Deck 9: Food and Hunger

Question 1

Undernourished parents often raise children who are undernourished because the parents

A) Transfer genetic deficiencies to their children.
B) Do not know any better.
C) Cannot afford to feed their children properly.
D) Do not have access to the information about nutrition.
E) All of these are reasons for the vicious cycle.

Answer 1

Cannot afford to feed their children properly.

Question 2

The locavore movement

A) entails the consumption of local foods.
B) tends to be less energy consumptive.
C) is based on the consumption of raw foods.
D) entails the consumption of local foods and tends to be less energy consumptive.
E) entails the consumption of local foods, tends to be less energy consumptive, and is based on the consumption of raw foods.

Answer 2

entails the consumption of local foods and tends to be less energy consumptive.

Question 3

Vitamin A deficiencies

A) can cause blindness.
B) are rarely detected, as they have no immediate effects.
C) are no longer common.

Answer 3

can cause blindness.

Question 4

Genetic modification refers to the process of

A) moving genes from one type of organism to another.
B) carefully selecting pollinators for crop plants.
C) creating synthetic genes for favorable traits.
D) breeding organisms for favorable traits.

Question 5

Two widespread protein deficiency diseases are

A) kwashiorkor and anemia.
B) kwashiorkor and marasmus.

Question 6

Genetically modified crops are created by inserting genetic material from one species into another.

Question 7

Malnourishment

A) refers to the condition of being chronically undernourished.
B) means lacking in certain specific dietary components.
C) is a condition suffered by nearly 20% of the world's population.
D) All of these choices are correct

Question 8

Globally, women control only a tiny fraction of land, primarily because they play such a minimal role in food production.

Question 9

Food security refers to

A) the efforts a nation expends to protect its food resources from invasions by other countries.
B) the ability to obtain sufficient food on a day-to-day basis.
C) the individuals who distribute food in underdeveloped nations.
D) the fact that there is not enough food for the global population.

Question 10

The amount of antibiotics used in feedlot meat production raises the concern of creating antibiotic-resistant diseases.

Question 11

Below a caloric intake of _______ kcal per day, on average, a person is considered chronically undernourished.

A) 2,200
B) 3,200
C) 4,200
D) 1,200

Question 12

World food production is losing ground, unable to keep up with our growing population.

Question 13

A diet inadequate in iron produces a condition called

A) scurvy.
B) kwashiorkor.
C) marasmus.
D) anemia.

Question 14

The three crops that provide the majority of humanity's nutrients and calories are

A) cassava, corn, and rice.
B) corn, beans, and potatoes.
C) wheat, rice, and corn.
D) corn, soybeans, and barley.

Question 15

People inadequately fed are especially vulnerable to death from disease.

Question 16

The most common dietary problem in rich countries is

A) iron deficiency.
B) overeating.
C) inadequate intake of vitamins.
D) inadequate intake of minerals.

Question 17

New revisions in the food pyramid recommend

A) increasing consumption of red meat.
B) increasing consumption of dairy products like milk, ice cream, and cheese.
C) increasing consumption of carbohydrates like rice, pasta, and potatoes.
D) increasing consumption of nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Question 18

Genes for natural pesticides that are toxic to potato bugs have recently been transferred into potato plants making the plants lethal to these bugs. A main concern is that

A) these genes will escape from potatoes and disrupt other natural ecosystem functions.
B) these genes will mutate to become lethal to the potato plants that contain them.
C) natural selection will rapidly produce strains of potato bugs that are immune to the toxin in the plant.
D) the cost to farmers will exceed the benefits.

Question 19

It is difficult for a society to recover from a famine because people often deplete their means of food production in an effort to stay alive.

Question 20

Transgenic plants are those that have had genes from other organisms incorporated into their cells.

Question 21

A drawback of aquaculture in net pens is ______________.

A) increased feces and waste in localized shoreline area.
B) increased disease transmission between the farmed fish and the native fish in the area.
C) escape of exotic species into new ecosystems.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 22

Increases in maize and soy production have led to _________.

A) the removal of government farm subsidy programs.
B) an increased consumption of meat.
C) an increase in healthy grain products at a reduced cost.
D) cheap ethanol fuel.

Question 23

Food aid policies of rich nations can exacerbate famine and hunger problems in poor nations because

A) the local farmers of the poor nation are forced out of business by the free or cheap food and the economy cannot stabilize properly.
B) it robs the government of the poor country of valuable tax revenue.
C) it causes no problems.
D) it creates more fighting over food.

Question 24

Which of the following does NOT describe the status of the world's wild fisheries?

A) Overharvesting threatens the fisheries.
B) Subsidies are necessary to make the fisheries profitable.
C) Fish farming has allowed some wild fish to recover worldwide.
D) Habitat destruction threatens the fisheries.
E) All of these describe the status of wild fisheries.

Question 25

Which of the following can drive up food costs?

A) Futures markets
B) Non-food end use of commodity crops, such as ethanol production from maize
C) Exporting food for higher profits
D) Floods, droughts, and storms
E) All of these can cause increases in the price of food.

Question 26

Obesity affects primarily

A) island nations.
B) wealthy, developed nations.
C) poor, developing nations.
D) sub-Saharan Africa.

Question 27

Globally, how much of the produced cereals (grains) are fed to livestock?

A) 1/10
B) 1/4
C) 1/3
D) 1/2

Question 28

____ percent of adult Americans are overweight.

A) 23
B) 40
C) 80
D) 64
E) 90

Question 29

Anemia is a common disease resulting from a shortage of dietary

A) Protein
B) Iodine
C) Iron
D) Vitamin A
E) Folic acid

Question 30

People can suffer malnourishment if they consume large amounts of ______ instead of _______.

A) Fat and sugar; vitamins and protein
B) Proteins; carbohydrates
C) Vitamins; protein
D) Proteins and minerals; vitamins
E) Fiber; processed foods

Question 31

Vitamin A deficiencies are associated with

A) Anemia
B) Weak bones
C) A lack of energy, or listlessness
D) Poorly developed neural systems in embryos
E) Blindness

Question 32

Most of the livestock grown in North America are

A) Confined in CAFOs.
B) Held in pasture year-round.
C) Kept in pastures during the day and barns at night.
D) Kept in pastures during the summer and barns during the winter.
E) Exported to Europe after slaughter.

Question 33

People who subsist on starchy foods, such as cassava, potatoes, and white rice

A) Often receive insufficient protein.
B) Are usually severely overweight.
C) Have the healthiest possible diet.
D) Are sure to meet all their nutritional needs.
E) Are usually suffering from goiter.

Question 34

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

Question 35

Famines are most often serious when there is

A) A very serious drought.
B) No room to expand agriculture.
C) Steady population growth.
D) Armed conflict and political oppression.
E) An attempt by indigenous people to return to old traditions and lands.

Question 36

An important role of the CRP is to

A) Pay for research and development of irrigation systems for farmlands.
B) Bring new land into production for agriculture.
C) Regulate rotation of croplands.
D) Pay farmers to take highly erodible land out of production.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 37

The three crops that humans rely on for the majority of nutrients and calories are

A) Potatoes, wheat, and oats
B) Wheat, rice, and maize
C) Barley, oats, and rye
D) Maize, oats, and rice
E) Oats, beans, and barley

Question 38

Most humans rely on just a few of the world's animal and plant species for food because only a few

A) Are edible.
B) Are available.
C) Have been discovered.
D) Food types are what we are accustomed to eating.
E) All of these are true.

Question 39

If fishing demands continue at the current rate, by which year will the world's major fisheries collapse?

A) 2075
B) 2100
C) 2050
D) 2125

Question 40

Food security has to do with

A) A country's dependence on cash crop exports.
B) Preventing wars over diminishing food supplies.
C) The ability of a population to obtain food on a day-to-day basis.
D) The total volume of food a country imports.
E) The total volume of aid a country receives.

Question 41

Agricultural (farm) subsidies are especially effective in helping preserve small "family farms."

Question 42

What percentage of processed food in the U.S. contains a GMO ingredient?

A) 50%
B) 0%, GMO's are outlawed in food.
C) 80%
D) 60%

Question 43

Buying shade grown coffee and cocoa has a minimal effect on local ecosystems where they are grown.

Question 44

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 more 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.

Question 45

Agricultural cropland is shrinking worldwide.

Question 46

High responder crops of the green revolution produce tremendous yields

A) Even in severe drought conditions.
B) With primitive farming techniques and no chemical use.
C) In response to fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation.
D) In all conditions where standard crops fail.
E) Even in severe drought conditions and with primitive farming techniques and no chemical use.

Question 47

The first genetically modified animal for human consumption is a salmon with extra growth hormones. Which of the following is NOT a concern about this animal?

A) They will probably outcompete wild salmon for mates.
B) Eating this fish will add extra hormones into our diet.
C) They will probably outcompete wild salmon for food.
D) They will probably outcompete wild salmon for habitat.
E) These are all worries about the GM salmon.

Question 48

One of the ecological benefits associated with aquaculture is the organic material generated from the aquaculture tanks. The nutrients increase the health and productivity of the surrounding natural ecosystem.

Question 49

Worldwide, traditional, and native varieties of food crops have __________ since the introduction of green revolution varieties.

A) Become more widespread
B) Stayed about the same in terms of use
C) Been slightly influenced by new varieties
D) Been widely replaced by new varieties
E) Spread from region to region, leading to increased diversity

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of GMO crops?

A) Pest resistance
B) Herbicide resistance
C) Disease resistance
D) Drought resistance
E) Pollen containing the engineered gene spreading to other crops that do not contain the engineered gene, making them stronger.

Question 51

Chronically undernourished people's diets do not provide 2,200 kcal per day on a long-term basis.

Question 52

U.S. farm subsidies allow crops to be sold at an average of ____________________.

A) 10% below the cost of production.
B) 20% below the cost of production.
C) only 5% above the cost of production.
D) 35% below the cost of production.

Question 53

The Harvard food pyramid recommends 6-11 servings of bread, rice, cereal, and pasta.

Question 54

Consider the following statement: Geneticists working in genetic recombination are technological optimists. In your explanation, discuss why this statement is true. Describe genetic recombination and technological optimists, and provide supporting evidence.