Deck 17: Earth and the Human Denominator

Question 1

Which of the following accurately characterizes humanity's current situation?

A) We do not yet have enough information about the natural world to make informed decisions about how to deal with most environmental problems.
B) We are faced with a plethora of environmental problems that threaten the integrity of many ecosystems-as well as our own well-being.
C) Collectively, we seem to lack the foresight to acknowledge the long-term "costs" of the problems we are creating.
D) all of the above
E) both B and C

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The most populous country on Earth is

A) Brazil.
B) China.
C) India.
D) Indonesia.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Approximately ________ percent of the planet's population is under age 15.

A) 18
B) 24
C) 28
D) 40

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is false regarding the Earth Summit?

A) It was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
B) Five Earth Summit agreements about the environment emerged.
C) Forestry issues were not addressed.
D) Biological diversity issues were central to the conference.

Question 5

A map of visible oil slicks worldwide demonstrates that

A) the Exxon Valdez was an isolated event.
B) some 10,000 accidents occur each year worldwide.
C) spills are generally spread around and not concentrated along normal shipping lanes.
D) the slicks are focused around Europe and North America and not Africa.

Question 6

Which of the following is false regarding polar bears?

A) They were listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2008.
B) According to the USGS two-thirds will disappear by 2050.
C) The root cause of polar bear decline is loss of sea ice.
D) The State of Alaska led the fight to list them as endangered.

Question 7

Earth's population has not yet reached seven billion.

Question 8

Most population growth is in less-developed countries.

Question 9

Which of the following is $\underline { \text { not } }$ one of the twelve paradigms presented in the text?

A) globalization versus cultural diversity
B) disparities of wealth and resource allocation
C) loss of biodiversity
D) All of the above are part of the twelve paradigms.

Question 10

In the text, who is quoted as saying "We know who speaks for the nations. But who speaks for the human species? Who speaks for Earth?"

A) Marston Bates
B) Rusty Schweickart
C) Carl Sagan
D) Carl Sauer

Question 11

By the end of 2008, Earth's population reached

A) 5.5 billion.
B) 6.7 billion.
C) 7.5 billion.
D) 8.5 billion.

Question 12

According to the author of the text, who should speak for Earth?

A) economists
B) military leaders for nuclear superpowers
C) physical geographers and other scientists who study the natural world
D) political leaders
E) all of the above

Question 13

Which of the following is incorrect in describing the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill?

A) It occurred March 24, 1989 in Prince William Sound.
B) It involved 41.64 million liters (11 million gallons) of oil.
C) It spilled from a double-hulled, modern tanker on an assigned route.
D) It struck a reef outside the normal shipping lane.
E) It contaminated and ruined portions of 2415 km (1500 mi) of coastline.

Question 14

This region has the highest per-capita energy use.

A) North America
B) Asia
C) Europe
D) South America

Question 15

Americans and Canadians use ________ times as much energy per capita as ________.

A) 2; Europeans
B) 20; Africans
C) 40; Asians
D) A and B only
E) All of the above are true.

Question 16

There are over 10,000 oil-spill accidents each year.

Question 17

Oil spills can cause mutations in organisms exposed to the oil.

Question 18

Currently, the average natural increase of human population is about ________ percent.

A) 1.2
B) 1.9
C) 2.3
D) 2.8

Question 19

This is not one of the variables of the planetary impact equation.

A) population
B) affluence
C) technology
D) education level

Question 20

It is estimated that, after 1999, Earth will have added another billion people by the year

A) 2012.
B) 2020.
C) 2032.
D) 2038.

Question 21

During the 1980s, efforts to develop alternative energy supplies and to increase energy efficiency $\underline { \text { increased } }\text { substantially }$ .

Question 22

Because pollution does not recognize political boundaries, international cooperation is required to solve Earth's environmental problems. In other words, "we are all in this together."

Question 23

People throw out more crankcase motor oil each year than is spilled by oil tankers.

Question 24

The developed world has comparatively little impact on the planet's resources and environment.