Guiding Question 1-1
What constitutes the “environment” and what fields of study collaborate under the umbrella
of environmental science?
Multiple Choice
Environmental science relies or draws on which of the following?
A. natural sciences such as ecology
B. applied sciences such as engineering
C. social sciences such as anthropology
D. humanities such as literature
*E. All of the above
(1-1, easy)
An example of applied science would be ____________.
*A. designing a solar panel for increased efficiency
B. observing chimpanzee behavior in a rainforest
C. collecting ice core samples to determine carbon dioxide levels 100,000 years ago
D. determining the diet of Greenland Vikings based on analysis of their garbage
E. counting the number of geese on a pond
(1-1, medium)
Of the following, which one is an example of an empirical study?
A. developing more efficient photovoltaic cells for electricity production
*B. producing models of the impact of various greenhouse gas concentrations on global
temperature
C. developing ultra-fast passenger trains
D. improving the efficiency of electricity transmission
E. developing pest control methods that do not include pesticides
(1-1, medium)
Which of the following describe an environment?
A. fish living in a stream
B. bacteria living in a human’s intestinal tract
C. mold growing on a wood stump in a forest
D. a cat living in a house
*E. All of the above describe an environment
(1-1, easy)
Which phrase best describes “environment”?
A. the climate where an organism lives
B. the living surroundings in which an organism exists
*C. the living and nonliving surroundings in which an organism exists
D. the nonliving surroundings where an organism lives
E. the domination of nonliving systems by living systems
,(1-1, easy)
Short Answer
What does an environment include?
ANS: An environment includes the biological (living) and physical (nonliving) surroundings in
which any given living organism exists.
(1-1, medium)
What is environmental science and what fields of study does it rely on?
ANS: Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field of research that draws on the natural
(for example ecology) and social sciences (for example anthropology) and the humanities (for
example literature) in order to understand the natural world and our relationship to it.
(1-1, medium)
,Guiding Question 1-2
What are some of the environmental dilemmas that humans face and why are many of these
considered “wicked problems”? How do our attitudes affect how we deal with these wicked
problems?
Multiple Choice
Which factors make up the ‘triple bottom line’?
A. human, natural, and solar
B. international, national, and local
*C. social, economic, and environmental
D. agricultural, financial, and environmental
E. solar energy, water, and air
(1-2, easy)
Due to their complexity, any given response to an environmental problem involves significant
__________ and no one response is likely to present the ultimate solution.
A. sliding reinforcers
*B. trade-offs
C. wicked problems
D. anthropogenics
E. tragedies
(1-2, medium)
Which situation best describes the “tragedy of the commons”?
A. a fisherman uses his net to catch a large quantity of fish
B. increasing amounts of pesticides need to be used over time to maintain the same effect on
pests
, C. an oil pipeline leaks
D. sustainable forestry practices are applied to a plot of land in the rainforest
*E. herders put too many sheep in a public field because they think, “if I don’t use this available
resource, someone else will”
(1-2, easy)
Modern fishing techniques use giant nets to harvest large numbers of fish in the short term. This
may result in severely reduced populations of fish in the future. Which term best describes the
above scenario?
*A. time delay
B. tragedy of the commons
C. sliding reinforcer
D. extinction
E. these are all terms to describe what happens in the scenario
(1-2, medium)
What does it mean when an environmental issue is a “wicked problem”?
A. it is created by people who only care about themselves
B. it is global in nature
*C. it involves trade-offs that not everyone will be happy with
D. it is a problem that cannot be solved
E. None of the above describes “wicked problems”
(1-2, easy)
Short Answer
Refer to Infographic 1.3. The Green Revolution brought modern industrialized agricultural
techniques to developing countries so they could better feed their growing populations. The
idea is to achieve higher yields by taking advance of better seed types, irrigation, chemical
fertilizers and pesticides. By doing this, less land, such as rainforest, would need to be converted
What constitutes the “environment” and what fields of study collaborate under the umbrella
of environmental science?
Multiple Choice
Environmental science relies or draws on which of the following?
A. natural sciences such as ecology
B. applied sciences such as engineering
C. social sciences such as anthropology
D. humanities such as literature
*E. All of the above
(1-1, easy)
An example of applied science would be ____________.
*A. designing a solar panel for increased efficiency
B. observing chimpanzee behavior in a rainforest
C. collecting ice core samples to determine carbon dioxide levels 100,000 years ago
D. determining the diet of Greenland Vikings based on analysis of their garbage
E. counting the number of geese on a pond
(1-1, medium)
Of the following, which one is an example of an empirical study?
A. developing more efficient photovoltaic cells for electricity production
*B. producing models of the impact of various greenhouse gas concentrations on global
temperature
C. developing ultra-fast passenger trains
D. improving the efficiency of electricity transmission
E. developing pest control methods that do not include pesticides
(1-1, medium)
Which of the following describe an environment?
A. fish living in a stream
B. bacteria living in a human’s intestinal tract
C. mold growing on a wood stump in a forest
D. a cat living in a house
*E. All of the above describe an environment
(1-1, easy)
Which phrase best describes “environment”?
A. the climate where an organism lives
B. the living surroundings in which an organism exists
*C. the living and nonliving surroundings in which an organism exists
D. the nonliving surroundings where an organism lives
E. the domination of nonliving systems by living systems
,(1-1, easy)
Short Answer
What does an environment include?
ANS: An environment includes the biological (living) and physical (nonliving) surroundings in
which any given living organism exists.
(1-1, medium)
What is environmental science and what fields of study does it rely on?
ANS: Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field of research that draws on the natural
(for example ecology) and social sciences (for example anthropology) and the humanities (for
example literature) in order to understand the natural world and our relationship to it.
(1-1, medium)
,Guiding Question 1-2
What are some of the environmental dilemmas that humans face and why are many of these
considered “wicked problems”? How do our attitudes affect how we deal with these wicked
problems?
Multiple Choice
Which factors make up the ‘triple bottom line’?
A. human, natural, and solar
B. international, national, and local
*C. social, economic, and environmental
D. agricultural, financial, and environmental
E. solar energy, water, and air
(1-2, easy)
Due to their complexity, any given response to an environmental problem involves significant
__________ and no one response is likely to present the ultimate solution.
A. sliding reinforcers
*B. trade-offs
C. wicked problems
D. anthropogenics
E. tragedies
(1-2, medium)
Which situation best describes the “tragedy of the commons”?
A. a fisherman uses his net to catch a large quantity of fish
B. increasing amounts of pesticides need to be used over time to maintain the same effect on
pests
, C. an oil pipeline leaks
D. sustainable forestry practices are applied to a plot of land in the rainforest
*E. herders put too many sheep in a public field because they think, “if I don’t use this available
resource, someone else will”
(1-2, easy)
Modern fishing techniques use giant nets to harvest large numbers of fish in the short term. This
may result in severely reduced populations of fish in the future. Which term best describes the
above scenario?
*A. time delay
B. tragedy of the commons
C. sliding reinforcer
D. extinction
E. these are all terms to describe what happens in the scenario
(1-2, medium)
What does it mean when an environmental issue is a “wicked problem”?
A. it is created by people who only care about themselves
B. it is global in nature
*C. it involves trade-offs that not everyone will be happy with
D. it is a problem that cannot be solved
E. None of the above describes “wicked problems”
(1-2, easy)
Short Answer
Refer to Infographic 1.3. The Green Revolution brought modern industrialized agricultural
techniques to developing countries so they could better feed their growing populations. The
idea is to achieve higher yields by taking advance of better seed types, irrigation, chemical
fertilizers and pesticides. By doing this, less land, such as rainforest, would need to be converted
