EVR 2001 Midterm Actual set with
Questions and correct/verified Answers
Birds dying because of the DDT poisoning.
Spraying of DDT (1960s) - ANSWER-What information made Rachel Carson concerned about chemical
pollution?
Idea that human population growth gets bigger → less resources → worse wellbeing → have more
children → human population continues to grow (and cycle continues). - ANSWER-What is the "paradox"
of human population and well-being? (1)
Population growth, ecosystem decline, climate change, loss of biodiversity - ANSWER-Cite (and explain)
the four global trends that indicate that the health of the planet Earth is suffering. (1)
Environment: the world around us (includes both biotic and abiotic factors)
- Early US Movement
o Late 19th century - conservation groups. National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra
club (founded by John Muir - popularized idea of wilderness). Theodore Roosevelt - national parks,
conservation of public land.
o 1900-1950 - increased awareness. Dust Bowl. Great depression (restoring land and provided work for
unemployed).
o 1945-1965 (Follow WWII) - technology optimism, polluting. Air, water, DDT.
- Modern Environmental Movement
o 1962 - biologist Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring
o Environmental Movement: Upwelling of public awareness and citizen action that began during the
1960s regarding environmental issues.
o Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): 1970, passed laws promoting pollution control, wildlife
protection.
o Environmentalists: Any person who is concerned about the degredation of t - ANSWER-Define
environment, and describe the general development and successes of modern environmentalism. (1)
Sound Science: The basis for our understanding of how the world works and how human systems,
interact with it. It stems from scientific work based on peer-reviewed research and is one of the unifying
themes of this text.
Sustainability: a property whereby a process can be continued indefinitely without depleting the energy
or material resources on which it depends. As one of the unifying themes of the text, sustainability is the
practical goal toward which our interactions with the natural world should be working.
Stewardship: the actions and programs that manage natural resources and human well-being for the
common good. - ANSWER-What are the concepts behind each of the unifying themes - sound science,
sustainability, and stewardship?
The Scientific Method: The process of making observations and logically integrating those observations
into a model of how the world works. Often involves forming hypotheses, experimenting and conducting
further testing for confirmation.
, Assumptions, Observations, Experimentation, Theory Formation - how to prove/make any and all
scientific discovery (how to research and analyze and form scientific ideas
Assumptions: preconceived notions that people regard as true (can used as basis of theory formation
and observations)
Observation: things or phenomena that are perceived through one or more of the basic five senses in
their normal state. In addition, to be accepted as factual, observations must be verifiable by others.
Experimentation: In the practice of science, the testing of hypotheses by setting up situations where
cause and effect are investigated, uing careful measurements of conditions and responses
Theo - ANSWER-Explain the role of assumptions, observations, experimentation, and theory formation in
the operation of scientific research and thinking. (1)
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well
being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of
stewardship, the responsible management of resource use.
Sustainable development (SD) is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while
preserving the environment so that these. - ANSWER-Define sustainability and sustainable development.
What is a sustainable society?
Demographic, resource, technology, political, and community transitions - ANSWER-List five transitions
that are necessary for a future sustainable civilization
Caring for the natural world and establishing fair relationships among humans - ANSWER-What are the
concerns of the environmental justice movement?
Wind energy, cap-and-trade - ANSWER-Cite some of the recent developments in the movement toward
sustainability.
A method for managing pollution in which a limit is placed on emissions and businesses or countries can
buy and sell emissions allowances - ANSWER-Cap-and-trade
Biotic community is the grouping of plants, animals, and microbes.
Abiotic factors are the humidity, climate, salinity, or type of soil. - ANSWER-Distinguish between the
biotic community and the abiotic environmental factors of an ecosystem
Species: different kinds of plants, animals, and microbes in the community.
Population: a certain number of individuals that make up the interbreeding, reproducing group.
Association: plant community with a definite composition, uniform habitat characteristics, and uniform
plant growth.
Questions and correct/verified Answers
Birds dying because of the DDT poisoning.
Spraying of DDT (1960s) - ANSWER-What information made Rachel Carson concerned about chemical
pollution?
Idea that human population growth gets bigger → less resources → worse wellbeing → have more
children → human population continues to grow (and cycle continues). - ANSWER-What is the "paradox"
of human population and well-being? (1)
Population growth, ecosystem decline, climate change, loss of biodiversity - ANSWER-Cite (and explain)
the four global trends that indicate that the health of the planet Earth is suffering. (1)
Environment: the world around us (includes both biotic and abiotic factors)
- Early US Movement
o Late 19th century - conservation groups. National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra
club (founded by John Muir - popularized idea of wilderness). Theodore Roosevelt - national parks,
conservation of public land.
o 1900-1950 - increased awareness. Dust Bowl. Great depression (restoring land and provided work for
unemployed).
o 1945-1965 (Follow WWII) - technology optimism, polluting. Air, water, DDT.
- Modern Environmental Movement
o 1962 - biologist Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring
o Environmental Movement: Upwelling of public awareness and citizen action that began during the
1960s regarding environmental issues.
o Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): 1970, passed laws promoting pollution control, wildlife
protection.
o Environmentalists: Any person who is concerned about the degredation of t - ANSWER-Define
environment, and describe the general development and successes of modern environmentalism. (1)
Sound Science: The basis for our understanding of how the world works and how human systems,
interact with it. It stems from scientific work based on peer-reviewed research and is one of the unifying
themes of this text.
Sustainability: a property whereby a process can be continued indefinitely without depleting the energy
or material resources on which it depends. As one of the unifying themes of the text, sustainability is the
practical goal toward which our interactions with the natural world should be working.
Stewardship: the actions and programs that manage natural resources and human well-being for the
common good. - ANSWER-What are the concepts behind each of the unifying themes - sound science,
sustainability, and stewardship?
The Scientific Method: The process of making observations and logically integrating those observations
into a model of how the world works. Often involves forming hypotheses, experimenting and conducting
further testing for confirmation.
, Assumptions, Observations, Experimentation, Theory Formation - how to prove/make any and all
scientific discovery (how to research and analyze and form scientific ideas
Assumptions: preconceived notions that people regard as true (can used as basis of theory formation
and observations)
Observation: things or phenomena that are perceived through one or more of the basic five senses in
their normal state. In addition, to be accepted as factual, observations must be verifiable by others.
Experimentation: In the practice of science, the testing of hypotheses by setting up situations where
cause and effect are investigated, uing careful measurements of conditions and responses
Theo - ANSWER-Explain the role of assumptions, observations, experimentation, and theory formation in
the operation of scientific research and thinking. (1)
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well
being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of
stewardship, the responsible management of resource use.
Sustainable development (SD) is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while
preserving the environment so that these. - ANSWER-Define sustainability and sustainable development.
What is a sustainable society?
Demographic, resource, technology, political, and community transitions - ANSWER-List five transitions
that are necessary for a future sustainable civilization
Caring for the natural world and establishing fair relationships among humans - ANSWER-What are the
concerns of the environmental justice movement?
Wind energy, cap-and-trade - ANSWER-Cite some of the recent developments in the movement toward
sustainability.
A method for managing pollution in which a limit is placed on emissions and businesses or countries can
buy and sell emissions allowances - ANSWER-Cap-and-trade
Biotic community is the grouping of plants, animals, and microbes.
Abiotic factors are the humidity, climate, salinity, or type of soil. - ANSWER-Distinguish between the
biotic community and the abiotic environmental factors of an ecosystem
Species: different kinds of plants, animals, and microbes in the community.
Population: a certain number of individuals that make up the interbreeding, reproducing group.
Association: plant community with a definite composition, uniform habitat characteristics, and uniform
plant growth.
