Environmental Problems and Solutions
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
This course offers a comprehensive overview of the major environmental problems facing the world today, including climate change, air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and the management of natural resources. Students will explore the scientific, social, economic, and political dimensions of these issues, analyzing both causes and consequences. Emphasis is placed on evaluating existing and emerging solutions such as policy developments, technological innovations, sustainable practices, and community-based approaches. Through case studies and critical discussion, students will develop practical skills for assessing environmental challenges and designing effective strategies for sustainability.
Recommended Textbook
Sustaining the Earth 10th Edition by G.
Tyler Miller
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14 Chapters
1846 Verified Questions
1846 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
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101 Verified Questions
101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which worldview is most consistent with the status quo in the United States?
A) Planetary Management
B) Biocentric
C) Stewardship
D) Humility
E) Environmental Wisdom
Answer: A
Q2) The United States,Canada,and Japan are examples of ____________________ with a high average per capita GDP.
Answer: developed countries
Q3) When a country's GDP decreases,the per capita GDP must also decrease.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) What will happen if humanity's ecological footprint continues to be greater than Earth's ecological capacity?
Answer: Humans will destroy their environment,more and more animal and plant species will be lost,poverty and disease will increase,etc.
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems
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162 Verified Questions
162 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the five ways humans disrupt the nitrogen cycle.
Answer: Burning fuel causes acid rain; agricultural wastes cause nitrous oxide; deforestation causes the release of stored nitrogen; municipal sewage into aquatic systems causes excess nitrates; and soil depletion causes the depletion on nitrogen from topsoil.
Q2) Which statement best summarizes the law of conservation of matter?
A) We can rearrange matter but we cannot create or destroy it.
B) Matter that is highly concentrated and readily available is most useful as a human resource.
C) Matter consists of elements and compounds.
D) Matter can undergo a physical change in its chemical composition.
E) Matter should never be wasted.
Answer: A
Q3) Forest,deserts and grasslands have distinct climate and species and are known as ____________________.
Answer: Biomes
Q4) When ice melts into liquid water,a(n)____________________ change has occurred.
Answer: physical
Q5) ____________________ explains why a barrel of oil can be used only once as fuel.
Answer: Truehe second law of thermodynamics
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Chapter 3: Biodiversity and Evolution
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104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The mechanism accepted by scientists for most evolutionary change is
A) inheritance of acquired characteristics.
B) synthetic selection.
C) natural selection.
D) functional diversity.
E) punctuated equilibrium.
Answer: C
Q2) An example of a coastal wetland is a
A) salt marsh.
B) floodplain.
C) coral reef.
D) prairie pothole.
E) lake.
Answer: A
Q3) Briefly explain why desert ecosystems are particularly fragile.
Answer: Deserts are characterized by lack of water,slow nutrient cycling and relatively low species diversity,which makes deserts slow to recover from large disturbances..
Q4) The variety of Earth's species and ecosystems is called ____________________.
Answer: biodiversity
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Chapter 4: Community Ecology, Population Ecology, and the Human Population
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117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The biotic potential and population size modified by the environmental resistance determine the ____________________.
Q2) The effect of population increase or environmental resistance is not felt instantly in most cases.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Population size is governed by all of the following except A) births.
B) deaths.
C) immigration.
D) colonization.
E) emigration.
Q4) The role that a species plays within its ecosystem can be described as native,non-native,indicator,keystone or foundation species.
A)True
B)False
Q5) On the exponential growth of reindeer figure,choose the portion of the graph that represents the number of reindeer that can be sustained indefinitely in a given area.
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Chapter 5: Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach
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114 Verified Questions
114 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The process of chemicals ingested in the lower trophic levels building up exponentially in the higher trophic levels is called
A) bioaccumulation.
B) fragmentation.
C) CITES.
D) invasion.
E) specialization.
Q2) A(n)____________________ is the percentage or number of species that go extinct within a certain period of time such as a year.
Q3) The pet trade has impacted all but which of the following wild pets?
A) Parrots
B) Reptiles
C) Amphibians
D) Guinea Pigs
E) Tropical fish
Q4) Habitat fragmentation occurs when a habitat is broken into smaller areas by a man-made divide such as roads,logging,or urban development. Why is this a cause of ecological concern?
Q5) ____________________ is diminished by extinction.
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Chapter 6: Sustaining Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach
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142 Verified Questions
142 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) It is important to protect watersheds in order to protect freshwater biodiversity since water and land are connected.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Protecting marine biodiversity is difficult because of all the following reasons except A) human ecological footprint is expanding rapidly. B) much of the damage is not visible to people.
C) much of the ocean lies outside of countries' legal jurisdiction.
D) people can't protect what they can't access.
E) people often view the ocean as inexhaustible.
Q3) The reintroduction of the gray wolf has had a negative impact on the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A(n)____________________ is the name given to large areas of land that have been consolidated to sustain the biodiversity of the area.
Q5) What are some ways an individual can act on a small scale to reduce tropical deforestation?
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Chapter 7: Food,Soil,and Pest Management
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151 Verified Questions
151 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Monoculture crops use
A) the least amount of land mass to grow the most amount of food.
B) the most land mass to grow a large variety of different kinds of commercial food.
C) the lowest amounts of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, fossil fuels and water.
D) sustainable growing techniques and integrated pest management.
E) the highest amounts of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, fossil fuels and water.
Q2) The broad application of a general chemical on a crop field without regard to natural enemies,beneficials,and non-target organisms is (a)
A) monoapplication.
B) neem oil application.
C) pest targeting.
D) spectrum application.
E) narrow application.
Q3) ____________________ occurs when the productive potential of topsoil falls by 10% or more because of extensive drought and degrading human activities.
Q4) A(n)____________________ is the specific type of pesticide used to kill a rat.
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Chapter 8: Water Resources and Water Pollution
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147 Verified Questions
147 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is false?
A) Rivers are more vulnerable than lakes to contamination by plant nutrients, oil, toxins, and pesticides.
B) Acid deposition and fallout represent a more serious hazard to lakes than rivers.
C) Eutrophication is a natural process and can occur without the influence of humans.
D) Human activities can accelerate the eutrophication process.
E) Eutrophication is caused by inputs of nutrients and silt from the surrounding land basin.
Q2) Chesapeake Bay is vulnerable because it is
A) shallow with a low flush rate.
B) deep with a low flush rate.
C) shallow with a high flush rate.
D) deep with a high flush rate.
E) of medium depth with a low flush rate.
Q3) On the dilution and decay of degradable wastes figure,choose the zone in which population of organisms with high oxygen requirements will most likely be eliminated.
Q4) Why do people live on floodplains in spite of the risk of flooding?
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10
Chapter 9: Nonrenewable Energy Resources
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Although ____________________ seems inexpensive and safe,environmental issues make this the most expensive nonrenewable energy source.
Q2) Natural gas consists of all but A) methane.
B) ethanol.
C) propane.
D) butane.
E) ethane.
Q3) All of the following are methods of handling end-of-life nuclear power plants except A) immediate dismantling.
B) entombment.
C) decomposition.
D) building a physical barrier.
E) extending its life.
Q4) There is a large push to tap domestic oil supplies.Do you agree or disagree,and why?
Q5) Producing synfuels requires mining more coal than used for directly for heating. A)True B)False
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Chapter 10: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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114 Verified Questions
114 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) ____________________ consists of plant materials and animal wastes that we can burn directly or convert into solid,liquid or gaseous ____________________ .
Q2) The price U.S.consumers pay at the pump for gasoline includes the cost of
A) subsides and tax breaks oil companies and car manufacturers.
B) pollution control.
C) military protection of oil supplies in unstable countries.
D) all of these answers.
E) none of these answers.
Q3) Hydropower can only be generated in large scale facilities that alter a stream's course.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Governments use ____ to influence the energy playing field.
A) tax breaks
B) payment for long-term research and development
C) subsidies
D) payment for long-term research and development and subsidies
E) all of these answers
Q5) ____________________ is based on energy and money saving building designs.
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Chapter 11: Environmental Hazards and Human Health
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The leading cause of preventable death each year in the U.S.is
A) tobacco use.
B) accidents.
C) illegal drug use.
D) pollutants.
E) homicides.
Q2) The widespread use of vaccines could improve human health and decrease death rates more than any other effort.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A(n)____________________ is the probability of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury,disease,death,economic loss or damage.
Q4) Tuberculosis is caused by A) mosquitoes.
B) houseflies.
C) viruses.
D) bacteria.
E) protozoa.
Q5) System reliability (%)= ____________________ x ____________________
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Chapter 12: Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ozone
Depletion
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148 Verified Questions
148 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not a preventative approach to lead poisoning?
A) Phase out waste incinerators
B) Wash produce before consuming
C) Ban lead solder
D) Phase out leaded gasoline
E) Ban lead in computer monitors and fishing sinkers
Q2) Pollutants indoors can build up to much higher concentrations than outdoors.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Prior to the last 100 years,when did the earth have the highest average surface temperatures?
Q4) An increase in ultraviolet radiation is likely to cause all of the following except
A) a decrease in aquatic life.
B) increased yields of food crops.
C) decreased phytoplankton productivity.
D) increased acid rain.
E) increased eye cataract and skin cancer incidence in some species.
Q5) What range of surface temperature of the Earth is projected for 2025?
Q6) In the last 10,000 years,when did the temperature change reach a maximum?
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Chapter 13: Urbanization and Solid and Hazardous Waste
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189 Verified Questions
189 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) The United States has passed laws to facilitate the cleanup of abandoned,contaminated sites,also known as ____________________.
Q3) Urbanization affects local climates and causes light pollution.
A)True
B)False
Q4) When the waste outputs of one organism become nutrient inputs for another organism,waste is reduced.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The two types are recycling are ____________________ and ____________________.
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Chapter 14: Economics, Politics, Worldviews, and Sustainability
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141 Verified Questions
141 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The majority of international treaties lack criteria for monitoring and evaluating their own effectiveness.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The most powerful and controversial thing that the executive and legislative branches of government do is
A) compromise.
B) develop and adopt a budget.
C) enact laws.
D) establish policies.
E) defeat laws.
Q3) Which of the following is not an external cost of driving a domestic car?
A) pollution
B) cost of manufacture
C) highway accidents
D) destruction of land
E) health costs
Q4) An example of an incentive-based regulation system is ____________________.
Q5) ____________________ advocate passing laws or establishing regulations favorable to their cause. Page 16
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