Deck 2: Environmental Policy

Question 1

In 2008, the average daily caloric intake in the United States was _ calories, and the daily caloric intake in developing countries was calories.

A) 3800; 2100
B) 3800; 2800
C) 2500; 2100
D) 2800; 2100

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following statements about our global food supply is true?

A) New developments in organic farming and genetically modified crops are expected to relieve our current deficit in global food supply.
B) We currently have a deficit in our global food supply, and the deficit is expected to worsen over the next 40 years.
C) The surplus in our global food supply is expected to provide us with a "cushion" as our global population increases to 9 billion people by the middle of the 21st century.
D) To avoid a deficit in our global food supply, food production will have to increase faster over the next 40 years than it has over the past 40 years.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the benefits of Bt corn?

A) Although Bt corn has its benefits, the use of Bt corn runs the risk of pests becoming immune to its toxins.
B) Bt corn is resistant to the pesticide Bt, so farmers growing Bt corn can use Bt on the weeds in their cornfields without it harming their crop.
C) Because it contains a certain gene removed from a soil bacterium, Bt corn is immune to the European corn borer.
D) Bt corn produces increased yields because it is resistant to infection from the Bt virus that lives in agricultural soils.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Although industrial agriculture has greatly reduced world hunger and malnutrition, it has .

A) not significantly increased the productivity of modern agriculture
B) contributed significantly to the destruction of the ozone layer
C) doubled the amount of land used to raise crops
D) required high levels of fertilizer and pesticide use

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true regarding genetically modified (GM) crops?

A) The United States leads the world in land area dedicated to GM crops.
B) GM crops are widely favored by environmentalists.
C) Latin America leads the world in land area dedicated to GM crops.
D) Europe leads the world in land area dedicated to GM crops.

Question 6

Roundup Ready corn is a transgenic crop that is resistant to the herbicide Roundup (glyphosate). Which one of the following would be the greatest concern regarding Roundup Ready corn?

A) Transfer of Roundup resistance to other crops, such as soybeans
B) Eventual loss of this trait from Roundup Ready corn due to hybridization
C) Lower yields produced by Roundup Ready corn
D) Evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds that commonly infect cornfields

Question 7

If the total global production of grains cannot be significantly increased in the next 50 years, and the human population continues to increase, one strategy to feed people would be to .

A) increase our use of fossil fuels in agriculture
B) greatly reduce the amount of meat in our diets
C) increasingly rely on fungi for nutritional needs
D) engineer plants that can grow without sunlight

Question 8

What commonly used pesticide caused declines in bird populations in the 1950s and 1960s by weakening the shells of bird eggs?

A) DDT
B) 2,4-D
C) Roundup
D) Malathion

Question 9

Which of the following is a major contributor to the decline in pollinator populations?

A) Collisions with vehicles
B) Use of domesticated bees for pollinating fruit crops
C) Use of insecticides in agricultural areas
D) Use of genetically modified crops

Question 10

Monoculture .

A) is a new development in agriculture that is more sustainable than industrial agriculture
B) is a development of industrial agriculture
C) accounts for less than 1% of U.S. croplands
D) requires no chemical fertilizers or pesticides

Question 11

Which of the following methods would be most effective in preventing the evolution of pesticide resistance?

A) Using more pesticide whenever resistance appears in the pest population
B) Applying pesticides to the soil before planting and after harvesting a crop
C) Using pesticides only during major outbreaks of pests
D) Using crop rotation and biological controls instead of pesticides

Question 12

Which of the following statements about monoculture farming is true?

A) Because of the risk of environmental degradation, monoculture farming is illegal in the United States.
B) Monoculture farming is an agricultural practice that increases a crop's susceptibility to insect pests.
C) Monoculture farming prohibits the use of crops that have been genetically modified.
D) Monoculture farming prohibits the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Question 13

Herbicides would be most useful in combating .

A) mosquitoes that spread malaria in tropical rain forests
B) fungi that attack plant roots
C) weeds that infest our agricultural fields
D) bacteria, such as Salmonella, which sometimes contaminate meat

Question 14

All of the following are USDA requirements for certified organic crops, dairy, and meat except that .

A) animal manure may be used to fertilize crops
B) all animals raised for slaughter must be fed organic food or graze on land that is managed with organic practices
C) genetically engineered seeds may not be used to produce organic crops
D) vaccines may not be used on animals raised for slaughter

Question 15

Which of the following statements regarding farm size and U.S. agricultural sales is true?

A) Most farms in the United States are large farms, and agricultural sales are dominated by large farms.
B) Most farms in the United States are midsized and small farms, and agricultural sales are dominated by midsized and small farms.
C) Although the majority of farms in the United States are classified as large farms, agricultural sales are dominated by midsized and small farms.
D) Although the majority of farms in the United States are classified as midsized and small farms, agricultural sales are dominated by large farms.

Question 16

Organic agriculture .

A) has increased in the United States in recent years
B) has no national standards in the United States
C) and organically grown produce have not been supported by the European Union
D) began in the 1960s

Question 17

Transgenic plants are different from conventional hybrid plants produced hundreds of years ago in that transgenic plants may .

A) not be used as sources of human food
B) have new traits not found in their ancestral species
C) contain genetic material from genetically dissimilar parents
D) contain genes from animals or bacteria

Question 18

Roundup Ready corn is a transgenic crop that is resistant to the herbicide Roundup (glyphosate). What is the main reason that farmers would want to plant Roundup Ready corn?

A) Roundup Ready corn produces its own herbicide, which would kill nearby weeds without the farmers having herbicides on their fields.
B) Many farmers have problems with airborne Roundup drifting in from nearby farms, and Roundup Ready corn would be protected from such airborne herbicide.
C) Farmers can use Roundup on the weeds in their cornfields without killing their corn.
D) Water supplies are often contaminated with Roundup, which typically kills corn. Such contaminated water can be used only on Roundup Ready crops.

Question 19

Irrigation can result in the salinization of soils because .

A) shortages of fresh water require the use of salt water for irrigation
B) many of the plants grown in these regions excrete salts into the soil
C) the irrigation water washes away soil leaving behind concentrated salts
D) salts are deposited on the soil surface as water evaporates

Question 20

Pesticide use has tripled in the past 40 years, yet pests still cause extensive damage to crops. Why has this increased use of pesticides not been more effective?

A) The pesticides available are no longer suited for the most common types of pests.
B) The pesticides in use today are much less powerful due to government regulations.
C) The widespread use of pesticides has resulted in the evolution of pesticide-resistant pests.
D) Increases in ultraviolet radiation and global warming break down pesticides faster.

Question 21

Which of the following is an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy that would be used to prevent a pest outbreak?

A) Planting several crops in the same area
B) Targeted use of chemical pesticides
C) Monoculture farming
D) Mechanical pest control

Question 22

In the long term, sustainable agriculture will require .

A) using less fertilizer and decreasing the production and use of fuels made from crops
B) using more fertilizer and increasing the production and use of fuels made from crops
C) increasing meat consumption in developing countries
D) expanding the type of industrial agriculture presently used in developed nations to Africa and Southeast Asia

Question 23

Which of the following can be inferred from the information in the figure?

A) After rapid increases in the use of GMOs from 1995 to 2010, the percent of U.S. crops that are genetically modified has leveled off since 2010.
B) More bushels of genetically modified corn were produced in 2010 than soybeans.
C) Corn, cotton, and soybeans are the only genetically modified crops grown in the United States.
D) The use of genetically modified crops began in 1985.

Question 24

Explain why there are so many malnourished people on the planet.

Question 25

Which one of the following requires the most grain to produce one pound of animal product?

A) Milk
B) Eggs
C) Beef
D) Pork

Question 26

Many people in the developing world primarily rely upon a diet of rice. Such a diet, even with plenty of rice available to meet daily caloric requirements, runs a high risk of .

A) insufficient intake of energy
B) obesity
C) protein deficiency and disease
D) overnourishment

Question 27

Which one of the following is a major cause of global topsoil loss?

A) Rising ocean levels
B) Construction of new buildings and roads
C) Erosion via water and wind
D) Creation of new mines

Question 28

Published in 1962, the book Silent Spring helped to establish .

A) the modern civil rights movement
B) the Food and Drug Administration
C) the National Wildlife Federation
D) the modern environmental movement

Question 29

Explain the role of pollinators in agriculture, and describe two reasons for the global declines in pollinator populations.

Question 30

Today, famine is a regular event in the Sahel region of .

A) Southeast Asia
B) Africa
C) Australia
D) Central America

Question 31

Describe the main goals of precision agriculture.

Question 32

Which of the following can be inferred from this figure depicting global production of animal protein?

A) Although the production of pork and poultry has increased, global dietary intake of animal proteins has remained stable over the past 50 years.
B) More pork protein is produced than all other animal proteins combined.
C) If trends continue, poultry may soon become more popular than beef as a source of animal protein.
D) The amount of poultry and pork consumed is increasing because of an increase in global population.

Question 33

Armed conflicts are most likely to contribute to famine .

A) in coastal regions that make great use of seafood
B) in countries that are primarily exporters of grain
C) where rice is the main source of food
D) where food production and distribution are already problematic