ESE 200 COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
● Which systems are included in the usual three-part model of a sustainable earth?
(Select all that apply) a. Its Ecosystems b. Its Economies c. Its Societies d. Its
Environment. Answer: b, c, d
● Sustainable systems (check all that apply) a. Can be natural b. Allow future systems
to flourish c. Don't change over time d. Can be human. Answer: a, b, d
● What is meant by "sustainable development"? a. Development that forces people to
revert to the lesser technology of the past and give up their desired quality of life in the
present b. Development that continues to reinvent itself c. Development that only uses
renewable resources d. Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Answer: d
● In the IPAT equation the environmental impact (I) of human activity is modeled to
increase when the following increases: a. Population b. Affluence c. Air Quality d.
Transportation e. Pollution f. Time g. Technology h. Attitude i. Parameter. Answer: a
● In the IPAT equation the environmental impact (I) of human activity is modeled to
increase when the following increases (select all that apply): a. Population b. Pollution
c. Technology d. Transportation e. Affluence f. Air Quality. Answer: a, c, e
● According to this lecture, when is an IPAT analysis most likely to fail? a. When
thinking about the present b. When thinking about the past c. When thinking about the
future. Answer: c
● Cells in a petri dish grow fastest when (s-shaped growth pattern): a. Close to
carrying capacity b. Far from carrying capacity c. Just above carrying capacity. Answer:
b
● According to the lecture, what happens to a system where population exceeds the
carrying capacity? a. The population stops growing b. The population slowly returns to
carrying capacity c. The population slowly falls d. The population drops below carrying
capacity. Answer: d
, ● What occurs at a Malthusian "point of crisis"? a. drop in efficiency: each individual in
the population becomes less efficient b. starvation: there is not enough food for the
entire population c. extinction: the population dies out d. explosion in population:
growth rates become exponential e. loss of total wealth: the population does not
produce as much as before. Answer: b
● Which of the following most accurately describes a Neo-Malthusian attitude? a.
Arguing that Malthusian ideas have been discredited b. Observing that the modern
world population is at the highest level ever c. Thinking that population growth was
unsustainable in the past d. Wishing that agricultural production was more efficient e.
Believing that population growth is unsustainable today. Answer: e
● Where will most population growth occur in the 21st century, according to the UN? a.
Africa b. Asia c. Europe d. North America e. South America. Answer: a
● Does the demographic transition model take into account global catastrophes (such
as pandemics or nuclear war)? a. Yes - the "j-curve" is built in to the model b. Yes - the
"s-curve" is built in to the model c. No - the model requires constant development d. No
- the model requires fast rates of change in fertility e. Maybe - it depends if the
population change is smooth. Answer: c
● How much will the world's population increase over the next 40 years, according to
the UN's medium projection? a. no change b. about 2 billion c. about 4 billion d. about 6
billion e. the population will decrease by between 50 and 200 million. Answer: b
● If the population of a country is increasing, we would expect to see a population
pyramid with a a. wedge, or cup shape b. symmetrical shape c. asymmetrical shape d.
square shape e. triangular shape. Answer: e
● Why won't population growth alone necessarily lead to large global environmental
impacts? a. Population won't increase during the 21st century. b. Population is
unrelated to environmental impact. c. Most population growth is occurring in regions
with low per-capita consumption.. Answer: c
● What is the demographic transition? a. the move from high birth and death rates to
low birth and death rates b. the change from short to long life expectancies c. the point
at which a society becomes industrialized d. the time over which a generation exists e.
the period in which countries acquire new health systems and technologies. Answer: a
● The demographic transition model predicts that a. reductions in birth rates lag
reduction in death rates b. reductions in population lag reeducations in death rates c.
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
● Which systems are included in the usual three-part model of a sustainable earth?
(Select all that apply) a. Its Ecosystems b. Its Economies c. Its Societies d. Its
Environment. Answer: b, c, d
● Sustainable systems (check all that apply) a. Can be natural b. Allow future systems
to flourish c. Don't change over time d. Can be human. Answer: a, b, d
● What is meant by "sustainable development"? a. Development that forces people to
revert to the lesser technology of the past and give up their desired quality of life in the
present b. Development that continues to reinvent itself c. Development that only uses
renewable resources d. Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Answer: d
● In the IPAT equation the environmental impact (I) of human activity is modeled to
increase when the following increases: a. Population b. Affluence c. Air Quality d.
Transportation e. Pollution f. Time g. Technology h. Attitude i. Parameter. Answer: a
● In the IPAT equation the environmental impact (I) of human activity is modeled to
increase when the following increases (select all that apply): a. Population b. Pollution
c. Technology d. Transportation e. Affluence f. Air Quality. Answer: a, c, e
● According to this lecture, when is an IPAT analysis most likely to fail? a. When
thinking about the present b. When thinking about the past c. When thinking about the
future. Answer: c
● Cells in a petri dish grow fastest when (s-shaped growth pattern): a. Close to
carrying capacity b. Far from carrying capacity c. Just above carrying capacity. Answer:
b
● According to the lecture, what happens to a system where population exceeds the
carrying capacity? a. The population stops growing b. The population slowly returns to
carrying capacity c. The population slowly falls d. The population drops below carrying
capacity. Answer: d
, ● What occurs at a Malthusian "point of crisis"? a. drop in efficiency: each individual in
the population becomes less efficient b. starvation: there is not enough food for the
entire population c. extinction: the population dies out d. explosion in population:
growth rates become exponential e. loss of total wealth: the population does not
produce as much as before. Answer: b
● Which of the following most accurately describes a Neo-Malthusian attitude? a.
Arguing that Malthusian ideas have been discredited b. Observing that the modern
world population is at the highest level ever c. Thinking that population growth was
unsustainable in the past d. Wishing that agricultural production was more efficient e.
Believing that population growth is unsustainable today. Answer: e
● Where will most population growth occur in the 21st century, according to the UN? a.
Africa b. Asia c. Europe d. North America e. South America. Answer: a
● Does the demographic transition model take into account global catastrophes (such
as pandemics or nuclear war)? a. Yes - the "j-curve" is built in to the model b. Yes - the
"s-curve" is built in to the model c. No - the model requires constant development d. No
- the model requires fast rates of change in fertility e. Maybe - it depends if the
population change is smooth. Answer: c
● How much will the world's population increase over the next 40 years, according to
the UN's medium projection? a. no change b. about 2 billion c. about 4 billion d. about 6
billion e. the population will decrease by between 50 and 200 million. Answer: b
● If the population of a country is increasing, we would expect to see a population
pyramid with a a. wedge, or cup shape b. symmetrical shape c. asymmetrical shape d.
square shape e. triangular shape. Answer: e
● Why won't population growth alone necessarily lead to large global environmental
impacts? a. Population won't increase during the 21st century. b. Population is
unrelated to environmental impact. c. Most population growth is occurring in regions
with low per-capita consumption.. Answer: c
● What is the demographic transition? a. the move from high birth and death rates to
low birth and death rates b. the change from short to long life expectancies c. the point
at which a society becomes industrialized d. the time over which a generation exists e.
the period in which countries acquire new health systems and technologies. Answer: a
● The demographic transition model predicts that a. reductions in birth rates lag
reduction in death rates b. reductions in population lag reeducations in death rates c.
