Deck 1: Understanding Our Environment

Question 1

____________ constitutes 4.6 percent of the world's people yet produces about 50 percent of all toxic waste.

A) China
B) Germany
C) Russia
D) The United States

Answer 1

The United States

Question 2

The position that nature deserves to be protected in its own right is called

A) biocentric preservation.
B) utilitarian conservation.
C) environmentalism.
D) global environmentalism.

Answer 2

biocentric preservation.

Question 3

The word "environment" comes from a French word that means

A) life
B) nature
C) wildlife
D) home
E) to surround

Answer 3

to surround

Question 4

The earliest documented recognition that misuse of the natural environment can have nasty consequences was

A) George Perkins Marsh's 1864 publication of .
B) Rachel Carson's , alerting the public to the dangers of pollution in 1962.
C) Roosevelt's warnings about overuse a century ago.
D) Plato's writings 2500 years ago.

Question 5

The first Nobel Prize for environmental action was awarded

A) in 1912 to John Muir.
B) in 1973 to David Brower.
C) in 2004 to Wangari Maathai.
D) in 1935 to Aldo Leopold.

Question 6

There is concern over the continued ability to provide adequate food for our growing population because

A) 2/3 of all agricultural lands show signs of degradation.
B) there is little corporate interest in food production.
C) agriculture has not benefited from modern technological advancements.
D) there is little knowledge about how to farm.

Question 7

Which of the following presently provides 80 percent of the energy used in industrialized countries?

A) Fossil fuels
B) Wind
C) Hydroelectric power
D) Solar

Question 8

To say that environmental science is mission oriented means it is

A) a highly organized endeavor.
B) essentially an information gathering endeavor.
C) oriented toward solving problems.
D) designed to understand relationships.

Question 9

Critics of sustainable development suggest that we are limited by

A) non-renewable resources.
B) the capacity of the biosphere to absorb waste.
C) newly developed renewable technologies.
D) non-renewable resources and the capacity of the biosphere to absorb waste.

Question 10

The earth is projected to have a population between 18 and 20 billion people by 2050.

Question 11

If everyone in the world lived a lifestyle similar to the average U.S. citizen we would need __________ more planets to support everyone.

A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight

Question 12

About ____________ of the world's people currently lack access to clean water, adequate diet, basic sanitation, and other essential needs.

A) 100 million
B) 300 million
C) 700 million
D) 1.4 billion

Question 13

Sustainable development means

A) improving people's lives in the present in a way that can continue far into the future.
B) providing ever-increasing amounts of adequate housing.
C) continued growth indefinitely as long as it can be paid off.
D) utilizing an ever-increasing quantity of natural resources.

Question 14

Loss of indigenous cultures is accompanied by loss of unique understanding of nature.

Question 15

Most people agree that global climate change is not a real environmental threat.

Question 16

Environmental science is a __________.

A) Narrowly defined set of physical, life, and social sciences
B) Theoretical approach in interpreting the environment
C) Way to see the world in scientific terms
D) Systematic approach in learning about the environment
E) Special set of problem-solving skills

Question 17

The text suggests there is not a strong connection between poverty and environmental degradation.

Question 18

An important reason for determining the size of a society's ecological footprint is to determine the sustainability of its lifestyle.

Question 19

One of the earliest models for conservation in the United States was based on utilitarian conservation, for which nature was conserved not to protect biodiversity, but to provide jobs and resources.

Question 20

Most environmental problems result from

A) Political differences
B) Complex, interrelated problems
C) Technological development problems
D) Global warming
E) Urban degradation

Question 21

Utilitarian conservationists tend to believe that resources should be saved because they are important

A) As a home for wildlife
B) In the conservation of aesthetic values
C) To our understanding of the biosphere
D) For a strong economic system
E) And used by all living things

Question 22

The history of conservation and environmentalism is

A) Based in the Industrial Revolution
B) Largely unrecorded
C) A relatively new movement
D) Based in the 1970s environmental movement
E) Traceable well back into human history

Question 23

Pollution problems

A) Are relatively new concerns
B) Identify the era of global environmentalism
C) Were recognized at least as early as the eleventh century
D) Are the main issues for technological optimists

Question 24

Biocentric preservation is a philosophy that supports the belief that

A) The biosphere is a central resource for humans
B) Humans must manage resources for maximum productivity
C) Preservation of wildlife is needed for human survival
D) All living things have a fundamental right to exist and pursue their own interests
E) All living things have value for humans

Question 25

Biocentric preservationists, first led by John Muir, advocate saving natural areas for their

A) Aesthetic and spiritual values and wildlife habitat
B) Hunting and fishing value
C) Wood and mineral resources for the future
D) Tourism and recreation potential
E) Economic value in cleaning the air and preventing soil erosion

Question 26

Pragmatic conservationists, including Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt, supported forest conservation in order to protect

A) Wildlife habitats in forested areas
B) Untouched, unvisited wilderness areas
C) Jobs and homes for people
D) The scenic beauty found in natural areas
E) Resources such as natural habitats for future generations

Question 27

One major difference affecting the scope of environmental issues of the past and present is the

A) Current ability to alter the natural world through technology
B) Relatively new emergence of environmentalists
C) Historical ignorance of the interconnected nature of environmental issues
D) Development of new fields such as environmental science
E) Extremely fast transmission of information through the Internet

Question 28

The word "environment" as used in environmental science does not include

A) Our culture
B) The biosphere
C) Our political system
D) Solutions to problems
E) understanting relationships between organisms

Question 29

Most of the early scientific studies of environmental damage were done by

A) Colonial administrators who were often trained scientists
B) Native people of North America
C) European peasant farmers who understood the connection between deforestation and local climate change
D) Industrial leaders of the nineteenth century who were worried about the degradation caused by factories
E) Scientists in Europe who were worried about deforestation and erosion in their countries

Question 30

Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, is a model for balancing nature and human needs because in the eighteenth century a French governor

A) Declared the island a nature sanctuary
B) Ordered sensitive areas such as steep slopes to be preserved in forests
C) Bought the island as a private sanctuary for the government of France
D) Supported an extensive environmental education campaign
E) Enforced strict punishment for people who damaged any natural resources

Question 31

Deep Check
In the fourth century B.C., the philosopher Plato wrote of the erosion and deforestation that _________ Greece.

A) Would one day plague
B) Were caused by the excessive population in
C) Were prevalent in countries outside of
D) Had been a problem that was now resolved in
E) Had stripped the fine soils and forests of

Question 32

Which of the following areas does environmental science NOT draw information from to aid in solving problems?

A) Political Science
B) Chemistry
C) Ecology
D) Sociology
E) Music and the Arts

Question 33

The approach that reflects the philosophy that there is waste in neglecting the development and use of certain natural resources (such as dead trees in old growth forests) would best be described as

A) Moral and aesthetic preservation
B) Global environmental citizenship
C) Pragmatic utilitarian conservation
D) A cornucopian worldview

Question 34

Environmentalism stemming from the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring differed from earlier North American conservation perspectives by

A) Focusing on human population growth
B) Placing more emphasis on pollution problems
C) Emphasizing international problems
D) Encouraging energy efficiency
E) Emphasizing the value of natural resources

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a problem being addressed by environmental scientists?

A) Finding resources for a human population growing at almost 80 million people a year.
B) Providing clean drinking water.
C) Assessing and finding solutions to climate change.
D) Creating processes that promote sustainability in everyday life.
E) Creating a better transportation system for food distribution to the populace.

Question 36

Modern environmentalism, in part led by David Brower and Barry Commoner, is becoming well established in the United States. One of the main reasons for this is probably the ___________ in the modern movement.

A) Emphasis on technological remedies
B) Interconnected nature of our global village
C) Combination of activism and research
D) Emphasis on impending doom
E) Greatly expanded international communications

Question 37

The National Park Service reflects a ________ approach while the Forest Service reflects a ________ approach.

A) Biocentric preservationist; pragmatic utilitarian conservationist
B) Global environmentalist; cornucopian
C) Pragmatic resource conservationist; moral and aesthetic preservationist
D) Cornucopian; global environmentalist
E) Pragmatic utilitarian conservation; biocentric preservation

Question 38

At the end of the twentieth century, ____________________ has/have been added to environmental thinking.

A) Global concerns
B) Urban problems
C) Water supply and pollution problems
D) Human population growth
E) Air pollution problems

Question 39

The fundamental basis of environmental science as a discipline is the

A) History of the use of natural resources
B) Diversity of life on the Earth
C) Human impact on the Earth
D) Pollution on the Earth
E) Future use of natural resources

Question 40

A(n) ___________ is a tabulation of the demands placed on nature by individuals or nations.

A) ecological footprint
B) quantitative analysis value
C) world biocapacity
D) land area resource ratio

Question 41

Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen estimates that at least 3 million people die each year from diseases triggered by

A) Water pollution
B) Air pollution
C) Exposure to radiation
D) Cigarette smoking
E) Mosquito-borne illnesses

Question 42

Sustainable development, ideally, improves living conditions

A) For a few decades into the future
B) For the entire current political administration
C) As long as resources last
D) For generations in the future
E) For the present generation

Question 43

Supplies of fossil fuels are

A) Continually expanding in nature
B) Being renewed as fast as we use them
C) Being steadily depleted
D) Almost entirely depleted
E) Easily found through better technology

Question 44

Sustainable development differs from traditional economic development in that it emphasizes economic development in the

A) Short term
B) Long term
C) Present
D) Past
E) Present and past

Question 45

Some of today's leading environmental thinkers, such as Dr. Wangari Maathai of Kenya

A) Have denounced the use of technology
B) Have shown that a slight decrease in human welfare must accompany environmental protection
C) Have focused only on local environmental issues
D) Are linking improved environmental quality with social progress
E) Treat humans as an entity separate from the environment in which they live

Question 46

The branch of philosophy concerned with the distinction between right and wrong and the ultimate worth of actions of things is

A) Values
B) Ethics
C) Morals
D) Attitudes
E) Characters

Question 47

One way to decrease the size of our ecological footprint is to

A) Decrease consumption rates
B) Increase consumption rates
C) Increase the development in the region
D) Reduce the size of a biologically productive area in the region
E) None of these; it is not possible to change the size of an ecological footprint

Question 48

Which country uses the most coal to produce electricity?

A) China
B) India
C) United States
D) Russia

Question 49

The world's poorest people typically _______________ environmental degradation.

A) Cause the most
B) Are victims and causes of
C) Are unaffected by
D) Don't really care about
E) Are ignorant of

Question 50

Poverty is usually passed on from one generation to the next through

A) The lack of available opportunities
B) Genetic conditions
C) Improper care of natural resources
D) Illnesses spread by viruses

Question 51

Proponents of sustainable development argue that

A) All development has environmental costs
B) Development is less important than the environment
C) Development can proceed with minimal costs to the environment
D) The environment is less important than development
E) Development does not cause environmental damage

Question 52

The world's population is now more than

A) 70 million
B) 70 billion
C) 7 billion
D) 700 million
E) 20 million

Question 53

The ecological footprint of countries like Madagascar and the United States are very similar.

Question 54

In general, as per capita GDP (Global Domestic Product) rises both _____ and _____ increase.

A) Infant mortality; life expectancy
B) Percentage of safe drinking water; rate of infectious diseases
C) Infant mortality; adult literacy
D) Percentage of safe drinking water; adult literacy
E) Total Fertility Rate; percentage of safe drinking water

Question 55

Evidence of progress in reducing overpopulation and the increased strain on the environment it causes is best illustrated by

A) The current evidence of a stable population in the developing and developed world
B) A decrease in the average number of children born to each woman
C) The current evidence of a globally stable population growth
D) The decreasing population growth rate in the United States
E) The current evidence of a stable population in the developing world

Question 56

Which country listed is not in the top 5 with respect to sustainable development?

A) The United States
B) Sweden
C) Finland
D) New Zealand
E) They are all in the top 5

Question 57

If everybody in the world used resources at the rate that people in the United States do,

A) People would be healthier and happier worldwide
B) Our current resources would run out quickly
C) Violent conflicts would decrease because basic needs would be met
D) Economies would prosper
E) More people would experience health problems because people in more prosperous countries experience more stress

Question 58

According to the U.N. Environment Programme how many species have gone extinct in the past century?

A) Almost 100
B) Over 250
C) 563
D) More than 800
E) Nearly 1,700

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT an ecosystem service?

A) Providing fuel to burn
B) High biodiversity
C) Water purification
D) Production of food
E) Decomposition of waste

Question 60

Which of the following factors will not lead to violent conflicts?

A) Racial antagonisms
B) Access to water
C) Natural resource degradation
D) Religious conflicts
E) All of these are factors that can lead to violent conflicts

Question 61

Lead poisoning in children is an example that exemplifies the problem of ___________ for minority children in the United States.

A) Environmental racism
B) Inadequate nutrition
C) Poverty
D) Sanitary conditions
E) Inadequate healthcare

Question 62

Another word for "steward" is

A) Organizer
B) Caretaker
C) Participant
D) Consumer
E) Leader

Question 63

The term "toxic colonialism" has been used in describing

A) Lax environmental regulations for toxic wastes
B) The exportation of toxic wastes to poor communities
C) Rulings that toxins must not be exported to wealthy nations
D) The high level of toxic waste production by wealthy nations
E) The high level of toxic pesticide use by wealthy nations

Question 64

Ethics should guide decisions made regarding

A) Environmental issues
B) Economic issues
C) Development issues
D) Social justice issues
E) All of the above issues

Question 65

The Mineral King Valley court case is important in environmental history because it was a case that argued for the

A) Inherent value of trees, rocks, and wildlife
B) Instrumental value of trees, rocks, and wildlife
C) Status of moral agents for trees, rocks, and wildlife
D) Sustainable development of the area
E) Moral consideration of sentient things

Question 66

The idea of stewardship is that humans have a/the ___________ the environment.

A) Privilege of using
B) Technology to shape
C) Duty to care for
D) Opportunity to degrade
E) Responsibility to use resources in

Question 67

Environmental justice can be seen as

A) The power to make laws for a just society
B) An issue that is of special interest to the global community
C) Teaching the values of the environment to improve living standards for people
D) A local issue central to the middle class citizens in the United States
E) Both a local and an international issue

Question 68

The issue that racial and ethnic minorities face unusually high exposure to environmental hazards is a central argument to

A) Sustainable development
B) Environmental justice
C) Economic development
D) Urban renewal
E) Interpretive science