Question 1

The concept of sustainable development includes

Accepted Answer

A) the needs of future generations. 
B) growth in profits from international trade. 
C) the importance of developing the arts. 
D) the fastest ways to economic prosperity.

Question 2

During the Great Depression,conservation

Accepted Answer

A) was simply a luxury that could not be afforded. 
B) efforts were opposed by millions of people who had no time to go to parks. 
C) provided work and helped restore land. 
D) was devalued as most national parks and national forests were harvested for timber and coal.

Question 3

Discriminatory trade practices that favor industrialized countries over developing countries are

Accepted Answer

A) rare and are gradually being eliminated. 
B) not issues of concern to environmental scientists. 
C) ways that industrialized countries support sustainable resource management. 
D) the number one issue at every meeting of the World Trade Organization.

Question 4

Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring showed that

Accepted Answer

A) pesticides like DDT were ineffective in killing crop pests. 
B) scientific expertise can help shape positive environmental policies. 
C) industries producing harmful chemicals welcomed scientific evaluation of their environmental impact. 
D) biodiversity could be increased with cautious use of DDT.

Question 5

The "Environmentalist's Paradox" is

Accepted Answer

A) As human population decreases,ecosystem health also decreases. 
B) As human material prosperity increases,ecosystem health decreases. 
C) The more non-renewable resources we use,the more new resources we discover. 
D) As biodiversity decreases,ecosystem health increases.

Question 6

Increasing global demands for energy is

Accepted Answer

A) increasing social stability in many countries,as people pull together to solve this challenge. 
B) forcing dramatic switches to nuclear and tidal power,which do not contribute to global climate change. 
C) renewing interests in preserving and protecting additional lands for conservation. 
D) increasing political attention to oil production and global climate change.

Question 7

Globalization is largely the result of

Accepted Answer

A) new forms of ground transportation. 
B) worldwide electronic communication. 
C) increased exploration into unpopulated regions of the world. 
D) major new discoveries of natural resources.

Question 8

A disproportionately high placement of toxic waste sites in regions of the United States populated by minorities presents an issue of

Accepted Answer

A) urban "smart growth." 
B) environmental racism. 
C) sustainable development. 
D) a demographic transition.

Question 9

Because of the modern environmental movement,

Accepted Answer

A) world population has remained stable. 
B) coal power plants are the main source of our electricity. 
C) federal government is less involved in environmental policy. 
D) average life expectancy for humans is longer.

Question 10

Globalization has been most effective addressing which of the following problems?

Accepted Answer

A) the dispersion of exotic species to new locations in the world 
B) the spread of infectious organisms 
C) the challenges of producing enough food for the people of the world 
D) global climate change

Question 11

The Cuyahoga River in Ohio had been so polluted that it caught fire repeatedly from 1868-1969,including a 1952 fire that resulted in nearly $1.5 million in damages.Amazingly,other rivers in the United States also caught fire during this period.
-In 1962,Rachel Carson published her book Silent Spring.Seven years later,in 1969,the Cuyahoga River again caught fire and gained national attention.Based upon the concerns she expressed in Silent Spring,which of the following would have been her most likely reaction to learning of the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire?

Accepted Answer

A) The river fires illustrate one of the many ways we are polluting our environment. 
B) If we used more solar photocells and windmills,this would not happen. 
C) The industries responsible should be investigated by the EPA. 
D) This is a perfect example of what happens when we use our rivers for transportation.

Question 12

Scientists investigating a drug to cure a disease in birds conducted experiments.In these experiments,what were the controls?

Accepted Answer

A) birds that did not receive the drug being tested 
B) birds that received the drug being tested 
C) rats that were given the drug being tested 
D) birds given another drug that was not being tested

Question 13

A new store is constructed in place of a farm field,leading to increased runoff into streams,that leads to mudslides in the surrounding region.This construction resulted in the loss of ecosystem capital,because it

Accepted Answer

A) increased erosion in the region. 
B) decreased the amount of crops grown in the region. 
C) increased the number of cars traveling in the region,to and from the store. 
D) All of the above.

Question 14

The economic gap between developing and industrialized countries may best be narrowed by

Accepted Answer

A) the adoption of democratic forms of government in developing countries. 
B) industrialized countries increasing shipments of food supplies to developing countries. 
C) industrialized countries harvesting more natural resources in developing countries. 
D) stabilizing population growth in developing countries.

Question 15

Compared to sound science,junk science

Accepted Answer

A) is anything that threatens or contradicts your point of view. 
B) is anything that confirms your point of view. 
C) does not conform to the established rigors of sound science. 
D) does not include bias or subjective values.

Question 16

Which of the following terms best applies to the practice of environmental science?

Accepted Answer

A) highly specialized 
B) integrative and interdisciplinary 
C) abstract 
D) theoretical

Question 17

Subjective judgments about complex environmental phenomena often lead to

Accepted Answer

A) the generation of new theories. 
B) the generation of new laws. 
C) controversies and unclear conclusions and public confusion. 
D) new legislation and government policies.

Question 18

The current global human population in 2012 is more than

Accepted Answer

A) 10 billion and is increasing at an annual rate of 5%. 
B) 2.2 billion and is no longer growing. 
C) 7.1 billion and is growing at a rate of 1.2%. 
D) 13 billion and is decreasing at a rate of 3% in developing nations.

Question 19

Which of the following relationships is most likely to occur if global climate change policies are not enacted soon?

Accepted Answer

A) The wealthiest nations will contribute most to global climate change,yet the poorest people of the world will suffer most. 
B) The wealthiest nations will contribute most to global climate change,and they will in turn suffer the most. 
C) The poorest nations will contribute most to global climate change,yet the wealthiest nations will suffer most. 
D) The poorest nations will contribute most to global climate change,and they in turn will suffer most.

Question 20

In general,the movement toward sustainability is

Accepted Answer

A) declining as interest in sustainable environmental policy declines. 
B) still a distant philosophical goal of the environmental movement. 
C) faced with growing opposition from economic interests. 
D) growing with greater interest from governments and businesses.

Exam 1: Science and the Environment