Deck 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability

Question 1

All nonrenewable resources can theoretically be ____.

A)converted to nonmetallic minerals
B)converted to renewable ones
C)exhausted or depleted
D)recycled or reused
E)alive

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Use of a natural resource based on sustainable yields is most applicable to the idea of ____.

A)nonrenewable resources
B)renewable resources
C)shared resources
D)amenable resources
E)recycling

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Having tall smokestacks is a form of _____.

A)pollution prevention
B)pollution cleanup
C)natural capital degradation
D)ecological restoration
E)tragedy of the commons

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Each of the three major cultural revolutions has allowed _____.

A)ecological restoration
B)expansion of the human population
C)greater worldwide sustainability
D)pollution prevention
E)decreased consumption

Question 5

What term describes the highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply?

A)conservation
B)sustainable yield
C)preservation
D)perpetual resource
E)degradation

Question 6

Which action is is an example of reuse?

A)re-melting aluminum cans
B)making compost out of kitchen scraps
C)using plastic butter tubs to store leftovers
D)using waste heat to warm a room
E)making paper goods from previously used paper

Question 7

Solar energy is known as a(n)____.

A)renewable resource
B)recyclable resource
C)inexhaustible resource
D)reusable resource
E)nonrenewable resource

Question 8

Sustainability refers to _____.

A)the way in which the natural world works
B)how we interact with the environment
C)human methods of coping with environmental problems
D)refusing, reducing, reusing, and recycling
E)the capacity of the earth's natural systems to survive, flourish, and adapt

Question 9

Topsoil is an important component of _____.

A)biodiversity
B)ecosystems
C)natural resources
D)win-win solutions
E)nutrient cycling

Question 10

The primary difference between renewable resources and nonrenewable resources is ____.

A)how easily each can be discovered
B)the available amount of each resource
C)the length of time it takes for each to be replenished
D)how fast each is being consumed
E)how quickly each can produce electricity

Question 11

What are the priorities for more sustainable use of renewable resources, in order?

A)refuse, renew, reduce, and recycle
B)recycle, renew, reuse, and reduce
C)resource, recycle, renew, and reduce
D)refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle
E)refuse, reduce, recycle, and renew

Question 12

Which discipline is most associated with environmental science?

A)botany
B)political science
C)sociology
D)ecology
E)psychology

Question 13

A forest with plants, animals, and various other organisms is an example of a(n)_____.

A)ecosystem
B)species
C)ecology
D)life-support system
E)nutrient

Question 14

According to a number of environmental scientists, we already know how to reuse or recycle at least _____ of the nonrenewable resources we use.

A)80%
B)65%
C)50%
D)40%
E)25%

Question 15

Which substance would be considered a renewable resource?

A)copper
B)oil
C)fresh air
D)salt
E)sand

Question 16

More-developed countries _____.

A)have a lower average income
B)use mostly renewable resources
C)rely entirely on nonrenewable resources
D)comprise 17% of the world's population
E)provide fewer recycling services

Question 17

Which substance would be considered a nonrenewable resource?

A)groundwater
B)trees in a forest
C)fertile soil
D)oil
E)crops

Question 18

What is one of the three social science principles of sustainability?

A)A dependence on solar energy
B)A focus on chemical cycling
C)The degradation of natural capital
D)A responsibility to future generations
E)The ability to retain biodiversity

Question 19

Which of the following illustrates natural capital degradation?

A)use of wind power
B)saving endangered species
C)cleaning up pollution
D)aquifer depletion
E)water runoff

Question 20

Using normally renewable resources faster than nature can renew them is called ____.

A)nutrient cycling
B)nutrient deficit
C)sustainability
D)trade-offs
E)degrading natural capital

Question 21

Volcanic gases in the atmosphere are considered a type of _____.

A)cultural change
B)natural capital degradation
C)nonrenewable resource
D)renewable resource
E)pollution

Question 22

The term _____ refers to the contamination of the environment by a chemical or other agent that is harmful to organisms.

A)natural capital
B)pollution
C)pesticide
D)human activity
E)point source

Question 23

An average ecological footprint of an individual in a given country or area is known as ____.

A)per capita gross GNP
B)ecological footprint
C)per capita GDP
D)sustainable yield
E)per capita ecological footprint

Question 24

An estimated _____ middle-class consumers live in China.

A)10 million
B)150 million
C)300 million
D)500 million
E)1 billion

Question 25

What is the primary cause of nature deficit disorder?

A)too much poverty
B)too much affluence
C)increased isolation from nature
D)poor sanitation
E)increased pollution

Question 26

At our current average rate of use per person, how many planet Earths would we need to provide an endless supply of renewable resources?

A)0.5
B)0.9
C)1
D)1.5
E)2

Question 27

Which of the following is a point source of pollution?

A)wind carrying dirt and pesticides from croplands
B)runoff from a stockyard
C)a smokestack from a power plant
D)fertilizer runoff from lawns
E)runoff from cropland

Question 28

What is a nonpoint source of pollution?

A)drainpipe
B)car exhaust pipe
C)power plant
D)volcano
E)pesticides in the air

Question 29

The degradation of commonly held resources is known as _____.

A)the tragedy of the commons
B)open-access degradation
C)sustainable yield
D)pollution
E)government regulation

Question 30

What viewpoint embodies the idea that we should be responsible, caring managers of the earth?

A)The planetary management worldview
B)The stewardship worldview
C)The environmental wisdom worldview
D)The environmental justice movement
E)The renewable worldview

Question 31

What is the most likely effect of a pollutant?

A)degradation of life-support systems for humans
B)more cooperative behavior among wildlife
C)greater allocation of resources to human health
D)natural recycling of atmospheric air
E)renewable natural capital

Question 32

Which revolution began about 50 years ago and involved the development of technologies for gaining rapid access to all kinds of information and resources on a global scale?

A)The technology revolution
B)The information-globalization revolution
C)The agricultural revolution
D)The industrial-medical revolution
E)The sustainability revolution

Question 33

In the IPAT equation, the 'P' stands for _____.

A)poverty
B)pollution
C)per capita ecological footprint
D)percent
E)population size

Question 34

What is the set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in the world should be?

A)environmental worldview
B)environmental justice
C)environmental ethics
D)environmental economics
E)environmental capital

Question 35

The U.N. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment reports that human activities have degraded ____ percent of the earth's natural services, and mostly since 1950.

A)20
B)40
C)60
D)80
E)95

Question 36

The first major cultural change that occurred in the human population was the _____.

A)information-globalization revolution
B)agricultural revolution
C)industrial-medical revolution
D)technological revolution
E)sustainability revolution

Question 37

Subsidies and tax breaks to companies are

A)helpful to the environment
B)not helpful to the economy
C)not actually helpful to these companies
D)not helpful to the environment
E)helpful to individuals

Question 38

Which statement represents an environmental wisdom worldview?

A)Continuous rapid economic growth improves environmental conditions.
B)Our success depends on learning how life sustains itself.
C)Maximizing research funding is the key to controlling the environment.
D)Human beings are the most important life forms on the earth.
E)There is always more.

Question 39

What is the best description of an ecological deficit?

A)The total ecological footprint is larger than the biological capacity to replenish renewable resources.
B)The total ecological footprint is smaller than the biological capacity to replenish renewable resources.
C)All nonrenewable resources have been exhausted and there are no renewable resources available.
D)The total ecological footprint is equal to the sustainable yield of renewable resources.
E)The total ecological footprint only involves the use of nonrenewable resources.

Question 40

The real prices of goods and services do not include the ____.

A)cost of raw materials
B)cost of manufacturing
C)environmental costs of resource use
D)cost of distribution
E)cost of advertising

Question 41

What is one of the root causes of environmental problems?

A)rapid population growth
B)even global distribution of wealth
C)increasingly sustainable use of resources
D)absorption of environmental costs in goods and services
E)decreased use of nonrenewable resources in more-developed countries

Question 42

A drainpipe of a factory that is releasing a pollutant is an example of nonpoint source of pollution.

Question 43

While we are heavily dependent on the environment, we are not dependent on it for everything we need to stay alive and healthy.

Question 44

Nature deficit disorder is most likely to cause _____.

A)obesity
B)poverty
C)stress
D)poor sanitation
E)dependence

Question 45

The three overarching themes relating to the long-term sustainability of life on this planet are solar energy, biodiversity, and chemical cycling.

Question 46

Affluence typically results in _____.

A)population growth
B)less education
C)increased poverty
D)environmental restoration
E)environmental degradation

Question 47

In environmental science, individuals tend to matter less because the issues are global in nature.

Question 48

_____ growth starts off slowly, but after only a few doublings, grows at an enormous rate.

A)Exponential
B)Logarithmic
C)Parallel
D)Linear
E)Resource

Question 49

Research by social scientists suggests that it takes ____ percent of the population of a community, country, or the world to bring about major social change.

A)1 − 2
B)5 − 10
C)15 − 20
D)25 − 35
E)50 − 60

Question 50

What situation is most likely to occur as a result of poverty?

A)increased media attention on children's health
B)access to clean drinking water
C)increased consumption in average
D)spread of disease from poor sanitation
E)heart disease and diabetes from obesity

Question 51

Pollutants are all human-made; in other words, they cannot enter the environment naturally.

Question 52

The Tragedy of the Commons refers to a lack of agricultural resources available for the common (poor)people in a country.

Question 53

What is the best description of natural income?

A)renewable resources provided by the earth's natural capital
B)nonrenewable resources created by humans
C)income based on government subsidies
D)excess resources remaining after our ecological footprint
E)new and alternative resources created by humans

Question 54

According to the World Bank, about how many people worldwide live in extreme poverty?

A)1 million
B)9 million
C)40 million
D)90 million
E)900 million

Question 55

Environmental science is a branch of environmentalism and has the aim of protecting the earth's life-support systems.

Question 56

How many people can the earth support indefinitely?

A)No one knows.
B)5 billion
C)10 billion
D)15 billion
E)20 billion

Question 57

Pollution cleanup is usually the best way of dealing with the release of a pollutant.

Question 58

The amount of biologically productive land and water required to supply the people in a country with renewable resources and recycling wastes and pollution is the ecological footprint.

Question 59

Exponential growth occurs when a population increases at a(n)_____ per unit time.

A)fixed number
B)variable percentage
C)fixed percentage
D)slow rate
E)unpredictable rate

Question 60

Take away solar energy and all natural capital would collapse.

Question 61

Your ____________ ____________ is a set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in the world should be.

Question 62

Natural capital equals __________ __________ plus __________ __________.

Question 63

The earth's population is growing _______________.

Question 64

The exhaust pipe of an automobile or the smokestack of a coal-burning powerplant are examples of ______________ sources.

Question 65

Our lives and economies depend on energy from the ____________________ and natural resources and natural services provided by the earth.

Question 66

The _______________ _______________ worldview holds that we are separate from and in charge of nature, that nature exists mainly to meet our needs and increasing wants, and that we can use our ingenuity and technology to manage the earth's life-support systems, mostly for our benefit, into the distant future.

Question 67

Environmental degradation, also known as __________ __________ __________ is the process of wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth's natural capital at an accelerating rate.

Question 68

A resource such as solar energy, that is constantly available, is called a(n)__________ __________.

Question 69

IPAT is a simple way of looking at how three factors influence the impact humans have on the environment. The formula is Impact = Population (P)x __________ x Technology (T).

Question 70

Some of the world's countries are called low-income, __________-__________ countries, and include Congo, Haiti, Nigeria, and Nicaragua.

Question 71

The _______________ revolution involved the invention of machines for the large-scale production of goods in factories.

Question 72

Species are currently becoming extinct at the same rate as during prehuman times.

Question 73

A basic cause of environmental problems results from the fact that companies using resources have to pay for the cost of the harmful environmental costs of supplying their products.

Question 74

Extreme poverty is living on less than the equivalent of $_______________ per day.

Question 75

Old drink bottles that are collected, washed, and refilled are an example of ____________________.

Question 76

Reducing poverty, promoting family planning, and elevating the status of women would help the world's population continue to grow.

Question 77

The circulation of chemicals necessary for life, from the environment through organisms and back to the environment, is called ____________________.

Question 78

Living sustainably means living on natural income.

Question 79

Fish, fresh air, forests, and fertile soil are examples of __________ __________.

Question 80

China has the world's largest population and second-largest economy.