Chapter 1 Philosophy and Fundamental Concepts
1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Why is human population growth often considered the foremost environmental
problem?
A) The Earth will run out of open land space within the next 50 years.
B) Increasing population strains resources and creates additional wastes.
C) There is no way to provide food for additional people.
D) There is insufficient oxygen production on Earth for more than 10 billion people.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 9
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
2) What is exponential growth?
A) growth that occurs at a constant rate
B) growth that is logarithmic in nature
C) growth that occurs as a constant percentage of the existing amount
D) growth that doubles the existing number
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 9
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering
,3) What is uniformitarianism?
A) a uniform method by which science is conducted
B) a concept that states that present processes operated in the past, at similar rates
C) a concept stating that environmental conditions in the past were the same as those of
today
D) a method by which the uniformity of population growth is assessed
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 19
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering
4) How are the impacts of natural hazards linked to population growth?
A) Population growth concentrates people and resources, such that the impacts of an
individual natural hazard can be greater.
B) Population growth changes the rates of geologic processes, in turn changing the
frequency of hazardous events.
C) Population growth weakens societal defenses against natural hazards.
D) Natural hazards strongly influence population growth.
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 22
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
5) What is sustainability?
A) development that can be sustained for at least ten years
B) the ability of a population to sustain its growth
C) the ability of a population to sustain its economy
,D) development that ensures that future generations will have equal access to the
resources that our planet offers
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 13
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
6) What does the concept of environmental unity state?
A) One action leads to subsequent actions in linked systems.
B) All humans live on Gaia, and therefore we are subject to the same environment.
C) All people on Earth agree on the nature of and solutions to environmental problems.
D) All systems are related to one another.
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 21
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
7) What is a theory?
A) a possible explanation for a set of observations
B) a hypothesis that has withstood extensive testing
C) a set of ideas that unifies a field of inquiry
D) an idea that is based only on logical thought
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 23
Section Number: 1.2
, Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
8) How does an open system contrast with a closed system?
A) An open system is open to scientific scrutiny, while a closed system is not.
B) An open system is able to convert energy from one form to another, while a closed
system is not able to do so.
C) An open system is prone to collapse, while a closed system is typically more
sustainable in the long term.
D) An open system exchanges energy and/or materials with its surroundings, while a
closed system does not.
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 15
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Why is human population growth often considered the foremost environmental
problem?
A) The Earth will run out of open land space within the next 50 years.
B) Increasing population strains resources and creates additional wastes.
C) There is no way to provide food for additional people.
D) There is insufficient oxygen production on Earth for more than 10 billion people.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 9
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
2) What is exponential growth?
A) growth that occurs at a constant rate
B) growth that is logarithmic in nature
C) growth that occurs as a constant percentage of the existing amount
D) growth that doubles the existing number
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 9
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering
,3) What is uniformitarianism?
A) a uniform method by which science is conducted
B) a concept that states that present processes operated in the past, at similar rates
C) a concept stating that environmental conditions in the past were the same as those of
today
D) a method by which the uniformity of population growth is assessed
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 19
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering
4) How are the impacts of natural hazards linked to population growth?
A) Population growth concentrates people and resources, such that the impacts of an
individual natural hazard can be greater.
B) Population growth changes the rates of geologic processes, in turn changing the
frequency of hazardous events.
C) Population growth weakens societal defenses against natural hazards.
D) Natural hazards strongly influence population growth.
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 22
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
5) What is sustainability?
A) development that can be sustained for at least ten years
B) the ability of a population to sustain its growth
C) the ability of a population to sustain its economy
,D) development that ensures that future generations will have equal access to the
resources that our planet offers
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 13
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
6) What does the concept of environmental unity state?
A) One action leads to subsequent actions in linked systems.
B) All humans live on Gaia, and therefore we are subject to the same environment.
C) All people on Earth agree on the nature of and solutions to environmental problems.
D) All systems are related to one another.
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 21
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
7) What is a theory?
A) a possible explanation for a set of observations
B) a hypothesis that has withstood extensive testing
C) a set of ideas that unifies a field of inquiry
D) an idea that is based only on logical thought
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 23
Section Number: 1.2
, Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
8) How does an open system contrast with a closed system?
A) An open system is open to scientific scrutiny, while a closed system is not.
B) An open system is able to convert energy from one form to another, while a closed
system is not able to do so.
C) An open system is prone to collapse, while a closed system is typically more
sustainable in the long term.
D) An open system exchanges energy and/or materials with its surroundings, while a
closed system does not.
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 15
Section Number: 1.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Understanding
