Deck 7: Human Population Change and the Environment

Question 1

What does the growth rate depend upon

A)Birthrate
B)Death rate
C)Immigration
D)All of these choices

Answer 1

All of these choices

Question 2

Who was the first scientist to sound the alarm about the growth of the human population and the ability of the earth to handle a large population of humans

A)Charles Darwin
B)Paul Ehrlich
C)Thomas Malthus
D)Rachel Carson

Answer 2

Thomas Malthus

Question 3

What is necessary for populations to reach their biotic potential

A)They must be bacteria
B)Unlimited time
C)Unlimited resources
D)High carrying capacity

Answer 3

Unlimited resources

Question 4

A dieback or population crash often occurs after a species ________ its environmental carrying capacity.

A)meets
B)undershoots
C)overshoots
D)oscillates around

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of environmental resistance

A)Unlimited resources
B)Predation
C)Ideal conditions
D)High growth rate

Question 6

If and when the human population reaches zero population growth,which of the following will be TRUE

A)births + deaths = 0
B)deaths - emigration = 0
C)births + immigration = 0
D)growth rate = 0

Question 7

In order for the growth rate to remain constant what must happen to the birth rate

A)It must equal zero
B)It must decline
C)It needs to be less than emigration
D)It must equal the death rate

Question 8

What is the cause of global human population growth over the last 200 years

A)Higher birth rate
B)Higher fecundity rate
C)Increase in immigration.
D)Lower death rate

Question 9

Which of the following has/have contributed to the increase in global human population numbers over the last 200 years

A)Greater food production.
B)Better medical care.
C)Improvements in water quality and sanitation practices
D)All of these choices

Question 10

The main unknown factor in any human population growth scenario is:

A)emigration rate.
B)death rate.
C)the Earth's carrying capacity.
D)changes in fertility rate as a result condom use.

Question 11

What change in human population growth is predicted by the United Nation's population models

A)Population will double by 2100.
B)Population will begin to level off by 2100.
C)Population will continue to grow exponentially.
D)Population will level off by 2525.

Question 12

What term or phrase do population ecologists use to describe the maximum number of individuals of a given species that a particular environment can support for an indefinite period,assuming there are no changes in the environment

A)Environmental resistance
B)Intrinsic rate of increase
C)Carrying capacity
D)Sustainability

Question 13

What do population ecologists study

A)How animal communities form and interact
B)How groups of animals of the same species respond to their environment
C)The impact of humans on the environment
D)How ecosystems fit into the landscape

Question 14

The current trends in human population growth suggest: 1.There has been a slight decline in global fertility rates.
2)The growth rate of human populations has increased from 1.2 in the 1960s to 2.2 today despite decreases in the fertility rate.
3)Population experts expect that the human population growth rate will attain zero population growth by the end of the 21ˢᵗ century.

A)1 only
B)2 only
C)3 only
D)1 and 3

Question 15

Which of the following statements about human population growth and the Earth's carrying capacity for humans is TRUE

A)The Earth's carrying capacity for humans is hard to estimate and depends on assumptions made about standard of living,resource consumption,technological innovations,and waste generation.
B)Most published estimates suggest that the Earth's carrying for humans are unlimited thus human populations can grow indefinitely.
C)Environmental constraints determine the Earth's carrying capacity for humans.Human choices and values need not be factored into the assessment.
D)The higher the standard of living,the more people the Earth can support as people with a high standard of living have more money to spend on green technology that reduces environmental impact.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about population ecology is TRUE

A)Population ecology only deals with declining populations that are in need of intervention in order to survive.
B)Population ecology focuses on individuals and their interactions,but not the abiotic environment.
C)Population ecology attempts to explain how and why the number of individuals in a given area changes over time.
D)Population ecology is not important to scientists in applied disciplines,such as wildlife management.

Question 17

What term BEST describes the movement of individuals out of a population

A)Natural increase.
B)Emigration.
C)Immigration.
D)Zero population growth.

Question 18

Which of the following is TRUE about Thomas Malthus
1 Malthus was the first to point out that human population growth was not always desirable.
2 Malthus warned that the inevitable consequences of population growth would be famine,disease since human population can increase faster than its food supply.
3 Malthus has proven to be incorrect since human populations have increased to over 6 billion people without expanding our niche.

A)1 only
B)2 only
C)3 only
D)1 and 2 are true

Question 19

Which of the following is a life history characteristic that determines a species biotic potential

A)Niche width
B)Carrying capacity
C)Disease and predation
D)Age at which reproduction begins

Question 20

Which of the following is a factor that limits population growth

A)Biotic potential.
B)Doubling time.
C)Natural increase.
D)Environmental resistance.

Question 21

What is probably the single most important factor affecting high total fertility rate in human populations

A)Limited access to family planning services.
B)The low status of women in many societies.
C)The economic status of large families.
D)Cultural traditions.

Question 22

What are the 3 most populated countries

A)China,India,Russia
B)China,India,United States
C)China,Bangladesh,India
D)Pakistan,Indonesia,Japan

Question 23

The potential for future increases or decreases in a population based on the present age structure is called:

A)intrinsic rate of increase
B)population density
C)population growth momentum
D)total fertility rate

Question 24

What happens during the postindustrial stage (4)of a demographic transition

A)Modest population growth.
B)High death rate.
C)Greater affluence and higher levels of education.
D)High birth rate.

Question 25

Which of the following factors affects the total fertility rate for human populations today

A)Availability of family planning services
B)Cultural and religious traditions
C)Governmental policies
D)All of these choices

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT TRUE of highly developed countries

A)A list would include Japan,Australia,and Germany.
B)They have high fertility rates.
C)They have very low infant mortality rates.
D)They have longer life expectancies than in less developed countries.

Question 27

Why does the death rate usually decline quickly during a demographic transition

A)improved health care and modern medicines.
B)increased education of women.
C)increased contraceptive use.
D)increased economic productivity.

Question 28

What is replacement-level fertility

A)the number of children born to the average woman per year.
B)the number of children born to the average woman during her lifetime.
C)the number of children a couple must produce to replace themselves.
D)the number of children born in a population during a single year.

Question 29

According to the demographic transition model,an improving economy in a country is generally correlated with which of the following

A)Increased birth rate and increased population growth rate
B)Increased death rate and decreased population growth rate
C)Decreased birth rate and increased population growth rate
D)Decreased birth rate and decreased population growth rate

Question 30

What happens to human population during a demographic transition

A)Population switches from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.
B)Population switches from high to low birth rates and low to high death rates.
C)Population switches from low to high birth rates and high to low death rates.
D)Population changes from a majority of young people to a majority of elderly people.

Question 31

What do demographers study

A)The earth's carrying capacity.
B)Population changes and characteristics.
C)Energy resources.
D)Food production.

Question 32

The applied branch of sociology that deals with population statistics is:

A)Demography
B)Population ecology
C)Demographic transition
D)Population cartogram

Question 33

What happens during a pre-industrial stage (1)of the demographic transition

A)Birth and death rates are high.
B)The death rate is low.
C)Only very light industrialization.
D)The birth rate is low.

Question 34

The total fertility rate is the number of children born:

A)to the average woman per year.
B)to the average woman during her lifetime.
C)in the world during a single year.
D)in a population during a single year.

Question 35

The worldwide total fertility rate is currently:

A)1)7
B)2)1
C)2)6
D)3)5

Question 36

Which of the following factors has the LEAST effect on the death rates of a population

A)Availability of health care
B)Provision of adequate sanitation systems
C)Age structure of the population
D)Availability of good nutrition

Question 37

Which factors eventually cause birth rates to decline during a demographic transition

A)Birth rates decline due to improved health care and modern medicines.
B)Birth rates decline due to increased education of women
C)Birth rates decline due to increased contraceptive use.
D)All of these choices ultimately contribute to declining birth rates

Question 38

How do demographers typically measure mortality (death)rate

A)deaths per 1000 persons per year.
B)deaths per person per year.
C)the number of children who die per year.
D)the total number of deaths per generation.

Question 39

Why are high fertility rates generally prevalent in developing countries

A)Children contribute to the family's livelihood.
B)Children must care for aging parents.
C)Male children are culturally more desirable,so families continue to have children until male children are born.
D)All of the choices

Question 40

What is the global average replacement-level fertility rate in humans

A)1)7
B)2)1
C)2)6
D)3)5

Question 41

The young age structure of urban areas can be attributed to:

A)high birth rates in urban areas
B)influx of young people from rural areas
C)high death rates in urban areas
D)the presence of more females than males in urban areas

Question 42

Who was Thomas Malthus and what were his ideas about human population growth
Was he correct or not
Justify your answer.

Question 43

Compact development in urban areas benefits the environment in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

A)by reversing the trend towards urbanization.
B)by reducing air pollution.
C)by preserving rural areas.
D)by increasing open space.

Question 44

What is one way in which urban areas in developing nations differ from urban areas in highly developed nations

A)Since private automobile ownership rates are lower in developing nations,urban areas there have better air quality than urban areas in highly developed nations where automobile ownership rates are much higher.
B)Urban areas in developing nations are currently growing at a very rapid rate such that the pace of growth has outstripped the limited capacity of cities to provide basic services,whereas in the highly developed nations urban growth that occurred over that last 150 years or so occurred slowly enough to allow important city services such as sewage treatment and housing to keep pace with the influx of people from rural areas.
C)Urban areas in developing nations tend to have more females than males,whereas more males than females live in urban areas in highly developed nations.
D)Brownfield development is a unique phenomenon in the urban areas of developing nations due to the slums and squatter settlements found there,but since there are no slums in the urban areas of highly developed nations,there are also no brownfields.

Question 45

Which of the following BEST describes an urban brownfield

A)Vacant house lots that are overgrown with weeds and vegetation.
B)Community gardens established by neighborhood organizations.
C)Meadows that are earmarked for industrial development.
D)Abandoned factories that may be contaminated from past uses.

Question 46

Unlike people who live in urban areas,people who live in rural areas:

A)are employed in occupations which involve industrial labor
B)are far more heterogeneous with respect to race
C)are far more heterogeneous with respect to religion
D)are employed in occupations which involve harvesting natural resources

Question 47

In Sri Lanka,the average age at marriage is 25,and the average number of children born per woman is 2.0.In Bangladesh,the average age at marriage is 17,and the average number of children born per woman is 3.0.Which of the following conclusions is supported by these data

A)The earlier a woman marries,the more children she is likely to have
B)The more highly educated the woman,the less children she is likely to have
C)The doubling time of the Bangladesh population is 58 years at its current rate of natural increase
D)The earlier a woman marries,the less children she is likely to have

Question 48

Discuss ways that the total fertility rate (TFR)can be reduced and identify the cultural values that make this process more complicated.Also specifically discuss ways in which family planning services may be used effectively to reduce total fertility rates.

Question 49

The process in which people increasingly move from rural areas to densely populated cities is termed:

A)compact development
B)rural redistribution
C)urbanization
D)brownfield reclamation

Question 50

What is a microcredit program

A)A program to lower fertility rates.
B)A low interest credit card program for college students.
C)A small loan program for extremely poor people.
D)An education program designed for poor women in developing countries.

Question 51

To date,all highly developed and moderately developed countries with more advanced economies have gone through a demographic transition.Describe the four steps in this process in terms of the impact birth and death rates have on population growth.

Question 52

Which of the following statements about family planning services are TRUE

A)Such services are generally more available in developing countries than in developed countries.
B)Such services have resulted in about 70% of married women worldwide using contraceptives.
C)Such services provide information on reproductive physiology and contraceptive methods.
D)Such services force people to limit family size.

Question 53

Which of the following statements about urbanization and urban areas is CORRECT

A)Urbanization refers to the migration of city people to rural areas to enjoy country living.
B)The term urban area describes a geographic location with at least 100,000 individuals.
C)There are far fewer employment opportunities in urban as compared to rural areas.
D)The population of urban areas tends to be younger and more diverse in terms of ethnicity,religion,and socioeconomic status as compared to the surrounding countryside.

Question 54

Increasing educational opportunities especially for women results in a decrease in total fertility because it:

A)decreases the marriage age.
B)delays the age at which women have their first child.
C)decreases access to contraceptives.
D)leads to a greater understanding of traditional and religious beliefs.

Question 55

Evaluate Curitiba,Brazil's performance as livable city in the developing world.Give a letter grade A+,A,A-,B+,B and so on in each of the following areas: pollution control,infrastructure,land-use planning,waste disposal and recycling.Give an example of each category that would justify your grading.

Question 56

Which of the following statements concerning the problems and challenges of urbanization in the United States is FALSE

A)Suburban sprawl that surrounds most cities in the United States has encroached into former forest,wetland,desert,or agricultural land destroying or fragmenting wildlife habitat.
B)Most of the large cities in the United States have blocks of brownfields-areas of abandoned,vacant factories,warehouses,and residential sites that may be contaminated from past uses.
C)Due to the well-developed transportation infrastructure,most workers in cities in the United States have to commute only one or two miles from home to work.
D)The high density of automobiles,factories and commercial enterprises in urban areas causes a buildup of airborne emissions and thus the atmosphere in many US cities often contains higher levels of pollutants than are acceptable based on heath standards.

Question 57

Why is it impossible to precisely determine the Earth's carrying capacity for the human population

Question 58

Family planning services affects total fertility rate because where family planning services are available:

A)men and women are able to limit family size
B)safeguards are in place for individual health rights
C)the quality of life for children are improved
D)all of the choices

Question 59

Many major U.S.cities face similar problems.These include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)traffic congestion
B)suburban sprawl
C)urban renewal forcing the poor out of neighborhoods
D)compact development