Question 1

Proponents of sustainable development argue that

Accepted Answer

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 2

Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen estimates that at least 3 million people die each year from diseases triggered by

Accepted Answer

A) Water pollution 
B) Air pollution 
C) Exposure to radiation 
D) Cigarette smoking 
E) Mosquito-borne illnesses

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

A) Aesthetic and spiritual values 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

Question 4

The history of conservation and environmentalism is

Accepted Answer

A) Based in the Industrial Revolution 
B) Largely unrecorded 
C) A relatively new movement 
D) Based in the 1970s environmental movement 
E) Traceable well back into human history

Question 5

The term "toxic colonialism" has been used in describing

Accepted Answer

A) Lax environmental regulations for toxic wastes 
B) The exportation of toxic wastes to poor communities 
C) Rulings that toxins must not be exported to wealthy nations 
D) The high level of toxic waste production by wealthy nations 
E) The high level of toxic pesticide use by wealthy nations

Question 6

Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, is a model for balancing nature and human needs because in the eighteenth century a French governor

Accepted Answer

A) Declared the island a nature sanctuary 
B) Ordered sensitive areas such as steep slopes to be preserved in forests 
C) Bought the island as a private sanctuary for the government of France 
D) Supported an extensive environmental education campaign 
E) Enforced strict punishment for people who damaged any natural resources

Question 7

Which country listed is not in the top 5 with respect to sustainable development?

Accepted Answer

A) The United States 
B) Sweden 
C) Finland 
D) New Zealand 
E) They are all in the top 5

Question 8

Another word for "steward" is

Accepted Answer

A) Organizer 
B) Caretaker 
C) Participant 
D) Consumer 
E) Leader

Question 9

The world's population is now more than

Accepted Answer

A) 70 million 
B) 70 billion 
C) 7 billion 
D) 700 million 
E) 20 million

Question 10

Ethics should guide decisions made regarding

Accepted Answer

A) Environmental issues 
B) Economic issues 
C) Development issues 
D) Social justice issues 
E) All of the above issues

Question 11

Environmental science is a __________.

Accepted Answer

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 in learning about the environment 
E) Special set of problem-solving skills

Question 12

In general, as per capita GDP (Global Domestic Product) rises both _____ and _____ increase.

Accepted Answer

A) Infant mortality; life expectancy 
B) Percentage of safe drinking water; rate of infectious diseases 
C) Infant mortality; adult literacy 
D) Percentage of safe drinking water; adult literacy 
E) Total Fertility Rate; percentage of safe drinking water

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT an ecosystem service?

Accepted Answer

A) Providing fuel to burn 
B) High biodiversity 
C) Water purification 
D) Production of food 
E) Decomposition of waste

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

A) The lack of available opportunities 
B) Genetic conditions 
C) Improper care of natural resources 
D) Illnesses spread by viruses

Question 15

The word "environment" comes from a French word that means

Accepted Answer

A) life 
B) nature 
C) wildlife 
D) home 
E) to surround

Question 16

The approach that reflects the philosophy that there is waste in neglecting the development and use of certain natural resources (such as dead trees in old growth forests) would best be described as

Accepted Answer

A) Moral and aesthetic preservation 
B) Global environmental citizenship 
C) Pragmatic utilitarian conservation 
D) A cornucopian worldview

Question 17

Which country uses the most coal to produce electricity?

Accepted Answer

A) China 
B) India 
C) United States 
D) Russia

Question 18

The word "environment" as used in environmental science does not include

Accepted Answer

A) Our culture 
B) The biosphere 
C) Our political system 
D) Solutions to problems 
E) understanting relationships between organisms

Question 19

The idea of stewardship is that humans have a/the ___________ the environment.

Accepted Answer

A) Privilege of using 
B) Technology to shape 
C) Duty to care for 
D) Opportunity to degrade 
E) Responsibility to use resources in

Question 20

One major difference affecting the scope of environmental issues of the past and present is the

Accepted Answer

A) Current ability to alter the natural world through technology 
B) Relatively new emergence of environmentalists 
C) Historical ignorance of the interconnected nature of environmental issues 
D) Development of new fields such as environmental science 
E) Extremely fast transmission of information through the Internet

Exam 1: Understanding Our Environment