectious diseases is that they
328. A global strategy to slow the spread of AIDS (according to the World Health Organization) has this priority:
329. Causing the deaths of many children under the age of five by dehydration, this disease is
330. Ethyl alcohol, found in alcoholic beverages, can cause harm or birth defects to a fetus or embryo. Because of its effects, it is called both a toxic chemical and a
331. Chemicals that specifically harm the human nervous system are called
332. Hormonally active agents (HAAs)
333. Toxicology is
334. Several factors can affect the level of harm caused by a chemical. Which is not one of these?
335. A person is exposed to a certain substance and feels an immediate reaction. Her reaction is
336. In order to test the effects of potentially harmful chemicals, experiments often
337. Animal testing is giving way to cheaper, faster, and more humane methods. Which is not one of these?
338. All natural chemicals are safe.
339. The greatest risk in life is
340. It has been said that most people don't know how to evaluate risks. Which of the following has the highest risk associated with it?
341. Which of the following statements regarding the earth's atmosphere is false?
342. The layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of the earth is the
343. Earth's atmosphere provides
344. The ozone layer is found in the
345. Air pollution
346. Which of the following is not a direct source of pollution?
347. ________ are harmful chemicals emitted directly into the air from natural processes and human activities.
348. All of the following can contribute to smog except
349. A temperature inversion exists when a layer of cool air lies above a layer of warm air.
350. Human activities that add excessive amounts of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide to the atmosphere will most likely result in
351. Smokestacks at industrial plants can lead to
352. One challenge with combating acid deposition is that
353. Levels of many pollutants are often ________ inside a car or building than they are outside.
354. Examples of indoor air pollutants include all of the following except
355. One lifestyle change to combat the effects of air pollution would be to
356. One of the first and still most important laws passed by the United States to address air pollution was the
357. A way to address air pollution from stationary sources would be to
358. A way to address air pollution from mobile sources would be to
359. Which of the following would most likely reduce indoor air pollution?
360. The future of improving air quality involves not just cleaning the air, but also
361. Which of the following factors have affected the earth's climate?
362. Our climate over the past 10,000 years can best be described as
363. All of the following human activities have contributed to increases in greenhouse gases except
364. The rapid rise in global mean temperatures over the past few decades could have been caused by an increase in solar output from the sun.
365. A region of the planet that has served as a large carbon sink is
366. Which of the following statements is false?
367. In terms of water, the earth is currently experiencing
368. Predicted impacts from global warming include all of the following except
369. A species immediately impacted by global warming is the
370. Which of the following factors describes the impacts of climate change?
371. The dirtiest fossil fuel is
372. The most notable country not providing support for the Kyoto Protocol was
373. The amount of carbon generated by your lifestyle is known as your
374. The atmospheric ozone layer that shields the earth from the sun is found in the
375. The so-called "ozone hole" appears strongest each year above
376. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been used as all of the following except
377. Ozone thinning can lead to more occurrences of skin cancer, the worst of which is
378. Stratospheric ozone depletion can never be reversed.
379. Which of the following is not an example of water pollution?
380. The leading cause of water pollution is
381. Streams are able to recover most quickly when
382. The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of a body of water can be diagrammed with a(n)
383. Developing countries tend to have ________ water than developed countries.
384. Which of the following bodies of water is the least effective at diluting pollution?
385. The natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake, estuary, or slow-moving stream is known as
386. Cultural eutrophication often results in
387. Usually, the most effective and cheapest method for dealing with cultural eutrophication is to
388. In rural areas, most people obtain their drinking water from
389. Pollutants in groundwater are typically dispersed in a(n) ________ of widening, contaminated water.
390. Because of the difficulty and expense of cleaning up a contaminated aquifer, preventing contamination is the least expensive and most effective way to protect groundwater resources.
391. The ________ requires the EPA to establish national drinking water standards, called maximum contaminant levels, for any pollutants that may have adverse effects on human health.
392. The ultimate destination of water pollution is
393. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker went off course, hit rocks, and released millions of gallons of oil into the waters off of
394. The most challenging type of water pollution to address is
395. One way of minimizing water pollution from agriculture is with
396. In rural areas, most homes dispose of sewage with the use of a
397. In wastewater treatment plants, solid objects are removed or allowed to settle during
398. One alternative to traditional septic systems where a soil-like humus suitable for fertilizer is produced is the
399. Generally, there is no waste in nature.
400. Wastes that threaten human health or the environment because they are poisonous, dangerously chemically reactive, corrosive, or flammable are
401. The country that produces the greatest amount of solid waste is
402. Most of New York City's garbage is
403. Reducing the environmental impact of municipal solid waste without trying to reduce the amount of waste produced is known as
404. Which of the following methods best addresses the amount of virgin materials used by consumers?
405. Which of the following methods of waste reduction is the most effective?
406. The best option for bagging groceries is to use
407. Turning materials into new products of the same type is known as
408. Wastes produced in manufacturing processes are
409. Using bacteria to break down food and other organic wastes is known as
410. By providing more access to electronic information, the internet has reduced the amount of paper used in the United States.
411. ________ consists of various types of large polymers, or resins, produced mostly from oil and natural gas.
412. Burning wastes in incinerators provides all of the following benefits except
413. Most solid wastes in the United States are disposed of
414. Which of the following correctly prioritizes how to deal with hazardous wastes?
415. Hazardous wastes may be detoxified by which of the following methods?
416. The most common method of dealing with hazardous wastes is by
417. ________, a highly toxic pollutant, was phased out of gasoline in the United States during the 1970s.
418. Protecting everyone from environmental hazards regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, income, social class, or any political factor, falls under
419. ________ is measured as the percentage of the people in a country or in the world living in urban areas.
420. Urban areas can grow in all of the following ways except
421. Urban populations are generally
422. Urban growth tends to occur more slowly in ________ countries.
423. In the United States, many environmental problems have
424. Urban sprawl typically occurs ________ a city or town.
425. Which of the following factors is an environmental advantage to urbanization?
426. Most cities have huge ecological footprints as shown by their
427. Pollution from cities rarely affects surrounding regions.
428. When it comes to weather, cities are generally ________ than surrounding areas.
429. Areas dominated by tenements and rooming houses where several people might live in a single room are known as
430. Cheap and available land around cities results in
431. The largest source of outdoor air pollution is
432. In most developing countries, cars tend to benefit
433. Bicycles offer all of the following advantages for transportation except that when compared to cars they
434. Rapid-rail transit systems are most effective for
435. Currently, most land-use planning practices encourage
436. Smart growth promotes all of the following ideas except
437. A cluster development provides which of the following?
438. The ultimate goal of any green movement is to
439. Which of the following resources is used to produce goods and services as part of an economic system?
440. The point where the supplier's price matches what buyers are willing to pay for some quantity of a good or service is known as the
441. Which of the following events often occurs in today's capitalist market system without government interference?
442. Environmental economists argue that markets typically undervalue
443. The basic assumption of neoclassical economics is that there is no limit to ________ growth.
444. According to neoclassical economists, ecological services have no economic value.
445. All of the following scenarios are examples of mitigation costs except for the
446. According to some critics, an extremely high discount rate will ________ exploitation of natural resources.
447. As a resource such as coal is removed from a mine, the costs for continuing to remove the remaining resource tend to
448. Weighing the pros and cons of a decision, and its impact on all parties, is accomplished with a(n)
449. Excluding indirect costs from a product or service can have all of the following impacts except
450. A method for measuring and comparing the economic outputs of nations without considering environmental or social impacts is the
451. Full-cost pricing is not used more widely for all of the following reasons except
452. Which of the following government practices would not encourage full-cost pricing by producers?
453. To be successful, a tax shift to cover the harmful environmental and health costs of products and services would require which of the following?
454. Regulation is used for which of the following environmental issues?
455. Innovative-friendly regulations are demonstrated by all of the following ideals except for
456. A service-flow economy is one where
457. For many countries, budgets tend to emphasize
458. Which of the following principles does not describe a low-throughput economy?
459. Free enterprise can result in which of the following outcomes?
460. The role of government in economic issues include all of the following examples except
461. The process by which individuals and groups try to influence or control the policies and actions of governments at local, state, national, and international levels is known as
462. There are three branches of government in the United States; these are
463. Which of the following principles is not a suggested guideline for making environmental policies?
464. Using public pressure, personal contacts, and political action to persuade legislators to vote or act in your favor is known as
465. Public lands in the United States ultimately belong to
466. The country that has set aside the most public lands for its citizens is
467. Laws developed and passed by legislative bodies such as federal and state governments are ________ laws.
468. Legal disputes between one party and another are typically settled with
469. Environmental lawsuits against polluters are typically decided in favor of the plaintiff.
470. Arbitrations can be characterized by all of the following points except they
471. Which of the following points does not apply to an environmental impact statement for a federal project?
472. In recent years, attempts to ________ environmental laws have been occurring.
473. Regulating pollution has become more difficult as environmental problems have become more
474. Many major green laws were enacted during the environmental decade of the
475. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Sierra Club, have all of the following characteristics except they
476. On many campuses across the country, environmental awareness and sustainability practices are often being initiated by the
477. Governments often overlook the importance of ________ security.
478. Which of the following tenets is not an example of green planning by governments?
Brendan Swanson