Environmental Science Final Exam -
UIOWA
What is the definition of public policy? - Answer-a formal set of general plans and principles made by
governments to address problems and guide decision making.
Why do some reservoir rocks, like those in western New York , western Pennsylvania, and eastern Ohio
require hydrofracturing to release the gas that is stored in pore space within the rock? - Answer-low
permeability inhibits flow of gas
The concept of Tragedy of the Commons applies to situations where __________________. - Answer-
Commonly held and used resources are degraded because no one has responsibility for maintenance
What is the most effective way to avoid overexploitation of natural resources at a large scale? - Answer-
government oversight
What was the intended purpose of the FIRST wave of environmental laws (1780s-late 1800s) in the U.S.?
- Answer-to promote settlement and enable extraction of resources from the West.
What was the intended purpose of the SECOND wave of environmental laws (late 1800s-1960s) in the
U.S.? - Answer-to alleviate the impacts of westward expansion and protect dwindling resources and
animals
What was the intended purpose of the THIRD wave of environmental laws (1960s-1980s) - Answer-to
clean up industrial toxic waste, clean up the shared resources, and protect citizens from environmental
exposure .
,A tsunami is caused whenever__________________. - Answer-- water is displaced causing a large wave
- only by some earthquakes that occur under the ocean
Protons have a ______________charge. - Answer-positive
An isotope is a variation in ____________________number within a single element species. - Answer-
neutron
Chemical bonds are a form of _____________ energy. - Answer-potential
Convection is circulation driven by a difference in _________________between a material when it is hot
compared to when it is cooler. - Answer-density
Mantle convection applies frictional pressure to the bottom of the lithosphere which drives
__________________. - Answer-tectonic plate motion
In a convergent plate boundary, tectonic plates are ________________________. - Answer-moving
toward each other
Lava and magma are the same thing except _________. - Answer-lava is above the surface and magma is
below the surface
Mass wasting is ____________________. - Answer-down slope movement of material under the
influence of gravity
All of the information above can be inferred from the figure EXCEPT ________. - Answer-bird population
sizes tend to be higher at higher elevations
, Species richness is affected by many variables. As one travels to higher latitudes, one would generally
find ________. - Answer-the number of species to decrease
The greatest cause of the worldwide loss of species is ________. - Answer-habitat destruction
The loss of a particular population from a given area (but not the entire species globally) is called
________. - Answer-extirpation
Animals that are harmed by human modification of the environment TEND to have all of the following
characteristics EXCEPT ________. - Answer-being a dietary generalist
Both ________ and ________ can change local species diversity but not global species diversity. -
Answer-immigration; extirpation
The wood thrush makes its nest in woodlands in the northern and eastern United States. As patches of
woods become smaller, increasing numbers of wood thrush nests have eggs laid in them by the brown-
headed cowbird. Cowbirds live in open fields and are nest parasites; the female cowbird flies up to an
unattended nest, quickly lays an egg in it, and leaves the host parents to raise their "adopted" young.
Wood thrushes are decreasing in numbers because ________. - Answer-habitat fragmentation makes it
easier for cowbird parasitism to occur
Use the figure below to answer the following question.
Electricity from hydropower composes approximately ________ % of the total electricity produced in
the U.S. - Answer-6.0
Which of the following methods is considered a type of passive solar energy collection? - Answer-using
heat-absorbing construction materials
Which of the following energy sources is considered nonrenewable? - Answer-fossil fuel energy
UIOWA
What is the definition of public policy? - Answer-a formal set of general plans and principles made by
governments to address problems and guide decision making.
Why do some reservoir rocks, like those in western New York , western Pennsylvania, and eastern Ohio
require hydrofracturing to release the gas that is stored in pore space within the rock? - Answer-low
permeability inhibits flow of gas
The concept of Tragedy of the Commons applies to situations where __________________. - Answer-
Commonly held and used resources are degraded because no one has responsibility for maintenance
What is the most effective way to avoid overexploitation of natural resources at a large scale? - Answer-
government oversight
What was the intended purpose of the FIRST wave of environmental laws (1780s-late 1800s) in the U.S.?
- Answer-to promote settlement and enable extraction of resources from the West.
What was the intended purpose of the SECOND wave of environmental laws (late 1800s-1960s) in the
U.S.? - Answer-to alleviate the impacts of westward expansion and protect dwindling resources and
animals
What was the intended purpose of the THIRD wave of environmental laws (1960s-1980s) - Answer-to
clean up industrial toxic waste, clean up the shared resources, and protect citizens from environmental
exposure .
,A tsunami is caused whenever__________________. - Answer-- water is displaced causing a large wave
- only by some earthquakes that occur under the ocean
Protons have a ______________charge. - Answer-positive
An isotope is a variation in ____________________number within a single element species. - Answer-
neutron
Chemical bonds are a form of _____________ energy. - Answer-potential
Convection is circulation driven by a difference in _________________between a material when it is hot
compared to when it is cooler. - Answer-density
Mantle convection applies frictional pressure to the bottom of the lithosphere which drives
__________________. - Answer-tectonic plate motion
In a convergent plate boundary, tectonic plates are ________________________. - Answer-moving
toward each other
Lava and magma are the same thing except _________. - Answer-lava is above the surface and magma is
below the surface
Mass wasting is ____________________. - Answer-down slope movement of material under the
influence of gravity
All of the information above can be inferred from the figure EXCEPT ________. - Answer-bird population
sizes tend to be higher at higher elevations
, Species richness is affected by many variables. As one travels to higher latitudes, one would generally
find ________. - Answer-the number of species to decrease
The greatest cause of the worldwide loss of species is ________. - Answer-habitat destruction
The loss of a particular population from a given area (but not the entire species globally) is called
________. - Answer-extirpation
Animals that are harmed by human modification of the environment TEND to have all of the following
characteristics EXCEPT ________. - Answer-being a dietary generalist
Both ________ and ________ can change local species diversity but not global species diversity. -
Answer-immigration; extirpation
The wood thrush makes its nest in woodlands in the northern and eastern United States. As patches of
woods become smaller, increasing numbers of wood thrush nests have eggs laid in them by the brown-
headed cowbird. Cowbirds live in open fields and are nest parasites; the female cowbird flies up to an
unattended nest, quickly lays an egg in it, and leaves the host parents to raise their "adopted" young.
Wood thrushes are decreasing in numbers because ________. - Answer-habitat fragmentation makes it
easier for cowbird parasitism to occur
Use the figure below to answer the following question.
Electricity from hydropower composes approximately ________ % of the total electricity produced in
the U.S. - Answer-6.0
Which of the following methods is considered a type of passive solar energy collection? - Answer-using
heat-absorbing construction materials
Which of the following energy sources is considered nonrenewable? - Answer-fossil fuel energy
