ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERSEnvironmental science is the study of the _________ of the environment. a)Biological components b)Chemical components c)Physical components d)Interactions between the biological, chemical, and physical components - CORRECT ANSWER-D An activity that is sustainable is best described as one that _________. a)Does not negatively impact the lives of others b)Does not involve resource extraction or produce pollution c)Is a net positive activity (does more good than harm) d)Can be carried out indefinitely into the future - CORRECT ANSWER-D The Brundtland Commission attempted to __________. a)Spread wealth and resources more evenly across the globe in order to alleviate perceived economic inequities b)Encourage more sustainable paths for economic development c)Classify countries into categories according to their wealth and level of industrialization d)Place restrictions on development that used resources in an unsustainable manner - CORRECT ANSWER-B Which of the following would be considered a renewable resource a)Aluminum b)Cattle c)Coal D)Uranium - CORRECT ANSWER-B Of the following, which is the best research hypothesis for the question "Does flower color affect how attractive the flowers are to bees?" a)Bees are attracted to flowers because they can drink nectar and eat the pollen, and by visiting flowers, they help the flowers pollinate each other. b)Flower order has a greater effect on attraction by bees than does flower color c)Bees can see light-colored flowers better than dark d)Light colored flowers will attract more bees than dark colored flowers - CORRECT ANSWER-D A scientific theory is best described as a(n). a)Widely-supported scientific explanation b)Hunch c)Educated guess d)Hypothesis that has not yet been thoroughly tested - CORRECT ANSWER-A What is the role of creativity in science? a)Scientists must be creative in order to get the statistical results that support their hypothesis b)Scientists must be creative in order to design experiments that will give them the results that they predicted c)Scientists must be creative in order to design appropriate experiments and think critically about unexpected results d)Scientists are not supposed to be creative because creativity is subject to human emotions and desires, and scientists are supposed to be objective. - CORRECT ANSWER-C To be valid, a scientific observation needs to be ________. a)Accurate and repeatable b)Performed over a period of several years c)Performed in a controlled lab setting d)Performed by multiple researchers to make sure the observations were not made up - CORRECT ANSWER-A _________ experiments are those that involve the use of observations on a group that receives the same manipulations as the treatment group except for the one factor being studied or varied a)Accurate b)Observational c)Manipulative d) Controlled - CORRECT ANSWER-D What is the role of statistics in science? a)Statistics are used to collect data in an experiment b)Statistics are used to create results in an experiment c)Statistics are used to determine whether results of an experiment are meaningful d)Statistics are used to prove that a theory is true - CORRECT ANSWER-C Models are used in scientific research in order to _________. a)Study systems that would be too complicated or too large to manipulate b)Determine the best research design for testing a hypothesis c)Study systems that would be too expensive to manipulate d)Acquire research grant money from rich donors - CORRECT ANSWER-A Which one of the following best describes the scientific peer review process? a)A scientist's friends vouch for the scientist's honesty in order for the scientist;s research to be published b)Other scientists oversee the collection of data for an experiment to verify that a researcher is not making up the results c)Scientists anonymously evaluate the research of another scientist d)It is the only known process by which certain species of birds can be monitored without affecting the birds' behavior - CORRECT ANSWER-C Pseudoscience is __________ a) A punk rock band from the 1980s b)An alternative form of science that is becoming more popular in the scientific community c)Not published in peer-reviews journals d)Valid if its findings are supported by a scientist with a PhD - CORRECT ANSWER-C You should be skeptical of scientific claims if ___________ a)The person making claims has no financial stake in the matter b)They are supported by the findings of several studies c)You don't want to believe or do not think they can possibly be true d)They have not been published in peer-review journals - CORRECT ANSWER-D Which one of the following would be an emergent property of a vegetable garden? a) the need for water b)The changing nutrient levels in the garden's soil during the growing season c)The tomatoes and green beans grown in the garden d)The soil, the plants, and the earthworms living in the garden - CORRECT ANSWER-B Which of the following best illustrates the concept of a negative feedback loop? a)A forest fire denudes a mountain landscape, leading to erosion because of the lack of vegetation, causing the loss of the soil needed by plants that can colonize recently burned landscapes b)You get a bad grade on a paper, causing you to become distraught about your grade, leading you to stress and more bad grades c)Global warming causes permafrost to melt, releasing tons of trapped methane (a greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere, causing further warming d)When your body overheats you begin to sweat, which causes evaporative cooling, which cools you down. - CORRECT ANSWER-D A scientists is said to be "uncertain" when __________ a)His/Her statistical results are weak b)He/She is pretty sure that his/her hypothesis is incorrect c)He/She is more uncertain than certain d)He/She is less than 100% certain - CORRECT ANSWER-D Which of the following best illustrates quantitative data? a) whether you like this class b)Your gender c)Your dorm room number d)Your IQ - CORRECT ANSWER-D All of the following are logical policies that could be instituted to deal with the problem of property loss due to catastrophic wildfires except? a)Instituting higher property taxes in fire-prone areas to pay for increased firesuppression measures b)Instituting zoning ordinances prohibiting the building of homes in remote forested areas c)Requiring insurance companies to provide homeowner's insurance to all homeowner's d)Instituting strict building codes requiring the use of flame-resistant building materials - CORRECT ANSWER-C Who are the stakeholders in environmental policy? a)Those who write the policy b)Those who enforce the policy c)Those who pay for implementation of the policy d)Those who are affected by the policy - CORRECT ANSWER-D Because of the negligence of an employee at a local meat-packing plant, a popular tourist lake becomes heavily contaminated with hazardous by-products form the plant. Which type of law would address lost fishing and tourism income caused by the negligence? a)Administrative b)Criminal c)Contract d)Civil - CORRECT ANSWER-D Taxes used in environmental policy serve all of the following functions except? a)Making legislators more politically popular b)Raising money to fund environmental initiatives c)Encouraging industry to follow more environmentally sound practices d)Making environmentally sound products more popular - CORRECT ANSWER-A A cap and trade policy________. a)Does not take into consideration the fact that some polluters would experience greater financial hardships if all polluters were forced to decrease their pollutants to the same level b)Requires power plants to place caps on their smokestacks to prevent the release of pollutants into the environment c)Would allow some polluters to pollute more than other, so long as regional quotas are met d)Prohibits specific power plants from releasing more than a predefined amount of pollution into the environment - CORRECT ANSWER-C The Energy Guides that accompany appliances sold in the United States_________. a)Are required by federal law to help consumers make informed, voluntary decisions on appliance energy use b)Have been shown to be inaccurate because of their appliances more environmentally friendly than they really are c)Are voluntarily provided by the appliance companies d)Require consumers to make purchases that will minimize their energy - CORRECT ANSWER-A For a bill to make it to the President it must be__________. a)Approved by a 60% vote in both the house and senate b)Written by a house committee and approved by 60% vote in senate c)Approved by a 2/3 cote in both the house and the senate d)Approved by majority vote in both the house and senate - CORRECT ANSWER-D The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration belong to the ____ of the federal government. a)Legislative and executive branches b)Executive branch c)Judicial branch d)Legislative branch - CORRECT ANSWER-B The judicial branch of the federal government is responsible for all of the following except. a)Ruling on the constitutionality of laws b)Enforcing laws c)Interpreting laws d)Settling disputes between states - CORRECT ANSWER-B The National Environmental Protection Act does which of the following? a)NEPA establishes emission standards to be enforced by the EPA b)NEPA taxes industries that fail to abide by EPA emission standards c)NEPA requires an environmental assessment for a major project d)NEPA regulates trade between Mexico and the U.S. - CORRECT ANSWER-C The Clean Air and Clean Water Act are administered by the ________. a)U.S. Congress b)Judicial branch of the government c)Environmental Protection Agency d)Department of Clean Air and Water - CORRECT ANSWER-C ___________ has jurisdiction over the safety of chemicals used in food, drugs, and cosmetics a)The FDA b)The DFDC c)The USDA d)The judicial branch of the government - CORRECT ANSWER-A Most of the species that have been placed on the endangered species list __________. a)Have gone extinct b)Have recovered and been delisted c)Are still on the list d)Should technically not be on the list, but political wrangling has resulted in them being listed - CORRECT ANSWER-C How do state environmental policies compare to federal policies? a)State policies may be more restrictive than federal policies b)State policies may be more relaxed than federal policies c)State policies cannot be stricter than federal policies d)Environmental policies are dictated by the federal government, and no states are allowed to have their own environmental policies - CORRECT ANSWER-A In 2013 the city of Colorado Springs experienced a deadly wildfire that destroyed over 500 homes on the western side of the city where people had built homes up into the foothills of the Rockies. Farther north, the city of Boulder is somewhat more protected from such wildfires because much of the front edge of the foothills has been designated as open space. Who legislated such riles regarding areas to be designated as open spaces? a)State legislators b)Local governments c)U.S. Congress d)City planners - CORRECT ANSWER-B All of the following are most heavily regulated at the federal level except a)Pollution standards b)Land development c)Food safety d)Wetland protection - CORRECT ANSWER-B Lobbying is an attempt to influence __________. a)The president b)Federal judges c)Public opinion d)Elected officials - CORRECT ANSWER-D Which of the following is an NGO? a)Environmental Protection Agency b)Environmental Defense Fund c)Amazon d)Yellowstone National Park - CORRECT ANSWER-B In the U.S. treaties are negotiated by ________ and approved by ___________. a) The president; a majority vote in the Senate b)The president; a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate c)The house of representatives; the president d)The senate; the president - CORRECT ANSWER-B Generally speaking, who enforces international treaties? a)The Justice League b)The countries involved in the treaties c)The U.S. d)The WTO - CORRECT ANSWER-B The Antarctic Treaty established which of the following? a)Regulations for extracting minerals and other valuable resources from Antarctica b)A penguin reserve where no hunting is allowed c)A land mass owned by no nations that can be used for only peaceful purposes d)A land mass divided up into territories owned by the nations signing the treaty - CORRECT ANSWER-C The objective of the Montreal Protocol was to ________. a)Regulate emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 b)Divide eastern Canada into territories owned by the nations signing the treaty c)Regulate emissions of gases that product ozone d)Phase out the use of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer - CORRECT ANSWER-D CITES endeavors to __________. a)Regulate emissions of gases that produce ozone b)Oversee agreements on agricultural activities and waste transport across international borders c)Regulate emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 d)Protect endangered and threatened species by restricting trade of these species and their body parts - CORRECT ANSWER-D The goal of the Kyoto Protocol was to __________. a)Oversee agreements on agricultural activities and waste transport across international borders b)Regulate emissions of gases that produce ozone c)Protect endangered and threatened species by restricting trade of these species and their body parts d)Regulate emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 - CORRECT ANSWER-D An economist might study all of the following except. a)Why consumers make the decisions that they do b)The decisions that govern resource allocation c)The influence of church activities and religious practices on crime rate in inner city Chicago d)The relationship between supply and demand in the pricing of goods - CORRECT ANSWER-C All of the following are factors that underlie the production of goods and services in market systems except. a)The availability of natural resource b)Labor c)The location of the market d)The availability of capital - CORRECT ANSWER-C According the the laws of supply and demand ___________ a)If the price of a product or service goes down, demand for it would decrease b)High demand for a product or service should drive its price down c)If the price of a product or service goes up, demand for it would increase d)Low demand for a product or service should drive is price down - CORRECT ANSWER-D When an economist is "discounting" natural resources, he/she is __________ a)Making the resources less expensive so they cal sell more quickly when the supply is too high b)Downplay the importance of the value of the resources in the economy c)Ignoring the value of natural resources in his/her calculations d)Estimating the present value of resources based on their value in the future - CORRECT ANSWER-D A market failure occurs when __________. a)Negative externalities fail to offset positive internalities in a market system b)A market crashes such as the crash that occurred to the stock market in 1929 c)A market doe not take into account certain externalities when pricing goods or services d)Economists are unable to predict the behavior of consumers - CORRECT ANSWERC Which of the following best represents a common pool resource? a)The rangeland owned by a rather, where the rancher's cattle graze b)Groundwater in the Ogallala Aquifer which famers rely on to irrigate their crops c)The money being bet in a poker game d)A municipal swimming pool - CORRECT ANSWER-B Which of the following represents an attempt to combat a market failure? a)Making sure all internalities are considered when pricing a product b)Firing economists who caused the market failure and hiring more competent replacements c)Instituting a carbon tax on the amount of carbon dioxide pollution produced by a car d)Avoiding the placement of a market where there is not already a competing market - CORRECT ANSWER-C Which of the following best represents a resource that has direct use value, indirect use value, and existence value? a)A state forest in northern Wisconsin where rotational clear cutting is used to harvest trees to make newspaper b)A wetland along the Mississippi River that has been restored for the purposes of food control and hunting where wolves and bald eagles have recently been seen c)Black-footed ferrets a mammal that was once thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in 1981 in Wyoming d)A large seam of coal near Gillette Wyoming that will provide mining jobs for the next 20 years - CORRECT ANSWER-B If a cost-benefit analysis is performed the decision would be supported when __________. a)The cost is greater than the benefit but is less than the difference between the cost and the benefit b)The ration of benefit to cost (benefit-cost)>1 c)The cost of performing the analysis is less than the benefit of performing the analysis d)The ratio of cost to benefit (cost-benefit) >1 - CORRECT ANSWER-B Your fired argues that economic growth is good and that policies hindering growth should be avoided. Which of the following counterarguments is most valid? - CORRECT ANSWER-Economic growth may actually have a more negative effect than a positive effect on human welfare because today's economic system ignores many negative externalities. Which of the following is most likely to occur when there is a rapid rise in a countries GDP? a)Recession b)Inflation c)National protests over market failures d)High unemployment rates - CORRECT ANSWER-B When a country that is relatively poor experiences a rapid increase in GDP it is generally accompanied by ____. a)A decline in economic growth b)Greater consumption and increased pollution levels c)Improvement in the health of the environment d)A movement toward the conservation of resources - CORRECT ANSWER-B The ________ is an alternative economic index for societal progress that includes indicators for economic, environmental, and social factors. a)BMI b)TMI c)GPI d)GDP - CORRECT ANSWER-C In the context of environmental decision making which of the following best illustrates the concept of instrumental value - CORRECT ANSWER-A lake free of pollution is valuable because we can safely use the water for recreation, fishing, and drinking Your friend argues that we need to take care of the environment for the sake of our grandchildren. This perspective most closely matches ________. a)biocentrism b)Instrumentalism c)Ecocentrism d)Anthropocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER-D Three people are in a horrible car accident and are brought to the hospital in critical condition. There is another patient just brought into the hospital for a broken leg. There are only 3 beds available in the ER, and one is occupied by the person with the broken leg. From a purely utilitarian perspective what should the doctors do? - CORRECT ANSWER-A person espousing a purely utilitarianism perspective would argue that the doctors should give the bed to the three most critically injured patients because going so creates the greatest good for the greatest # A person espousing deontological ethics is most likely to make which of the following statements? a)I should shoot that bald eagle because its meat will provide my family with sustenance, and feathers used for pillows b)I should shoot that bald eagle cause it is awesome and majestic and will look good on dorm wall c)I should not shoot that bald eagle because there are federal laws and international treaties that prohibit me from doing so d) I should not shoot that bald eagle cause its awesome - CORRECT ANSWER-C A person espousing virtue ethics is most likely to make which of the following statements?` - CORRECT ANSWER-I should not shoot that bald eagle because I believe that it would be wrong to deprive any animal of life During what part of the 1900s did the fastest growth in energy use occur? - CORRECT ANSWER-The last half of the century What is the difference between a traditional biomass and a fossil fuel? - CORRECT ANSWER-One was formed recently, while the other took millions of years to form Which of the following fuels has the lowest energy density? - CORRECT ANSWERWood Which of the following is the best definition of energy quality? - CORRECT ANSWERThe ability of a unit of fuel to do useful work Why did fossil fuels become an appealing energy source during the industrial revolution - CORRECT ANSWER-High energy density and energy quality were needed for new technologies of the time What are the two human factors that have caused the large growth in energy use over the past 200 years? - CORRECT ANSWER-The human population has grown rapidly and per capita energy use has increased Which of the following is true regarding global energy use over the past 200 years? - CORRECT ANSWER-The industrial revolution used new technology to take advantage of the concentrated energy in fossil fuels What countries use the most energy? - CORRECT ANSWER-Developed countries On a per capita basis, how does energy use in the most economically developed countries compare with energy use in the rest of the world? - CORRECT ANSWER-It is more than 3 times greater in economically developed countries than in the rest of the world What are the three largest sources of energy used today? - CORRECT ANSWER-Oil, natural gas, and coal What is the difference between primary and secondary energy sources? - CORRECT ANSWER-Primary sources are transformed to make secondary sources How does the energy use of the U.S. compare to that of China? - CORRECT ANSWERIndividuals in the U.S. use more energy in their daily lives, but China is less energyefficient in the production of goods and services What three fuels provide the most energy used in the U.S. today? - CORRECT ANSWER-Oil, natural gas, and coal Why did oil use decline in the 70's and what caused it to increase again between 1980- 2005 - CORRECT ANSWER-It declined in the 1970s as a result of stain in international relations. It increased between 1980 and 2005 due to environmental policy changes and the increased use of SUVs and light trucks What type of fuel powers most of the transportation in the U.S.? - CORRECT ANSWEROil A country or company investing heavily in infrastructure such as oil pipelines and refineries that can last for any decades would be an example of which of the following concepts? - CORRECT ANSWER-Path dependency What would be the result if the U.S. increased electricity generation from renewable sources? - CORRECT ANSWER-Costs might increase initially because of investments in new infrastructure to make the energy available on a large scale What sequence of steps occurs inside a power plant? - CORRECT ANSWER-A primary source of energy is used to turn a turbine, usually through the proaction of steam to make electricity What is the role of an electricity generator inside a power plant? - CORRECT ANSWER-It converts the energy of the spinning turbine into electricity What happens to electricity as it moves along high voltage power lines? - CORRECT ANSWER-Electricity is lost Many laptop power chords include box shaped transformers that change the energy in the wall outlet into a form that is compatible with the laptop. Why do these transformers become warm when the laptop is plugged in? - CORRECT ANSWER-In any energy transformation, some of the usable energy is lost to less usable forms in this case heat What does it mean to say that a coal fired power plant has an average efficiency of 30%? - CORRECT ANSWER-Only 30% of the energy available in the coal is actually converted into electricity What are the major functions of the electric power grid - CORRECT ANSWER-To distribute electricity reliably over a large area What is the major difference between decentralized and centralized electrify generation? - CORRECT ANSWER-Proximity of electricity production to electricity use How are air pollution emissions from coal-fired plants controlled? - CORRECT ANSWER-By filtering emission, removing pollutants from fuels before burning or changing energy sources Which of the following is true regarding how electricity is produced and distributed? - CORRECT ANSWER-Some methods of electricity generation are more efficient than others, but all involve a loss of usable energy Which of the following is required to make gasoline for a car engine? - CORRECT ANSWER-Oil How is fuel converted into energy for transportation in vehicles? - CORRECT ANSWERThe engine mixes the fuel with air, compresses it, and then ignites it, thereby increasing the pressure the engines cylinders and providing the force needed to do work What happens to the gases produced during fuel combustion in an engine? - CORRECT ANSWER-They are released into the atmosphere as emissions What is the main difference between a hybrid car and a gasoline car? - CORRECT ANSWER-A hybrid car has both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. A gasoline car only has an internal combustion motor Why are hybrid cars more fuel efficient than traditional cars? - CORRECT ANSWER-A hybrid uses the internal combustion engineless than traditional cars by using the energy from the electric motor to push the car forward You overhear one of your friends talking about her new emission free electric car but one of your classmates tells her that driving her car will still contribute to air pollution and CO2 emissions. Which of the following could your friend use to support her claim? - CORRECT ANSWER-She always charges her cars batteries with the energy collected with solar panels located on the roof of her garage What is the basic difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency? - CORRECT ANSWER-Energy conservation is the practice of using an energy consuming device less often. Energy efficiency is replacing an energy consuming device with one that uses less energy to perform the same service Turning off the lights when leaving a room is an example of which approach to reducing energy use? - CORRECT ANSWER-Energy conservation Which of the following best describes a negawatt? - CORRECT ANSWER-An investment in energy efficiency and or conservation What are the major barriers to using more energy efficient technologies? - CORRECT ANSWER-Energy has historically been inexpensive and energy saving technologies are more expensive in the short term Over the past few decades, how have energy efficiency and personal energy consumption changed in the U.S.? - CORRECT ANSWER-Efficiency and consumption have increased Which of the following countries is expected to have the greatest increase in per capita energy use in the near future? - CORRECT ANSWER-Less economically developed countries Which countries have the fastest growing national energy use today? - CORRECT ANSWER-China and India Why is demand for transportation fuels increasing worldwide? - CORRECT ANSWERThe use of cars in developing countries is increasing Why has energy use for him heating and cooling increased? - CORRECT ANSWERHomes are now larger than ever before and there is an increasing standard of living in developing countries Which of the following can reduce energy use in homes? - CORRECT ANSWER-Use of better insulation What region is expected to be responsible for the most the increased future demands for coal to generate electricity? - CORRECT ANSWER-Asia Although the average person in the U.S. uses more energy than the average person in India or China, India and China are expected to exceed the total amount of energy used by the U.S. by 2030. Which of the following would be expected to contribute the most to this trend? - CORRECT ANSWER-An increasing number of people in China