Chapter 1 Test Bank
1) As the human population grows, the effects of this increase in humans:
a) affects the environment at the same rate as in previous years
b) affects the environment at a faster rate than in previous years
c) affects the environment at a slower rate than in previous years
d) are completely unrelated to the actual numbers of people
e) cannot be determined - ANS-b
\2) The uncontrolled increase in human population numbers seen today has been referred to as:
a) the "ecological bomb"
b) the "population disaster"
c) the "population bomb"
d) the "Greenhouse effect"
e) the "urban bomb" - ANS-c
\3) When a population ecologist classifies an area as a "developed region," what percentage of
the population would you expect to live in urban settings?
a) less than 10%
b) between 12% and 25%
c) between 25% and 50%
d) between 50% and 70%,
e) at least 75% - ANS-e
\4) The maximum number of individuals that can be supported by an ecosystem is referred to as
the:
a) carrying capacity
b) greenhouse capacity
c) the sustainability quotient
d) the ecological maximum
e) the resource capacity - ANS-a
\5) According to the Environmental Science text, if recent human population growth rates
continue, our number will reach approximately 9.4 billion by:
a) 2020
b) 2030
c) 2040
d) 2050
e) 2060 - ANS-d
\6) The proposal that life has profoundly changed the global environment, and that these
changes have tended to improve the chances for the continuation of life is referred to as:
a) the greenhouse hypothesis
b) the Gaia hypothesis
c) the carrying capacity hypothesis d) the biological hypothesis
e) the ecological hypothesis - ANS-b
, \7) According to the Environmental Science text, nearly 6 million children die each year due to
the effects of:
a) cancer
b) parasitic diseases
c) dirty water
d) predatory animals
e) malnutrition - ANS-e
\8) Justification that argues to preserve some aspect of the environment because of our
appreciation of the beauty of nature and our desire to get out and enjoy it:
a) utilitarian
b) ecological
c) moral
d) aesthetic
e) economical - ANS-d
\9) Justification that has to do with the belief that various aspects of the environment have a
right to exist:
a) utilitarian
b) ecological
c) moral
d) aesthetic
e) economical - ANS-c
\10) Justification that is based on the value of some factor that is essential to larger life support
functions, even though it might not benefit an individual directly:
a) utilitarian
b) ecological
c) moral
d) aesthetic
e) economical - ANS-b
\11) According to the Environmental Science text, the environmental statement of the 1990's
was "saving our planet." Is Earth's very survival really in danger?
a) no, because in the long view, the changes humans have made to earth will be erased by
natural processes
b) no, because sustainability refers only to the next 2 generations of humans
c) yes, because resources are becoming really sparse
d) yes, because energy will run out e) none of the above - ANS-a
\12) According to the Environmental Science text, the underlying issue underlying all
environmental problems is:
a) the rapid growth in human population
b) the refusal of developing nations to stop using CFCs
c) the Greenhouse Effect
d) contaminated soil and drinking water
e) that our generation does not have a global perspective on environmental problems and how
to solve them - ANS-a
\13) Throughout history, the human population:
1) As the human population grows, the effects of this increase in humans:
a) affects the environment at the same rate as in previous years
b) affects the environment at a faster rate than in previous years
c) affects the environment at a slower rate than in previous years
d) are completely unrelated to the actual numbers of people
e) cannot be determined - ANS-b
\2) The uncontrolled increase in human population numbers seen today has been referred to as:
a) the "ecological bomb"
b) the "population disaster"
c) the "population bomb"
d) the "Greenhouse effect"
e) the "urban bomb" - ANS-c
\3) When a population ecologist classifies an area as a "developed region," what percentage of
the population would you expect to live in urban settings?
a) less than 10%
b) between 12% and 25%
c) between 25% and 50%
d) between 50% and 70%,
e) at least 75% - ANS-e
\4) The maximum number of individuals that can be supported by an ecosystem is referred to as
the:
a) carrying capacity
b) greenhouse capacity
c) the sustainability quotient
d) the ecological maximum
e) the resource capacity - ANS-a
\5) According to the Environmental Science text, if recent human population growth rates
continue, our number will reach approximately 9.4 billion by:
a) 2020
b) 2030
c) 2040
d) 2050
e) 2060 - ANS-d
\6) The proposal that life has profoundly changed the global environment, and that these
changes have tended to improve the chances for the continuation of life is referred to as:
a) the greenhouse hypothesis
b) the Gaia hypothesis
c) the carrying capacity hypothesis d) the biological hypothesis
e) the ecological hypothesis - ANS-b
, \7) According to the Environmental Science text, nearly 6 million children die each year due to
the effects of:
a) cancer
b) parasitic diseases
c) dirty water
d) predatory animals
e) malnutrition - ANS-e
\8) Justification that argues to preserve some aspect of the environment because of our
appreciation of the beauty of nature and our desire to get out and enjoy it:
a) utilitarian
b) ecological
c) moral
d) aesthetic
e) economical - ANS-d
\9) Justification that has to do with the belief that various aspects of the environment have a
right to exist:
a) utilitarian
b) ecological
c) moral
d) aesthetic
e) economical - ANS-c
\10) Justification that is based on the value of some factor that is essential to larger life support
functions, even though it might not benefit an individual directly:
a) utilitarian
b) ecological
c) moral
d) aesthetic
e) economical - ANS-b
\11) According to the Environmental Science text, the environmental statement of the 1990's
was "saving our planet." Is Earth's very survival really in danger?
a) no, because in the long view, the changes humans have made to earth will be erased by
natural processes
b) no, because sustainability refers only to the next 2 generations of humans
c) yes, because resources are becoming really sparse
d) yes, because energy will run out e) none of the above - ANS-a
\12) According to the Environmental Science text, the underlying issue underlying all
environmental problems is:
a) the rapid growth in human population
b) the refusal of developing nations to stop using CFCs
c) the Greenhouse Effect
d) contaminated soil and drinking water
e) that our generation does not have a global perspective on environmental problems and how
to solve them - ANS-a
\13) Throughout history, the human population:
