Deck 1: Philosophy and Fundamental Concepts

Question 1

What is uniformitarianism?

A)a uniform method by which science is conducted
B)a concept that states that present processes operated in the past, at similar rates
C)a concept stating that environmental conditions in the past were the same as those of today
D)a method by which the uniformity of population growth is assessed

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Because human population is becoming quite large, the doubling time for population has decreased.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

An open system exchanges energy and materials with its surroundings.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The concept of environmental unity states that one action causes subsequent actions in linked systems.

Question 5

What does the concept of environmental unity state?

A)One action leads to subsequent actions in linked systems.
B)All humans live on Gaia, and therefore we are subject to the same environment.
C)All people on Earth agree on the nature of and solutions to environmental problems.
D)All systems are related to one another.

Question 6

What is Earth systems science?

A)the study of the entire planet as a system of interrelated components
B)the study of the atmosphere
C)the study of population growth on Earth
D)the study of physical systems on the Earth's surface

Question 7

How does an open system contrast with a closed system?

A)An open system is open to scientific scrutiny, while a closed system is not.
B)An open system is able to convert energy from one form to another, while a closed system is not able to do so.
C)An open system is prone to collapse, while a closed system is typically more sustainable in the long term.
D)An open system exchanges energy and/or materials with its surroundings, while a closed system does not.

Question 8

The scientific method begins with the development of a theory, which is then tested.

Question 9

What is exponential growth?

A)growth that occurs at a constant rate
B)growth that is logarithmic in nature
C)growth that occurs as a constant percentage of the existing amount
D)growth that doubles the existing number

Question 10

The principle of uniformitarianism can be extended to prediction of future natural hazards.

Question 11

A closed system is not amenable to scientific scrutiny.

Question 12

What has caused the Aral Sea to shrink dramatically over the past 40 years?

A)global climate change
B)water diversions in streams feeding the sea
C)excessive growth of shoreline plants due to excessive agricultural fertilizer runoff
D)extremely high evaporation rates

Question 13

What is a theory?

A)a possible explanation for a set of observations
B)a hypothesis that has withstood extensive testing
C)a set of ideas that unifies a field of inquiry
D)an idea that is based only on logical thought

Question 14

Earth systems science depends on the validity of the Gaia hypothesis.

Question 15

How are the impacts of natural hazards linked to population growth?

A)Population growth concentrates people and resources, such that the impacts of an individual natural hazard can be greater.
B)Population growth changes the rates of geologic processes, in turn changing the frequency of hazardous events.
C)Population growth weakens societal defenses against natural hazards.
D)Natural hazards strongly influence population growth.

Question 16

What is the Gaia hypothesis?

A)a hypothesis that states the Earth is alive
B)the concept of environmental unity
C)the hypothesis lying at the root of uniformitarianism
D)a set of hypotheses that likens the Earth to a superorganism with interrelated, mutually adjusting systems

Question 17

What is sustainability?

A)development that can be sustained for at least ten years
B)the ability of a population to sustain its growth
C)the ability of a population to sustain its economy
D)development that ensures that future generations will have equal access to the resources that our planet offers

Question 18

Why is human population growth often considered the foremost environmental problem?

A)The Earth will run out of open land space within the next 50 years.
B)Increasing population strains resources and creates additional wastes.
C)There is no way to provide food for additional people.
D)There is insufficient oxygen production on Earth for more than 10 billion people.

Question 19

What is average residence time?

A)the average time required for the total stock of a material to be cycled through a system
B)the average time that a human population can stay in an area before environmental conditions force them to move
C)the average time required for an open system to convert to a closed system
D)the average time for a system to run out of energy

Question 20

Ducktown, Tennessee, suffered extreme environmental modification due to a large earthquake in 1811.

Question 21

________ growth implies that a constant percentage of humans are added each year.

Question 22

A(n) ________ system is one that exchanges energy and/or materials with its surroundings.

Question 23

The society of ________ Island was destroyed by environmental degradation.

Question 24

The approach of Earth systems science maintains that application of technological systems is the best means to address environmental degradation.

Question 25

Large-scale ________ of Earth materials will be required to meet future resource demands.

Question 26

The health of the Aral Sea has become compromised by extensive aquatic pollution.

Question 27

________ analysis evaluates change in open systems by examining the relative rates at which materials enter and leave a system.

Question 28

The ________ suggests that scientific certainty is not necessary in order to address a serious environmental problem.

Question 29

Previous environmental degradation led to catastrophe in the 2010 earthquake in ________.

Question 30

The maximum number of people Earth can hold without causing prohibitive environmental degradation is called ________.

Question 31

Humans evolved during the ________ Epoch of geologic time.

Question 32

Environmental geology is particularly concerned with ________ geologic time.

Question 33

________, a principle proposed by James Hutton in 1785, is often summarized in the phrase, "the present is the key to the past."

Question 34

The law of ________ states that rocks with similar fossils are most likely of a similar geologic age.

Question 35

Humans are causing rapid extinction, leading to a reduction in biodiversity.

Question 36

The principle of ________ states that one action leads to subsequent actions in linked systems.

Question 37

The concept of a land ethic maintains that we are responsible to the entire environment, not just to humans.

Question 38

A(n) ________ is a hypothesis that has withstood testing through a sufficient number of experiments.

Question 39

________ is helping natural hazards to become catastrophes.