Deck 2: Changing Global Environment

Question 1

During the 1991 eruption of Mt.Pinatubo in the Philippines,________ people were evacuated,although 800 did die in the disaster

A) 10,000
B) 40,000
C) 60,000
D) 80,000
E) 100,000

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What is weather?

A) local areas that possess extreme temperature variability over extended periods of time
B) the long-term condition of the Earth's atmosphere at a given location
C) the atmospheric conditions that are responsible for the formation of regions such as deserts
D) the short-term day-to-day expression of atmospheric processes
E) monthly average precipitation and temperature

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The geophysical theory that Earth is comprised of large geologic platforms that move slowly across its surface is referred to as

A) upthrust.
B) fault lines.
C) geologic movement.
D) sea-floor spreading.
E) plate tectonics.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

According to plate tectonics theory,large ________ circulate molten rock in different directions within Earth's mantle.

A) waves
B) convection cells
C) conductive cells
D) magnetic cells
E) subduction cells

Question 5

The U.S.opposed the Kyoto Protocol in part because

A) the U.S. is and has not been a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
B) while the U.S. has contributed greatly to greenhouse gas emissions in the past, in recent years it has made substantial efforts in reducing these emissions.
C) there is no scientific evidence whatsoever supporting a correlation between greenhouse emissions and climate change.
D) atmospheric emission reductions could potentially harm the U.S. economy.
E) no other industrialized country supports the Kyoto Protocol.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the Earth's climatic controls?

A) Topography
B) Latitude
C) 11 year sunspots
D) Interaction between land and water
E) Global pressure systems

Question 7

A standard scheme,called the ________,devised in the early 20th century,is used to describe the world's diverse climates.

A) Vön Thunen model
B) Zelinsky's classification
C) Baron la Salle's model's
D) Alfred Wagener's system
E) Köppen system

Question 8

What pair of countries contributes the most greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere?

A) England and Ireland
B) Germany and France
C) United States and China
D) Japan and South Korea
E) Russia and India

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT one of Earth's climate controls?

A) incoming solar energy
B) anthropogenic systems
C) latitude
D) interaction between land and water
E) global pressure systems and wind patterns

Question 10

By signing the Kyoto protocol,Western industrialized countries agreed to reduce their emissions back to ________ levels by the year 2012

A) 1975
B) 1980
C) 1990
D) 1996
E) 2000

Question 11

Upland and mountainous areas are usually wetter than the adjacent lowland areas because of the ________ whereby rising air is cooled and loses its ability to hold moisture as it flows up and over mountains,resulting in rain and snowfall

A) adiabatic lapse rate
B) subsolar point
C) rain shadow effect
D) rate of condensation
E) orographic effect

Question 12

Anthropogenic emissions are caused by

A) people.
B) animals.
C) climate.
D) rocks.
E) volcanoes.

Question 13

Which of the following poses the greatest threat to the habitat of polar bears?

A) poaching
B) spread of disease
C) encroachment by humans
D) polar ice melting
E) ozone depletion

Question 14

Climographs do not contain information about

A) average high temperatures.
B) average low temperatures.
C) average relative humidity.
D) average precipitation.
E) annual precipitation.

Question 15

The Koppen system,a 2-part classification system including an upper and lower case letter,is a standard system used to classify

A) climate.
B) landforms.
C) tectonic activity.
D) vegetation.
E) languages.

Question 16

What shapes the fundamental form of Earth's surface?

A) geology
B) anthropology
C) politics
D) economics
E) social development

Question 17

The circum-Pacific zone of activity,from the western Americas (both North and South)to East Asia, is particularly active and is often referred to as the

A) Pacific Rim of Fire.
B) Subduction zone.
C) massive fault line.
D) Transform zone.
E) Atlantic Instability Area.

Question 18

Which of the following is a fossil fuel?

A) petroleum
B) wood
C) hydrogen/fuel cell
D) ethanol
E) nuclear energy

Question 19

As a general rule,the atmosphere cools by 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet gained in elevation.This is called

A) the adiabatic lapse rate.
B) the subsolar point.
C) the rate of condensation.
D) orographic effect.
E) the rain shadow effect.

Question 20

An estimated 20,000 people died in March 2011 from the combination of an earthquake and a tsunami in coastal ________

A) The Philippines
B) Japan
C) Indonesia
D) China
E) Guatamala.

Question 21

This term refers to the position taken by developing countries such as China and India,which argue that,because Western industrial countries in North America and Europe have been burning large amounts of fossil fuels since the mid-19th century and because CO₂ stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years,these countries caused the global warming problem and therefore should fix it.

A) Carbon inequity
B) Carbon sequestration
C) Social justice
D) Economic rationalism
E) Rational equity

Question 22

In Haiti,even before the 2010 earthquake,almost ________ % of all deaths of children under five were directly tied to waterborne diseases

A) 70
B) 50
C) 40
D) 30
E) 20

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a significant greenhouse gas?

A) carbon dioxide
B) methane
C) chlorofluorocarbons
D) molecular nitrogen
E) nitrous oxide

Question 24

Water planners use the concept of ________ to map where water problems exist and also to predict where future problems will occur.

A) water stress
B) cation ratio
C) water predictive analysis
D) systems analysis
E) water output prediction solutions

Question 25

Globally,about ________ percent of the world's freshwater usage is for agriculture.

A) 50
B) 60
C) 70
D) 80
E) 40

Question 26

In which city did representatives from the countries of the world meet and create the first international agreement on climate change?

A) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
B) Paris, France
C) Kyoto, Japan
D) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
E) Calcutta, India

Question 27

The increase in greenhouse gases during the last 130 years is primarily a result of

A) the excessive burning of fossil fuels by humans.
B) the escape of these gases from plate boundaries and volcanoes.
C) increased sunspot activity that accelerates plant photosynthesis rates.
D) the release of excessive amounts of carbon from the oceans.
E) widespread use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture.

Question 28

Which of the following statements regarding the production greenhouse gases is true?

A) China's annual GHG emissions now surpasses those of the United States.
B) Russia produces the highest amounts of greenhouse gases.
C) India produces the same amount of greenhouse gases per capita as the U.S.
D) Brazil ranks second only to France in its production of greenhouse gases.
E) all of the answer choices are correct

Question 29

Which of the following is an example of the possible effects of climate change?

A) The U.S. wheat belt may receive more rainfall.
B) Grain production is likely to increase.
C) Canada and Russia may experience shorter growing seasons.
D) Sea level will rise.
E) New islands will appear as sea level decreases.

Question 30

Which of the following statements about greenhouse gases is most accurate?

A) Greenhouse gases have never been very stable, and have increased dramatically in the past 130 years.
B) Greenhouse gases were fairly stable throughout most of human history, but have decreased dramatically in the past 130 years.
C) Greenhouse gases have never been very stable, but have decreased dramatically in the past 130 years.
D) Greenhouse gases were fairly stable throughout most of human history, but have increased dramatically in the past 130 years.
E) Greenhouse gases increased steadily through most of human history, but have remained stable over the past 130 years.

Question 31

Which substance is of great concern to scientists studying human-generated greenhouse gases,and is thought to increase such that the earth's climate will be irrevocably changed by 2020?

A) chlorofluorocarbons
B) carbon dioxide
C) methane
D) nitrous oxide
E) ozone

Question 32

If climate change occurs to a significant degree,it is likely to have all of the following consequences,EXCEPT

A) melting of the polar ice caps.
B) lower sea levels.
C) changing rainfall patterns.
D) more intense tropical storms.
E) longer growing season in Canada.

Question 33

What did countries that ratifed the Kyoto Protocol agree to do?

A) eliminate their emissions of major greenhouse gases
B) reduce their emissions of major greenhouse gases below 1990 levels
C) keep their emissions of major greenhouse gases at current levels
D) allow their emission of major greenhouse gases to go no higher than 10% above current levels
E) eliminate their emissions of greenhouse gases and all other pollutants by 2010

Question 34

Hydrologists predict that ________ percent of Africa's population will experience Water shortages by 2025

A) 35
B) 45
C) 60
D) 75
E) 90

Question 35

Which country's GHG emissions surpassed those of the United States in 2008,which until that year had historically been the world's largest emitter?

A) China
B) Germany
C) Brazil
D) Canada
E) Japan

Question 36

Why are less developed countries (LDCs)reluctant to sign the Kyoto Protocol?

A) Restricted emissions from most-developed countries (MDCs) created the problem.
B) Emissions accumulated in the atmosphere from less developed countries since the nineteenth century and is the major culprit of today's problem
C) Signing the Kyoto Protocol could limit the economic future of LDCs.
D) Up to now, LDCs such as China and India have added very little to the build-up of greenhouse gases and have stable or descreasing emission rates.

Question 37

What is the major source of carbon dioxide?

A) aerosol sprays and refrigerants
B) by-product of cattle and sheep digestion
C) burning fossil fuels
D) widespread use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture
E) burning associated with rainforest clearing

Question 38

The natural process of the Earth's atmosphere heating through the trapping of reradiated infrared radiation is known as

A) the greenhouse effect.
B) thermal inversion.
C) solar heating.
D) climate change.
E) subduction.

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT one of the natural green house gases?

A) methane
B) carbon dioxide
C) ozone
D) water vapor
E) helium

Question 40

Currently,about ________ of the world's population lives in areas where water shortages are common

A) 25%
B) 40%
C) 50%
D) 65%
E) 75%

Question 41

In which parts of the world has desertification been the most serious problem?

A) Southeast Asia and Oceania
B) Western and Southern Europe
C) Southeast Asia and North America
D) Africa, Australia, and South Asia and North America
E) Canada and Eastern Europe

Question 42

Seasonal rain forest trees are ________,meaning they shed their leaves during the harsh dry season in order to slow or completely halt growth.

A) deciduous
B) evergreen
C) savanna
D) stunted
E) steppes

Question 43

Tropical rainforests typically

A) have rich soils.
B) have three major levels of vegetation.
C) are located 30 degrees or more from the equator.
D) have at least one dry season.
E) have low average temperatures.

Question 44

Which of the following is one of the factors most responsible for the destruction of tropical rainforests?

A) the world's growing appetite for beef
B) a tree disease that was accidentally carried to tropical forests around the world
C) intensified efforts to protect the forests from wildfires by harvesting
D) flooding
E) drought

Question 45

Tropical rainforest canopies are generally

A) a two-layer canopy that is thickest in its upper layer and thin in its lower layer.
B) a two-layer canopy that is thickest in its lower layer and thin in its upper layer.
C) The dense tropical forest vegetation is usually arrayed in three distinct levels that are adapted to increasing amounts of sunlight, from the treetops to the darker forest floor
D) The dense tropical forest vegetation is usually arrayed in three distinct levels that are adapted to decreasing amounts of sunlight, from the treetops to the darker forest floor
E) a one-layer canopy.

Question 46

In what type of bioregion is desertification most likely to occur?

A) tropical forests
B) temperate forests
C) coniferous forests
D) tundra
E) grasslands

Question 47

In the ________ climate regions,where precipitation exceeds 10 inches,a prolonged summer-season drought of three or four months produces a unique array of grasses,shrubs,and trees.

A) Humid Sub-tropical
B) Tropical Savanna
C) Climatic Savanna
D) Prairie
E) Mediterranean

Question 48

Tropical forests are not well-suited for intensive agriculture because

A) the excessive amount of rainfall in the region tends to prohibit effective plant growth.
B) available nutrients are stored in tropical forest vegetation, so when the ground cover and trees are removed, the nutrients are removed, too.
C) the ground layer of vegetation in tropical forests is so thick that the land is extremely difficult to clear.
D) the temperatures in tropical forests are too high to allow feasible crop production.
E) they tend to be located too far inland.

Question 49

The amount of tropical forest that is lost each year is equivalent to the size of what U.S.state?

A) Rhode Island
B) Texas
C) Alaska
D) Delaware
E) Wisconsin

Question 50

Today,the primary driver of tropical deforestation is

A) land appropriation for national park lands.
B) plantation farming.
C) lack of formal education.
D) recent globalization of commerce in international wood products.
E) overpopulation.

Question 51

About half of the tropical forests that are lost each year are located in what part of the world?

A) Amazon Basin of South America
B) Southeast Asia
C) tropical Africa
D) the Caribbean
E) Oceania

Question 52

This bioregion is associated with the widespread temperate C climate,where precipitation falls year-round in amounts of 30-60 inches,summers are warm,and winters are cold,yet no month averages below freezing.

A) Temperate Deciduous Forest
B) Evergreen
C) Mediterranean Shrub and Woodland
D) Tropical Rainforest
E) Tropical Savanna

Question 53

The nutrients that are available for plant growth in tropical rainforests tend to be stored in

A) the uppermost layer of the soil.
B) the bottommost layer of the soil.
C) a layer that is approximately one meter below the surface.
D) the decaying vegetative material that has fallen on the rainforest floor.
E) the living plants.

Question 54

With what bioregion is the term "steppe" associated?

A) grasslands
B) tropical forests
C) savanna
D) coniferous forests
E) tundra

Question 55

An assemblage of local plants,animals,and insects covering a large area such as a tropical rainforest or a grassland is called a

A) bioregion.
B) bionicle.
C) biosphere.
D) biogeography.
E) biore.

Question 56

The world's growing appetite for what food product is a leading cause of tropical deforestation?

A) pork
B) sugar
C) lamb
D) bananas
E) beef

Question 57

Why does the timber industry prefer softwood species over hardwood trees of the temperate forest?

A) because the hardwoods are heavier and more difficult to transport
B) because the hardwoods are more difficult to mill
C) because the softwoods are ideal for making fine furniture
D) because the softwoods are more plentiful
E) This is a trick question; the timber industry does NOT prefer softwood species of trees.

Question 58

What is the major cause of widespread cutting of tropical rainforests?

A) the recent globalization of commerce in international wood products
B) an expansion of farmlands in tropical regions
C) intensified efforts to protect the forests from wildfires by harvesting
D) rising worldwide demand for paper
E) urban sprawl

Question 59

What world region is experiencing the highest rate of tropical deforestation?

A) Africa
B) South America
C) East Asia
D) Southeast Asia
E) North America

Question 60

In the 1930s,which country experienced desertification known as the "Dust Bowl"?

A) China
B) Argentina
C) Turkey
D) United States
E) Spain

Question 61

Although earthquakes and volcanoes commonly take a higher toll of human life each year,floods and tropical storms nonetheless can have a major effect on human settlement and activities.

Question 62

Geologic evidence suggests that some 250 million years ago all the world's plates were tightly consolidated into a supercontinent centered on present-day Australia.

Question 63

The distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes is not closely associated with tectonic plate boundaries.

Question 64

Weather is the the long-term condition of the Earth's atmosphere at a given location.

Question 65

In the 20th century an estimated 75,000 people were killed by volcanic eruptions,while approximately 1.5 million died in earthquakes.

Question 66

Burning fossil fuels is the major source of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Question 67

This bioregion has two versions: the expansive arctic version of the far northern hemisphere and,sharing many similar traits,the alpine version found at high elevations in mountainous areas worldwide.

A) Tundra
B) Boreal
C) Taiga
D) The chaparral
E) Evergreen

Question 68

The natural process of the Earth's atmosphere heating through the trapping of reradiated infrared radiation is known as climate change.

Question 69

Why is there special concern about timber firms in Japan and China purchasing logs from North American evergreen forests?

A) Japan gets a discount on the logs.
B) Japan does not hire U.S. workers to cut the trees.
C) These trees are often cut from public forests in the U.S. and Canada.
D) At this time, the U.S. and Japan are involved in a larger trade dispute.
E) all of the above

Question 70

The Himalaya Mountains were created by the forces of colliding tectonic plates.

Question 71

Sea Floor Spreading is a geophysical theory that Earth is comprised of large geologic platforms,or plates,that move slowly across its surface.

Question 72

Although land and water differ in their abilities to absorb and reradiate insolation,the global arrangement of oceans and land areas is NOT a major influence on world climates.

Question 73

According to plate tectonics theory,large convection cells circulate molten rock in different directions within Earth's mantle.

Question 74

An earthquake is an anthropogenic hazard.

Question 75

As a general rule,the atmosphere cools by 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet gained in elevation.

Question 76

Earthquake activity is common in Iceland because of the divergent tectonic border that bisects the island.

Question 77

The term maritime climates describes inland climates with hot summers and cold,snowy winters,such as those found in interior North America and Europe.

Question 78

Reportedly,half of this country's lumber was cut and milled illegally by gangs of workers allegedly organized and controlled by the the country's mafia

A) Italy
B) Venezuela
C) Ukraine
D) Russia
E) Poland

Question 79

In Canada and Alaska,evergreen,needleleaf forests are called ________ referring to their near arctic location

A) conifers
B) boreal forests
C) tundra
D) semi-deciduous forests
E) native forests

Question 80

The uneven heating of Earth due to latitudinal differences and the arrangement of oceans and continents produces a regular pattern of high- and low-pressure cells.