Deck 15: The Environment

Question 1

A catastrophe that threatens or overwhelms an area's capacity to get people to safety, treat casualties, protect infrastructure, and control panic is called which of these?

A) a disaster
B) global warming
C) climate change
D) a mega-disaster

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of these is NOT an example of a mega-disaster?

A) Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
B) Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans
C) Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami
D) Love Canal

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of these is TRUE Biosphere 2?

A) It was a three acre, glass enclosed ecosystem designed to test the effect of pollutants.
B) It showed that humans were capable of creating human-made substitutions for essential natural resources.
C) Its $200 million dollar budget was not sufficient to carry out its mission.
D) It was designed in the 1960s and continued to be usable through 2010.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Biologists Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich (1990) assert that the impact of any human group the environment is the product of three different factors. Which of the following is NOT one of these factors?

A) population
B) level of affluence
C) education
D) technological damage

Question 5

According to ecofeminist Cynthia Hamilton (1994), activist women in environmental movements are motivated by a need to do which of these?

A) bring attention to male domination
B) protect their home and children
C) be heard
D) destroy patriarchy

Question 6

According to Robert Bullard (1999), the most important factor in determining whether an individual drinks dirty water or lives next to a toxic site is which of these?

A) race
B) gender
C) educational level
D) religion

Question 7

The awareness that the environment has an economic value is called which of these?

A) economic capitalism
B) natural capitalism
C) environmental capitalism
D) green capitalism

Question 8

Which of these is associated with the creation of the modern environmental justice movement?

A) Standing Rock Pipeline
B) Hurricane Maria
C) Love Canal
D) Deepwater Horizon

Question 9

John Hannigan identified six factors that are necessary for the successful construction of an environmental problem. Which of these is NOT one of those factors?

A) scientific authority to validate claims
B) media that frames the problem as novel and important
C) political leaders
D) religious community support

Question 10

Which two countries have the highest fossil fuel CO₂ emissions worldwide?

A) India and China
B) China and the United States
C) Japan and China
D) the United States and India

Question 11

Which of these is NOT considered a natural case of climate change?

A) oceanic changes
B) volcanic eruptions
C) changes in earth's orbit
D) fossil fuels

Question 12

Which of these is TRUE of the effect of climate change on households?

A) Poor households are less vulnerable to climate change than more affluent households.
B) Poor and affluent households are equally vulnerable to climate change.
C) Poor households are more vulnerable to climate change than more affluent households.
D) Neither poor nor affluent households will feel the effect of climate change as climate change is felt at the individual level.

Question 13

Why was President George W. Bush's lack of support for Kyoto Protocol significant to climate change?

A) It resulted in regulations that were too burdensome for U.S. industry.
B) It meant the U.S. was not part of a treaty that limited the emissions of greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels.
C) It meant the U.S. was not part of a treaty that would have prevented natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
D) It resulted in the global acknowledgement of a changing environment.

Question 14

Which U.S. president joined 195 nations to sign the Paris Climate Accord which made a commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions?

A) Donald J. Trump
B) George W. Bush
C) Barak Obama
D) Bill Clinton

Question 15

Which U.S. president withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord which made a commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions?

A) Donald J. Trump
B) George W. Bush
C) Barak Obama
D) Bill Clinton

Question 16

Scientists report that 1 out of every ______ people in the United States is at high risk of experiencing ozone-related health effects.

A) 3
B) 9
C) 12
D) 15

Question 17

The Brownfields Economic Revitalization Act which authorized $250 million annually to assist with cleanup and restoration of Brownfields was signed by which president?

A) Barak Obama
B) Bill Clinton
C) George W. Bush
D) Ronald Reagan

Question 18

An abandoned or underused industrial or commercial property is known as which of these?

A) a pollutant
B) a "love canal"
C) a hazardous waste site
D) a brownfield

Question 19

As a result of ______ the Environmental Protection Agency created a Superfund to clean hazardous waste sites.

A) the Dakota Pipeline
B) the biosphere
C) Love Canal
D) WHO reports

Question 20

Which of the following is a ground water source?

A) rivers
B) underground aquifers
C) streams
D) municipal water

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a surface water source?

A) rivers
B) underground aquifers
C) streams
D) lakes

Question 22

What percentage of people get their drinking water from surface water sources?

A) 16 percent
B) 36 percent
C) 66 percent
D) 96 percent

Question 23

Where is the largest dead zone in the United States?

A) the Gulf of Mexico
B) the Hudson River
C) the Chesapeake Bay
D) the Great Lakes

Question 24

Why is the Endangered Species Act of 1973 so controversial?

A) because it protects large, predatory animals
B) because it preserves the interests of the species above economic and human interests
C) because it permits human recreational activities such as boating, logging, and motorized sports
D) because it damages delicate ecosystems of rare plants and wildlife

Question 25

Successes in land conservation and wilderness protection are because of which of these?

A) local practices
B) state policies
C) regional policies
D) federal policies

Question 26

Which is the smallest designated wilderness area in the United States?

A) Yellowstone, MT
B) Wrangell-St. Elias, AK
C) Pelican Island, FL
D) Shenandoah, VA.

Question 27

Which is the largest designated wilderness area in the United States?

A) Yellowstone, MT
B) Wrangell-St. Elias, AK
C) Pelican Island, FL
D) Shenandoah, VA.

Question 28

Through the 1973 Endangered Species Act, ______ U.S. species have been listed as endangered or threatened with recovery plans approved or implemented about half of them.

A) 234
B) 2,340
C) 22,340
D) 222,340

Question 29

Which president created and expanded the most national monuments?

A) Donald J. Trump
B) George W. Bush
C) Barak Obama
D) Bill Clinton

Question 30

This organization, established in 1970, is charged with providing leadership in the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment offices.

A) the National Science Foundation
B) Veteran's Affairs
C) the Environmental Protection Agency
D) the Department of Justice

Question 31

In the 1980s the Environmental Protection Agency shifted its focus from ______ to ______.

A) cleanup; pollution management
B) water quality; cleanup
C) air quality; pollution management
D) pollution management; cleanup

Question 32

Which of these is TRUE of state and local environmental responses?

A) States have been unwilling to work in compacts to address environmental issues.
B) Cities have embraced sustainability goals, but they are unwilling to address environmentally responsible planning and consumption.
C) Los Angeles and Boston have been singled out for their environmental vision and leadership.
D) Thirty-five states and Puerto Rico have completed or implemented action plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions or enhancing greenhouse gas capture.

Question 33

Which of the following environmental organizations is credited with being the first to play an important role in American politics?

A) National Audubon Society
B) National Parks and Conservation Association
C) National Wildlife Federation
D) Sierra Club

Question 34

Which group is an example of a new environmental interest group?

A) the National Audubon Society
B) the National Wildlife Federation
C) the National Parks Conservation Association
D) the Environmental Policy Institute

Question 35

Which of the following organizations honors youth for their environmental work and pledges to support campaigns "dedicated to conserving, preserving, and restoring the ecosystems on which our civilization depends."

A) Earth Island Institute
B) Arkansas Wildlife Federation
C) the National Wildlife Federation
D) Sierra Club

Question 36

The first wave of environmental groups focused their efforts on which of these?

A) conservation
B) fighting pollution
C) green spaces
D) policy

Question 37

The second wave of environmental groups that emerged during the 1960s and 1970s focused their efforts on which of these?

A) conservation
B) fighting pollution
C) green spaces
D) policy

Question 38

Which of the following illustrates a difference between grassroots environmental movements and national environmental organizations?

A) Most national organizations are led by inexperienced but passionate leaders.
B) National organizations usually emphasize environmental justice.
C) Grassroots organizations usually consist of working-class participants, people of color, and women.
D) Most grassroots organizations confront problems through direct action and acts of civil disobedience.

Question 39

Which is TRUE of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment?

A) It includes a pledge to develop and implement a plan to achieve carbon neutrality on campuses.
B) It was signed by 100 college presidents.
C) It requires that colleges start environmental clubs.
D) It charges faculty with leading the effort on environmentalism on campus.

Question 40

Humans create environmental problems through intentional efforts to manage nature.

Question 41

Russia, Indonesia, and Zambia are among the world's most polluted places.

Question 42

Functionalists would agree with the argument that agricultural and industrial modes of production can be dysfunctional for our ecosystems.

Question 43

Conflict theorists believe that our capitalist economic system is a primary source of environmental degradation and pollution.

Question 44

Most Americans will tolerate environmental damage and pollution in exchange for the benefits and comforts associated with a developed industrial economy.

Question 45

Ecofeminism is a feminist perspective for explaining the relationship between humans and the environment.

Question 46

An Interactionist would be interested in how environmental problems are identified and defined.

Question 47

Social constructionists believe that environmental problems do not really exist, but rather they are only what people say they are.

Question 48

Global warming is part of climate change.

Question 49

Fossil fuels are responsible for about 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

Question 50

The Federal Department of Transportation is responsible for monitoring smog levels throughout the nation.

Question 51

Ground-level ozone is referred to as smog.

Question 52

According to the World Health Organization, 3 in 10 people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water.

Question 53

The National Wilderness Preservation System sets aside land for preservation while also allowing and supporting recreational activities on that land.

Question 54

Efforts in land conservation and wilderness protection seem to be successful largely because of federal protection policies.

Question 55

The Sierra Club is an example of a second wave environmental group.

Question 56

The government's first response to the environment was directed at sustainability goals.

Question 57

The environmental movement has been credited as one of the few movements that have changed society.

Question 58

Describe Biosphere 2. What were the results of this experiment and what important lesson did we learn from this experiment?

Question 59

Compare and contrast two of the four theoretical perspectives on the environment and give examples of their areas of concentration. Which perspective do you find most useful and why?

Question 60

Describe the environmental justice movement and explain and explore three to four areas of major impact.