Deck 14: Whats That Smell the Environmental Crisis

Question 1

The impact of society on the environment is described as

A) carbon footprint.
B) human damage.
C) environmental stress.
D) climate change.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The United States and China are

A) the largest energy consumers in the world and the largest contributors to the production of gasses which contribute to global warming.
B) leading international efforts to reverse global warming.
C) the most energy efficient nations in the world.
D) in opposition with each other about whether or not to address climate change.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What is climate change?

A) Broad changes taking place on Earth related to global warming, changes in growing seasons, and rising sea levels.
B) A political campaign to prioritize environmental protections.
C) Normal and periodic adjustments that occur on Earth and vary at consistent intervals.
D) The variation across different climates and regions of the Earth.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is the top reason for climate change?

A) Normal planetary variations
B) Burning of fossil fuels
C) Methane-producing livestock
D) Consumerism

Question 5

Experts estimate that the global temperature is about _____ centigrade above what it was in our preindustrial days. A rise in _____ centigrade can cause severe storms, more acid rain, which kills coral and disrupts the food chain and melts the polar ice caps.

A) 0.5 degrees ; 1 degrees
B) 1.0 degrees ; 1.5 degrees
C) 1.5 degrees ; 2 degrees
D) 2.0 degrees ; 3 degrees

Question 6

What are the results of melting ice caps?

A) Dramatic rise in sea level, wiping out islands
B) Disruption of coastal wildlife and food chain
C) Less deflection of the sun's rays, raising temperatures
D) All of the above

Question 7

What is cap and trade policy?

A) Capacity agreements on the total weight of imports and exports for a given country.
B) Credits traded across governments for overall emissions of pollutants compared to each nation's productivity and exports.
C) A progressive heavy fine and remediation system for countries exceeding their agreed upon limits in overall emissions of pollutants.
D) Governments set a limit on overall emissions of pollutants and then let the market determine how industry would respond.

Question 8

What is the first goal of the Green New Deal policy proposal?

A) To dramatically reduce the carbon footprints and overall consumption of all American households.
B) To increase taxation of all fossil fuel burning industries.
C) To reduce climate change by working towards net-zero emissions of pollutants.
D) To halt all industrial/manufacturing pollution.

Question 9

What is the second goal of the Green New Deal policy proposal?

A) To socialize all public utilities so that the government controls all energy production and use.
B) To remedy societal problems like economic inequality and racial injustice through better protections as well as training and investments in clean energy.
C) To dramatically reduce the carbon footprints and overall consumption of all American households.
D) All of the above

Question 10

Since deforestation began, we have lost nearly _____ of the Earth's trees and a large portion of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed.

A) one-tenth
B) one-fifth
C) one-third
D) half

Question 11

Deforestation is a major problem primarily because

A) it reduces the amount of plant life to remove pollutants from the atmosphere via photosynthesis.
B) the process of removing trees itself emits high levels of pollutants.
C) it harms the habitats of nearby residents and wildlife.
D) there is a constant need for more wood and paper which are not renewable resources.

Question 12

What is smog?

A) Brown cloud in urban areas primarily due to vehicle exhaust.
B) A combination of nitrogen oxides, organic compounds (such as paint, cleaning products, and refrigerants), and sunlight.
C) Pollutants emitted from factories and production plants.
D) Smoke and fumes from deforestation efforts.

Question 13

In addition to affecting air quality, smog can reduce efficiency of photosynthesis by

A) 10%.
B) 20%.
C) about 1/3.
D) up to 50%.

Question 14

Approximately _____ of the world's population suffers from serious water shortages.

A) 20%
B) 40%
C) 60%
D) 80%

Question 15

The Flint, Michigan, crisis is a reminder of

A) how fragile the water supply is for most people.
B) how quickly environmental issues can be solved once detected.
C) the harmful effects of acid rain.
D) all of the above.

Question 16

Rain and irrigation can cause the nitrates and phosphates in chemical fertilizers to leach into rivers and lakes, resulting in

A) acid rain.
B) drought.
C) biological magnification.
D) algae blooms.

Question 17

As factories and nuclear power plants release water and other substances into surrounding rivers and lakes, they can increase the temperature of the water by a devastating amount. This is known as

A) thermal pollution.
B) biological magnification.
C) water toxification.
D) hydroheating.

Question 18

Agricultural water practices use a tremendous amount of fresh water and

A) are generally positive for the health of the water supply.
B) contribute greatly to the problem of water pollution.
C) have little to no impact on the health of the water supply.
D) provide environmental protection through technological advances creating healthy algae blooms and biological magnification.

Question 19

In March, 1989, the Exxon Valdez collided with an ocean reef near Alaska spilling more than 10 million gallons of oil. This is an example of

A) land pollution.
B) air pollution.
C) industrial release and water pollution.
D) corporate malfeasance.

Question 20

During the Gulf War in 1991, Kuwait experienced one of the first times in military history where a natural resource and specifically pollution was used as a tactic of war by way of

A) oil release and burning.
B) Agent Orange herbicidal warfare.
C) chemical weapons systems.
D) intentional deforestation and burning.

Question 21

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018 the U.S. generated about _____ million tons of municipal solid waste, which was an increase from the approximately _____ million tons in 2017 and _____ million in 1990.

A) 445 ; 398 ; 266
B) 292 ; 268 ; 208
C) 268 ; 205 ; 182
D) 180 ; 144; 97

Question 22

Americans generate about

A) 4.9 pounds of waste per person per day.
B) 4.9 pounds of waste per person per week.
C) 11.3 pounds of waste per person per day.
D) 11.3 pounds of waste per person per week.

Question 23

What are the 4 largest types of items in US solid waste?

A) Newspaper, food scraps, aluminium, and pet waste
B) Mail packaging, old linens, food scraps, and pet waste
C) Mail packaging, junk household items, glass products, and yard trimmings
D) Paper, food waste, plastics, and yard trimmings

Question 24

What comprises the largest proportion of US solid waste?

A) Food waste
B) Junk household items
C) Plastics
D) Paper

Question 25

What percentage of US solid waste was recycled in 2018?

A) 38.7%
B) 23.6%
C) 18.0%
D) 14.4%

Question 26

What proportion of US solid waste was composted in 2018?

A) 18.5%
B) 12.1%
C) 8.5%
D) 2.5%

Question 27

US landfills for solid waste are

A) easy to find more space for, as needed.
B) fully available and well-designed.
C) welcomed by communities to be located close to neighborhoods.
D) reaching capacity and difficult to expand or relocate.

Question 28

Groundwater contamination is

A) linked to agricultural use of water and pesticides and fertilizers.
B) the presence of toxins in the soil and groundwater from landfills, plastics, and metals.
C) part of a cycle of pollution with smog and acid rain.
D) rare and not very harmful.

Question 29

Why are metals particularly difficult to dispose of safely?

A) Chemical released when burned.
B) Many sharp edges.
C) Due to their magnetic properties that can disrupt soil.
D) Because of their lead content that can contaminate groundwater and soil.

Question 30

Nuclear power was at one time thought to be the solution to our energy problems; however,

A) it is unsustainably expensive.
B) it causes more environmental issues than other energy sources.
C) it is extremely difficult to safely store and maintain.
D) people are too fearful of using it.

Question 31

How much of US electricity is produced by nuclear power plants?

A) 0%
B) 10%
C) 20%
D) 40%

Question 32

Nuclear core reactor fuel that is spent must be stored for _____ before it becomes harmless.

A) 50 years
B) 100 years
C) 200 years
D) 1,000 years

Question 33

To date, the U.S. has over _____ metric tons of spent nuclear fuel and other nuclear wastes.

A) 20,000
B) 90,000
C) 155,000
D) 320,000

Question 34

The most noted US example of a nuclear disaster occurred in _____ where fuel overheated and roughly half the reactor's core melted.

A) 1979 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania
B) 1962 in Area 51 U.S. Air Force Facility, Nevada
C) 1945 at nuclear testing site, Amchitka Island
D) 1961 Idaho Falls, Idaho explosion at National Reactor Testing Station

Question 35

Ten years after the Fukushima, Japan, nuclear catastrophe

A) all traces of radiation are gone form the area.
B) daily life and nuclear energy production have resumed.
C) all of the impacted seawater has been decontaminated.
D) the damage is still being assessed and clean-up plans are being debated.

Question 36

What pattern has researched revealed in the location of landfills, toxic waste facilities and areas that have been contaminated by pollutants?

A) These sites tend to be located in rural areas which then require increased transportation costs.
B) Property values in these areas tend to stagnate but not crash.
C) These sites are disproportionately located near low-income and minority neighborhoods.
D) Research has not revealed any pattern in location of these sites.

Question 37

This is the systemic exclusion and discrimination faced by US racial and ethnic minorities regarding environmental protection, policy, and practices.

A) Biological magnification
B) EPA imbalance
C) Critical race environmental studies
D) Environmental racism

Question 38

One example of evidence of environmental racism is

A) White people are less likely to recycle than other groups.
B) people living in poverty are exposed to more pollutants than people with higher income levels.
C) minoritized people are much more likely to live near polluters and breathe polluted air.
D) all of the above.

Question 39

What is particulate matter that has been found to lead to serious health problems?

A) Atmospheric smog produced by industrial manufacturing and landfills.
B) Toxins in the air from automobile fumes, smog, soot, smoke, ash, and construction dust.
C) That which is inhaled due to tobacco or marijuana smoking or second-hand smoke.
D) Chemicals produced from drinking contaminated water or eating food from contaminated groundwater or soil.

Question 40

Which theory emphasizes that as it relates to environmental problems such as pollution, if people believe that dramatic changes are necessary to our use of natural resources, they will work to promote behavioral changes as well as social policies that make conservation a priority?

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict Theory
C) Symbolic Interactionism
D) Environmental Sociology

Question 41

Which theory emphasizes that a global level, because the environmental problems are everyone's problems, such challenges forces countries to work together to find common solutions?

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict Theory
C) Symbolic Interactionism
D) Environmental Sociology

Question 42

With its emphasis on addressing social injustice, The Green New Deal is relevant for this sociological approach to the environment.

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict Theory
C) Symbolic Interactionism
D) Environmental Sociology

Question 43

These theorists posit that inherent to capitalism is the belief that pollution and resource overuse are not as important as profit and are indeed necessary evils.

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict Theory
C) Symbolic Interactionism
D) Environmental Sociology

Question 44

Because the scientific community has not definitively determined the extent of the climate change problem and the future outcome, this perspective helps us to understand why it is difficult to garner public and political consensus.

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict Theory
C) Symbolic Interactionism
D) Environmental Sociology

Question 45

This academic subfield studies interactions between societies and their natural environments.

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict Theory
C) Symbolic Interactionism
D) Environmental Sociology

Question 46

What is one key line of thinking for addressing climate change?

A) Ban plastics use
B) Ecosystem restoration via forestry and agricultural practices
C) Eliminate personal gas-reliant vehicles
D) Halt beef and dairy production

Question 47

Covering city lands with vegetation of any kind is known as the creation of

A) community gardens.
B) vegetation co-ops.
C) urban green spaces.
D) open spaces.

Question 48

One specific and realistic way that individuals might consider contributing to reducing environmental stress is

A) becoming vegetarian or vegan.
B) relying solely on public transportation.
C) taking on a zero-waste one-year challenge.
D) reducing single-use plastics such as drinking straws.

Question 49

There is evidence that the amount of plastic dumped into landfills and the ocean can be reduced by as much as _____, provided there are mechanisms created to encourage reusing and recycling plastic products.

A) 50%
B) 40%
C) 30%
D) 20%

Question 50

Which of the following is not one of the ways suggested in the chapter that individuals could contribute to environmental change?

A) Carry reusable plastic bags.
B) Volunteer in community clean-up events.
C) Bury or burn waste in your own backyard.
D) Become active in improved efforts by local government regarding recycling efforts.