Environmental Systems Science
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
Environmental Systems Science explores the interactions between physical, chemical, biological, and human components of the environment through a systems approach. This course introduces students to fundamental concepts in ecology, earth systems, and environmental modeling, emphasizing the interconnectedness of natural and human systems. Students analyze case studies on topics such as climate change, ecosystem services, and pollution, developing skills to model and understand complex environmental processes. Critical thinking and quantitative analysis are fostered as students address real-world environmental challenges and evaluate potential solutions for sustainability.
Recommended Textbook
Principles of Environmental Science Companion Site 6th Edition by William P. Cunningham
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15 Chapters
464 Verified Questions
464 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2069 Page 2
Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41174
Sample Questions
Q1) Proof in science is always
A) firmly established.
B) beyond question.
C) an impossible goal.
D) changing very quickly.
E) open to question or new evidence.
Answer: E
Q2) Of the following statements and questions, which is the best example of deductive reasoning?
A) If all insects have six legs, then butterflies have six legs.
B) In repeated tosses of a coin, there is a 50/50 chance of each toss resulting in a "head."
C) How many times will the toss of coins turn "heads-up" if 100 people each toss a coin?
D) Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs.
E) All of these are examples of deductive reasoning.
Answer: A
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3
Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Connections, Cycles,
Flows and Feedback Loops
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41173
Sample Questions
Q1) All members of a species that live in the same area at the same time make up a(an)
A) species.
B) ecosystem.
C) community.
D) population.
E) biome.
Answer: D
Q2) The length and complexity of a food web in the Arctic would be ____________ when compared to one in the tropical rainforest.
A) short and less complex
B) short and more complex
C) long and less complex
D) long and more complex
E) about the same
Answer: A
Q3) Photosynthesis is a step in the global nitrogen cycle.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In general species diversity is higher near the poles than near the equator.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) What is the difference in the adaptation of a sled dog's (such as a Husky) thick coat of hair to help it withstand the cold temperatures of Arctic winters and a dog that adapts to cold temperatures in the fall by growing a thickened coat? The adaptation of the sled dog best describes adaptation at the ____________ level while the dog exposed to seasonal colder temperatures has _____________.
A) regional; natural selection at the individual level
B) individual; physiological modifications at the population level
C) population; physiological modifications at the individual level
D) species; natural selection at the population level
E) ecosystem; physiological modifications at the individual level
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Human Populations
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The demographic transition refers to a country's change from A) high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.
B) high to low birth rates and low to high death rates.
C) low to high birth rates and high to low death rates.
D) a majority of young people to a majority of elderly people.
E) a majority of elderly people to a majority of young people.
Q2) The doubling time for a population with an annual growth rate of 0.07 is
A) 1 year.
B) 5 years.
C) 10 years.
D) 50 years.
E) 100 years.
Q3) A demographic transition is expected to accompany
A) colonization, as in Africa and Asia.
B) economic development and stabilization.
C) the development of capitalism.
D) the introduction of modern medicine.
E) All of these.
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6
Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not a benefit of high biodiversity?
A) aesthetic and cultural value
B) potential medicinal value
C) potential sources of food
D) ecological value
E) All of these are benefits of biodiversity.
Q2) In general, funding for recovery programs is given to species that are
A) in the most danger.
B) the most important.
C) most well known.
D) most numerous.
E) keystone species.
Q3) The primary difference between a bog and a fen is
A) fens are fed by groundwater, bogs are fed by rainfall.
B) fens have many trees, bogs have none.
C) fens are always on the coast, bogs are inland.
D) All of these are differences between fens and bogs.
E) There are no differences between fens and bogs, they are synonymous.
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7
Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests Grasslands
Parks and Nature Preserves
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Although most of the world's forests are shrinking, biologists are especially concerned about tropical forest loss because A) they contain such high biodiversity.
B) tropical trees are the biggest trees in the world.
C) they contain irreplaceable wood resources.
D) there are fewer remaining tropical forests than any other forest type.
E) All of these are reasons that biologists are especially concerned about tropical forest loss.
Q2) The highest rate of forest loss occurs in A) Asia.
B) North America.
C) South America.
D) Africa.
E) Europe.
Q3) The first symptom of range overgrazing is usually A) gullying.
B) the absence of trees.
C) the compaction of soils.
D) desertification.
E) the disappearance of palatable herbs.
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The number of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the acreage devoted to growing them has decreased in the past fifteen years because of the huge number of opponents.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The energy needed to process and distribute food in the US is as much as _______ times the amount that is used to actually farm the crops.
A) 0.5
B) 2
C) 3.5
D) 5
E) 8
Q3) A natural form of fertilizer would be
A) manure.
B) phosphorous application.
C) nitrogen.
D) corn plantings.
E) All of these are correct.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Policy makers should utilize a(n) ____________ approach to setting environmental risk standards.
A) zero tolerance
B) precautionary
C) case-by-case
D) restrictive
Q2) Among the most important characteristics of chemicals in determining their environmental risks is/are
A) solubility.
B) reactivity.
C) persistence.
D) toxicity
E) All of these are correct.
Q3) Organisms are physiologically able to minimize some of the effects of toxins if A) a minimal amount is taken into the body.
B) there is no exposure.
C) chemists develop vaccines and antibodies
D) DNA technology is used to change the individual's susceptibility.
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10
Chapter 9: Air: Climate and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41166
Sample Questions
Q1) A major source of VOCs is
A) incomplete burning of hydrocarbons.
B) combustion of sulfur-containing fuel.
C) photochemical oxidation.
D) CO in the atmosphere.
E) CO<sub>2</sub> in the atmosphere.
Q2) Most of the excessive carbon dioxide that is expected to cause global warming is generated by
A) green plants.
B) burning of fossil fuels.
C) production of cement and clearing of forests.
D) All of these are correct.
E) burning of fossil fuels and production of cement and clearing of forests only.
Q3) Primary pollutants are those that are
A) released directly in dangerous forms.
B) produced in the greatest quantities.
C) the most dangerous.
D) the most threatening to people.
E) classified by the EPA as the most dangerous and abundant.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Water: Resources and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41165
Sample Questions
Q1) Factories, sewage treatment plants, and oil wells are __________ sources of water pollution.
A) point
B) primary
C) nonpoint
D) tertiary pollutant
E) secondary
Q2) The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was established as a part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
A)True
B)False
Q3) A country's renewable water supplies are generally made up of
A) surface runoff and infiltration into accessible aquifers.
B) seasonal flooding and infiltration into accessible aquifers.
C) seasonal flooding.
D) rivers running through the country.
E) water used from an aquifer.
Q4) An oligotrophic lake would be very productive.
A)True
B)False
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41164
Sample Questions
Q1) If metals are deposited in streambeds _____ would probably be used.
A) placer mining
B) strip mining
C) underground mining
D) spoil bank mining
E) open-pit mining.
Q2) Rocks are classified according to their
A) chemical composition.
B) physical properties.
C) internal structure.
D) mode of formation.
E) All of these are used to classify rocks.
Q3) A major environmental implication of the quest for more gold at lower concentrations in the ore compared to higher concentrations is that
A) about the same amount of toxic gas is released from digging out the gold.
B) less waste rock is produced.
C) less material has to be moved to get to the gold.
D) more carbon dioxide is released as the gold is mined.
E) more material has to be moved to get to the gold.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Energy
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41163
Sample Questions
Q1) The most likely disaster in a nuclear power plant is that
A) the plant would explode like a nuclear bomb.
B) cooling systems could fail, causing rapid overheating.
C) fuel rods could fail to maintain chain reactions.
D) nuclear fusion would get out of control and cause explosions.
E) All of these are equally likely.
Q2) Transportation consumes about ______ percent of all energy used in the US each year.
A) 13
B) 20
C) 27
D) 33
E) 39
Q3) A major factor in the conversion from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy is A) money.
B) infrastructure.
C) access to renewable forms.
D) a lack of technology to develop renewable forms.
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Chapter 13: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41162
Sample Questions
Q1) Individual efforts to reduce the volume of the waste stream
A) have enormous cumulative effects.
B) are fairly useful because it demonstrates to corporations that we care.
C) have some effects, but we need to target industries to reduce their waste stream instead.
D) have little effect but make people feel better.
E) matter very little.
Q2) "Waste stream" is a term describing
A) the steady production of all waste products that humans produce.
B) the process of eliminating domestic and commercial waste.
C) the production of solid waste, specifically.
D) the intermittent production of particular wastes.
E) the production of liquid waste, specifically.
Q3) Using a refillable beverage container (returnable bottles) would be an example of __________ materials.
A) reusing
B) recycling
C) reducing D) redefining
E) None of these are correct.
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Chapter 14: Economics and Urbanization
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) International trade of goods internalizes costs.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Environmental protection has been proven to __________ the number of available jobs because __________.
A) decrease; it limits the use of nonrenewable resources (as in the case of the logging industry)
B) increase; labor is usually substituted for natural resources (as in the case of recycling)
C) stabilize; the use of nonrenewable resources is stabilized and jobs are scarce anyway
D) decrease; it negatively affects economic growth
E) stabilize; it limits the use of nonrenewable resources (as in the case of the logging industry)
Q3) The estimated annual value of soil formation by natural systems is more than 10 trillion dollars.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Reduction of poverty and promoting gender equality are tenants of
A) adaptive management.
B) millennium development.
C) sustainable development.
D) environmental literacy.
E) non-governmental organizations.
Q2) A primary goal of sustainable development is the reduction of the world's population by at least 30%.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which group below is most identified with direct action for environmental causes?
A) the Audubon Society
B) The Nature Conservancy
C) the Wise Use Movement
D) the Natural Resources Defense Council
E) Earth First!
Q4) CITES is an international agreement to restrict trade in hazardous chemicals.
A)True
B)False
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