Deck 1: Environment, Sustainability, and Science, Environmental Ethics, Economics, and Policy, and the Physical Science of the Environment

Question 1

The 1987 UN Commission on Sustainability first introduced the concept of____________ as a necessary focus for maintaining sustainability.

A) cultural services
B) human population growth
C) human well- being
D) renewable energy
E) environmental sustainability

Answer 1

human well- being

Question 2

The current total world population has just passed ____________.

A) 8 billion
B) 5 billion
C) 7 billion
D) 9 billion
E) 6 billion

Answer 2

7 billion

Question 3

The law of energy and mass conservation states that ____________ .

A) both energy and matter can be created and destroyed
B) energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed
C) energy can be created and matter destroyed
D) energy cannot be destroyed but matter can be created

Answer 3

energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed

Question 4

Which of the following is not a principle of Ecosystem function?

A) Ecosystem change is inevitable and essential.
B) Ecosystems are always open to gains and losses of matter and energy.
C) Ecosystem's processes are self- regulated by interactions among their living and nonliving components.
D) Matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed.
E) Ecosystems have distinct boundaries that are influenced by the abiotic factors in the ecosystem.

Question 5

All the organisms and their physical and chemical environment within a specific area best describe ____________ .

A) ecological communities
B) ecosystems
C) the biosphere
D) populations
E) biomes

Question 6

Sustainable use of resources requires ____________.

A) an understanding of rate of resource renewal and ability to manage rate of use
B) an understanding of ecosystem models
C) a thorough understanding of the scientific method
D) knowledge of all nonrenewable resources
E) knowledge of all finite resource locations

Question 7

The ecosystem boundary of a drainage basin can be defined by____________ .

A) the amount of water flowing into the basin from a mountain
B) mountains, hills, and valleys that determine where the water flows
C) the rivers that divide the basins between counties, cities, and states
D) the streams that flow into the basin
E) local legislative decisions designed to clarify jurisdiction of the ecosystem

Question 8

A key factor in the ability of ecosystems to provide ecosystem services is ____________.

A) the maintenance of a high level of diversity of species
B) a sustainable energy cycle
C) the presence of essential abiotic factors
D) the presence of both renewable and nonrenewable resources
E) a steady rate of growth of the ecosystem

Question 9

What is one barrier that makes it difficult for scientists to forecast environmental changes?

A) environmental conflict that leads to ecosystem sustainability
B) simplicity of ecosystems
C) unpredictable behavior of ecosystems that cause unpredicted environmental changes
D) the certainties of ecosystem function that humans ignore
E) the diversity of views based on cultural and religious differences

Question 10

In human- dominated ecosystems, which of the following features is often lacking?

A) the presence of positive feedback systems
B) homeostatic regulation
C) the presence of sufficient human infrastructure
D) an ecosystem's ability to grow sufficient food
E) drought resistant regulation

Question 11

Sustainable companies such as DIRTT measure success by the triple bottom line, which includes____________ , people, and profit.

A) prosperity
B) popularity
C) petroleum
D) professionalism
E) planet

Question 12

Environmental science is best described as ____________.

A) studying the physical and chemical aspects of an environment
B) focusing on organism relationships within an ecosystem
C) focusing on renewable resource sustainability
D) studying ecosystem sustainability and destruction
E) studying all aspects of an environment

Question 13

As human population and demands for resources have changed, our definition of sustainability has also changed. One hundred and fifty years ago, human resource use was largely determined by____________ .

A) human needs or desires
B) the necessity to avoid human conflict
C) the need for balancing multiuses/demands for a resource
D) consideration of human justice
E) the understanding of resource supply

Question 14

Ecosystems are connected by ____________.

A) the flow of energy and matter through the ecosystem
B) the movement of pollutants between ecosystems
C) the essential flow of water through the ecosystem
D) individual species competing for space with other species in the ecosystem
E) energy cycling and nutrient flow

Question 15

Throughout any introductory examination of ecosystems and environmental sustainability, the importance of human population numbers is cited. Currently, the world and U.S. populations are closest to ____________.

A) 7 billion; 300 million
B) 7 billion; 500 million
C) 9 billion; 400 million
D) 3.5 billion; 300 million
E) 7 billion; 200 million

Question 16

What ecosystem services from U.S. national forests had the greatest demands placed on them following World War II and the country's rapid population growth?

A) soil formation and wilderness protection
B) soil formation and agriculture
C) grazing, recreation, and timber resources
D) food, fiber, and plant growth
E) grazing and agriculture

Question 17

What makes up an ecosystem?

A) energy and matter and the organisms competing for resources in the ecosystem
B) living and nonliving parts and energy movement created by the sun
C) energy and matter and the organisms functioning apart
D) living and nonliving parts and the processes that disconnect them
E) living and nonliving parts and the processes that connect them

Question 18

Which of the following is not considered biota?

A) plants
B) animals
C) fungi
D) water
E) bacteria

Question 19

Resources are____________ .

A) available in ample quantities
B) finite
C) infinite
D) used at a slow rate so that they will last forever
E) available in sufficient quantities to sustain all of our futures

Question 20

What is required to be considered sustainable use of resources?

A) understanding the rate of exhaustion and the ability to manage the rate of the use
B) understanding that resources are infinite
C) understanding that resources are finite
D) understanding the rate of renewal and the ability to manage the rate of the use
E) understanding ecosystem function in relation to resource use

Question 21

Regulating ecosystem services are ways that ecosystems control important conditions and/or processes such as____________.

A) climate, water flow, and disease
B) aesthetic beauty and recreation
C) food, water, and fiber
D) soil formation and nutrient cycles
E) pollination and chlorophyll

Question 22

What is the end product of the scientific method for a particular question?

A) scientific observations
B) peer review and publication
C) drawing conclusions
D) hypothesis testing
E) hypothesis construction

Question 23

Match each term with the correct description.

-Ecosystem services

A) Basic ecosystem processes that are needed to maintain other services
B) The multitude of resources that ecosystems supply to humans
C) Food, water, and air we breathe
D) Spiritual and recreational benefits that an ecosystem provides
E) Ecosystem control of climate, flows of water, and absorption of pollutants

Question 24

Match each term with the correct description.

-Provisioning services

A) Basic ecosystem processes that are needed to maintain other services
B) The multitude of resources that ecosystems supply to humans
C) Food, water, and air we breathe
D) Spiritual and recreational benefits that an ecosystem provides
E) Ecosystem control of climate, flows of water, and absorption of pollutants

Question 25

Match each term with the correct description.

-Regulating services

A) Basic ecosystem processes that are needed to maintain other services
B) The multitude of resources that ecosystems supply to humans
C) Food, water, and air we breathe
D) Spiritual and recreational benefits that an ecosystem provides
E) Ecosystem control of climate, flows of water, and absorption of pollutants

Question 26

Match each term with the correct description.

-Cultural services

A) Basic ecosystem processes that are needed to maintain other services
B) The multitude of resources that ecosystems supply to humans
C) Food, water, and air we breathe
D) Spiritual and recreational benefits that an ecosystem provides
E) Ecosystem control of climate, flows of water, and absorption of pollutants

Question 27

Match each term with the correct description.

-Supporting services

A) Basic ecosystem processes that are needed to maintain other services
B) The multitude of resources that ecosystems supply to humans
C) Food, water, and air we breathe
D) Spiritual and recreational benefits that an ecosystem provides
E) Ecosystem control of climate, flows of water, and absorption of pollutants

Question 28

Read the scenario and answer the accompanying question(s). Sustainable management requires us to examine the "big picture" of an ecosystem's context, even though we may not understand every piece and process in that ecosystem. Systems thinking recognizes and addresses the essential connections between the pieces of any system to be analyzed.

-Which of the following environmental examples represents systems thinking?

A) planting grass for cattle to feed on in desert regions
B) emission control devices on California automobiles
C) studying the behavior of a global invasive species
D) undertaking a long- term study of Lake Michigan ecology
E) examining the beetle life cycle that is posing a threat to local forests

Question 29

Read the scenario and answer the accompanying question(s). Sustainable management requires us to examine the "big picture" of an ecosystem's context, even though we may not understand every piece and process in that ecosystem. Systems thinking recognizes and addresses the essential connections between the pieces of any system to be analyzed.

-Ecosystem services are often classified into four different categories that include provisioning services (supplying us with food, air, and water), as well as____________.

A) aesthetic, ecological, and regulating services
B) regulating, cultural, and supporting services
C) aesthetic, spiritual, and recreational services.
D) regulating, sustainable, and homeostatic services
E) aesthetic, cultural, and sustainable services

Question 30

Assuming that a city wishes to manage its water supply in a sustainable manner, describe/explain two specific factors that must be considered in order to accomplish this.

Question 31

In the course of one day, a human experiences several dozen ecosystem services other than the essential provisioning services supplying us with food, water, and the air we breathe. Explain three additional ecosystem services that are essential to maintaining life on Earth.

Question 32

The Modern Era's views on the relationship of humans and the environment can be described as____________.

A) the obsession with material goods that broke the connection between humans and nature
B) reconciliation of our activities with the inescapable laws of the natural world
C) evolutionary change that described the connections between organisms and their environment
D) opportunities for fewer connections between humans and nature
E) human impacts on ecosystems differ significantly from natural disturbances

Question 33

Which of the ethical traditions best describes the building of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir as right because it benefited a large number of people?

A) environmental ethics
B) utilitarianism
C) duty- based ethics
D) virtue ethics
E) consequence- based ethics

Question 34

The domestication of plants and animals allowed humans to alter ecosystems for their benefits. Which of the following is an example of a human benefit that resulted from ecosystem change?

A) Crop production increased and more people had food to eat.
B) Grasslands were destroyed and replaced with forests.
C) Crop production increased as a result of more plants competing for the same land space.
D) Grasslands were destroyed and predator insects were destroyed.
E) Crop production decreased as natural habitats were replaced.

Question 35

During the 19th century, as populations grew and urban environments expanded, humans had less exposure to____________.

A) natural environments
B) animals
C) air pollutants
D) water
E) chemicals

Question 36

Gifford Pinchot, first head of the U.S. Forest Service, advocated the conservationist view of nature. This view promoted ____________ .

A) resource use in a sustainable manner to provide the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people
B) a wilderness and ecocentric approach to public resource use
C) resource use in a sustainable manner with an ecocentric focus
D) a deep ecology approach to public resource use
E) a biocentric approach to public resources

Question 37

The animal rights movements in society evolved from ____________.

A) biocentric ethics
B) anthropocentric ethics
C) environmental ethics
D) virtue ethics
E) ecocentric ethics

Question 38

Rachel Carson's book,____________, pointed out the dangers posed to the natural environments and humans by pesticides.

A) Nature
B) Man and Nature
C) Walden
D) The Population Bomb
E) Silent Spring

Question 39

DDT was originally intended to kill____________.

A) aphids
B) corn insects
C) plants
D) birds
E) mosquitoes

Question 40

Environmental ethics is best defined as____________ .

A) studying the economic value of all living things in their environment
B) studying the moral relationships of humans to the environment and the environment's living organisms
C) studying the rightness and wrongness of human actions
D) actions taken by humans in the environment in which they live that have impact
E) the extrinsic value placed on people, organisms, and objects in the environment

Question 41

Environmental justice seeks to____________.

A) ensure that legal boundaries are adhered to when environmental disputes arise
B) ensure that people are treated fairly regardless of race, gender, or economic status in the management of natural resources
C) ensure the sound management of the environment
D) ensure that ecocentric ethics are applied to the environment
E) ensure that anthropocentric ethics are applied to the environment

Question 42

A subsistence farmer might ____________.

A) allow production and consumption of goods and services to take place in a market system
B) sell goods they catch and grow
C) barter or trade goods they grow
D) accumulate a surplus of goods to sell for financial gain
E) buy commodities from others

Question 43

The price consumers are willing to pay for a resource that may be limited depends on____________.

A) their ability to pay more than someone else
B) their access to the resource in their community
C) how much they can afford at a time the resource is limited
D) their perceived need for the resource
E) how much of the resource is remaining to purchase

Question 44

The difference between the cost to produce a commodity and its price in the marketplace is____________ .

A) economy of scale
B) economic value
C) opportunity cost
D) profit
E) discount rate

Question 45

Cost per unit of a good or services decline as the level of production increases. This is described as____________

A) economy of scale
B) profit
C) discount rate
D) opportunity cost
E) economic value

Question 46

The economic value of an ecosystem service can be measured by accessing the willingness to pay for the action to____________them.

A) preserve
B) monitor
C) conserve
D) value
E) recirculate

Question 47

Which of the following issues would be addressed by a county's land use development office when making important environmental decisions?

A) storage of nuclear wastes
B) controlling air pollution from automobiles
C) building of a landfill
D) building of a new gas station in the county
E) managing a national park

Question 48

Gross domestic product is ____________.

A) the willingness of consumers to pay for ecosystem services
B) cost of services minus the economic value of enhancements or degradation to the environment
C) the total economic value of goods and services produced by a country
D) all the resources necessary to produce the ecosystem services
E) a measure of a country's economic standing

Question 49

Most environmental policy is set by____________.

A) the President
B) Congress
C) federal legislation
D) Supreme Court rulings
E) state and local governments

Question 50

Individuals in Africa often share crop and livestock land with other families in their community. What happens to the land as a result of each family using an individual's approach to managing it?

A) It is protected by laws.
B) It is often overexploited.
C) It is preserved from family to family and generation to generation.
D) It is managed sustainably for future farming.
E) It is preserved as a result of the importance of cultural heritage.

Question 51

The constitutional basis for environmental justice is rooted in____________.

A) equal protection for all citizens
B) public policy and governmental ethics
C) compensation to a land owner by the government when their property is needed for public use
D) ecological valuation of the ecosystem
E) environmental laws and legislative regulations

Question 52

Which of the following agencies has significant influence on international environmental policy but no government representation or participation?

A) The European Environment Agency
B) The Global Environmental Facility
C) The World Wildlife Fund
D) The United Nations
E) The World Trade Organization

Question 53

U.S. environmental law and policy are influenced by the actions of____________.

A) the executive branch
B) all three branches of government
C) the legislative branch
D) only the executive and legislative branches
E) the judicial branch

Question 54

Natural capital is defined as all of Earth's resources that are necessary to produce ____________.

A) a safe habitat for endangered species
B) the ecosystem services that we depend on
C) environmental justice for all
D) a sustainable market
E) a profit

Question 55

A grass root organization is attempting to preserve a stretch of forest that is being considered for purchase by a manufacturing plant. The organization's main strategy is to inform the nearby housing developments of the effect on their home values if the manufacturing plant goes versus the preserved forest. This approach is using____________.

A) travel- cost valuation
B) market valuation
C) contingent valuation
D) scare tactic valuation
E) hedonic valuation

Question 56

Some groups state that the primate shown in this photograph has economic value for humans via ecotourism. This primate would be referred to as having .

A) individual value
B) ecological value
C) instrumental value
D) theological value
E) intrinsic value

Question 57

-What part of the policy- cycle determines who will deal with a particular issue and when?

A) Implementation
B) Formulating Policy
C) Assessment
D) Problem Definition
E) Setting the Agenda

Question 58

-What part of the policy- cycle allows individuals or agencies to carry out the new activities and enforce the laws?

A) Problem Definition
B) Formulating Policy
C) Setting the Agenda
D) Implementation
E) Assessment

Question 59

Match each term with the correct description.

-Virtue ethics

A) Rightness or wrongness of actions should be determined by a set of rules or laws.
B) An action is right if it is motivated by virtues that include kindness, honesty, loyalty, and justice.
C) Defines right actions in terms of outcomes for human beings
D) Argues that the value of other living things is equal to the value of humans
E) Places value on communities of organisms and ecosystems

Question 60

Match each term with the correct description.

-Anthropocentric ethics

A) Rightness or wrongness of actions should be determined by a set of rules or laws.
B) An action is right if it is motivated by virtues that include kindness, honesty, loyalty, and justice.
C) Defines right actions in terms of outcomes for human beings
D) Argues that the value of other living things is equal to the value of humans
E) Places value on communities of organisms and ecosystems

Question 61

Match each term with the correct description.

-Biocentric ethics

A) Rightness or wrongness of actions should be determined by a set of rules or laws.
B) An action is right if it is motivated by virtues that include kindness, honesty, loyalty, and justice.
C) Defines right actions in terms of outcomes for human beings
D) Argues that the value of other living things is equal to the value of humans
E) Places value on communities of organisms and ecosystems

Question 62

Match each term with the correct description.

-Ecocentric ethics

A) Rightness or wrongness of actions should be determined by a set of rules or laws.
B) An action is right if it is motivated by virtues that include kindness, honesty, loyalty, and justice.
C) Defines right actions in terms of outcomes for human beings
D) Argues that the value of other living things is equal to the value of humans
E) Places value on communities of organisms and ecosystems

Question 63

Match each term with the correct description.

-Duty- based ethics

A) Rightness or wrongness of actions should be determined by a set of rules or laws.
B) An action is right if it is motivated by virtues that include kindness, honesty, loyalty, and justice.
C) Defines right actions in terms of outcomes for human beings
D) Argues that the value of other living things is equal to the value of humans
E) Places value on communities of organisms and ecosystems

Question 64

Read the scenario and answer the following questions. The widespread use of the pesticides DDT in the environment following World War II had major environmental impacts on the ecosystem. Human exposure to this pesticide continues today despite the ban of DDT use in the United States since the early 1970s. However, DDT continues to be manufactured in the U.S. and exported to many countries worldwide.

-The approach to the manufacture and use of DDT worldwide is best described as .

A) biocentric
B) ecocentric
C) focusing on economic externalities
D) focusing on deep ecological principles
E) anthropocentric

Question 65

Read the scenario and answer the following questions. The widespread use of the pesticides DDT in the environment following World War II had major environmental impacts on the ecosystem. Human exposure to this pesticide continues today despite the ban of DDT use in the United States since the early 1970s. However, DDT continues to be manufactured in the U.S. and exported to many countries worldwide.

-When analyzing the economic value of using DDT in the environment, the major criticism that environmentalists routinely cite is that costs have not been fully considered.

A) contingent valuation
B) internal
C) hedonic valuation
D) external
E) subsistence

Question 66

Compare economic and ecological approaches to valuation of the environment.

Question 67

Describe the three main environmental ethic approaches used to determine who or what has value in the Earth's biosphere.

Question 68

There are often eight issues that can be debated when reflecting on environmental policy. They include:
1. government versus individual
2. competing public values
3. uncertainty and action
4. which level of government decides?
5. which government agency has jurisdiction?
6. protection against selfish actions
7. the best means to an end
8. political power relationships
Discuss at least two of the above issues, describing the challenges that each brings to developing environmental policy.

Question 69

When measuring the wealth of a nation, explain the difference between gross domestic product (GDP) and genuine progress indicator (GPI).

Question 70

The most essential compound needed to sustain life as we know it is___________.

A) water
B) carbohydrates
C) ozone
D) carbon dioxide
E) oxygen

Question 71

What is an element?

A) two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds
B) a chemical that cannot be separated, but is limited in supply
C) a chemical that cannot be broken down or separated into other chemicals
D) a chemical that can be broken down or separated into other chemicals
E) one or more molecules held together by chemicals

Question 72

What is the basic subunit of elements?

A) molecules
B) atoms
C) neutrons
D) electrons
E) protons

Question 73

Which is the most important molecule in the ecosystem?

A) salt
B) lead
C) water
D) oxygen
E) nitrogen

Question 74

Compounds are ________.

A) molecules that have mass
B) molecules that are held together by atoms
C) molecules that are made of more than one element
D) atoms that are electrically charged
E) atoms that are radioactive

Question 75

Cells and tissues of all organisms are made primarily of________.

A) water
B) cellulose
C) salt
D) hydrogen
E) carbon dioxide

Question 76

Which number indicates neutral on a pH scale?

A) 1
B) 5
C) 7
D) 3
E) 9

Question 77

Most organic compounds are made up of________.

A) nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide atoms
B) carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms
C) carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms
D) carbon, nitrogen, and ozone atoms
E) carbon, nitrogen, and water atoms

Question 78

The most basic source of immediate energy for most organisms is________.

A) starches
B) amino acids
C) water
D) glucose
E) lipids

Question 79

The pH scale is a quantitative representation of the relative amounts of ________ .

A) hydrogen and polar water molecules in solution
B) hydrogen and oxygen ions in solution
C) alkaline and basic ions in solution
D) hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in solution
E) water and carbon dioxide molecules in solution

Question 80

What is something that you use almost every day that is a polymer?

A) water
B) metal
C) wood
D) gas
E) plastic