Introduction to Environmental Science Exam 2
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Scientific Method Characteristics - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Testing of Ideas
2. Uses Observations 3. Based on certain operating assumptions
4. Follows sequence of steps
5. Repeatable
3 ways to study the environment - CORRECT ANSWER 1. lab studies
2. field studies
3. computer models
Ecological Footprint - CORRECT ANSWER A way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community
has on the earth. Someone who uses more natural resources will have a bigger footprint than someone who uses less.
Tragedy of the Commons - CORRECT ANSWER situation in which people acting individually and in their own
interest use up commonly available but limited resources, creating disaster for the entire community
3 ethical perspectives - CORRECT ANSWER anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism
Anthropocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER the belief that humans hold a special place in nature; being centered
primarily on humans and human affairs.
Biocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER The belief that all creatures have rights and values; being centered on nature
rather than humans.
Ecocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER Moral principle that regards the ecosphere as the most important being in
existence in an attempt to redress the imbalance created by anthropocentrism
Environmental Policy - CORRECT ANSWER Public policy that pertains to human interactions with the
environment. It generally aims to regulate resource use or reduce pollution to promote human welfare and/or protect
natural systems.
Environmental Policy aims to... - CORRECT ANSWER Protect people's health and well-being, to safeguard
environmental quality and conserve natural resources, and to promote equity or fairness in people's use of resources or
exposure to pollution
Free Riders - CORRECT ANSWER a party that fails to invest in controlling pollution or carrying out other
environmentally responsible activities and instead relies on the efforts of other parties to do so
"Ideal" Steps of the Policy Process - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Identify Problem2. Find Causes of Problem 3.
Solution/Set Goals4. Get Organized5. Follow through with action
Steps in Risk Assessment - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Hazard identification
2. Dose-response assessment
3. Exposure assessment
4. Risk characterization
1st wave of environmental policy - CORRECT ANSWER - 1780s to late 1800s
- Addressed public land management
2nd wave of environmental policy - CORRECT ANSWER - Late 1800s
- Addressed impacts of the 1st wave of policy (problems with westward expansion and natural resources require
protection from exploitation)
- Creates forest reserves and National Parks
, 3rd wave of environmental policy - CORRECT ANSWER - mid to late 20th century
- largely addressed pollution issues
- landmark event: publication of silent spring
Natural Storage Locations - CORRECT ANSWER contaminants accumulate in the sediment
Montreal Protocol - CORRECT ANSWER - Ozone depletion first detected in 1973 (protects us from radiation)
- 1974 Study: Chlorine destroyed ozone (O3)
- CFCs and HFCs from fridges and aerosol were breaking down the ozone
- International agreement signed in 1987 and took effect in 1989
National Environmental Policy Act - CORRECT ANSWER (NEPA) A U.S. Law enacted on Jan 1st, 1970, that
created an agency called the Council on Environmental Quality and requires that an environmental impact statement be
prepared for any major federal action (if federal money is involved, NEPA is applied)
Environmental Impact Statement - CORRECT ANSWER (EIS) A report of results from detailed scientific studies
that assess the potential effects on the environment that would likely result from a development project or other action
undertaken by the government
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - CORRECT ANSWER An administrative agency of the U.S. federal
government charged with conducting and evaluating research, monitoring environmental quality, setting standards,
enforcing those standards, assisting the states in meeting standards and goals for environmental protection, and educating
the public.
Kyoto Protocol - CORRECT ANSWER - 1992, UN conference recognized that carbon dioxide was increasing in
the atmosphere and creating problems
-Protocol was drafted in 1997 and took effect in 2005
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - CORRECT ANSWER Established in 1988 by two United
Nations organizations to assess the risk of human-induced climate change.
Lithosphere and Asthenosphere - CORRECT ANSWER A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle
and the crust.- made of elements, minerals, and rocks
Density - CORRECT ANSWER - weight of matter
- m/v
Density of the Lithosphere - CORRECT ANSWER - Felsic Rocks (2.8g/cm): Includes rocks high in aluminum,
potassium, and sodium
- Mafic Rocks (3.0 g/cm): Includes rocks high in iron, calcium, and magnesium
- Ultramafic Rocks (3.3-8.0 g/cm): Includes rocks high in iron and magnesium
plate tectonics - CORRECT ANSWER - Theory introduced in the late 1960s
- Plates move around 1-6 in per year (move on asthenosphere layer and convection currents in the mantle are driving
force)
- Continental drift was first proposed in the 1900s
Plate Boundaries - CORRECT ANSWER - Plate Types: Continental (thick) and Oceanic (thin)
- Plate Movement: Collide, Shift past each other, or Separate
Separation of Plates - CORRECT ANSWER - Occurs often in Oceans
- Seafloor Spreading: creates mid ocean ridges
Sliding Plates - CORRECT ANSWER - Known as a Transform Boundary - Sliding of Plates past one another
- Ex: San Andreas Fault
igneous rock - CORRECT ANSWER a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the
surface
UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Scientific Method Characteristics - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Testing of Ideas
2. Uses Observations 3. Based on certain operating assumptions
4. Follows sequence of steps
5. Repeatable
3 ways to study the environment - CORRECT ANSWER 1. lab studies
2. field studies
3. computer models
Ecological Footprint - CORRECT ANSWER A way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community
has on the earth. Someone who uses more natural resources will have a bigger footprint than someone who uses less.
Tragedy of the Commons - CORRECT ANSWER situation in which people acting individually and in their own
interest use up commonly available but limited resources, creating disaster for the entire community
3 ethical perspectives - CORRECT ANSWER anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism
Anthropocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER the belief that humans hold a special place in nature; being centered
primarily on humans and human affairs.
Biocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER The belief that all creatures have rights and values; being centered on nature
rather than humans.
Ecocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER Moral principle that regards the ecosphere as the most important being in
existence in an attempt to redress the imbalance created by anthropocentrism
Environmental Policy - CORRECT ANSWER Public policy that pertains to human interactions with the
environment. It generally aims to regulate resource use or reduce pollution to promote human welfare and/or protect
natural systems.
Environmental Policy aims to... - CORRECT ANSWER Protect people's health and well-being, to safeguard
environmental quality and conserve natural resources, and to promote equity or fairness in people's use of resources or
exposure to pollution
Free Riders - CORRECT ANSWER a party that fails to invest in controlling pollution or carrying out other
environmentally responsible activities and instead relies on the efforts of other parties to do so
"Ideal" Steps of the Policy Process - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Identify Problem2. Find Causes of Problem 3.
Solution/Set Goals4. Get Organized5. Follow through with action
Steps in Risk Assessment - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Hazard identification
2. Dose-response assessment
3. Exposure assessment
4. Risk characterization
1st wave of environmental policy - CORRECT ANSWER - 1780s to late 1800s
- Addressed public land management
2nd wave of environmental policy - CORRECT ANSWER - Late 1800s
- Addressed impacts of the 1st wave of policy (problems with westward expansion and natural resources require
protection from exploitation)
- Creates forest reserves and National Parks
, 3rd wave of environmental policy - CORRECT ANSWER - mid to late 20th century
- largely addressed pollution issues
- landmark event: publication of silent spring
Natural Storage Locations - CORRECT ANSWER contaminants accumulate in the sediment
Montreal Protocol - CORRECT ANSWER - Ozone depletion first detected in 1973 (protects us from radiation)
- 1974 Study: Chlorine destroyed ozone (O3)
- CFCs and HFCs from fridges and aerosol were breaking down the ozone
- International agreement signed in 1987 and took effect in 1989
National Environmental Policy Act - CORRECT ANSWER (NEPA) A U.S. Law enacted on Jan 1st, 1970, that
created an agency called the Council on Environmental Quality and requires that an environmental impact statement be
prepared for any major federal action (if federal money is involved, NEPA is applied)
Environmental Impact Statement - CORRECT ANSWER (EIS) A report of results from detailed scientific studies
that assess the potential effects on the environment that would likely result from a development project or other action
undertaken by the government
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - CORRECT ANSWER An administrative agency of the U.S. federal
government charged with conducting and evaluating research, monitoring environmental quality, setting standards,
enforcing those standards, assisting the states in meeting standards and goals for environmental protection, and educating
the public.
Kyoto Protocol - CORRECT ANSWER - 1992, UN conference recognized that carbon dioxide was increasing in
the atmosphere and creating problems
-Protocol was drafted in 1997 and took effect in 2005
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - CORRECT ANSWER Established in 1988 by two United
Nations organizations to assess the risk of human-induced climate change.
Lithosphere and Asthenosphere - CORRECT ANSWER A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle
and the crust.- made of elements, minerals, and rocks
Density - CORRECT ANSWER - weight of matter
- m/v
Density of the Lithosphere - CORRECT ANSWER - Felsic Rocks (2.8g/cm): Includes rocks high in aluminum,
potassium, and sodium
- Mafic Rocks (3.0 g/cm): Includes rocks high in iron, calcium, and magnesium
- Ultramafic Rocks (3.3-8.0 g/cm): Includes rocks high in iron and magnesium
plate tectonics - CORRECT ANSWER - Theory introduced in the late 1960s
- Plates move around 1-6 in per year (move on asthenosphere layer and convection currents in the mantle are driving
force)
- Continental drift was first proposed in the 1900s
Plate Boundaries - CORRECT ANSWER - Plate Types: Continental (thick) and Oceanic (thin)
- Plate Movement: Collide, Shift past each other, or Separate
Separation of Plates - CORRECT ANSWER - Occurs often in Oceans
- Seafloor Spreading: creates mid ocean ridges
Sliding Plates - CORRECT ANSWER - Known as a Transform Boundary - Sliding of Plates past one another
- Ex: San Andreas Fault
igneous rock - CORRECT ANSWER a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the
surface
