Environmental Science
Solved Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the interactions between the natural environment and human societies. This course examines fundamental ecological principles, the impact of human activities on air, water, and soil, and the use of scientific methods to analyze environmental problems. Students will investigate issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource management while considering ethical, economic, and policy dimensions. Through lectures, case studies, and practical exercises, learners develop critical thinking skills and a scientific understanding necessary for addressing contemporary environmental challenges and promoting sustainability.
Recommended Textbook
Visualizing Physical Geography 2nd Edition by Timothy Foresman
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
17 Chapters
1832 Verified Questions
1832 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2267
Page 2
Chapter 1: Discovering the Earths Dimensions
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45026
Sample Questions
Q1) Lines of longitude are called _______. Answer: meridians
Q2) A map projection which accurately represents the area of regions is the ________ projection.
Answer: Goode
Q3) A map projection is an enlarged picture of the spherical world projected on a screen. A)True B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Discuss the seven steps of the scientific method.
Answer: Step 1. Generate critical inquiry from investigations and field observations. Step 2. Formalize questions into a testable hypothesis to explain observations. Step 3. Select method(s)of analysis and control for variables and conditions for experiment. Step 4. Collect data for controlled experiment. Step 5. Conduct experiments to test hypothesis. Step 6. Reject or accept the hypothesis. Step 7. Document results, provide new science facts, and apply them to support theory or greater understanding.
Q5) The earth's squashed shape is closer to a(n)__________ than a sphere. Answer: oblate spheroid
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: The Earths Global Energy Balance
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
129 Verified Questions
129 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45027
Sample Questions
Q1) On a clear day, about ____ of insolation is scattered and diffused back to space before reaching the ground.
A)42%
B)24%
C)17%
D)3%
Answer: D
Q2) The process in which solar radiation is deflected in different directions when it strikes some form of matter is called:
A)absorption
B)scattering
C)emission
D)none of the above
Answer: B
Q3) Ozone in the upper atmosphere is important to life on Earth because it:
A)contributes strongly to the greenhouse and global warming
B)causes respiratory problems with prolonged exposure
C)absorbs dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun
D)none of the above
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: Air Temperature
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
157 Verified Questions
157 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45028
Sample Questions
Q1) Because of their lower ________, urban surfaces like asphalt tend to absorb more insolation than rural surfaces like forest.
Answer: Albedo
Q2) Temperature decreases with elevation in the stratosphere.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) During the day, air near the ground surface is primarily warmed by:
A)incoming shortwave radiation and sensible heat transfer
B)incoming longwave radiation and sensible heat transfer
C)outgoing shortwave radiation and sensible heat transfer
D)outgoing longwave radiation and sensible heat transfer
Answer: D
Q4) A trend of decreasing air temperature with elevation is called a temperature inversion.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q5) As elevation increases in the troposphere, average temperatures tend to _______.
Answer: Decrease
5
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 4: Atmospheric Moisture and Precipitation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
132 Verified Questions
132 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45029
Sample Questions
Q1) The environmental lapse rate is caused by adiabatic cooling.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Radiation fog formation is favored when
A)air pressure at the ground drops suddenly accompanied by an increase in wind speed.
B)there is a decrease in condensation nuclei in air at the ground.
C)water vapor decreases next to the ground.
D)air next to the ground is cooled to its dew point
Q3) When there is the maximum number of water vapor molecules in the air at a particular temperature, we say that the air is saturated.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Lifting Condensation Level is the altitude at which
A)evaporational cooling is most effective
B)height at which an air parcel is cooler than its surroundings
C)clouds can no longer rise because the air parcel is at equilibrium
D)condensation occurs and clouds begin to form
Q5) A rising parcel of unsaturated air will decline at a temperature of _________ C/1000 m.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Global Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
138 Verified Questions
138 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45030
Sample Questions
Q1) The cold dry air that dominates the Asian monsoon during the winter originates from:
A)the Aleutian low
B)the Siberian high
C)the Hawaiian high
D)none of the above
Q2) Rossby waves form in the westerlies marking the boundary between cold polar and warmer tropical air.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The high-speed air flow in narrow bands within the upper-air westerlies are known as _______.
Q4) The circumpolar current is found:
A)around the north pole
B)around Antarctica
C)around the equator
D)none of the above
Q5) Atmospheric pressure remains constant with increasing altitude.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 7
Chapter 6: Weather Systems
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
130 Verified Questions
130 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45031
Sample Questions
Q1) Types of cyclones include wave cyclones, tropical cyclones, and tornados.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Most wave cyclones move from:
A)west to east
B)east to west
C)north to south
D)south to north
Q3) The final stage of a wave cyclone is the:
A)open stage
B)occluded stage
C)dissolving stage
D)none of the above
Q4) Themost powerful and destructive type of cyclonic storm that produces heavy rainfall is the:
A)wave cyclone
B)tornado
C)tropical cyclone
D)none of the above
Q5) Describe tropical cyclones.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Global Climates and Climate Change
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
148 Verified Questions
148 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45032
Sample Questions
Q1) The temperature pattern found in the moist continental climate is:
A)warm year round
B)cool year round
C)mild summer, mild winter
D)warm summer, cold winter
Q2) Which of the following air masses does not influence the climate of Antarctica?
A)cAA
B)mP
C)cP
D)none of the above
Q3) Highland climates tend to be relatively warm due to ascending air flows.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Trade-wind coasts are the wettest zones on Earth, characterized by over 200 cm of precipitation per year.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Ice-sheet climates remain moist due to sublimation of the frozen water.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Earth From the Inside Out
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
79 Verified Questions
79 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45033
Sample Questions
Q1) Why do most extrusive igneous rocks have small mineral crystals?
Q2) Two chemical elements make up 70 percent of Earth's crust by weight. What are the two elements and what family of minerals do they form?
Q3) The study of the shape of the Earth's physical landform features and how they change over time is known as:
A)Geography
B)Geomorphology
C)Geology
D)Meteorology
Q4) Silicon is one of the most abundant element in Earth's crust.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the evidence Wegener used to reconstruct Pangaea.
Q6) The rocky, outermost part of the Earth, comprising the upper part of the mantle and the crust, is known as the _______.
Q7) Oceanic crust is generally much older than continental crust.
A)True
B)False
Q8) How is clastic sedimentary rock formed?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
79 Verified Questions
79 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45034
Sample Questions
Q1) Mt. St. Helens is which type of volcano?
A)flood basalt
B)shield volcano
C)stratovolcanoes
D)lava dome
Q2) A __________ fault is a fault in which the block of rock above the fault surface moves down relative to the block below is where extensional activity results in the crust on one side dropping down relative to the other.
Q3) The presence of a newly exposed cliff face along a fault, which can indicate how the fault has moved is known as a:
A)anticline
B)strike slip fault
C)fault scarp
D)focus
E)graben
Q4) Explain the horst and graben structures of the Basin and Range Province (western U.S.).
Q5) Small volcanoes that form when frothy magma is ejected under high pressure from a narrow vent is called a _________________.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: Weathering and Mass Wasting
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45035
Sample Questions
Q1) A(n)_______ involves and the moderately rapid downhill movement of water-saturated rock or regolith.
A)fall
B)creep
C)slide
D)earthflow
Q2) Weathered rock moves down the slope into a collection of degraded debris at the base is called:
A)Weathering
B)Mass Wasting
C)Colluvium
D)Creep
Q3) __________typically occur in parallel and intersecting planes.
Q4) A _______ is any mass-wasting process that involves a flowing motion of regolith containing water and/or air in its pores.
Q5) When mudflows pick up rocks and boulders, they are called:
A)slide
B)debris flow
C)creep
D)scarification
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Fresh Water of the Continents
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
67 Verified Questions
67 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45036
Sample Questions
Q1) The spring of 2011 saw epic flooding along which river? Damage estimates for the total economic cost ranged as high as $7-9 billion making this one of the worst floods to occur in the past 100 years.
A)Columbia
B)Ohio
C)Mississippi
D)Missouri
Q2) ____________ is the drainage pattern that resembles a tree branch and usually goes more in a random direction compared to any of the other type of patterns.
Q3) Precipitation that flows over the land in stream channels is commonly referred to as
Q4) The process that separates fresh water from sea water, offers an additional source of fresh water in locations lacking sufficient precipitation is known as:
A)desalination
B)eutrophication
C)ground water extraction
D)none of the above
Q5) What is a cone of depression?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: Land-Forms Made by Running Water
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45037
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following sediment loads do streams have the most difficulty moving?
A)suspended load
B)virtual load
C)dissolved load
D)bed load
Q2) Rapid tectonic uplift along a low-gradient, winding stream can lead to the formation of __________.
A)an estuary
B)an oxbow lake
C)a delta
D)entrenched meanders
Q3) The steepness of a stream is known as the discharge.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The jumping of sediment grains along the stream bed is known as bed load.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The suspended and dissolved sediment and bed load carried by a stream is collectively known as the stream's __________.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: Landforms Made by Wind and Waves
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
65 Verified Questions
65 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45038
Sample Questions
Q1) The shape of some dunes can be controlled by vegetation growth.
A)True
B)False
Q2) More-or-less circular coral reefs enclosing a lagoon but have no land inside are known as:
A)lagoons
B)barrier islands
C)baymount bars
D)atolls
Q3) Which of the following conditions would limit the effectiveness of wind erosion?
A)the presence of saturated clay-sized particles at the surface
B)the presence of surface materials that are not cohesive
C)the presence of bedrock below the surface
D)lack of vegetation cover at the surface
E)the presence of topographic relief at the surface.
Q4) Wind generated landforms are known as ________________ landforms.
Q5) Why do desert sand dunes take on several specific shapes?
Q6) Transverse, parabolic, and barchan are all examples of sand dunes.
A)True
B)False
Page 15
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 14: Glacial and Periglacial Landforms
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
105 Verified Questions
105 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45039
Sample Questions
Q1) A lake that forms in the depression at the bottom of a cirque of an alpine glacier is a(n):
A)kame
B)sinkhole
C)col
D)tarn
Q2) A narrow, deep ocean inlet that partially fills a glacial trough is a/an:
A)cirque
B)fiord
C)col
D)outwash plain
Q3) Glacial ice makes the Earth's albedo lower.
A)True
B)False
Q4) __________________ is a sinuous ridge of sand and gravel, formed at the bottom of an ice tunnel or channel that drains the ice sheet.
Q5) _____________________ is a hill or mound of water-laid sediment found on the outwash plain.
Q6) ___________________ is small lake found at the bottom of a cirque.
Q7) Define a cirque. Discuss how and where a cirque forms.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: Global Soils
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
137 Verified Questions
137 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45040
Sample Questions
Q1) The colors of soils in dry climates are frequently:
A)blue
B)black
C)gray
D)white
Q2) The temperature at which most root growth and germination begins is:
A)0ºC
B)5ºC
C)10ºC
D)15ºC
Q3) Soil horizons are thick on steep slopes.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Name and define the four classes of soil-forming processes. Give an example of each.
Q5) The soil type without horizon development is the:
A)mollisols
B)spodosols
C)ultisols
D)entisols
Page 17
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 16: Biogeographic Processes
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
105 Verified Questions
105 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45041
Sample Questions
Q1) The biogeochemical cycle in which carbon moves through the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere is known as the ____________ cycle.
Q2) Biodiversity is fairly uniform over the Earth's surface.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Photosynthesis supplies carbohydrates to the:
A)primary producers
B)ecotone
C)consumers
D)decomposers
Q4) The transfer of energy in levels through an ecosystem is called:
A)photosynthesis
B)biomass
C)food web
D)decomposers
Q5) Geomorphic factors such as slope steepness, slope aspect, and relief have little to no impact on ecosystems.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 17: Global Biogeography
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
142 Verified Questions
142 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/45042
Sample Questions
Q1) Chaparral is associated with:
A)monsoon forest
B)sclerophyll forest
C)the southern pine forest
D)needleleaf forest
Q2) The biome of the dry climates consisting of thinly dispersed plants that may be shrubs, grasses, perennial herbs, and no trees is the:
A)tundra
B)grassland
C)savanna
D)desert
Q3) Low-latitude rainforests are jungles of impenetrable plant thickets.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The largest rainforest of the world is the ________________rainforest.
Q5) Vegetation types include:
A)temperate, polar, and tropical
B)animalia, plantae, and protista
C)forest, grassland, and desert
D)mammals, reptiles, and amphibians
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 19