Chapters 1-2

37 questions

1. The interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment is

environmentalism.

sustainability.

ecology.

environmental science.

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 .

species; ecosystem.

organisms; ecology.

organisms; ecosystem.

species; ecology.

3. We say that environmental science is interdisciplinary. Interdisciplinary means

using loose guidelines to promote flexibility.

integrating the inputs from many different areas of study.

adhering to strict rules as to how the science is conducted.

excluding the input from any other areas of study.

4. Air, water, soil, plants, and wind as well as processes such as photosynthesis are examples of

gross domestic product.

natural resources.

natural services.

natural capital.

5. Collectively, we are living unsustainably and degrading the earth's natural capital at an expanding rate.

True

False

6. Gross domestic product (GDP) measures

the annual market value of all goods and services produced within a country.

the changes in a country's economic growth per person.

the amount of goods and services that a country's average citizen could buy in the U.S.

the value of a country's currency when it is used in other countries.

7. Very poor nations

use far fewer resources than wealthy nations.

collectively have many more people than found in wealthy nations.

all of the choices

produce much less pollution and waste than wealthy nations.

8. An example of a perpetual resource is

solar.

timber.

coal.

iron.

9. Land owned by a community or government that is available for use by citizens is called a(an)

private property.

a developing country.

common property.

open access renewable resource.

10. In contrast to reuse, recycling materials completely changes their form (but not their substance). Which of the following may be recycled?

plastic

copper

all of the choices

glass

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

gross domestic product.

ecological footprint.

biological capacity.

ecological deficit.

12. The ecological footprint

of affluent people is smaller than that of impoverished people.

is smaller today than one decade ago.

is decreasing for the world as a whole.

of people in developed nations is much larger than that of people in developing nations.

13. We tend to mark the beginning of pivotal events in human history. The most recent such pivotal event was the

industrial-medical revolution.

information-globalization revolution.

hunter-gatherer stage.

agricultural revolution.

14. An example of biodegradable point source pollution is

the exhaust from automobiles in the city of Knoxville, TN.

canine waste from the dogs in the city of Knoxville, TN.

ash waste containing heavy metals, resulting from furnaces that burn trash.

human sewage waste dumping into a river from a waste pipe.

15. The five main causes of environmental problems include population growth, unsustainable resource use, excluding environmental costs from market prices, inadequate environmental education, and

natural global climate change.

poverty.

pollution.

wealth.

16. Which of the following is false?

It takes about 27 tractor-trailer loads of resources per year to support one American.

Affluence occurs most in developing nations.

Affluence is the same as wealth or being wealthy.

The average American consumes 100 times as many resources as the average person in the world's poorest nations.

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

the cost to the environment of removing the tree that the lumber came from.

the cost of shipping the wood to the U.S.

the cost to pay the laborer who cut the wood from the tropical forest.

the cost to make the piece.

18. Which of the following statements is true?

The environmental wisdom worldview holds that we are separate from nature, that nature exists mainly to meet our needs, and that we can use our ingenuity to manage the earth.

The stewardship worldview holds that we are part of and totally dependent on nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us.

The planetary management worldview suggests that we can and should manage the earth for our benefit, but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers of the earth.

The environmental wisdom worldview holds that we are a part of and totally dependent on nature, and that nature exists for all species, not just for us.

19. When making environmental decisions, which of the following must come before all others in the decision-making process?

gather information

identify the problem

evaluate consequences

propose a solution

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

population control.

sustainability.

biodiversity.

nutrient cycling.

21. Natural science

can only be conducted by trained specialists.

is a study of anything a person can think of.

all of the choices

is a study of nature.

22. A hypothesis is

a procedure carried out under controlled conditions to gather information and test ideas.

an approximate representation or simulation of a system being studied.

a well-tested and widely accepted scientific explanation.

a possible, testable explanation for some observation(s).

23. A simulation or approximate representation of a system being studied is an/a

scientific law.

experiment.

scientific hypothesis.

model.

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.

False

True

25. To conduct good science, scientists use

imagination and creativity.

all of the choices.

intuition.

inductive and deductive reasoning, as well as critical thinking skills.

26. Some scientists make claims about the coming global climate change; others disagree. We say that such science

is unreliable science.

is frontier science.

shows only deductive reasoning.

shows only inductive reasoning.

27. Which of the following best describes water, H2O?

compound

matter, compound

matter, element

element

28. A solution contains more hydroxide (OH-) than hydrogen (H+) ions. Which of the following would best describe the solution?

The pH is greater than 7.

all of the choices

The solution is basic.

The OH- ions have more electrons than protons.

29. The fundamental structural unit of life is the

cell.

gene.

chromosome.

organism.

30. Since salt is concentrated NaCl molecules, we say that it is

high-quality matter.

all of the choices.

a liquid.

an element.

31. When water is boiled, the liquid is changed to a gas. We say that a has occurred.

nuclear fission

chemical change

physical change

nuclear fusion

32. The energy present in sunlight is ________ energy.

electromagnetic

mechanical

physical

potential

33. Energy

always equals the amount of mass in a system.

is anything that can produce light.

all of the choices

is the capacity to do work.

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.

True

False

35. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that

potential energy may be converted to kinetic energy, but kinetic energy may not be converted to potential energy.

kinetic energy may be converted to potential energy, but potential energy may not be converted to kinetic energy.

when energy changes from one form to another, we always end up with lower-quality energy than we started with.

heat may be transformed to usable energy only when all other forms of energy are unavailable.

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

input.

system.

flow.

output.

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

a discontinuity.

the tipping point.

a positive feedback loop.

synergism.

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Chapters 1-2

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?

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

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 .

31. When water is boiled, the liquid is changed to a gas. We say that a has occurred.