Deck 13: The Environment

Question 1

In the United States, concern with environmental justice can be traced to the founding of the country.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The term "environmental racism" generally refers to:

A) Minorities being kept out of organizations supporting the environment
B) The contention that damage from the environment has a disproportionate impact on minorities
C) Minorities being under-represented in government agencies responsible for environmental protection
D) The fact that most of the profits from oil and other natural resources go to whites

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to the text, the United States has about 6 percent of the world's population and uses about what percent of the world's natural resources?

A) Less than 1 percent
B) About 6 percent
C) About 30 percent
D) More than 95 percent

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is true about the world's supply of available fresh water?

A) Available fresh water makes up only a small percentage of the water in the world.
B) On every continent, the level of underground water is falling.
C) Many rivers are now drained of their water before they reach the sea.
D) All of these

Question 5

What is desalination?

A) Draining desert lakes for farmland
B) The process of removing salt from seawater
C) The process in which one country diverts the flow of water, cutting off water to people who live downstream
D) Purifying the water by removing bacteria

Question 6

Most of the fresh water in the world today is used for:

A) Drinking
B) Running factories
C) Amusement, such as swimming pools and golf courses
D) Growing food

Question 7

Water is a source of seafood. According to the text, what is the future of this source of food?

A) The supply of fish in the ocean is diminishing.
B) Much seafood is contaminated.
C) Many rivers are so polluted that they no longer support fish.
D) All of these

Question 8

Most disease in the third world is caused by contaminated water.

Question 9

In the United States, the single biggest use for water is:

A) Growing food
B) Recreation (golf courses, swimming pools, etc.)
C) Producing electricity
D) Personal use - drinking, showering, toilets, etc.

Question 10

According to the text, privatizing municipal water supplies:

A) Is the best way to guarantee that all people will be able to afford clean water
B) Is currently illegal in the United States
C) Is not economically practical because profits are so low
D) Might mean that the poor will not have access to clean water

Question 11

In developing countries, the poor often must pay more than the rich for a cubic meter of water.

Question 12

In Cochabamba, Bolivia, the city turned over its water system to a private company. What happened when the company took over?

A) People making $100 a month paid $20 a month for water.
B) People had to pay for water they collected from their rooftops.
C) The city was shut down for several days by violent protests.
D) All of these

Question 13

"Riparian rights" refers to the right of:

A) Every citizen to have clean water
B) People to sue municipal water companies if they sell impure water
C) Private companies to sell water for whatever price they choose
D) Landowners to use water that flows in or through their property

Question 14

One hundred and forty-five nations share river systems for at least some of their fresh water. According to the text, this situation:

A) Pressures nations to cooperate and thus reduces the likelihood of war
B) Has led the United Nations to develop guidelines for how much water each country can take from a shared water source
C) Has led to tensions between countries and sometimes to war
D) Has usually been resolved by private companies who claim ownership of the water and offer to sell it to the country willing to offer the most money for it

Question 15

Industrialized nations require less water per person each year than do developing nations.

Question 16

According to the text, on the role of water in tensions between Israel and its neighbors:

A) In that region, underground water is being taken faster than it can be replaced
B) Israel has declared that efforts to limit the flow of water into Israel would be considered acts of war
C) Access to water has helped fuel the Palestinian uprising against Israel
D) All of these

Question 17

According to the text, conflicts between nations over the issue of water are:

A) Nearly always resolved peacefully by taking the case to the International Criminal Court
B) Far less common than in the past
C) More frequent than in the past and are likely to be even more frequent in the future
D) A minor problem that has been greatly exaggerated by the press

Question 18

The United States has been a world leader in international efforts to respond to injustices resulting from the use and distribution of environmental resources.

Question 19

According to the text, injustice and the environment are connected in that:

A) The environment can be used as a terrorist tool
B) Violence can be used to get natural resources
C) Violence can be used by groups seeking to protect the environment
D) All of these