Environmental Science 16th Ed Test Bank 2026/2027

https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky


TEST BANK
Environmental Science A Global Concern 16/E William Cunningham

CH 01. Understanding Our Environment.

1) To say that environmental science is mission oriented means it is
A) a highly organized endeavor.
B) essentially an information gathering endeavor.
C) oriented toward solving problems.
D) designed to understand relationships.



2) If everyone in the world lived a lifestyle similar to the average U.S. citizen we would need
________ more planets to support everyone.
A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight



3) About ________ of the world's people currently lack access to clean water, adequate diet,
basic sanitation, and other essential needs.
A) 100 million
B) 300 million
C) 700 million
D) 1.4 billion



4) Sustainable development means
A) improving people's lives in the present in a way that can continue far into the future.
B) providing ever-increasing amounts of adequate housing.
C) continued growth indefinitely as long as it can be paid off.
D) utilizing an ever-increasing quantity of natural resources.



5) The earliest documented recognition that misuse of the natural environment can have nasty
consequences was
A) George Perkins Marsh's 1864 publication of Man and Nature.
B) Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, alerting the public to the dangers of pollution in 1962.
C) Roosevelt's warnings about overuse a century ago.
D) Plato's writings 2500 years ago.



1


https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky

,https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky




6) Which of the following presently provides 80 percent of the energy used in industrialized
countries?
A) fossil fuels
B) wind
C) hydroelectric power
D) solar



7) The position that nature deserves to be protected in its own right is called
A) biocentric preservation.
B) utilitarian conservation.
C) environmentalism.
D) global environmentalism.



8) ________ constitutes 4.6 percent of the world's people yet produces about 50 percent of all
toxic waste.
A) China
B) Germany
C) Russia
D) The United States



9) The text suggests there is not a strong connection between poverty and environmental
degradation.
⊚ true
⊚ false



10) Most people agree that global climate change is not a real environmental threat.
⊚ true
⊚ false




2


https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky

,https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky




11) By 2050, the earth is projected to have a population between
A) 8 and 10 billion.
B) 7 and 8 billion.
C) 8 and 9 billion.
D) 10 and 12 billion.



12) Loss of indigenous cultures is accompanied by loss of unique understanding of nature.
⊚ true
⊚ false



13) An important reason for determining the size of a society's ecological footprint is to
determine the sustainability of its lifestyle.
⊚ true
⊚ false



14) One of the earliest models for conservation in the United States was based on utilitarian
conservation, for which nature was conserved not to protect biodiversity, but to provide jobs
and resources.
⊚ true
⊚ false



15) The first Nobel Prize for environmental action was awarded
A) in 1912 to John Muir.
B) in 1973 to David Brower.
C) in 2004 to Wangari Maathai.
D) in 1935 to Aldo Leopold.



16) There is concern over the continued ability to provide adequate food for our growing
population because
A) 2/3 of all agricultural lands show signs of degradation.
B) there is little corporate interest in food production.
C) agriculture has not benefited from modern technological advancements.
D) there is little knowledge about how to farm.




3


https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky

, https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky




17) The word "environment" comes from a French word that means
A) life
B) nature
C) wildlife
D) home
E) to surround



18) Environmental science is a ________.
A) narrowly defined set of physical, life, and social sciences
B) theoretical approach in interpreting the environment
C) way to see the world in scientific terms
D) systematic approach in learning about the environment
E) special set of problem-solving skills



19) Most environmental problems result from
A) political differences
B) complex, interrelated problems
C) technological development problems
D) global warming
E) urban degradation



20) Which of the following is not true of the term environment?
A) Environment includes our culture.
B) The environment includes the biosphere.
C) The environment includes political and social systems.
D) The environment has issues for which there are no remedies.
E) The environment includes the relationships between organisms.



21) The fundamental basis of environmental science as a discipline is the
A) history of the use of natural resources
B) diversity of life on the Earth
C) human impact on the Earth
D) pollution on the Earth
E) future use of natural resources




4


https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky https://www.stuvia.com/user/gabrielucky