Deck 13: Urbanization and Solid and Hazardous Waste

Question 1

Urban sprawl has no impact on

A) cropland and wildlife habitats.
B) runoff, flooding and water quality.
C) energy use and greenhouse emissions.
D) employment in downtown business districts.
E) none of these answers

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The U.S.population would be more likely to accept higher gasoline taxes if the government would

A) raise parking fees.
B) charge tolls on all roads and bridges.
C) build more roads.
D) reduce or shift taxes from income and wages to offset the higher gasoline taxes.
E) all of these answers

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The advantages of reducing automobile use in the U.S.includes all of the following except

A) encouraging the use of more energy efficient motor vehicles.
B) encouraging people to use mass transit.
C) decreasing dependence on foreign oil.
D) decreasing national security.
E) reducing pollution and environmental degradation.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Compact cities,such as Hong Kong and Tokyo,grow upward and downward resulting in that

A) they have a high population density
B) they occupy a relatively small area of land
C) people get around by walking, biking or mass transit
D) the city grows vertically
E) all of these answers

Question 5

The disadvantages of urbanization may include all of the following except

A) high resource input and high pollution output
B) concentrate pollution because of high population densities
C) cities are centers of education and technological advances
D) water problems
E) they create heat islands that affect local climates

Question 6

Which of the following is not a good idea for dealing with the problems of motor vehicle use?

A) build more roads
B) rely on walking, bicycling and mass transit
C) use energy-efficient vehicles
D) charge a tax on gasoline to cover the estimated harmful costs of driving
E) raise parking fees and charge road and bridge tolls

Question 7

People in the United States oppose taxes on gasoline because

A) fast, efficient, affordable mass transit is readily available
B) heavier taxes will encourage more energy-efficient vehicles
C) the public is unaware of the hidden environmental costs of driving
D) they enjoy the time spent commuting long distances and sitting in traffic
E) heavier taxes can result in less pollution and premature deaths

Question 8

Motor vehicles have advantages which can include

A) employment for many people providing roads, services and vehicle repairs.
B) boosting the world's economy from producing motor vehicles and supplying fuel.
C) being status symbols.
D) mobility, convenience and comfort.
E) all of these answers

Question 9

Some governments legally recognize slums areas of the urban poor in developing countries.The best argument for this practice is based on the understanding that

A) the people utilize discarded building materials.
B) the people work to improve their living conditions if they know they can stay in an area.
C) the slums usually lack clean water, sewers, electricity and roads.
D) most cities cannot afford to provide these people with basic services.
E) governments bulldozer squatter shacks and drive away illegal settlers.

Question 10

Disperse cities like many of the ones in the U.S.,Canada and Australia result from

A) plentiful land
B) cheap gasoline
C) extensive highway network
D) dependence on motor vehicles
E) all of these answers

Question 11

Important trends in understanding the problems of urban growth include

A) the number of people living in urban areas is increasing worldwide
B) the number and size of urban areas are increasing
C) the rate of urban growth is faster in less-developed countries
D) the number of urban poor is increasing
E) all of these answers.

Question 12

What percent of the world's gasoline does the United States use?

A) 43%
B) 25%
C) 10%
D) 5%
E) 2%

Question 13

The advantages of urbanization may include all of the following except

A) cities are centers of economic development and transport
B) fragmentation of wildlife habitats
C) lower infant mortality rates and fertility rates
D) easier access to medical care and social services
E) recycling is more economically feasible

Question 14

What percentage of the population increase in people living in cities by 2030 will occur in developing countries ?

A) 5%
B) 20%
C) 75%
D) 88%
E) 100%

Question 15

Motor vehicles

A) are the largest source of outdoor air pollution.
B) are the fastest growing source of climate changing CO₂ emissions.
C) kill more than 40,000 people per year in auto accidents and injure 5 million per year in the U.S. alone.
D) are responsible traffic congestion and help create urban sprawl.
E) all of these answers

Question 16

In 2008,what percent of the world's population live in cities?

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 25%
D) 33%
E) 50%

Question 17

The population in urban areas increase by

A) births.
B) immigrants from rural areas looking for jobs and a better life.
C) immigrants from rural areas pushed by poverty, famine and war.
D) a and b
E) a, b, and c

Question 18

By 2030,the percentage of people living in cities worldwide could increase to what percent?

A) 5%
B) 20%
C) 25%
D) 33%
E) 66%

Question 19

The United States has 4.6% of the world's population,yet it has about ____ of the world's 900 million passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

A) one-eighth
B) one-quarter
C) one-half
D) one-third
E) all

Question 20

According to the National Geophysics Data Center,the five cities in order of highest to lowest population in 2010 are:

A) Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, New York City, Mumbai
B) Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Mexico City, New York
C) Mumbai, Mexico City, Los Angles, New York City, Tokyo
D) Mexico City, Tokyo, Mumbai, Los Angles, New York City
E) New York City, Tokyo, Mumbai, Los Angles, Mexico City

Question 21

The amount of solid waste produced in the United States would fill a convoy of garbage trucks stretching around the world almost

A) 2 times.
B) 4 times.
C) 6 times.
D) 8 times.
E) 10 times.

Question 22

Smart growth is a form of urban planning that

A) uses laws and other tools to channel urban growth into less harmful areas
B) ignores future population growth
C) encourages resource waste
D) encourages uncontrolled urban sprawl
E) ignores the social consequences of urban land use planning

Question 23

Solid waste can best be defined as

A) nutrients
B) waste that threatens human health or the environment because it is toxic
C) an unwanted or discarded material that is not liquid or gas
D) pollution
E) waste that can not be converted to a liquid

Question 24

With about 4.6% of the world's population,the United States produces ____ of the world's solid waste.

A) 13%
B) 23%
C) 33%
D) 43%
E) 53%

Question 25

The smallest producer of solid waste in the United States is

A) industry.
B) municipalities.
C) mining.
D) agriculture.
E) oil and gas production.

Question 26

Garbage produced directly by households and businesses accounts for ____ of the solid waste produced in the United States.

A) less than 2%
B) 5%
C) 10%
D) 15%
E) 20%

Question 27

Which of the following questions is least likely to be asked by an environmentalist?

A) Where do we put all this waste?
B) What strategies can turn the wastes of one industry into the resources for another industry?
C) What policies encourage manufacturing products that last?
D) How can industries reduce the formation of toxic by-products in their manufacturing processes?
E) all of these are highly likely to be asked

Question 28

Some European countries have established cradle-to-grave responsibility laws that require companies to

A) keep track on all of its hazardous waste.
B) bury their waste in hazardous waste landfills.
C) take back the consumer products they sell.
D) use only new materials in manufacturing.
E) exchange their wastes with other companies.

Question 29

Hazardous waste can best be defined as

A) nutrients
B) waste that threatens human health or the environment because it is toxic
C) an unwanted or discarded material that is not liquid or gas
D) pollution
E) 53% of all discarded material

Question 30

The concept of an ecocity revolves around

A) making urban areas more self-reliant, sustainable and enjoyable places to live with good ecological design.
B) development regardless of the environmental consequences.
C) urban sprawl.
D) cars and not people.
E) upper to middle class populations.

Question 31

All of the following are first priority waste prevention strategies except

A) eliminating harmful chemicals in industrial processes.
B) substituting less harmful chemicals in processes.
C) reducing packaging materials.
D) composting.
E) make more durable products that are recyclable, reusable or easy to repair.

Question 32

Examples of ecocities include

A) Stockholm, Sweden
B) Bogota, Columbia
C) Portland, Oregon
D) Waitakere City, New Zealand
E) all of these answers

Question 33

Last priority strategies for waste prevention do not include

A) reducing or eliminating harmful chemicals in industrial processes.
B) treating waste to reduce toxicity.
C) waste incineration.
D) burying waste in landfills.
E) releasing wastes into the environment for dispersal or dilution.

Question 34

The top four components of municipal solid waste that are buried in U.S.landfills,listed from highest to lowest,is

A) paper, food waste, yard waste, and plastics.
B) plastics, paper, yard waste, and food waste.
C) paper, yard waste, food waste, and plastics.
D) yard waste, paper, food waste, and plastics.
E) plastics, food waste, yard waste, and paper.

Question 35

According to a 2005 report by the Basel Action Network,much of U.S.e-waste is shipped to

A) China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Kenya.
B) India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.
C) India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Kenya.
D) China, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria.
E) China, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.

Question 36

Which of the following ways to deal with e-wastes fits best with at least one of the three principles of sustainability?

A) help children earn a living by scavenging scrap metal
B) ship e-wastes to developing countries
C) burn e-wastes
D) dispose of e-wastes in landfills
E) manufacturers take back electronics at the end of their useful life for remanufacturing, repair or recycling

Question 37

Some tools of smart growth include all of the following except

A) concentrate development away from mass-transit routes
B) limits and regulations for building permits and new development
C) preserving open space
D) revitalizing existing towns and cities
E) tax breaks and tax shifts that reward environmentally sustainable behaviors

Question 38

New urbanization strives to develop neighborhoods within existing cities by

A) having some services within walking distance of people's homes and reliable mass-transit options
B) providing shops, apartments and offices with diverse services to encourage people of different backgrounds, ages, races and cultures to move in
C) using environmentally sustainable as well as aesthetically pleasing development strategies
D) all of these answers
E) none of these answers

Question 39

To help reduce solid waste,individuals can do all of the following except

A) use reusable lunchboxes.
B) use rechargeable batteries.
C) carry groceries in reusable bags.
D) release helium balloons at the next Earth Day celebration.
E) recycle.

Question 40

The top priority in a pollution prevention approach to solid waste would be

A) recycling.
B) reusing.
C) reducing.
D) burning.
E) burying.

Question 41

Compost can be applied to

A) eroded hillsides.
B) over-grazed areas.
C) roadway medians.
D) gardens.
E) all of these answers

Question 42

Which is the most advanced approach to waste prevention?

A) recycling materials
B) using biodegradable material
C) creating more durable products
D) reducing the amount of materials used
E) substituting less bulky products

Question 43

Compost

A) is a method to decompose many organic wastes.
B) can be produced from biodegradable solid waste in large plants, then bagged, and sold.
C) is rich in organic matter and soil nutrients.
D) all of these answers
E) none of these answers

Question 44

All of the following would characterize a waste-prevention system except

A) using returnable bottles.
B) putting yard wastes into landfills.
C) taxing gas-guzzling cars and throwaway products.
D) reading magazines and newspapers online
E) all of these answers

Question 45

In today's affluent societies,many goods that once would be reused have been replaced with one-time use alternatives.All of the following are good examples of such reusable-disposable pairings except

A) cotton handkerchief-paper tissue
B) cloth napkin-paper towel
C) china plate-paper plate
D) silverware-plastic utensils
E) Styrofoam cup-ceramic mug

Question 46

The most desirable type of recycling is

A) primary or closed-loop recycling.
B) secondary or open-loop recycling.
C) tertiary or figure-eight recycling.
D) high-tech resource recovery.
E) secondary or closed-loop recycling.

Question 47

An advantage of materials recovery facilities (MRFs)is that they

A) encourage a large throughput of garbage.
B) have high operation and maintenance costs.
C) produce toxic ash that must be disposed.
D) can emit large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane.
E) recover valuable materials for resale.

Question 48

Compost is most completely described as

A) manure.
B) landfill by-products.
C) pure garbage.
D) soil conditioner and organic fertilizer.
E) toxic.

Question 49

All of the following reflect a low-waste approach except

A) extending the useful lifetime of a product.
B) substituting less bulky products, such as a transistor for a vacuum tube.
C) assuring built-in obsolescence.
D) using modular construction for repair.
E) recycling materials.

Question 50

Which of the following strategies is not recommended for reducing odors for large-scale composting operations?

A) Create municipal composting operations near landfills or other isolated sites.
B) Keep the material dry, reduce leakage and exposure to vermin.
C) Sprinkle compost with baking soda.
D) Cover compacted wastes with a thin layer or clay or plastic foam.
E) none of these answers

Question 51

Recycling plastic materials are a problem because

A) many plastics are mixed with other wastes and are difficult to isolate
B) plastics may contain stabilizers that must be removed prior to recycling
C) virgin plastic resin is artificially cheaper than recycled resin
D) they are unnecessarily and excessively used as single-use and throw-away packaging.
E) all of these answers

Question 52

Environmentalists say that the best way to handle soft-drink and beer containers is to

A) use landfills.
B) recycle aluminum cans.
C) use stainless steel cans.
D) use reusable glass bottles.
E) bury them.

Question 53

____ waste makes up more than 75% of the total waste that scientists have distinguished as recyclable.

A) household
B) postconsumer
C) primary or closed-loop
D) pre-consumer
E) secondary

Question 54

A low-waste approach to dealing with nonfuel solid resources would depend least upon

A) composting.
B) burying.
C) reusing.
D) recycling.
E) a and b

Question 55

When checkout persons ask,"Paper or plastic?," environmentalists are most likely to

A) say, "Plastic."
B) say, "Paper."
C) walk out of the store and try another.
D) give the baggers reusable bags brought from home.
E) say, "Either plastic or paper."

Question 56

What would a high-waste society do with its solid wastes?

A) dump
B) burn
C) bury
D) a and b only
E) all of these answers

Question 57

In the United States,source separation facilities differ from materials-recovery facilities in all but which of the following?

A) Source separation facilities are cheaper to start up and operate.
B) Source separation facilities provide cleaner and more valuable recyclables.
C) Source separation facilities produce less air and water pollution.
D) Source separation facilities provide jobs for highly skilled labor.
E) Source separation facilities save more energy and provide more jobs per unit of material recycled.

Question 58

Scientists estimate that a low-waste society could use reduction,reuse,and recycling to cut its waste by

A) 10-20%.
B) 35-50%.
C) 40-60%.
D) 60-75%.
E) 75-90%.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is false?

A) It is more economical to have consumers separate trash before pickup than to use materials recovery facilities.
B) Glass, iron, and aluminum can be recovered from solid wastes.
C) The source-separation approach usually involves consumers separating trash into four collections: glass, paper, plastic, and metal.
D) Materials-recovery facilities provide many more jobs than low-technology recycling.
E) Materials-recovery facilities need a large input of garbage to be financially successful.

Question 60

Which of the following substances can be recovered from solid waste?

A) metals
B) plastic
C) paper
D) all of these answers
E) none of these answers

Question 61

Phytoremediation

A) involves using natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb pollutants from soil and water.
B) results in the production of high-level hazardous wastes.
C) may be used at considerably more expense than landfills and incineration.
D) is widely accepted as the best way to cut hazardous wastes.
E) does not yet exist.

Question 62

In the United States,"hazardous waste" legally includes all of the following except

A) hospital and medical wastes.
B) flammable materials.
C) explosives.
D) oil drilling wastes.
E) household pesticide products.

Question 63

Bioremediation

A) involves training volunteers to eat new foods.
B) results in the production of high-level hazardous wastes.
C) may be used at considerably less expense than landfills and incineration.
D) is widely accepted as the best way to cut hazardous wastes.
E) does not yet exist.

Question 64

Obstacles to recycling can be overcome by all of the following except

A) requiring households to pay for garbage collection based on how much they throw away.
B) encouraging government purchases of recycled products.
C) passing laws that require manufacturers to take back consumer wastes for reuse and recycling.
D) enacting a national aluminum-can bill.
E) providing subsidies for reuse and postconsumer waste recycling.

Question 65

Which of the following statements about landfill processes is false?

A) Open landfills are common near major cities in many developing countries.
B) Contaminated leachate can seep from the bottom of landfills.
C) Contaminated groundwater is a problem at some landfills.
D) Current EPA regulations require owners to maintain and monitor landfills for at least 50 years after they are closed.
E) Older, unlined landfills may have particularly bad water pollution problems.

Question 66

Obstacles to recycling in the United States include

A) lack of inclusion of environmental costs in market prices.
B) lack of inclusion of health costs in market prices.
C) tax breaks for mining virgin materials.
D) the price of recycled materials fluctuates
E) all of these answers

Question 67

All of the following are advantages to incineration of waste except

A) reduces trash volume.
B) encourages recycling.
C) lowers water pollution.
D) need less landfills.
E) produce usable energy.

Question 68

Underground anaerobic decomposition in a landfill produces

A) volatile organic compounds.
B) methane.
C) hydrogen sulfide.
D) all of these answers
E) none of these answers

Question 69

____ is a gas which can be collected from landfills and burned for energy.

A) Propane
B) Methane
C) Hydrogen sulfide
D) Butane
E) Ethanol

Question 70

Critics of recycling are most likely to claim that

A) it isn't worth the effort.
B) there is no solid-waste problem.
C) incineration is the safest and most efficient way to dispose of solid wastes.
D) it doesn't make sense to recycle if it costs more than sending wastes to a landfill or an incinerator.
E) none of these answers

Question 71

Bioplastics and petrochemical plastics

A) are made from organic polymers.
B) can be made from corn, soy, sugarcane, switchgrass or chicken feathers.
C) can be composted.
D) require little energy and produce little pollution.
E) none of these answers.

Question 72

Methods for detoxifying hazardous wastes include

A) filtering with charcoal or resins to remove solid particles..
B) encapsulating the materials and placing them in safe storage.
C) distilling liquid wastes to remove harmful chemicals.
D) chemical methods to remove harmful materials or make them less hazardous.
E) all of these answers.

Question 73

Conservationalists object most to plastics used in

A) lunch boxes.
B) shampoo bottles.
C) single-use packaging.
D) refrigerator storage containers.
E) cars.

Question 74

Denmark's hazardous waste detoxification program includes

A) 21 transfer stations located throughout the country.
B) a facility in each municipality to accept household hazardous waste.
C) a carefully designed and monitored landfill as a last resort.
D) all of these answers
E) none of these answers

Question 75

Sanitary landfills typically have problems with

A) rodents and insects.
B) odor.
C) open, uncovered garbage.
D) traffic, noise, and dust.
E) spread of disease.

Question 76

Which of the following burns about 90% of its municipal solid waste in incinerators?

A) United States
B) Japan
C) Switzerland
D) Great Britain
E) Denmark

Question 77

The most comprehensive and effective hazardous waste detoxification program is in

A) France.
B) Denmark.
C) Norway.
D) Yugoslavia.
E) Turkey.

Question 78

Plastic is desirable because of its

A) reusability.
B) light weight.
C) durability.
D) all of these answers
E) none of these answers

Question 79

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Hazardous waste laws do not regulate more than 95% of U.S. hazardous waste.
B) The best solution to hazardous wastes is to produce less of it or none at all.
C) Bioremediation and phytoremediation have potential to detoxify harmful substances.
D) Burning of liquid hazardous wastes in cement kilns results in complete combustion and detoxification.
E) Waste disposal firms can charge high prices for picking up hazardous wastes.

Question 80

Currently,about ____ by weight of the municipal solid waste produced in the United States is buried in landfills.

A) 25%
B) 35%
C) 45%
D) 55%
E) 65%