Deck 5: Population, environment, and Food

Question 1

Advocates of the agricultural modernization perspective argue that:

A)world hunger is caused by low productivity levels associated with traditional agricultural practices.
B)the faster population grows,the less food is available to other people.
C)population growth has little to no effect on environmental degradation.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Answer 1

world hunger is caused by low productivity levels associated with traditional agricultural practices.

Question 2

Thomas Malthus made which of the following predictions about human populations?

A)A fixed land base is the most important determinant of population size.
B)Limited capital and labor is the most important determinant of population size.
C)Because human populations increase geometrically,resources will be overused and the value of human labor will go down.
D)Increases in the food supply will ultimately lift people out of poverty and improve their standard of living.

Answer 2

Because human populations increase geometrically,resources will be overused and the value of human labor will go down.

Question 3

Middle tier global food consumers typically are:

A)malnourished because they do not eat enough beef.
B)unhealthy meat eaters who consume a high fat diet.
C)healthy because they eat a meat-based diet.
D)grain eaters who consume a mostly plant-based diet.

Answer 3

grain eaters who consume a mostly plant-based diet.

Question 4

United Nations demographers predict that which one of the following cities will be the largest by the year 2025?

A)Mexico City
B)New York
C)Beijing
D)Tokyo

Question 5

Which of the following are assumptions of the demographic transition model?

A)Medical advances that controlled epidemic diseases reduced mortality.
B)Industrialization improved agricultural production,and allowed the economic base to support more people.
C)Urbanization changed the family institution so that children came to be seen as an economic liability instead of an asset.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 6

Agroecology is associated with:

A)nonsustainable agricultural practices.
B)intensive use of herbicides and pesticides.
C)diversity,interdependence,and synergy to improve productivity.
D)industrial intensive agriculture.

Question 7

Before World War II,the main currents of migration were from:

A)South America into North America
B)North America into South America
C)Europe and North America into Oceania
D)Europe and Asia into North and South America and Oceania

Question 8

Which of the following statements are true?

A)Industrialization played a role in improving the status of women.
B)Industrialization played a role in worsening the status of women.
C)Women in industrialized countries tend to have more children than in nonindustrialized countries.
D)Access to contraception has little impact on fertility rates.

Question 9

Which of the following supports I & PE explanations of hunger?

A)World markets are rapidly "spreading the wealth" among the LDCs.
B)World markets have substantially improved job prospects for small producers and workers.
C)Investments in modern productive technologies can amplify hunger by putting people out of work.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 10

The replacement rate for fertility that produces zero population growth is:

A)2.
B)2.1.
C)3.1.
D)none of the above

Question 11

The world population reached about 1 billion persons by the beginning of the _________ century.

A)18th
B)19th
C)20th
D)21st

Question 12

Which of the following foods requires the most water to produce?

A)wheat
B)corn
C)soybeans
D)beef

Question 13

Strategies for increasing food production and supplies include:

A)bringing more land into production.
B)increasing the use of pesticides.
C)biotechnology.
D)all of the above
E)b and c

Question 14

European countries like Germany are in which stage of the demographic transition?

A)1st
B)2nd
C)3rd
D)Germany does not follow the demographic transition model.

Question 15

Which of the following are true of LDC population patterns?

A)Significant territorial expansion fueled their rapid transitional population growth.
B)Their birth and death rates are now comparable to those of the MDCs.
C)Their death rates were most affected by effective disease-control techniques introduced by outside agencies like the World Health Organization,rather than by internal economic development.
D)All of the above are true.
E)None of the above is true.

Question 16

Supply-side demography argues that:

A)population growth may be beneficial because history shows that larger populations are associated with improvements in human well-being.
B)human misery and suffering is caused by maldistribution resulting from the operation of current social institutions and economic arrangements.
C)population growth is the most important cause of environmental degradation.
D)Class exploitation explains human misery and environmental degradation.

Question 17

A central tenet of neoclassical economic theory is that:

A)resource scarcity leads to human inventiveness to find appropriate substitutions.
B)there are limits to human inventiveness,so that at some point,a diminishing resource base will prove to be insurmountable.
C)large multinational corporations are responsible for most of the world's environmental destruction and degradation problems.
D)a and b
E)b and c

Question 18

According to Malthus,which of the following is a "positive" check on population growth?

A)abortion
B)contraception
C)family planning
D)disease

Question 19

According to the text,four crops account for most of the genetically modified crops.These are:

A)quinoa,corn,wheat,and cotton.
B)corn,wheat,cotton,and soybeans.
C)wheat,corn,canola,and cotton.
D)soybeans,corn,cotton,and canola.

Question 20

Risks associated with genetically modified crops (GM),include that:

A)weeds could acquire the specific defenses of a GM plant,making the weeds harder to control.
B)GM crops could potentially become invasive pests.
C)they could increase photosynthesis,and thereby accelerate soil nutrient depletion.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 21

Due to pressure from research scientists,the United States is transitioning from larger,chemically intensive agricultural agribusinesses to smaller,alternative farming systems that implement agroecology.

Question 22

Some LDC countries export a significant percentage of the food they produce to other countries,thereby decreasing their own food per capita.

Question 23

Research on fertility and women's status shows that where women have low status and are financially dependent on their husbands,fertility is low because men do not want to support larger numbers of offspring financially.

Question 24

Thomas Malthus was a strong supporter of the English Poor Laws.

Question 25

Since World War II,the economies of many cities have shifted from manufacturing and industry to services and information.

Question 26

The Demographic Transition Model can accurately predict the point at which fertility will begin to decline in a given population.

Question 27

Because of its extensive wealth and intensive agricultural practices,hunger is not considered a problem for the United States.

Question 28

Globally,the LDCs export more agricultural products to the MDCs than they receive in food subsidies.

Question 29

Neo-Malthusians believe that there are actual limits to the physical capacity of the planet to sustain growth.

Question 30

Ancient cities like Rome had lower fertility and higher mortality rates than did the rural countryside.

Question 31

Studies of organic farming show that it never produces the same yields as conventional farming,and so would be ineffective in the LDCs.

Question 32

A central tenet of neoclassical economic theory is that resource scarcity is ultimately associated with improved human health and well-being.

Question 33

Inequality and stratification theorists emphasize distribution as a central factor determining the relationship between population growth and environmental problems.

Question 34

Population pressure contributes to migration and urbanization so that the environmental impact of population growth is not evenly distributed.

Question 35

The social inequality perspective argues that the most direct cause of hunger and famine is runaway population growth.

Question 36

Golden rice has been hailed as a GM crop success because it eradicates Vitamin A deficiencies that block iron absorption.

Question 37

To date,most of the available evidence supports the Malthusian and neo-Malthusian perspective.

Question 38

When the Irish came to Boston and New York as immigrants,they came voluntarily.

Question 39

A person's gender is correlated with their access to food.

Question 40

Urban gardening has been shown to be an effective food source in the United States and other MDCs,but not in the LDCs.

Question 41

Compare and contrast the neo-Malthusian,neoclassical,and social inequality perspectives on population growth and its effect on human well-being.Which perspective is the most compelling and why? Be sure to provide evidence to support your point of view.

Question 42

Discuss the concept of biotechnology and its risks.How and in what ways are genetically modified foods different from those that might result from natural processes?

Question 43

Explain the Demographic Transition Model.What are its strengths and weaknesses? Be sure to provide specific examples to illustrate your argument.

Question 44

Identify and discuss at least TWO perspectives on world hunger.Is there a way to reconcile the perspectives you discuss? If so,how? If not,why not?

Question 45

Define and explain the concept of exponential population growth.Be sure to give concrete examples.

Question 46

What is meant by the concept of a "demographic divide"? How does the MDC and LDC countries' development differ with respect to population and economic growth?

Question 47

Discuss Thomas Malthus's perspective on population growth.What are the strengths and weaknesses of his ideas? Give specific examples to illustrate your points.

Question 48

Are genetically modified crops a threat or a benefit? Take a stance and defend your perspective.