Deck 38: Human Influences on the Living World

Question 1

A 1% drop in atmospheric ozone is correlated with a _________ increase in the number of skin cancer patients.

A) 1%
B) 6%
C) 25%
D) 50%

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Air and water pollution result mainly from:

A) increased industrialization
B) agricultural chemicals
C) improper waste disposal
D) All of these are correct.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

How many species of animals and plants will go extinct in our lifetimes?

A) One-fifth of the world's species
B) 10,000
C) 500
D) 25

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which city is considered a brown-air city because the pollutants in the air undergo chemical reactions in the sunlight to form smog?

A) Philadelphia
B) Los Angeles
C) New York
D) Boston
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 5

The human population is expected to double in _____ years.

A) 15
B) 25
C) 58
D) 91

Question 6

A lack of ozone is dangerous because ozone:

A) is a reserve for oxygen that we breathe
B) cools the Earth
C) filters out dangerous ultraviolet rays
D) triggers the development of clouds

Question 7

Our environmental problems can be solved by:

A) proper assessment of the problem
B) public education
C) follow-through
D) All of these

Question 8

Ten thousand years ago,when human populations began growing in number,the main reason was:

A) access to better medicine
B) a warming climate
C) extinction of large predators
D) the advent of agriculture

Question 9

Agricultural chemicals,such as DDT,are so damaging to predator populations because:

A) of biological magnification
B) top predators consume many plants
C) DDT is targeted at the top predators
D) all food items are killed by DDT,and the predators starve

Question 10

Which one of the following helps make ecosystems more stable?

A) rainfall
B) stable amounts of sunlight
C) biodiversity
D) bacteria

Question 11

Acid precipitation is so deadly because it:

A) changes the pH of the ecosystems it falls into
B) blinds animals
C) increases rates of cancer
D) adheres to breathing passages

Question 12

Acid precipitation kills forest trees because it:

A) burns and scars their bark
B) destroys their symbiotic mycorrhizae
C) defoliates them
D) acidifies the surrounding lakes

Question 13

Brown-air cities are so-called because:

A) of excessive acid rain
B) the air pollutants undergo chemical reactions in sunlight
C) automobile exhaust is gray
D) of persistent fog

Question 14

The hole in the ozone layer is primarily due to:

A) automobile exhaust
B) burning coal
C) CFCs in the upper atmosphere
D) use of non-CFC aerosols

Question 15

Groundwater came to be in the ground how long ago?

A) During the formation of the Earth.
B) During the last ice age,12,000 years ago.
C) Within the last 1,000 years.
D) It is continuously recharged with snowmelt and rainwater.

Question 16

To be a viable alternative,nuclear power facilities must have:

A) security
B) safe operation
C) proper waste disposal
D) All of these

Question 17

The Clean Air Act of 1990 was important because it specifically:

A) punished polluters
B) stated that all politicians would from then on be pro-environment
C) detailed ways of making our air crystal clean by the year 2000
D) required scrubbers on smokestacks of coal-fired plants

Question 18

Among the non-renewable resources we must protect is:

A) topsoil
B) rainfall
C) trees
D) lichens

Question 19

One reason industrial pollution is such a problem is because:

A) prices of the industrial product never include environmental costs
B) industrial commodities are scarce
C) demand is set by price
D) consumer demand is too low

Question 20

The pH of rain and snow in the eastern United States is now:

A) 10
B) 7
C) 2
D) 4.2

Question 21

Which of the following is the single most important cause of extinction?

A) Loss of the ozone layer
B) Species overexploitation
C) Habitat loss
D) Nuclear accidents
E) Introduced species

Question 22

All of the following characteristics describe a developing country except:

A) short life expectancy
B) high infant mortality
C) low fertility rate
D) low per capita income
E) rapid doubling time

Question 23

Our country has lost ____________ of its topsoil since 1950.

Question 24

Which of the following is the reason why the sub-Saharan population projections for the year 2025 have been scaled back from 1.33 billion to 1.05 billion people?

A) Tuberculosis
B) Famine
C) Malaria
D) Drought
E) AIDS

Question 25

The greenhouse effect will probably have both positive and negative effects on agriculture.

Question 26

Global warming is predicted to have an effect on all of the following except:

A) rainfall patterns
B) human reproduction
C) agriculture
D) sea levels

Question 27

Agricultural chemicals include such things as _________________.

Question 28

All of the following are taken into consideration when calculating ecological footprint except:

A) acreage for recreation
B) acreage for forest products
C) acreage for housing
D) acreage to absorb the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuel
E) acreage for food production

Question 29

Which factor is contributing to the worldwide decline in amphibians?

A) Habitat deterioration
B) Fatal infections
C) Introduction of exotic species
D) Chemical pollutants that are toxic
E) All of these are contributing factors.

Question 30

A key element in the world's population growth is its uneven distribution among countries.

Question 31

Acid precipitation is due to the addition of __________ to the atmosphere.

Question 32

Widespread effects on the worldwide ecosystem are called __________________.

Question 33

When populations become very small,their genetic diversity is increased.

Question 34

The greenhouse effect is due to high levels of which gas in the environment?

A) Nitrogen
B) Ammonia
C) Carbon monoxide
D) Carbon dioxide
E) Oxygen

Question 35

When a new species enters a new habitat and colonizes it,it may do so at the expense of native species.

Question 36

In which way can natural habitats be adversely affected by human influences?

A) Pollution
B) Destruction
C) Habitat fragmentation
D) Human disruption
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 37

Once a river is polluted,it is impossible for it to recover.

Question 38

The number of species inhabiting an ecosystem is referred to as ___________________.

Question 39

The kinetic energy in wind can be harnessed to produce electricity.

Question 40

Water deep within underground aquifers is called ______________.

Question 41

What alternatives can you think of to lessen the need for agricultural chemicals?

Question 42

_________________ is the most abundant greenhouse gas.

Question 43

How do you think our overpopulation problem will be solved? Support your answer with specific examples or ideas.

Question 44

List five ways that you plan to alter your behavior to help solve environmental problems.

Question 45

The wealthiest 20% of the world's population consumes _________% of its resources.

Question 46

Pollution taxes often take the form of ____________________.

Question 47

As an alternative to fossil fuels,many countries (aside from the United States)are turning to ________________ as a way to provide energy.

Question 48

Explain the cause of the greenhouse effect.

Question 49

Choose the one environmental problem that you feel is in need of our most immediate attention.Describe the problem and explain why you feel it is the one that is most urgent.