Deck 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

Question 1

New efforts to prevent the "tragedy of the commons" could include

A) using common-property resources at or above their sustainable yields.
B) using shared resources at rates below their estimated sustainable yields.
C) moving from a users pay approach to a taxpayers pay approach.
D) deregulating industries that use common-property resources.
E) increasing public availability to resources.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

All of the following are potentially renewable resources except

A) groundwater.
B) trees in a forest.
C) fertile soil.
D) crude oil.
E) animals.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Use of a natural resource based on sustainable yield applies to

A) renewable resources.
B) nonrenewable resources.
C) perpetual resources.
D) amenity resources.
E) all of these answers

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following statements best illustrates the "tragedy of the commons?"

A) A factory pollutes a river as much as the law allows.
B) Some levels of pollution are life threatening.
C) Some activities harm the environment, but others do not.
D) Irrigated cropland can be ruined by salinization.
E) Cropland can decrease biodiversity.

Question 5

Nonpoint sources of pollution include all of the following except

A) pesticides dispersed by airplane and wind onto a crop.
B) beach litter from fishing boats.
C) a smokestack from a power plant.
D) fertilizer runoff from neighborhood lawns.
E) runoff from cropland.

Question 6

Which of the following is not associated with the pollution cleanup approach?

A) It may be overwhelmed by continuing population growth.
B) It often transfers pollutants between different parts of the ecosystem.
C) It may be very costly once pollutants are dispersed in the environment.
D) It is the most economical in the long run.
E) all of these answers

Question 7

Which of the following does not describe a sustainable society?

A) lives off of income without depleting its natural capital
B) meets the needs of its people without jeopardizing the needs of future generations
C) manages its economy and population size without exceeding the carrying capacity of the environment
D) utilizes nonrenewable resources for maximum benefit of the current generation
E) protects the prospects of future generations of humans and other species

Question 8

Resources that are called nonrenewable are

A) also called perpetual resources.
B) the only resources that are alive.
C) capable of depletion.
D) derived from solar capital.
E) none of these answers

Question 9

The three principles of sustainability are

A) reliance on solar energy, biological diversity and nutrient cycling
B) environmentalism, ecosystems, and solar energy.
C) natural resources, natural services and water resources.
D) nutrient cycling, water resources, and environmentalism.
E) solar energy, ecosystems, and natural capital.

Question 10

Which is the least effective way to extend the use of nonrenewable resources?

A) reducing direct consumption of the resource
B) reusing the same form of a particular resource many times
C) recycling a resource into new products
D) reducing the efficiency of resource use
E) finding substitutes for a resource

Question 11

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)measures

A) death rates.
B) economic growth.
C) economic development.
D) wealth of developing countries.
E) wealth of developed countries.

Question 12

As part of the path to sustainability,tradeoffs most specifically refer to

A) trading environmental quality for economic growth.
B) trading quality of life issues for ecological enhancements.
C) resolving conflicts through compromise.
D) solving environmental conflicts.
E) recognizing that human activities degrade natural capital.

Question 13

Point sources of pollution include all of the following except

A) an automobile tailpipe.
B) a factory smokestack.
C) a drainpipe from a power plant.
D) runoff from cropland.
E) an oil leak from a home furnace.

Question 14

The goal of environmental science includes

A) learning how nature works.
B) understanding how we interact with the environment.
C) finding ways to deal with environmental problems.
D) finding ways to live more sustainably.
E) all of the above.

Question 15

On the outskirts of a municipality lies a forest on public property.A person applying sustainable resource-use principles might suggest

A) clear-cutting the forest to provide taxes for the town.
B) converting the natural woods to tree farms.
C) harvesting trees at their estimated sustainable yield.
D) harvesting trees below their estimated sustainable yield.
E) none of these answers

Question 16

Meeting current and future basic resource needs without compromising future generation's basic needs is considered a(n)

A) natural income.
B) trade-offs.
C) scientific solutions.
D) environmentally sustainable society.
E) natural capital degradation.

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of recycling?

A) collecting and remelting aluminum beer cans
B) cleaning and refilling soft-drink bottles
C) selling used clothing at a garage sale
D) saving leftovers in a peanut butter jar
E) donating furniture to a charity

Question 18

Examples of the effects of pollution might include

A) inability to see the top of skyscrapers because of the smog.
B) acid rain-induced destruction of a statue in your city park.
C) spread of disease from an open dump.
D) fish kills in lakes and streams.
E) all of these answers

Question 19

Which of the following statements about developing countries is true?

A) They are highly industrialized.
B) They have high average GNPs per person.
C) The United States, Canada, and Japan are developing countries.
D) Most of the projected increase in the world's population is expected to take place there.
E) Their populations are projected to dwindling.

Question 20

The effects of pollutants include all of the following except

A) disruption of the health, survival or activities of humans and other organisms.
B) degradation of life support systems for humans and other organisms.
C) creation of unpleasant noise and scents.
D) damage to property.
E) increasing forests and agricultural land.

Question 21

Underlying root causes of unsustainable resource use include all of the following except

A) poverty.
B) overpopulation.
C) over reliance on renewable energy resources.
D) prices that do not include environmental and social costs of products.
E) wastefulness.

Question 22

Which of the following characterizes cultural revolutions?

A) decreased food supplies
B) increased resource consumption and pollution
C) worsening living standards
D) shorter life spans
E) lower average per capita GNP

Question 23

According to a number of environmental and social scientists,four basic causes of environmental degradation are

A) non-existent.
B) poverty, population decline, unsustainable resource use, failure to include environmental costs in market prices.
C) poverty, population growth, unsustainable resource use, failure to include environmental costs in market prices.
D) poverty, population growth, unsustainable resource use, including environmental costs in market prices.
E) poverty, population decline, unsustainable resource use, including environmental costs in market prices.

Question 24

The country with the world's largest population is

A) USA.
B) India.
C) Mexico.
D) China.
E) United Arab Emirates.

Question 25

An environmental worldview that holds that we can and should manage the Earth for our benefit,but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible managers of the Earth,is

A) planetary management.
B) stewardship.
C) environmental wisdom.
D) national origin.
E) technological.

Question 26

The country with the second largest per capita ecological footprint is

A) USA.
B) India.
C) Mexico.
D) Australia.
E) United Arab Emirates.

Question 27

Ecological tipping point(s),which could result in an irreversible shift in natural systems include(s)

A) collapse of fish populations due to overfishing.
B) accelerated species extinction due to overhunting.
C) pre-mature species extinction due to habitat loss.
D) climate disruption due to burning of fossil fuels.
E) all of the above.

Question 28

An environmental worldview that holds that we are dependent on nature and our success is dependent on learning how the earth sustains itself and integrating this knowledge into the way we think and act,is

A) planetary management.
B) stewardship.
C) environmental wisdom.
D) national origin.
E) technological.

Question 29

An ecological deficit is created when

A) a country's ecological footprint is smaller than its biological capacity to replenish its renewable resources and absorb the resulting wastes.
B) a country overestimates its spending in the current fiscal year.
C) a country depletes its annual budget faster than its biological capacity to replenish its renewable resources.
D) a country depletes its natural capital slower than its biological capacity to replenish its renewable resources and absorb the resulting wastes.
E) a country depletes its natural capital faster than its biological capacity to replenish its renewable resources and absorb the resulting wastes.

Question 30

Which of the following major cultural changes to Homo sapiens has not intensified environmental degradation?

A) Hunter-gatherer civilization
B) Agricultural revolution
C) Industrial-medical revolution
D) Information-globalization revolution
E) All of these cultural changes have led us to intensify environmental degradation.

Question 31

We can face the challenge of slowing population growth through

A) promoting family planning and elevating the status of women.
B) slowing economic development.
C) legislation that applies only in less developed countries.
D) overexploiting shared resources.
E) decreasing the educational status of women.

Question 32

An ecological footprint may best be defined as the

A) amount of land and water needed to supply people in a particular area with an indefinite supply of renewable resources.
B) amount of land and water needed to absorb and recycle the waste and pollution produced by resource use.
C) the environmental impact of people in less developed countries.
D) a and b
E) none of the above

Question 33

Time delays in the harmful effects of living unsustainably often cause environmental degradation to build slowly until it reaches a(n)

A) sustainable yield.
B) ecological tipping point.
C) exponential growth.
D) ecological footprint.
E) environmental worldview.

Question 34

The country with the largest per capita ecological footprint is

A) USA.
B) India.
C) Mexico.
D) Australia.
E) United Arab Emirates.

Question 35

The human population currently totals

A) 87 million.
B) 3.8 billion.
C) 4 billion.
D) 6.9 billion.
E) 10 billion.

Question 36

Which of the following is not a result of being an affluent country?

A) They can lead to people to become more concerned about environmental quality.
B) They provide financial incentives to develop technologies that reduce pollution.
C) The ecological health in the country usually degrades as wealth increases.
D) It allows for better education about topics concerning environmental quality.
E) It allows the affluent to obtain resources they need and want from almost anywhere in the world without seeing the negative impacts of their consumptive lifestyles.

Question 37

According to World Bank estimates,how many people live on less than US $1.25 per day?

A) 6.9 billion
B) 1.4 billion
C) 9.3 billion
D) 0.25 billion
E) 2.0 million

Question 38

Your environmental worldview describes

A) your environmental ethic.
B) whether you are a creationist or evolutionist.
C) your perception of the role of Homo sapiens in the universe.
D) your assumptions and values about how the world works and what one's role in the world should be.
E) your political ideology that defines one's perception of the health of the planet.

Question 39

Poverty is defined as

A) the inability to live a healthy and productive life.
B) a life focused on gathering enough food and water for survival.
C) affluence.
D) the inability to meet basic survival needs.
E) the inability to meet one's basic survival and education needs.

Question 40

Which of the following characterizes sustainability revolutions?

A) decreased food supplies
B) increased resource consumption and pollution
C) worsening living standards
D) reducing our ecological footprint
E) rejecting the principles of sustainability

Question 41

Reusing involves collecting waste materials and processing them into new materials.

Question 42

Environmental science is the same as environmentalism.

Question 43

Developing countries have a significant negative effect on the environment because of the consumption per person and technological impact per unit of consumption.

Question 44

Natural capital = Natural resources + Natural services

Question 45

Of the following actions,the one that does the least to sustain the Earth is

A) protecting Earth's biodiversity.
B) controlling human population growth.
C) utilizing renewable resources wherever possible.
D) increasing our dependence on nonrenewable resources.
E) decreasing our dependence on nonrenewable resources.

Question 46

Of the following behaviors,the one that runs counter to the three principles of sustainability is

A) recycling of materials.
B) reusing materials.
C) producing and consuming anything people are willing to buy.
D) initiating a tree planting drive in your community.
E) relying more on renewable sources of energy.

Question 47

An environmentally sustainable society must be based on policies which provide for economic growth and development.

Question 48

Rapid population growth and poverty are reflective of developing countries and have little impact on pollution.

Question 49

The world's more developed countries contain relatively small populations,use large proportions of resources and produce the largest proportions of waste.

Question 50

Which worldview is most consistent with the status quo in the United States?

A) Planetary Management
B) Biocentric
C) Stewardship
D) Humility
E) Environmental Wisdom

Question 51

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary study that integrates the humanities and natural sciences.

Question 52

Decreasing population growth in developed countries will decrease resource consumption.

Question 53

Population growth has declined since the 1960's.

Question 54

Sustainability begins at a personal level.

Question 55

Forests,aluminum deposits and natural gas are all examples of renewable resources.

Question 56

Life on earth has sustained itself over billions of years even during long periods of cooling and warming of the earth's surface.

Question 57

The per capita ecological footprint is the availability of productive land and usable water to support the population with no consideration for environmental impact.

Question 58

Natural capital degradation is a by-product of economic development.

Question 59

When a nonrenewable resource is completely exhausted,it is referred to as economically depleted.

Question 60

Pollution cleanup is considered a short-term solution if population and consumption levels grow without corresponding improvement in pollution control technology.

Question 61

A chemical dumpsite would be an example of a ____________________ pollutant.

Question 62

The consequences of volcanic eruptions and burning coal are ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 63

There are a number of strategies and tools available to conserve rather than degrade or destroy the planet's capital

Question 64

Installing runoff curtains in a construction site is an example of ____________________ pollution control.

Question 65

An environmentally sustainable society will require most middle income American workers to decrease their consumption of products.

Question 66

Reducing the packaging on manufactured goods is an example of ____________________.

Question 67

Non-renewable resources include ____________________ sources such as oil and natural gas that cannot be recycled.

Question 68

The three principles of sustainability are ____________________,____________________ and ____________________.

Question 69

Developed countries have a significant negative effect on the environment because of the consumption per person and technological impact per unit of consumption.

Question 70

Dealing with conflicts between scientific solutions and political solutions usually involves ___________________.

Question 71

A resource such as water that is renewed continuously is called a(n)____________________.

Question 72

The highest rate at which we can use a renewable resource indefinitely without reducing its available supply is called its ____________________.

Question 73

In the United States the air quality is poorer and drinking water more polluted today than in the 1970s.

Question 74

Old soda bottles that are collected,washed,and refilled are an example of ____________________.

Question 75

When a country's GDP decreases,the per capita GDP must also decrease.

Question 76

The action of processing plastic or aluminum cans into another usable product is called ____________________.

Question 77

The "tragedy of the commons" refers to lack of agricultural sustenance available for the common (poor)people in a country.

Question 78

____________________ are not owned by a single person or organization,but are degraded by many people.

Question 79

Economic growth provides more goods and services whereas economic development uses economic growth to improve living standards.

Question 80

A social movement dedicated to protecting Earth's life support system for all living things is called ____________________.