Deck 1: Science and Sustainability

Question 1

Geothermal energy,wind energy,and solar radiation are all examples of _______________

A)nonrenewable resources
B)biotic environmental factors
C)renewable environmental resources
D)biodegradable materials
E)biodiversity

Answer 1

renewable environmental resources

Question 2

A hypothesis is _______________

A)the design of an experiment that can be used in scientific enquiry
B)a prediction about something that has not yet been observed
C)a proven scientific fact
D)a statement that explains an observed phenomenon or answers a question
E)an instrument that is used to examine environmental conditions

Answer 2

a statement that explains an observed phenomenon or answers a question

Question 3

Ruben has a new puppy named Paddington and wants to feed him the best possible food.He decides on an experiment where he will feed Paddington the very best canned food plus a dietary supplement of vitamins recommended by a veterinarian.Which of the following best describes Ruben's project?

A)Ruben needs to take careful measurements of Paddington's weight and height at least once a week for it to be a good experiment.
B)This is an example of an excellent,controlled experiment as it is written.
C)Ruben needs to control for the amount of exercise,sunshine,water,and care that Paddington gets each week,so that they are equal from week to week.
D)Ruben needs to feed his mother's 6 -year -old chocolate Shar -Pei named SallyJo a standard diet so that he can compare Paddington to a control.
E)This is a poorly designed experiment,because there are no control dogs and no treatment replicates.

Answer 3

This is a poorly designed experiment,because there are no control dogs and no treatment replicates.

Question 4

Which of the following discoveries would be most likely to cause a scientific paradigm shift?

A)the discovery of a new species of salamander in the Amazon rainforest
B)the discovery of more rings around Uranus
C)the discovery of a new pathogenic virus transmitted by mosquitoes
D)the discovery that a dormant volcano is showing signs of activity
E)the discovery that excess heat is radiating from the center of the earth and causing global climate change

Question 5

Solutions to environmental problems _______________

A)must work on a global scale
B)must always be designed and discussed in the political arena before implementation
C)should be designed with the goal of sustaining Earth's natural capital
D)must focus on short -term fixes because long -term solutions are generally unattainable
E)can be implemented only by scientists

Question 6

Roberto lives near a wind farm and is wondering about the environmental effects of the wind turbines.He _______________ that the turbines,which sound like faint airplane engines,are scaring off meadowlarks that used to nest in the area.

A)theorizes
B)hypothesizes
C)hopes
D)predicts
E)observes

Question 7

The scientific method ________________

A)results in conclusions based on speculation
B)involves testing observations to derive a working hypothesis
C)now has been replaced by a widely accepted shortcut that is less time -consuming and less expensive
D)cannot prove a hypothesis to be true
E)results in the proving of a theory

Question 8

The process by which several researchers review another researcher's manuscript prior to publication to ensure research quality is referred to as _______________

A)investigative inquiry
B)overkill
C)critical analysis
D)quality control
E)peer review

Question 9

Natural resources are _______________

A)resources provided by the Earth that are renewable and inexhaustible
B)the substances and energy sources that we take from the environment
C)resources provided by the Earth that are rapidly depleted by human societies
D)services provided by humans to help maintain ecosystems and their vital processes
E)nonrenewable materials provided by the Earth that are formed slowly over millions of years

Question 10

Global population is projected to be about _______________ in 2050.

A)7 billion
B)8 billion
C)9 billion
D)11 billion
E)13 billion

Question 11

Which of the following terms best describes the practice of environmental science?

A)integrative and interdisciplinary
B)theoretical and controversial
C)elitist and unnecessary
D)highly specialized and focused
E)abstract and theoretical

Question 12

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
Nearly 50% of the land on our planet is currently used for agriculture,with very little more agriculturally usable land available.If everyone on the planet had an ecological footprint the size of the average citizen of the United States,then _____________

A)we would have 50% more food to go around
B)about 50% of the people would starve
C)we could support 50% more people on our planet
D)we would be able to provide for everyone without much difficulty,using the other 50% of the land currently not being used
E)we would need at least two more planet Earths to feed and support everyone

Question 13

In a manipulative experiment _______________

A)a scientist has been caught manipulating the data for economic gain
B)researchers manipulate as many variables as possible
C)the peer review process is bypassed
D)researchers manipulate the independent variable
E)replication of the experiment is not necessary

Question 14

The concept of sustainable development includes _______________

A)convenience and global economic improvements
B)the needs of future generations
C)the importance of developing the arts
D)each nation being sovereign over its own resources,to be used as its citizens deem appropriate
E)growth in profits from international trade

Question 15

Ecosystem services _______________

A)are economically valuable services provided by natural systems
B)are valuable to natural systems but not to human -created systems
C)are required to rebalance natural systems that we have disturbed
D)contribute to keeping ecosystems productive
E)are actions humans must take in order to protect and serve ecological systems

Question 16

To determine your specific impacts on the environment,you can _______________

A)determine your environmental handprint
B)calculate the biodiversity of your local community
C)calculate your ecological footprint
D)measure local air pollution and its impacts on your health
E)determine your community's impact on water quality in a nearby river

Question 17

You have read about the mistakes made on Easter Island.On Tikopia,a small island in the Solomon Islands,the people acted in other ways.When they realized that the pigs they had imported were damaging the environment,they killed them all.They had to have permission from a chief to fish,which prevented overfishing.They also practiced contraception.These actions all indicate that _______________

A)they felt that everything was a nonrenewable resource
B)they believed in full resource utilization
C)they felt that everything was a renewable resource
D)they were concerned with only one year at a time
E)they were attempting to enact sustainability

Question 18

Which of the following BEST embodies the qualities of a scientific theory?

A)Squirrels in central Illinois prefer to build their nests in oak trees instead of hickory trees.
B)Dangerous wildfires in California could be avoided by better fire prevention strategies.
C)All gases,liquids,and solids consist of atoms.
D)Students who study for their environmental science exams will perform better on those exams than those who do not.
E)Prairies that have larges herds of bison show greater plant diversity than prairies without bison.

Question 19

An environmental scientist is least likely to be involved with which of the following?

A)studying X -ray emissions for evidence of black holes
B)studying the relationship between soil fungi and aspen trees in areas that are being restored after oil sand mining
C)helping a rancher determine the best ways to rotate herds of cattle to reduce erosion
D)determining the best fuel to generate electricity for a growing city in Arizona
E)launching NASA satellites that monitor changes in carbon dioxide production on Earth

Question 20

Roberto lives near a wind farm and is wondering about the environmental effects of the wind turbines.He _______________ that the turbines make a sound like faint airplane engines and also that there are far fewer meadowlarks living near the windfarm than lived there before the windfarm was built.

A)observes
B)hypothesizes
C)guesses
D)predicts
E)theorizes

Question 21

Compare and contrast the types of knowledge gained and the research methods of natural and social sciences when considering environmental problems.Why do both types of disciplines need to be a part of environmental science?

Question 22

You are hired by a pesticide company to determine whether its new pesticide ("Zap -em") is effective at controlling soybean aphids, an invasive species that costs American farmers millions of dollars a year in crop damage and control costs. Describe an experiment you would perform to test the effectiveness of Zap -em.

Question 23

What type of graph would be best for showing the relationship between two quantitative variables?

A)statistics table
B)pie chart
C)data table
D)scatter plot
E)bar graph

Question 24

A study's results are deemed worthy of acceptance into the body of scientific knowledge if they are published in journals which _______________

A)conform to current political and religious views
B)use the peer review process
C)meet guidelines advocated by environmentalists or consumer groups
D)charge a high fee for acceptance
E)are funded by corporations financing the research

Question 25

In a controlled experiment, _______________.

A)the researcher controls for the effects of all variables except one
B)the researcher knows the outcome before beginning the experiment
C)the researcher has several hypotheses,one of which will be proven correct
D)you need only a single experimental organism which is tested again and again
E)the researcher controls for the effects of only one variable

Question 26

Discuss the differences between a manipulative experiment and a natural experiment.

Question 27

Which of the following actions would increase the size of a person's ecological footprint?

A)turning down the thermostat in the winter
B)planting a vegetable garden
C)moving out of mom and dad's basement into one's own house
D)installing a photovoltaic solar panel on one's roof
E)taking public transportation instead of driving

Question 28

All of the following are examples of quantitative data EXCEPT _______________

A)the amount of sleep normally gotten by the students in a class
B)the number of siblings that students have
C)the gender of the students in a class
D)the cholesterol levels of the students in a class
E)the exam scores for the students in a class

Question 29

What type of graph would be best for showing means for several different treatments?

A)line graph
B)pie chart
C)scatter plot
D)bar graph
E)data table

Question 30

Use the assessment tool at www.ecologicalfootprint.com or some other website that calculates your ecological footprint to calculate your ecological footprint. Once you determine the factors that evaluate your use of water, energy, waste disposal, transportation, and food consumption, use the results of your specific ecological footprint to determine three specific actions you can take to reduce the size of your ecological footprint. Make sure that your specific actions each fit into a different category (water, energy, waste, transportation, and food). Summarize your assessment.

Question 31

When does peer review occur during the scientific process?

A)after the paper (manuscript)is written and before it is published
B)during the statistical analysis of the data collected
C)during the research phase of a project
D)after the research is complete and before the paper (manuscript)is written
E)after the paper (manuscript)is published

Question 32

Differentiate between environmental science and environmentalism.Define each term and explain how they are similar and how they differ.

Question 33

Which of the following lists the steps of the scientific method in correct order?

A)Hypothesis -Prediction -Questions -Observations -Test -Results
B)Hypothesis -Prediction -Questions -Test -Observations -Results
C)Observations -Questions -Hypothesis -Prediction -Test -Results
D)Questions -Observations -Prediction -Hypothesis -Test -Results
E)Questions -Prediction -Hypothesis -Observations -Test -Results

Question 34

What qualities are present in an endeavor that is sustainable?

Question 35

Why is it important to understand our interactions with the environment? What will studying environmental science enable you to do?