Deck 56: Sociological Perspectives on the Environment

Question 1

Which critic of environmental policies notes that capitalist societies have increasing demands for products,for obtaining natural resources at minimal costs,and for manufacturing products as quickly and cheaply as possible-no matter what the long-term environmental consequences will be?

A)Karl Marx
B)Allan Schnaiberg
C)Rachel Carson
D)Paul Ehrlich

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Exxon Valdez incident in 1989 illustrates the nature of

A)air pollution.
B)water pollution.
C)nuclear contamination.
D)land pollution.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Climate change is not a recent phenomenon;it occurred well before humans walked on the earth.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Erin Brockovich,a movie that features Julia Roberts,examines a true-life event that revolved around environmental pollution in a working-class community by a major utility corporation that was apparently unconcerned about the long-term effects of the pollution on community residents.This movie illustrates which sociological concept?

A)environmental racism
B)environmental justice
C)demographic transition
D)demographic intransigence

Question 5

Which area of study is concerned with the interrelationships among people in their spatial setting and physical environment?

A)human relations approach
B)human ecology
C)activity theory
D)humanism

Question 6

The acronym NIMBY stands for

A)"never intervening maliciously before yesterday."
B)"nuclear interests may bury you."
C)"not in my backyard."
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 7

Which environmentalist suggests the primary cause of environmental ills is the increasing use of technological innovations?

A)Karl Marx
B)Barry Commoner
C)Rachel Carson
D)Paul Ehrlich

Question 8

Which of the following describes an impact of globalization on the environment?

A)Globalization can create a race to the bottom,as polluting countries relocate to places without strict environmental standards.
B)As international barriers fall,multinational corporations have an incentive to consider the cost of natural resources.
C)Globalization allows multinationals to reap the resources of developing countries for short-term profit.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 9

To date,191 countries-not including the U.S.-are party to which agreement intended to reduce global emissions of heat-trapped gases?

A)NAFTA
B)IMF Relief Fund
C)Kyoto Protocol
D)Warsaw Pact

Question 10

What approach to the environment focuses on the alignment of environmentally favorable practices with economic self-interest through constant adaptation and restructuring?

A)human ecological model
B)conflict perspective
C)ecological modernization
D)environmental justice

Question 11

Contributing to our environmental problems is that we as consumers want inexpensive clothes and toys;yet we as citizens condemn developing countries for depending on coal-fired power plants.

Question 12

Environmental justice is a legal strategy based on claims that racial minorities are subjected disproportionately to environmental hazards.

Question 13

A legal strategy based on claims that racial minorities are subjected disproportionately to environmental hazards is referred to as

A)environmental prejudice.
B)treadmill production.
C)principled injustice.
D)environmental justice.

Question 14

Which of the following most specifically describes the significant rise in the earth's surface temperature as a result of industrial gases?

A)global warming
B)climate change
C)greenhouse gasses
D)human ecology

Question 15

Which of the following shows how a growing share of the human and natural resources of developing countries is being redistributed to the core industrialized nations?

A)interactionist perspective
B)human ecology
C)environmental justice
D)world systems analysis

Question 16

The industrialized nations of North America and Europe account for only 12 percent of the world's population but are responsible for what percentage of the world's consumption?

A)30 percent
B)40 percent
C)50 percent
D)60 percent

Question 17

What reason do skeptics of conflict-based explanations give for why 43 percent of the people who live within 1 mile of hazardous waste treatment facilities in the U.S.do so?

A)Racial and ethnic minorities possess less power than others.
B)Economics and discriminatory forces push them to live in these places.
C)They like to live there due to low housing prices.
D)They choose to live in these ecological oases.

Question 18

Which group makes up 43% of the people in the U.S.who live within one mile of dangerous waste treatment,storage,and disposal facilities?

A)welfare recipients
B)African Americans
C)Latinos
D)non-Whites and Latinos

Question 19

Which perspective would place a priority on the fact that many major environmental organizations accept funding from oil companies and chemical giants and as a result emphasize limited reform rather than profound structural change?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 20

Who among the following suggested a capitalist system creates a "treadmill of production" because of its inherent need to build ever-expanding profits?

A)Karl Marx
B)Allan Schnaiberg
C)Rachel Carson
D)Paul Ehrlich

Question 21

What role do you feel globalization plays in our current environmental problems? Discuss the positive and negative attributes globalization brings to the issue of pollution.Finally,construct a contemporary plan for addressing environmental pollution that includes economic,cultural,and ecological concerns.

Question 22

Describe the human ecological,conflict,ecological modernization,and environmental justice approaches to the environment.What perspective do you find the most convincing? Why?