Deck 1: Understanding Our Environment

Question 1

The statement, "Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs." is an example of

A) inductive reasoning.
B) deductive reasoning.
C) hypothesis testing.
D) reductive reasoning.
E) parsimony.

Answer 1

inductive reasoning.

Question 2

Which of the following is not an example of how statistics are used?

A) assessing the general state of a group
B) determining the context of how data was gathered
C) estimating the confidence you can have in the data
D) determining if your group is unusual
E) evaluating the relationship between variables

Answer 2

determining the context of how data was gathered

Question 3

Biocentric preservationists, first led by John Muir, advocate saving natural areas for their

A) beauty and wildlife habitat.
B) hunting and fishing value.
C) wood and mineral resources for the future.
D) tourism and recreation potential.
E) economic value in cleaning the air and preventing soil erosion.

Answer 3

beauty and wildlife habitat.

Question 4

Environmental science is a

A) narrowly defined set of physical, life, and social sciences.
B) theoretical approach in interpreting the environment.
C) way to see the world in scientific terms.
D) systematic approach learning about the environment.
E) special set of problem-solving skills.

Question 5

At the end of the twentieth century, ____________________ has/have been added to environmental thinking.

A) global concerns
B) urban problems
C) water supply and pollution problems
D) human population growth
E) air pollution problems

Question 6

One of the first steps in critical thinking is to

A) decide whether conclusions follow premises.
B) decide if premises are True.
C) identify premises and conclusions.
D) identify whether premises are facts or values.
E) approach a problem in new and innovative ways.

Question 7

Environmentalism stemming from the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring differed from earlier North American conservation perspectives by

A) focusing on human population growth.
B) placing more emphasis on pollution problems.
C) emphasizing international problems.
D) encouraging energy efficiency.
E) emphasizing the value of natural resources.
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Question 8

Ideally, science

A) is correct most of the time.
B) tells us what we expected to find.
C) uses new technology.
D) Is methodical and logical.
E) proves that our hypotheses are correct.

Question 9

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic to compare quality of life in different places. Examine the figure in the "Exploring Science" box. Based on this information why do you think some countries have low HDI values compared to others?

A) People live longer and have greater incomes in these locations.
B) Poverty, hunger, and health problems are greater in these places.
C) The majority of the data is collected by U.S. agencies and is biased.
D) Literacy and education is higher in these locations compared to others.
E) The quality of life in these places in high

Question 10

Although your sister is not a scientist, she says that she uses scientific techniques in her everyday life. You do not believe her but she insists it is True. Which of the following examples could she use to best persuade you that science is used daily?

A) When she cooks, she measures ingredients and puts them together to form something else .
B) When she drives in her car, she hypothesizes about things .
C) She put some tomatoes in the sun and some in the shade to see if the sun causes them to ripen faster.
D) She buys a brand of toothpaste based on statistical data (four out of five dentists recommend it).
E) She cannot provide any example that would persuade you of using scientific techniques in her everyday life.

Question 11

If current trends continue, climate models indicate that by 2100 global mean temperature will probably increase by 2° to 6°C compared to todays temperatures. This would result in decreases in

A) Severe droughts
B) Heat waves
C) Storm intensity
D) Flooding
E) Glaciers and snowfields

Question 12

Most environmental problems result from

A) excessive pollution.
B) complex, interrelated problems.
C) technological development problems.
D) global warming.
E) urban degradation.

Question 13

The best definition of a hypothesis is a(n)

A) proof of a proposed theory.
B) proposed theory that has been tested numerous times.
C) theory based on experiments.
D) argument based on acute intuition.
E) proposed explanation based on observation.

Question 14

In reading a claim by an atmospheric scientist that ozone depletion is not an actual environmental problem, a critical thinker would

A) ignore the claim because it does not align with his/her opinions.
B) feel relieved because ozone depletion was such an overwhelming problem.
C) look for evidence that is in line with past experience.
D) look for evidence and background of the source's reliability.
E) acknowledge the claim because an atmospheric scientist is an expert.

Question 15

Methods in environmental science include all of the following, except

A) Observations
B) Qualitative Reasoning
C) The Scientific Method
D) Quantitative Reasoning
E) Critical and analytical thinking

Question 16

The point of critical thinking is to learn to

A) weigh all the evidence and draw your own conclusions.
B) distrust all opinions other than your own.
C) trust only your own experimental results.
D) learn to accept the views of real authorities.
E) identify Trueexperts in a field.

Question 17

In explaining your choice of an environmental science major in college to your roommate, you would probably emphasize the fact that environmental science is a(n)

A) applied interdisciplinary field concerning the environment with an emphasis on solving problems.
B) well-established field that has been in existence for a long time.
C) theoretical discipline that will help solve the problems created by human impact.
D) relatively new field that will identify remedies to environmental issues.
E) theoretical field with an emphasis on scientific understanding.

Question 18

Of the following statements and questions, which is the best example of deductive reasoning?

A) If all insects have six legs, then butterflies have six legs.
B) In repeated tosses of a coin, there is a 50/50 chance of each toss resulting in a "head."
C) How many times will the toss of coins turn "heads-up" if 100 people each toss a coin?
D) Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs.
E) All of these are examples of deductive reasoning.

Question 19

Utilitarian conservationists, including Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt, supported forest conservation in order to provide

A) wildlife habitats in forested areas.
B) untouched, unvisited wilderness areas.
C) homes, jobs, and recreation for people.
D) the scenic beauty found in natural areas.
E) resources, such as natural habitats, for future generations.

Question 20

A group of concerned citizens are collecting water samples from a local river to detect the level of nitrogen in the water. They plan to take samples every day for a month and then will divide the sum by the number of days they sampled. What is the group trying to do?

A) determine the mean level of nitrogen in the water
B) determine the average level of nitrogen in the water
C) determine the confidence level of the sample
D) both determine the mean level of nitrogen in the water and determine the average level of nitrogen in the water
E) both determine the average level of nitrogen in the water and determine the confidence level of the sample

Question 21

Plants capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere would be an example of

A) sustainable development.
B) environmentalism.
C) ecosystem services.
D) throughput.

Question 22

Poverty is passed on from one generation to the next primarily through

A) the lack of available opportunities.
B) genetic conditions.
C) improper care of natural resources.
D) the lack of motivation to change.
E) illnesses spread by viruses.

Question 23

Why is world hunger an environmental issue?

A) Food production is global but the resources are unequally distributed.
B) Agriculture is only possible in developed nations.
C) There is not enough fresh water for irrigation.
D) There is not enough fertilizer to provide high yields for crops.

Question 24

Random samples are used

A) to eliminate bias from a study
B) Only when large samples are not available
C) To eliminate the need for a rigorous method of choice
D) Only in double-blind medical experiments

Question 25

What would be considered to be an area in environmental science where we are seeing progress toward sustainability?

A) Biodiversity loss
B) World hunger
C) Climate change
D) kRenewable energy

Question 26

When testing a new drug to treat arthritis what method should be used to avoid bias in the data?

A) deductive reasoning
B) inductive reasoning
C) critical thinking
D) statistics
E) bdouble-blind experiments

Question 27

On Apo Island, a history of destructive fishing habits had the affect of

A) Reducing the food chain
B) Eliminating biodiversity
C) Impoverishing the local economy
D) Overexploiting available resources
E) Impoverishing the local economy by overexploiting available resources.

Question 28

Evidence of progress in dealing with increasing population problems is best illustrated by

A) current evidence of a stable population in the developing and developed world.
B) a decrease in the average number of children born to each woman.
C) current evidence of a globally stable population growth.
D) the decreasing population growth rate in the United States.
E) current evidence of a stable population in the developing world.

Question 29

Compared to poorer countries, which of the following is not Trueof richer nations?

A) they have a higher per capita GDP
B) they have higher fertility
C) they have lower infant mortality
D) they have higher adult literacy
E) they have higher life expectancy

Question 30

If you heard that cultural diversity was disappearing in one of the most culturally diverse regions of the world, you would

A) deduce that biodiversity was disappearing as well, because the two tend to go hand in hand
B) induce that biodiversity was disappearing as well, because the two tend to go hand in hand
C) assume that this phenomenon is not related to any other environmental degradation
D) assume that scientists had already studied their language and biodiversity, so there is no immediate threat to their continued existence.

Question 31

Places in the world where indigenous people live tend to have high biodiversity.

Question 32

Parsimony is one of the basic principles of science.

Question 33

Sustainable development differs from traditional economic development in that it emphasizes economic development in the short term.

Question 34

Proponents of sustainable development argue that

A) all development has environmental costs.
B) development is less important than the environment.
C) development can proceed with minimal costs to the environment.
D) the environment is less important than development.
E) development does not cause environmental damage.

Question 35

The concept that a resource that is degraded by the increasing populations that utilize the resource without any regulation of that resource is referred to as

A) the tragedy of the commons.
B) the population bomb.
C) the lack of sustainable thinking.
D) a paradigm shift.

Question 36

Which of the following was key to the recovery of the Apo Island's reef fish population?

A) The establishment of a small marine sanctuary
B) A complete ban on all fishing
C) Importation of fish from other islands
D) Heavy government investment in alternative food sources
E) None of these are correct.

Question 37

What is the probability of getting tails 4 times in a row when you flip a coin?

A) 1 in 4
B) 1 in 10
C) 1 in 16
D) 1 in 20
E) 1 in 24