Deck 1: A Global and Canadian Outlook on Natural Disasters

Question 1

Which of the following is not one of Public Safety Canada's four pillars of emergency management?

A) Response
B) Recovery
C) Mitigation
D) Evacuation
E) Preparedness

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Based on insurance industry records of economic loss from natural disasters,28 of the 40 most expensive disasters between 1970 and 2013 were __________________.

A) earthquakes
B) volcanic eruptions
C) storms
D) landslides
E) fires

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following communities are at the highest risk?

A) High magnitude event;low vulnerability
B) Low magnitude event;low vulnerability
C) Moderate magnitude event;low vulnerability
D) Low magnitude event;high vulnerability
E) Moderate magnitude event;high vulnerability

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The overall increase in Canadian natural disasters from 1900 to 2013 is due mainly to ___________.

A) geologic disasters
B) weather-related disasters
C) meteor impacts
D) man-made disasters
E) wild fires

Question 5

Sites with natural hazards need to be studied and their risk evaluated to prevent a natural disaster.The frequency of an event is __________.

A) the number of occurrences of an event within in a given time period
B) the average number of years between events
C) commonly used to forecast exactly when a natural event will occur
D) the cyclic occurrence of events within a given space
E) the range over which the upper and lower magnitudes for a given event are predicted

Question 6

Based on data for 2013,the continent of _______________ experienced the greatest loss of life from natural disasters.

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

Question 7

The return period of a disaster is the average number of years __________________.

A) before survivors return to their homes
B) before the economy returns to pre-disaster levels
C) it takes for emotional recovery of victims
D) between same-sized events
E) between events of the same type,regardless of size

Question 8

Van der Vink's study compared deaths by natural disaster to the levels of _______ and _______.

A) world population;food production
B) industry production;food production
C) water usage;medical care
D) democracy;country preparedness
E) democracy;economic development

Question 9

The greatest insurance dollar losses as a result of natural disasters for the period 1970-2013 occurred in ______________.

A) Mexico
B) China
C) The United States
D) Tibet
E) India

Question 10

At present,the world population of humans grows by over ______ million per year.

A) 0.08
B) 0.8
C) 8
D) 80
E) 800

Question 11

Most of the 40 deadliest disasters between 1970 and 2013 occurred in a belt running through Japan,China,Bangladesh,India,Iran and Turkey.This area was particularly vulnerable because ____________________.

A) it has a high population density
B) most of the world's earthquakes occur here
C) precipitation rates are very high in this region,producing frequent,large,and sudden floods
D) most of the world's and volcanic eruptions occur here
E) most of the world's landslides occur here

Question 12

During the last half of the 20^th century,earthquakes,tsunami,and ______________ account for the majority of deaths from natural disasters.

A) volcanic eruptions
B) floods
C) landslides
D) hurricanes/cyclones
E) tornadoes

Question 13

The amount of water recommended for a home emergency kit is ____________.

A) 1 litre per person per day
B) 2 litres per person per day
C) 4 litres per person per day
D) 8 litres per person per day

Question 14

The rapid increase in human population during the past several centuries is an example of ________________ growth.

A) linear
B) algebraic
C) parabolic
D) integrated
E) exponential

Question 15

Which of the following statements best explains the trends shown in Figure 1.8?

A) The increase in weather related disasters is due solely to global warming.
B) The frequency and magnitude of geologic disasters has been increasing.
C) The trends in this graph are unlike the global trends in natural disasters.
D) Population growth and the impact of television and Internet reporting are likely responsible for some of the increase in weather related disasters.
E) The increase in weather-related disasters shows that Canadian Society has adapted more than adequately to extreme weather events.

Question 16

The effects of a natural disaster are in part determined by the extent of a community's vulnerability to the hazard.Which of the following increases vulnerability?

A) Economic wealth and investment in infrastructure to mitigate the effects of a hazardous event
B) Insurance programs
C) Education programs and warning systems
D) Apathy as people tend to forget the tragedies of the past
E) The magnitude of the natural event

Question 17

Canada's costliest natural disasters (insured cost only)do not make the international list because:

A) no data from Canada is available
B) most of the natural hazards in Canada are located in remote (uninhabited)areas
C) Canada has not experienced a great natural disaster
D) none of these
E) all of these

Question 18

The world population of humans is growing at a rate of ______% per year.

A) 0.02
B) 0.12
C) 1.2
D) 12
E) 22

Question 19

As of 2011 the human population of the world was ______________.

A) 500 million
B) 7 billion
C) 60 billion
D) 100 billion
E) 1 trillion

Question 20

Which of the following is the best definition for a natural disaster?

A) An extreme event triggered by human activities,which poses a potential threat to human life or property.
B) An extreme natural event that occurs in a remote unpopulated area.
C) An event that kills a significant number of people or results in large economic losses,triggered by a natural event.
D) An event that could be triggered by natural processes,which poses a potential threat to human life or property.
E) An extreme event triggered by human activities that occurs in a remote unpopulated area.

Question 21

Of the 40 worst disasters between 1970 and 2013,the most frequent mega-killers were earthquakes.

Question 22

Today,the world growth rate for human population is rapidly declining.

Question 23

Natural disasters occur where the Earth unleashes its concentrated energy in a short time.

Question 24

By the year 2011 B.C.E. ,the world's total population was over 8 billion.

Question 25

The majority of Canadian disasters from 1900 to 2013 are not due to natural causes.

Question 26

Natural hazards,such as large snow avalanches and mass movements that occur every year in the uninhabited areas in the Rockies,are considered by Canadians to be natural disasters,since they are large magnitude events.

Question 27

The magnitude of a hazardous event is related to the amount of energy fuelling the natural event.

Question 28

The fact that Canada has not experienced a great geological disaster is in part due to the relatively short history of the country.

Question 29

Natural hazards generally involve significant causalities and large economic losses.

Question 30

The list of most costly Canadian disasters is dominated by earthquakes,volcanoes,and tsunami.

Question 31

According to the population distribution map of Canada by census division (CD)(2011),the population in rural areas is constantly rising from 1980.

Question 32

The stronger the democracy index,the higher the death totals from natural disasters.

Question 33

In the period between 1970 and 2013,at least 27 of the 40 worst disasters occurred in a belt running from Japan,China,Bangladesh through India and Iran to Turkey.

Question 34

If a particular disaster has a high frequency of occurrence,then it also has a large return period (recurrence interval).

Question 35

At present,the world population is growing at about 1.2 percent per year for a doubling time of 58 years.

Question 36

In general,the larger and more energetic the disaster event,the shorter the return period between such events.

Question 37

In general,there is an inverse correlation between the frequency and the magnitude of a disaster process.

Question 38

According to Princeton researchers more than 80% of deaths by natural disaster in the period 1964-2004 took place in 15 nations.Of these,13 of countries are below the median GDP.Two countries are exceptions.What are those two countries and why?

A) Canada and USA;bad industrial performance between 1964-2004
B) Germany and France;slower industrial trend
C) Iran and Venezuela;oil rich counties
D) Ethiopia and Congo;greater agricultural and industrial production
E) None of these

Question 39

The overreliance of our modern lifestyle on technology could have created new vulnerabilities.

Question 40

The number of natural-disaster fatalities worldwide between 1980 and 2013 varies however,there is a general decreasing trend.

Question 41

In Canada,like in most industrialized nations,flood coverage is included in a typical homeowner insurance policy.

Question 42

The terms preparedness,mitigation and adaptation describe actions performed when disaster strikes.