Global Environmental Issues Review
Questions
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of critical environmental challenges facing the world today, including climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, pollution, resource depletion, and sustainable development. Students will examine the scientific, political, economic, and social dimensions of these issues, analyzing how global interdependencies and human activities contribute to environmental problems and shape potential solutions. Case studies and current events will be used to illustrate the complexities of policymaking and international cooperation, preparing students to understand and engage in debates about global environmental sustainability and justice.
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
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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) The point of critical thinking is to learn to
A) weigh all the evidence and draw your own conclusions.
B) distrust all opinions other than your own.
C) trust only your own experimental results.
D) learn to accept the views of real authorities.
E) identify true experts in a field.
Answer: A
Q3) Parsimony is one of the basic principles of science.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Environmental Systems: Connections, Cycles,
Flows and Feedback Loops
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34 Verified Questions
34 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Metabolism can be seen as the process of converting A) energy into matter.
B) potential energy into kinetic energy.
C) kinetic energy into potential energy.
D) atoms into compounds.
E) matter into potential energy.
Answer: B
Q2) The first law of thermodynamics and the law of conservation of matter are similar in that
A) under normal circumstances neither energy nor matter is created nor destroyed.
B) both energy and matter are recycled through biological systems.
C) both energy and matter flow in a one-way path through biological systems.
D) under normal circumstances energy and matter are destroyed as they pass through biological systems.
E) The first law of thermodynamics and the law of conservation of matter are not similar.
Answer: A
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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 the partnership of a lichen, the fungus provides _________ and the relationship is best described as _______.
A) most of the photosynthesis; symbiosis
B) poisons that deter predation; commensalism
C) structure and moisture-holding ability; mutualism
D) very little to the algal partner; parasitism
E) some of the photosynthesis; commensalism
Answer: C
Q2) A dieback, or population crash, often occurs after a species ________ its environmental carrying capacity.
A) meets
B) overshoots
C) undershoots
D) oscillates around
E) decreases
Answer: B
Q3) In general species diversity is higher near the poles than near the equator.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 5
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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 most industrialized country listed is
A) Country "A."
B) Country "B."
C) Country "C."
D) None of the countries listed are likely to be industrialized.
E) It is impossible to use the data in the table to identify an industrialized country.
Q2) Many demographers believe that birth rates generally decrease as the level of development increases because
A) raising children becomes much more expensive.
B) men are better educated and have more economic options.
C) women tend to have more influence in family planning.
D) higher levels of contaminants in drinking water tend to decrease fertility.
E) government programs tend to discourage the discussion of birth control options.
Q3) So far, the most successful and popular solution(s) to global overpopulation has/have been mandatory sterilization.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Biomes and Biodiversity
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Humid tropical forests have extraordinary biological diversity
A) because of the very fertile tropical soils.
B) because rainfall dissolves soil nutrients and makes them available to plants.
C) because water is not a limiting factor.
D) despite a complete absence of nutrients in the environment.
E) despite the poor, weathered soils.
Q2) Approximately how many species have been identified on Earth?
A) about 500,000
B) a little less than 1 million
C) about 1.7 million
D) a little more than 10 million
E) about 30 million
Q3) Species diversity is most concentrated in
A) North America and Europe.
B) South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
C) South Africa, Australia, and Europe.
D) Oceania, East Asia, and Antarctica.
E) North America, South America, and Africa
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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) The most sustainable land use in tropical forests is probably A) logging.
B) cattle grazing.
C) monoculture agroforestry.
D) intensive, efficient modern row cropping.
E) milpa farming.
Q2) The IUCN world conservation strategy is directed at protecting A) resources from human use.
B) endangered species.
C) wildlife from poaching.
D) world climate stability.
E) ecosystems and biodiversity.
Q3) 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.
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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) Sustainable farming
A) is cheaper and safer than conventional farming.
B) is safe, although it causes weed problems.
C) uses fewer chemicals but more water than conventional methods.
D) is an invention of modern agricultural research.
E) is safer than conventional farming, but much more expensive.
Q2) Which is a disadvantage of conservation tillage methods?
A) increased irrigation requirements
B) less efficient use of fertilizer
C) increased pests and weeds
D) decreased crop yields
E) none of these are correct.
Q3) What is the basis of the statement that we could feed more people if we would eat grain rather than feeding it to livestock?
A) the First Law of Thermodynamics
B) the Second Law of Thermodynamics
C) ecofeminism
D) biocentrism
E) anthropocentrism
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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) 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.
Q2) Highly persistent toxic chemicals
A) retain their toxicity as they cycle through the food chain and environment.
B) lose their toxicity once released in the environment.
C) accumulate within one organism but break down at higher trophic levels.
D) are highly unusual among artificial chemicals.
E) are usually not that toxic in their life span.
Q3) The EPA usually assumes an acceptable risk for environmental hazards is about 1 in
A) 100
B) 1000
C) 10,000
D) 100,000
E) 1 million
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Chapter 9: Air: Climate and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The "ozone hole" is a depletion currently most serious
A) at the most populated latitudes.
B) over North America.
C) in tropical latitudes.
D) near the Hadley cells.
E) near the poles.
Q2) The atmospheric zone where most weather events occur is the A) stratosphere.
B) thermosphere.
C) troposphere.
D) mesosphere.
E) stratopause.
Q3) 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.
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Chapter 10: Water: Resources and Pollution
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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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) Best available economically achievable technology (BAT) standards are standards set for
A) nonpoint pollution.
B) toxic substances.
C) radioactive waste, specifically.
D) organic compounds.
E) all point sources.
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Chapter 11: Environmental Geology and Earth Resources
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Problems associated with gemstones and precious metals such as gold and diamonds include which of the following?
A) They are often used to finance violent civil wars.
B) They are often used to finance terrorism.
C) Their extraction often involves slave labor and torture.
D) Their extraction often involves environmental destruction.
E) All of these are correct.
Q2) Which of the following countries is not a principle consumer of crucial metals?
A) United States
B) France
C) Japan
D) China
E) Russia
Q3) Rocks are _______ in the process called the rock cycle.
A) moved from place to place
B) incorporated into living organisms
C) broken down and re-formed
D) cycled through the core and mantle
E) cycled through the crust and core
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Energy
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is false?
A) Improving standards of living have been repeatedly demonstrated to require increased energy consumption.
B) An average house built today requires only half the energy used by a new home in 1974.
C) For an average home, standby appliances consume up to 25% of the electricity used in a month.
D) Most potential heat from fuel is lost as waste heat.
E) All of these are true.
Q2) Biofuels can be produced commercially using all of the following except A) corn.
B) sugarcane.
C) algae.
D) soybeans.
E) palm oils.
Q3) Tidal power stations operate by using the energy from waves as they crash on the shore.
A)True
B)False
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Solid and Hazardous Waste
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The questions of ____ and _________ are among the biggest problems in cleaning up hazardous waste sites.
A) liability; degree of purity required
B) appropriate technology; location
C) appropriate technology; liability
D) degree of purity required; appropriate technology
E) location; cost
Q2) The main method for disposing of municipal wastes in the United States is ___________ while _____ is the main method in Japan.
A) incineration; recycling
B) recycling; landfilling
C) landfilling; recycling
D) landfilling; incineration
E) recycling; incineration
Q3) A single PVC bottle in a truckload of PET plastic could make the PET useless for recycling.
A)True
B)False
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15
Chapter 14: Economics and Urbanization
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31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Businesses are now willing to become "green" because
A) it improves their public image.
B) it saves money.
C) doing so is expensive but makes good advertising.
D) doing so improves their image and saves money in the end.
E) they need to obey laws and comply with government regulations.
Q3) The dilemma of public property use presented by Garret Hardin is also called the "free rider problem."
A)True
B)False
Q4) The estimated annual value of soil formation by natural systems is more than 10 trillion dollars.
A)True
B)False
Page 16
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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) The Student Environmental Acting Coalition is the largest student environmental group in North America.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Environmental literacy partly consists of being able to
A) read environmental science journals.
B) understand the basic principles of ecology.
C) write and publish in environmental journals.
D) carry out ecological models and experiments.
E) interpret environmental data from a citizen science project.
Q3) In a criminal case, being found guilty can result in _________________ and in a civil case being found guilty can result in _______________.
A) fines and jail sentences; only financial penalties
B) only financial penalties; fines and jail sentences
C) fines and jail sentences; fines and jail sentences
D) only financial penalties; only financial penalties
E) only jail sentences; only financial penalties
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