Environmental Systems Science Practice
Questions
Course Introduction
Environmental Systems Science explores the complex interactions between physical, chemical, biological, and human components of the environment. By integrating concepts from ecology, geology, climatology, and social sciences, this course provides a holistic understanding of Earths systems and the processes that regulate natural and human-influenced environments. Students examine topics such as ecosystem dynamics, energy and nutrient cycles, environmental change, and sustainability. Through case studies, data analysis, and modeling, learners develop skills to evaluate environmental challenges and consider solutions for sustainable resource management and policy.
Recommended Textbook
Principles of Environmental Science Inquiry and Applications 7th Edition by William P Cunningham
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16 Chapters
511 Verified Questions
511 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3832
Page 2
Chapter 1: Understanding Our Environment
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ideally, science
A) is correct most of the time.
B) tells us what we expected to find.
C) uses new technology.
D) is methodical and logical.
E) proves that our hypotheses are correct.
Answer: D
Q2) A group of concerned citizens are collecting water samples from a local river to detect the level of nitrogen in the water. They plan to take samples every day for a month and then will divide the sum by the number of days they sampled. What is the group trying to do?
A) Determine the mean level of nitrogen in the water.
B) Determine the average level of nitrogen in the water.
C) Determine the confidence level of the sample.
D) Both determine the mean level of nitrogen in the water and determine the average level of nitrogen in the water.
E) Both determine the average level of nitrogen in the water and determine the confidence level of the sample.
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Matter and Energy of Life
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38 Verified Questions
38 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which is not a characteristic of acids?
A) They readily give up hydrogen ions.
B) They have a pH of less than 7.
C) They react easily with living tissue.
D) They react easily with nonliving minerals.
E) All of these are characteristic of acids.
Answer: E
Q2) The motion of a rock rolling downhill is known as __________ energy.
A) kinetic
B) latent
C) potential
D) electrical
E) mechanical
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) A titmouse and a chickadee are living in the same territory and are using some of the same resources. The best way to classify this interaction is as A) mutualism.
B) intraspecific competition.
C) interspecific competition.
D) symbiosis.
E) commensalism.
Answer: C
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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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The doubling time for the population of South Pacific Splendor Birds would be
A) 2 years.
B) 3.5 years.
C) 7 years.
D) 20 years.
E) 35 years.
Q2) Which country listed below would you expect to have the highest ecological footprint?
A) USA
B) Mexico
C) Sweden
D) Kenya
Q3) Historically, up until the Middle Ages, populations were mostly limited by A) low fertility rates.
B) culturally imposed family planning practices.
C) disease, famine, and war.
D) religious restrictions on marriage.
E) infanticide.
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6
Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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36 Verified Questions
36 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of species diversity and complexity, a coral reef would be similar to which terrestrial biome?
A) Savannah
B) Arctic tundra
C) Tropical rainforest
D) Chaparral
Q2) What is unique about the Mediterranean climate area biome?
A) It is a highly desirable place to live.
B) It is only found in the Mediterranean area.
C) It has very poor soil but supports an extremely diverse array of species.
D) It has a large total area.
E) It contains a high number of unique species.
Q3) Tuna and great white sharks would be found within the A) benthic zone.
B) littoral zone.
C) pelagic zone.
D) hadal zone.
Q4) Estuaries contain a mix of fresh and salt water.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Environmental Conservation: Forests,
Grasslands, Parks, and Nature Preserves
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The increase in which of the species below would indicate to you that the pasture you see is overgrazed?
A) Bluestem.
B) Fescue.
C) Sage.
D) Bluegrass.
E) Sideoats.
Q2) Preservation of genetic diversity essential for breeding programs to improve cultivated plants and domestic animals is part of the
A) REDD mission.
B) Endangered Species Act.
C) IUCN World Conservation Strategy.
D) UNESCO Man in the Biosphere program.
Q3) REDD is a forest protection program sponsored by the A) United Nations Environment Program.
B) United States Endangered Species Program.
C) IPCC.
D) IUCN.
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Chapter 7: Food and Agriculture
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) Soil organisms usually stay __________ the soil.
A) deep below the surface of
B) near the middle of
C) close to the surface of
D) spread uniformly throughout
E) About half stay close to the surface and the other half stay deep below the surface of the soil.
Q3) A natural form of fertilizer would be
A) manure.
B) phosphorous application.
C) nitrogen.
D) corn plantings.
E) genetically modified crop plantings.
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Chapter 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The cutting of rainforests causes a lack of normal water flow into the soil. Puddles of water can stand for long periods. Which of the following statements best explains how rainforest destruction is closely tied with human morbidity and mortality?
A) The elimination of top consumers can favor disease-carrying organisms.
B) Mosquitoes with an aquatic larval form spread many highly contagious diseases.
C) The standing water is used for drinking and disease organisms in the water cause diarrhea.
D) All of these explain the connection between rainforest destruction and human morbidity and mortality.
Q2) SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and Ebola fever are examples of emergent diseases.
A)True
B)False
Q3) An allergen
A) is a toxic substance.
B) is a natural pathogen.
C) over-stimulates the immune system.
D) attacks the nervous system.
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Chapter 9: Climate
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21 Verified Questions
21 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Data from Mauna Loa show that CO2 levels since 1958 have
A) Risen steadily
B) Risen steadily, except for declines in the northern summer
C) Risen and fallen irregularly by decades
D) Changed little
E) Declined dramatically in recent years
Q2) Which of these is unlikely to result from climate change?
A) the change in distribution patterns of birds.
B) an increased land area in some countries due to the melting of glaciers.
C) increased drought in agricultural regions resulting in famine.
D) warmer average temperatures.
E) movement of tectonic plates.
Q3) There has been an increase in frequency and intensity of storms and hurricanes. A)True
B)False
Q4) Nineteen of the 20 warmest of the last 150 years have occurred since 1980.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Air Pollution
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20 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Worldwide, air pollution control efforts are least advanced or least successful in major cities of developing countries.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The air pollutant least successfully removed from the air by technologies in developed nations is
A) carbon dioxide.
B) sulfur oxides.
C) nitrogen oxides.
D) particulate matter.
E) VOCs.
Q3) A major source of volatile organic compounds (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.
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Chapter 11: Water: Resources and Pollution
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) _________ sources of water pollution are relatively easy to monitor and regulate while _____________ sources of water pollution are difficult to monitor and clean up.
A) Domestic; industrial
B) Primary; tertiary pollutant
C) Nonpoint; point
D) Tertiary pollutant; primary
E) Point; nonpoint
Q2) Best available technology (BAT) standards are standards set for A) nonpoint pollution.
B) toxic substances.
C) radioactive waste, specifically.
D) organic compounds.
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.
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13
Chapter 12: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which resource has the highest recycling rate?
A) Iron
B) Steel
C) Tin
D) Aluminum
Q2) Building and farming on a flood plain decreases the land's ability to absorb flood waters.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The "ring of fire" is the source of more earthquakes and volcanic activity than any other place on earth. What causes the ring of fire?
A) the subduction of Pacific plates under continental plates
B) the drift of Europe and Africa away from the Americas
C) the collision of two continental plates
D) mid-oceanic ridges
E) Earthquakes.
Q4) Nuees ardentes are sonic waves associated with earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Energy
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Energy is measured in what units?
A) Joule
B) Power
C) Calorie
D) Amps
Q2) Control rods in a nuclear reactor are used to
A) absorb neutrons.
B) move fuel rods around in the chamber.
C) provide neutrons to initiate reactions.
D) provide cooling by decreasing the temperature of the water.
E) increase the temperature of the water.
Q3) The down side of using palm oil as a biofuel is the loss of nutrients being placed back into the soil from decomposition of dead vegetation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Tidal power stations operate by using the energy from waves as they crash on the shore.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Composting is a waste disposal method that
A) is useful only for single households.
B) is technologically complex.
C) vastly reduces total waste volumes.
D) is more environmentally costly than landfilling.
E) is not realistic for college students.
Q2) In terms of cost and safety, one of the best ways to manage hazardous waste is to produce less hazardous waste.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Using bacteria to 'eat' the oil from an oil spill would be an example of A) energy recovery.
B) bioremediation.
C) phytoremediation.
D) brownfield recovery.
Q4) Secure landfills are usually sealed with gravel.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Economics and Urbanization
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Many businesses are exploring and adopting the "design for the environment." Which of the following is not associated with this approach?
A) Improve public relations about the business' environmental policies.
B) The products of a process are resources for other processes.
C) Work within the limits of the current incoming amounts of solar energy.
D) Include an emphasis on the maintenance of cultural and biological diversity.
E) All of these are associated with adopting the "design for the environment."
Q2) An example of an intangible resource, or one that is difficult to place a monetary value on, is
A) solar energy.
B) satisfaction.
C) human labor.
D) capital.
E) extinct species.
Q3) Urbanization began to grow especially quickly after the A) development of agriculture.
B) beginning of the twentieth century.
C) invention of commerce and religion.
D) industrial revolution.
E) invention of record keeping.
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Chapter 16: Environmental Policy and Sustainability
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33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why would the "group of 10" environmental organizations be criticized?
A) They are militant and extremist groups that lead to environmental revolutions.
B) They oppose most environmental protection.
C) They tend to compromise and cooperate with the establishment.
D) Their membership is small and they have focused and limited influence.
E) They support radical approaches in addressing environmental problems.
Q2) Which of the following is not an emphasis of the 1990 National Environmental Education Act?
A) The encouragement of college students to seek careers related to the environment.
B) Understanding among the general public about the relationships between humans and their environment.
C) Education to ensure that citizens are familiar with the environmental issues that they may read about in the newspaper.
D) Education to make sure that there are specialists who are able to make appropriate decisions regarding environmental issues and guide us into the twenty-first century.
E) All of these are emphasized in the 1990 National Environmental Education Act.
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