Deck 1: Planet and Population: An Overview

Question 1

The age of the earth is estimated to be ____ billion years.

A) 4.5
B) 4.0
C) 5.0
D) 5.5

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In which of the following areas is population growth at present most rapid?

A) North America
B) the former Soviet Union
C) Europe
D) Africa

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The age of the earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years based on the analysis of these

A) Moon rocks should also include meteorites.
B) Martian rocks.
C) rocks found in Australia.
D) Rocks found in the Canadian Rockies.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Evidence that the universe originated in a "big bang" includes

A) The differences in compositions of the planets.
B) The observation that stars are all moving apart.
C) The fact that stars radiate energy.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 5

Which of the following has existed unchanged from the time of the earth's formation to the present?

A) Continents
B) The sea floor
C) The atmosphere
D) None of the choices are correct.

Question 6

Considerations that complicate the search for understanding of geologic processes include

A) The very long times required for some kinds of changes to occur.
B) The fact that many different events may have affected one rock during its history.
C) The fact that it may be difficult to relate the results of controlled laboratory experiments to natural systems.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 7

The compositions of the planets

A) Are all very similar, so other planets may be able to support life or provide needed resources.
B) Are entirely unknown; geologists cannot judge their similarity to earth.
C) Were originally the same but have been changed by radiation from the sun over the life of the solar system.
D) Were controlled by the distance from the sun at which each formed, except for the largest planets.

Question 8

____ are developed to provide explanations of data or observations.

A) Scientific methods
B) Theories
C) Hypotheses
D) None of the choices are correct

Question 9

Which of the following aspects of human interaction with earth is not true

A) Human activity has caused some species to become extinct.
B) Humans have the ability to eradicate entire rain forests.
C) Humans are able to correct some of their environmental mistakes.
D) Humans have the ability to alter plate tectonics.

Question 10

The maximum population of a species that an ecosystem can sustain is called

A) Carrying capacity.
B) Limiting capacity.
C) Maximum limiting population.
D) Maximum sustaining population.

Question 11

A population's doubling time

A) Increases as life expectancy increases.
B) Is the length of time required for that population to double.
C) Will be fifty years if the population grows at 2 percent per year.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 12

The natural satellite of the earth is

A) Sun.
B) Venus.
C) Mars.
D) Moon.

Question 13

The planets

A) Formed from the same cloud of gas and dust as the sun.
B) Formed in different places in space and were drawn to the sun by gravity.
C) Formed billions of years after the sun.
D) Were ejected from the sun as molten matter early in its history.

Question 14

As population increases,

A) Demand for resources will tend to increase.
B) Growing demand for resources will ensure that more will always be found.
C) Natural systems will continue to compensate adequately for such disruptions as pollution; the earth is a big place.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 15

Sources of heat in the early earth included

A) Compression by gravity.
B) The impact of colliding particles as they came together to form the earth.
C) Decay of radioactive elements.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 16

Human beings,as the species Homo sapiens,have existed on earth for approximately

A) 0.00012 (0.12 thousandths) of the earth's history.
B) 1 percent of the earth's history.
C) 10 percent of the earth's history.
D) Homo sapiens originated on Mars, which was much warmer when the sun was younger and its luminosity was greater. Our ancestors colonized Earth as Mars became too cold for habitation, just as we will colonize Venus when Earth becomes colder as the sun's energy fades.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is not true?

A) Human activities may increase the dangers from certain geologic hazards.
B) Many geologic hazards have existed throughout human history.
C) Certain problems, such as resource shortages, will become less severe when other planets or the moon are colonized in the next few decades.
D) Some environmental problems, such as those related to pollution, were unrecognized until very recently.

Question 18

The presence of free oxygen in the atmosphere is attributed mainly to

A) Volcanic activity.
B) Development of plant life, especially algae.
C) Formation of the inner core.
D) Formation of the outer core.

Question 19

A scientific hypothesis that is subsequently extensively tested and continues to appear valid may be called a

A) Scientific method.
B) Theory.
C) Fact.
D) Prediction.

Question 20

Which of the following was not a consequence of the early heating of the earth?

A) Internal differentiation, forming core, mantle and crust
B) Formation of the oceans
C) Release of abundant, free oxygen into the atmosphere
D) Formation of an atmosphere

Question 21

Human ancestral remains appear quite late in the geologic record,within only the last 3 to 4 million years.

Question 22

The starting composition of the solar nebula can be inferred from studies of stars.

Question 23

Land-both to live on and to grow food on-is in abundant supply on earth,though other resources are limited.

Question 24

Humans can,to some extent,control their surroundings,disease and other factors,so human populations are subject to fewer checks than animal populations.

Question 25

Many compositional features of the earth,including its abundant surface water,are unique in the solar system.

Question 26

It is impossible to estimate the age of the universe.

Question 27

The best records of ancient life are those for the last 600 million years,when organisms with hard parts became widespread.

Question 28

Because of agricultural impact on soil nutrients,crops grown in the U.S.are less nutritious compared to 50 years ago.

Question 29

It is impossible to know the internal composition or structure of the earth because geologists cannot sample the interior.

Question 30

Exporting U.S.agricultural production methods to the rest of the world might increase food production but would also increase energy demands.

Question 31

Once internal differentiation was complete,the earth's surface remained essentially unchanged to the present.

Question 32

The scientific method cannot be applied to the study of the earth,because we cannot experiment on the earth.

Question 33

The average global population growth rate as of 2005 was about

A) 10 percent per year.
B) 3 percent per year.
C) 1.2 percent per year.
D) zero; world population has stabilized.

Question 34

At present (2005)growth rates,the doubling time of the world's population is about 58 years.

Question 35

Mammoths became extinct during the most recent "mass extinction" approximately 10,000 years ago.

Question 36

World population has been growing more and more rapidly over the past several millennia.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is not true?

A) If all of the world's people enjoyed a standard of living similar to that in the United States, resource consumption would increase dramatically
B) People are unevenly distributed around the world, but resources are uniformly distributed among nations
C) Political considerations may affect resource availability
D) Increasing resource use is generally accompanied by increasing production of waste

Question 38

Population growth rates are very non-uniform worldwide,with the fastest rates of increase in the technologically advanced countries.

Question 39

The population size changes by the difference between the birth rate and death rate of individuals.What factors influence these rates?

A) Environment.
B) Fertility.
C) Nutrition.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 40

The least dense minerals are found in earth's core.

Question 41

The carrying capacity for humans is not known.

Question 42

The seriousness of many environmental problems is a direct result of the large number of humans interacting with the environment.

Question 43

When a population is growing exponentially,it is increasing by a fixed percentage per unit time.

Question 44

The massive size of continents contributes to their permanence; they have remained stable and virtually unchanged since they formed.

Question 45

Earth's population will be stabilized when its growth rate becomes constant.

Question 46

Lack of habitable land on earth is a problem that could readily be alleviated by colonization of nearby planets or of the earth's moon.

Question 47

World population has now stabilized because of limitations imposed by resource shortages.

Question 48

Geologic processes can be described in a series of distinct and independent cycles of air,water and rock.