Deck 4: People and Nature

Question 1

Global climate change is causing a(n)

A) increase in the strength of violent storms.
B) drop in sea levels.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The Kyoto Protocol targets ________ in the attempt to balance economic development with environmental protection.

A) core countries
B) peripheral countries

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Understanding human-environment interactions within the context of the surrounding political and economic relationships is an approach taken by

A) political ecologists.
B) eco-economists.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

According to ecofeminists,the male-dominated political-economic systems of the core equate women with

A) nature.
B) animals.

Question 5

Ecofeminists attribute environmental problems to the ________ biases in Western culture.

A) patriarchal
B) matriarchal

Question 6

CO₂,CH₄,N₂O,and water vapour all absorb infrared radiation and are collectively known as

A) GHGs.
B) CFCs.

Question 7

Through her work protecting the diversity and integrity of living resources,Vandana Shiva has become a leader in the

A) alter-globalization movement.
B) ecotheology movement.

Question 8

According to our text,to date,no accidents have been associated with nuclear energy production in the

A) periphery.
B) core.

Question 9

Former U.S.President Theodore Roosevelt drew on the ideas of Thoreau,Emerson and Marsh to support ________ of the natural environment.

A) conservation
B) preservation

Question 10

Cultural ecologists attempt to understand how cultural processes affect adaptation to

A) the environment.
B) the world-system.

Question 11

The greatest loss of human life in history occurred in the Americas following the Columbian Exchange.This is directly related to widespread

A) virgin soil epidemics.
B) slavery and forced labor.

Question 12

Since the 2010 earthquake that destroyed hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial buildings in Haiti,the affected areas still look like the earthquake occurred yesterday.This is because of ongoing

A) socioeconomic factors.
B) environmental factors.

Question 13

As global average temperatures rise,world-wide sea levels

A) rise.
B) fall.

Question 14

In the core,more of the future increase in energy production is expected from

A) smaller scale renewable energies like wind, geothermal, biomass and solar.
B) large-scale non-air polluting projects like nuclear and hydroelectric dams.

Question 15

France and the United States together generate ________ than 40 percent of all the nuclear-generated electricity in the world.

A) less
B) more

Question 16

Today,we live in the

A) anthropocene.
B) envirocene.

Question 17

According to some scientists,one sign of global climate change and human induced changes to the environment is the alarming ________ in worldwide frog populations.

A) decline
B) increase

Question 18

The practice of commercially exploiting and patenting naturally occurring biochemical or genetic material,restricting its future use,and failing to pay the community who has traditionally used it,is known as

A) biopiracy.
B) bioterrorism.

Question 19

________ believe that nature is sacred and should remain off-limits to human use.

A) Preservationists
B) Conservationists

Question 20

Your textbook authors point out that to represent the flooding and deaths associated with Hurricane Katrina (2005)as a "natural" disaster is misleading because it ignores

A) political & social factors.
B) cultural and religious factors.

Question 21

The idea that "nature is a social creation" means that

A) humans have built the physical world and its landscapes - nothing is natural.
B) the physical world means different things to different people at different times.
C) God created the earth in six days.
D) the evolutionary process concluded with the emergence of humans.
E) the physical world and its resources were made for human use.

Question 22

Political ecologists emphasize

A) the impact of political and economic forces on local cultures and resource use.
B) traditional groups' involvement in the political process.
C) environmental and resource policy.
D) environmental ethics and the ethics of resource use.
E) the impact of globalization on resource trade.

Question 23

The size of society's impact on nature is dependent mostly on

A) its technological understanding and ability.
B) its prevailing religious beliefs.
C) its population size.
D) the hegemonic political system.
E) its core-periphery relationships.

Question 24

Whereas environmental preservationists advocate that certain habitats,species,and resources should be off-limits and left entirely alone,conservation approaches encourage

A) respectful and sustainable used of natural resources.
B) exploitation of natural resources.
C) a return to "natural" life-styles like those lived by Native Americans.
D) re-creation and reclamation of natural landscapes.
E) rights for animals, trees and landscapes equal to those given humans.

Question 25

In 2030,world energy demand will be greatest in

A) China.
B) North America.
C) Africa.
D) India.
E) Europe.

Question 26

Across Africa,________ is a much more important source of energy.

A) hydropower
B) nuclear power

Question 27

The years 1990-2005 were notable in Europe - after centuries of deforestation,its

A) total area of forests actually increased.
B) last remaining forests were cut down.

Question 28

Human adaptations to and uses of the natural environment

A) have been occurring for hundreds and thousands of years.
B) no longer occur with globalization of the late 20th century.
C) began with the Industrial Revolution.
D) almost never result in pollution or environmental degradation.
E) occur in only hearth areas - many regions of the world remain pristine and untouched by human activity.

Question 29

Rising sea levels,disappearing Arctic sea ice,increasing atmospheric CO₂,and rising global average temperatures are all evidence of

A) disappearing rainforests.
B) global climate change.
C) desertification.
D) ecological imperialism.
E) deep ecology.

Question 30

Hydro,wind,tidal,and geothermal are examples of ________ energy resources.

A) inaccessible
B) unclean
C) non-renewable
D) renewable
E) solar

Question 31

Human contributions to global climate warming are primarily from

A) carbon dioxide emissions from industrialized countries.
B) deforestation in the periphery.
C) oil spills in the core and the periphery.
D) the proliferation of pavement in both the core and the periphery.
E) the hole in the ozone layer created by the space shuttle.

Question 32

Countries with most developed hydroelectricity production are countries with

A) rivers.
B) coasts.

Question 33

The "social production of nature" refers to

A) cultural and political ecology.
B) the reshaping of landscapes and species by human activity.
C) cloning, surrogate mothering and in vitro fertilization.
D) ecological imperialism.
E) preservation and conservation of unique environments and biosphere reserves.

Question 34

The most important energy source for cooking and heating across Africa is

A) fuelwood.
B) natural gas.

Question 35

The reason hydroelectric power continues to be appealing in the ________ is that it produces fewer atmospheric pollutants than fossil fuels.

A) core
B) periphery

Question 36

The production of hydropower is most strongly associated with

A) river resources.
B) ground water resources.
C) lake resources.
D) arid environments.
E) tropical environments.

Question 37

The Three Gorges ________ in China is the world's largest.

A) dam
B) nuclear power plant

Question 38

Rachel Carson is probably most well-known for

A) being the first woman Chief of the United States Forest Service.
B) her life and experiences at Walden Pond.
C) writing Silent Spring.
D) identifying the benefits of safe agricultural pesticides.
E) founding Greenpeace.

Question 39

The critical environmental problem from dams is due to impacts from

A) their construction and associated ecosystem disruption.
B) their operation and associated impacts to air quality.

Question 40

Radical environmental groups,like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society,that believe that the environment is sacred and should not be exploited are

A) conservationists.
B) preservationists.
C) political ecologists.
D) cultural ecologists.
E) ecological imperialists.

Question 41

Chernobyl and Fukushima are

A) Nobel prize-winning physicists.
B) environmental philosophers.
C) nuclear power plants.
D) imprisoned ecoterrorists.
E) staff of the United Nations Secretariat.

Question 42

In 1998,riots erupted across Bolivia when municipal water was

A) nationalized.
B) privatized.
C) subsidized.
D) exported.
E) polluted.

Question 43

Some countries limit or reduce the overall amount of pollution by letting companies negotiate,buy,sell,and trade the "right" to pollute among themselves.Such a system is based on

A) emissions trading.
B) ecocapitalism.
C) pollution permits.
D) barter bucks.
E) pollute-for-profit.

Question 44

Geothermal energy is energy in the form of heat from

A) the interior of the earth.
B) the sun.
C) biomass.
D) friction from the earth's plates.
E) recycled heat from factories.

Question 45

The world's biggest agricultural "land grabber," buying or leasing twice as much land as anyone else (usually in Africa),is

A) China.
B) the United States.
C) Russia.
D) Brazil.
E) Pakistan.

Question 46

The big losers from bioprospecting are typically

A) indigenous peoples.
B) corporations.
C) urban populations.
D) coastal populations.
E) core populations.

Question 47

Well before the start of European colonialism,Europe had already

A) cut down most of its forests.
B) established a strong record of environmental preservation.
C) doubled its area by reclaiming land from the sea.
D) polluted its air, water and soils through industrialization.
E) identified the relationship between human actions and global warming.

Question 48

More than half of all land purchased internationally - to ensure the buying country's domestic food supply - is in

A) Africa.
B) East Asia.
C) North America.
D) South America.
E) Australia.

Question 49

Global temperature increases over the last century have been greatest

A) at the Arctic.
B) around the Equator.
C) over the world's deserts.
D) over the world's seas.
E) across the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 50

European colonization of the New World resulted in the greatest loss of human life in history.The primary factor responsible was

A) disease.
B) war.
C) slavery.
D) natural disasters.
E) famine.

Question 51

The greatest estimated area of deforestation since pre-agricultural times has occurred in

A) Asia.
B) Latin America.
C) Africa.
D) North America.
E) the former USSR.

Question 52

Marshes,bogs,peatlands,and swamps are all in the ________ category of land cover.

A) wetland
B) steppe
C) archipelago
D) forest
E) grassland

Question 53

The introduction of exotic plants and animals into new ecosystems,such as the introduction of wheat and sugarcane,as well as horses,cattle,and pigs by the Spanish,is an example of

A) ecological imperialism.
B) demographic collapse.
C) virgin soil epidemic.
D) transcendentalism.
E) the Columbian exchange.

Question 54

Geothermal resources are most likely to be found near

A) volcanoes.
B) forests.
C) swamps.
D) deserts.
E) great oil reserves.

Question 55

The demographic collapse across the Americas following the Columbian Exchange was due to

A) virgin soil epidemics.
B) environmental determinism.
C) deforestation and desertification.
D) ecological imperialism.
E) bioprospecting.

Question 56

Which of the following groups would probably be most fundamentally concerned about international agricultural land grabbing?

A) romanticists
B) conservationists
C) environmental ethicists
D) transcendentalists
E) deep ecologists

Question 57

Russia holds about one-third of the world's known reserves of ________ ,predicted to be this century's fastest growing energy source.

A) natural gas
B) hydropower
C) nuclear power
D) low-sulfur coal
E) geothermal energy

Question 58

The book Silent Spring explores the environmental impacts of

A) pesticides.
B) global warming.
C) deforestation.
D) the Green Revolution.
E) nuclear power, wastes and weapons.

Question 59

The environmental justice movement emphasizes the disproportional burdens that the ________ face(s)from the negative consequences of economic development.

A) core
B) periphery
C) rich
D) middle-class
E) poor

Question 60

The great environmental benefit of hydropower as an energy source is that it

A) produces few atmospheric pollutants.
B) benefits water quality.
C) has no impact on local plant and animal life.
D) maintains the pristine quality of the body of water on which it is built.
E) alters the surrounding landscape.

Question 61

Prior to the Colombian Exchange,the only large domestic animals in the Americas used for work/protein were

A) dogs.
B) dogs and llamas.
C) dogs, llamas and horses.
D) dogs, llamas, horses, and oxen.
E) dogs, llamas, horses, oxen and pigs.

Question 62

Which of the following environmental philosophies is the most mainstream?

A) conservation
B) environmental ethics
C) deep ecology
D) ecofeminism
E) preservation

Question 63

Ecotheologists are most likely to blame ________ for environmental degradation.

A) capitalist institutions
B) socialist institutions
C) Judeo-Christians
D) people of the periphery
E) ecofeminists

Question 64

Which perspective on nature is most likely to advocate that humans dominate nature?

A) Romanticism
B) Biospherical egalitarianism
C) Judeo-Christian tradition
D) Transcendentalism
E) Deep ecology

Question 65

Desertification occurring in the grasslands of the Sahel,bordering the Sahara,is the result of

A) careless overgrazing by local herders.
B) expanding beef production for U.S. and European markets.
C) a complex set of environmental, cultural and political economic factors.
D) industrialization and urbanization.
E) droughts and other acts of nature or God.

Question 66

Which region is experiencing the greatest annual percentage increase in forest land?

A) Europe
B) South America
C) Australia
D) Africa
E) Southeast Asia

Question 67

Henry David Thoreau

A) founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
B) stressed man's domination over nature.
C) denounced Gifford Pinchot and transcendentalism.
D) embraced European notions of romanticism.
E) was Amish.

Question 68

To ecofeminists,________ is at the center of today's environmental problems.

A) romanticism
B) patriarchy
C) political ecology
D) cultural ecology
E) religion

Question 69

The most water-privatized country in the world is

A) Chile.
B) the United States.
C) Japan.
D) Sweden.
E) Egypt.

Question 70

International efforts to protect biodiversity have included efforts to halt "bioprospecting," the corporate practice of

A) intentionally reducing the varieties of fruits and vegetables found in the grocery store.
B) replacing traditional and native species of plants with crops for export.
C) over harvesting non-traditional crops like hemp and seaweed from public areas.
D) exploiting indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants for commercial purposes.
E) altering the genetic make-up of food.

Question 71

One of the most serious consequences of long-term irrigation is

A) desertification.
B) soil salinization.
C) virgin soil epidemics.
D) deforestation.
E) water conservation.

Question 72

Nuclear energy programs are growing fastest in

A) semiperipheral countries.
B) core countries.
C) countries of the periphery.
D) similarly all over the world.
E) South America.

Question 73

Western Europe lost most of its forests by the 13th century due to

A) the Bubonic Plague.
B) war.
C) agricultural settlement.
D) urbanization.
E) forest fires.

Question 74

The greatest factor behind the New World's large population decrease after the arrival of the Europeans was

A) disease.
B) war.
C) genocide.
D) migration.
E) suicide.

Question 75

Before the Columbian Exchange,the potato could only be eaten in

A) Ireland
B) Russia.
C) Peru.
D) Indonesia.
E) Ethiopia.

Question 76

Ecofeminism

A) rejects Goddess worship.
B) has found significant acceptance primarily in core countries.
C) argues that men equate nature with women.
D) calls for the creation of a strong patriarchy.
E) implies women do not care for the environment.

Question 77

Australia has the world's largest uranium reserves,with nearly a quarter of the world's uranium resources.Thus

A) it is no surprise that they produce more nuclear power than any other country in the world.
B) it is a surprise that they do not have a single nuclear power plant.
C) it is a surprise that they rely so heavily on hydropower for energy.
D) it is no surprise that they are one of the world's nuclear super-powers.
E) it is no surprise that they rely considerably on wind power.

Question 78

According to Imort,the high number of deaths in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina (2005)was primarily the result of

A) social and political factors.
B) global warming.
C) "Mother Nature."
D) terrorists.
E) pollution.

Question 79

The 1992 Earth Summit was concerned primarily with this type of issue.

A) population growth
B) the status of women
C) water pollution
D) global environmental issues
E) agricultural land

Question 80

During the era of internal European expansion,the most obvious change in the land was

A) siltation and the loss of rivers.
B) soil salinization.
C) the creation of vineyards.
D) deforestation.
E) soil erosion.