Deck 21: Earth and the Human Denominator

Question 1

The most populous country on Earth is

A)Brazil.
B)China.
C)India.
D)Indonesia.
E)Malaysia

Answer 1

B

Question 2

It is estimated that,after 2011,Earth will have added another billion people by the year

A)2020.
B)2025.
C)2032.
D)2038.
E)2058

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Americans and Canadians use ________ times as much energy per capita as ________.

A)2 Europeans
B)2 Africans
C)30 Asians
D)10 Africans
E)15 Latin Americans

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The second-most populous country on Earth is

A)Brazil.
B)China.
C)India.
D)Indonesia.
E)Malaysia

Question 5

Earth's population has not yet reached seven billion.

Question 6

Approximately ________ percent of the planet's population is under age 15.

A)18
B)24
C)27
D)40
E)45

Question 7

Based on the amount of resources available,it should be possible to provide the same standard of living for everyone on the planet if the appropriate economic conditions exist.

Question 8

Chapter 21 is titled "Earth and the Human Denominator" in recognition of human society's pervasive influence and impact on Earth's natural and physical systems.

Question 9

Because pollution does not stop at political boundaries,international cooperation is required to solve Earth's environmental problems.In other words,"we are all in this together."

Question 10

Currently,the average natural increase of human population is about ________ percent.

A)1)2
B)1)9
C)2)3
D)2)8

Question 11

Earth is now adding another billion people roughly every ________ years.

A)12
B)21
C)28
D)33

Question 12

Which of the following is true regarding human population?

A)we are currently adding the equivalent of the U.S.population every year.
B)there are more people alive today than at any other time in history.
C)world population will double in 10 years if the growth rate does not change.
D)twenty percent of all the people on Earth live in either China or India.
E)The majority of growth is in the MDCs.

Question 13

According to the text,who should speak for Earth?

A)economists
B)military leaders for nuclear superpowers
C)physical geographers and other scientists who study the natural world
D)politicians

Question 14

Which of the following accurately characterizes humanity's current situation?

A)we do not yet have enough information about the natural world to make informed decisions about how to deal with most environmental problems.
B)we are faced with a plethora of environmental problems that threaten the integrity of many ecosystems-as well as our own well-being and we seem to lack the foresight to acknowledge the longterm costs.
C)collectively,we are doing a good job dealing with the problems we are creating.
D)we have acknowledged the major impact that we,as a species,have made to the planet and are taking steps to deal with it.

Question 15

Which of the following regions has the highest per-capita energy use?

A)North America
B)Asia
C)Europe
D)South America
E)Australasia

Question 16

Which of the following is correct in describing the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill?

A)The spill killed over 50 sea otters,300 birds.
B)It involved 10 million liters of oil.
C)The oil spilled from a double-hulled,modern tanker on an assigned route.
D)Complete clean up of the spill is impossible,and scientists are still finding residual oil.
E)It contaminated and ruined portions of 240 km of coastline.

Question 17

Which of the following are the variables of the planetary impact equation?

A)population,affluence and technology
B)affluence,technology and education level
C)technology,education level and population
D)education level,population and affluence

Question 18

Scientists should

A)limit their activities to studying nature and not deal with the practical and ethical implications of their findings.
B)inform people of the consequences of certain types of actions so that humanity can avoid hurting or destroying itself and the biosphere.
C)tell their students exactly who to vote for in various elections in order to implement their agenda.
D)have a direct line to government leaders to inform them of consequences to political decisions.

Question 19

A map of visible oil slicks worldwide demonstrates that

A)the Exxon Valdez oil spill was an isolated event.
B)some 10 000 accidents occur each year worldwide.
C)spills are generally spread around and not concentrated along normal shipping lanes.
D)the slicks are focused around Europe and North America and not Africa.
E)there are never spills in the open ocean.

Question 20

In the fall of 2011,Earth's population reached

A)five billion.
B)six billion.
C)seven billion.
D)eight billion.
E)ten billion

Question 21

Carl Sagan asked "who speaks for Earth".Who does speak for Earth? Who does not have a voice? Discuss the unique qualifications of physical geographers to speak for Earth.Using examples from the text,show how physical geographer's synthesize content from across the disciplines to create holistic understanding.

Question 22

The developed world with its smaller population has comparatively little impact on the planet's resources and environment.

Question 23

Write an essay on human oil consumption and the pollution caused by it.

Question 24

Write an essay in which you examine the growth of human population.Include in your essay an analysis of likely trends in population growth and what this will mean for planet Earth.

Question 25

According to the text,what factors led to the Exxon Valdez accident.Was it an isolated incident? Relate that spill to the total volume of annual oil spills.What could be done differently to avoid spills in the future?

Question 26

Define and describe the I=PAT equation.Assess the relative impacts of the inhabitants of More Developed Countries (MDCs)and Less Developed Countries (LDCs).Which group has a larger population? Which group has a larger planetary impact and by how much?

Question 27

You have been invited to address the next Earth Summit on one of the following themes: global climate change biological diversity forest conservation and management arctic climate change or renewable energy and energy conservation.Using information from the text,present your findings about the past and present conditions,as well as possible future outlooks,and your recommendations regarding one of these issues.

Question 28

World population is projected to reach 8 billion by 2012.

Question 29

List the "twelve paradigms for the twenty-first century" presented in chapter 21 of the text.

Question 30

China and India together account for a little more than half of the human population.

Question 31

Each year we add more than 70 000 000 people to Earth.

Question 32

Carl Sagan asked,"Who speaks for Earth?" Give an answer as to who does,who doesn't,who should,and why they should.

Question 33

Discuss 5 of the "12 Paradigms for the century".Which do you feel is most important? If you were going to add a ,what would you add and why do you feel it is important?

Question 34

Most population growth is in less-developed countries.