Environment Science Midterm International
Chapter 1-5
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CHAPTER 1—ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, THEIR CAUSES, AND
SUSTAINABILITY
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A fictional vision of a more environmentally healthy planet in the future uses which of the following fuels
and renewable energy resources?
a. underground heat only
b. algae only
c. sun and wind only
d. flowing water only
e. underground heat, algae, sun and wind and flowing water
2. Which of the following best describes the areas of study that are important in the discipline of
environmental science?
a. Biology.
b. Chemistry and geology
c. Economics and biology
d. Economics and chemistry
e. Biology, chemistry, geology and economics
3. Which of the following is a goal of environmental science?
a. Learn how life on earth has thrived and survived.
b. Understand how we interact with the environment.
c. Live more sustainably and find ways to deal with environmental problems.
d. Learn how life on earth has thrived and survived and understand how we interact with the
environment.
e. Learn how life on earth has thrived and survived, understand how we interact with the environment,
and live more sustainably and find ways to deal with environmental problems.
4. Which of the following is a social movement dedicated to the protection of the Earth's natural capital?
a. Ecology
b. environmental science
c. Environmentalism
d. natural science
e. Sustainability
5. Which of the following terms encompasses all of the others?
a. natural capital
b. natural resources
c. natural services
d. renewable resources
e. nonrenewable resources
6. Which of the following is a form of natural capital gained directly or indirectly as a result of solar energy?
a. Forests
b. flowing water and wind energy
, c. wind energy only
d. coal and oil
e. forests, flowing water, wind energy, coal and oil.
7. You have decided to install solar collectors on the roof of your home that will cut your use of propane gas
to heat both your hot water tank and the living spaces in your home. In doing so, you are using a
resource rather than a resource.
a. renewable; nonrenewable
b. perpetual; renewable
c. renewable; perpetual
d. nonrenewable; renewable
e. perpetual; nonrenewable
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8. One of the reasons biodiversity is such an important aspect of sustainability is the fact that
a. cycling chemicals maintains a ready supply of new materials for water, soil and food
b. it is the ultimate source of energy for plants
c. interactions among species provide population controls that limits ultimate population sizes of many
species
d. it provides water purification and topsoil renewable
e. two of these answers are correct
9. Which of the following is best categorized as an example of a natural service?
a. renewable energy
b. nonrenewable energy
c. water purification
d. Oil
e. Soil
10. When we speak of protecting the environment, we are referring to
a. all living things on the planet
b. all non-living things such as air, fresh water, and energy
c. all living and non-living things
d. humans and the living and non-living things that affect them only
e. humans and the living things that affect them only
11. A group of organisms with a unique set of characteristics that distinguishes them from other organisms,
is called a
a. Species
b. Ecosystem
c. sustainable society
d. natural resource
e. Population
12. Nutrient recycling is a vital natural service carried out by which natural resource?
a. natural gas
b. clean air
c. Topsoil
, d. grazing animals such as deer
e. two of these answers
13. The three principles of sustainability are:
a. solar energy, biodiversity and perpetual energy
b. use of natural capital to support human economies
c. use of renewable resources, but no use of nonrenewable resources
d. solar energy, biodiversity and chemical cycling
e. biodiversity, use of perpetual resources and widespread reduction of use
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14. Which of the following would best be categorized as a perpetual resource?
a. oil reserves
b. Fisheries
c. solar energy
d. Forests
e. coal reserves
15. What is an essential characteristic that indicates whether a resource should be categorized as a renewable
resource?
a. It must be an energy resource.
b. It must be a biological resource.
c. It must be recyclable.
d. It must have the capacity to be replenished within days to several hundred years.
e. It must have the capacity to be utilized for immediate economic benefit.
16. Select the choice that correctly states the best priority for use of non-renewable resources, such as metals
and plastics, from the environmentally sustainable perspective.
a. recycle, reuse, reduce
b. reuse, reduce, recycle
c. reduce, reuse, recycle
d. reduce, recycle, refuse
e. repurpose, recycle, remake
17. Which of the following is an example of recycling?
a. collecting and re-melting aluminum beer cans and making them into new cans
b. cleaning and refilling soft-drink bottles
c. selling used clothing at a garage sale
d. saving leftovers in a peanut butter jar
e. using household water to water a garden
18. Developed countries
a. are high-income
b. are low-income
c. use about 88% of the world’s resources
d. make up about 80% of the world's population
e. Are high-income and use about 88% of the world’s resources
, 19. Which of the following statements about developing countries is true?
a. They are highly industrialized.
b. They have high-average per capita income.
c. They include the United States, Germany, and Japan.
d. They are classified as middle-income or low-income.
e. They have about 85% of the world's wealth and income.
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20. About of the world's human population lives in the developing countries.
a. 20%
b. 40%
c. 60%
d. 80%
e. 90%
21. All of the following are potentially renewable resources except
a. Groundwater
b. trees in a forest
c. fertile soil
d. Oil
e. fish populations
22. You generally buy and eat microwave dinners. After dinner, cardboard tops and plastic trays remain. The
least effective way to deal with this type of solid waste problem is to
a. Store leftovers in the plastic trays.
b. Put all of the solid waste in the household trash to be taken to the landfill.
c. Donate the plastic containers to the local nursery schools to use with preschoolers.
d. Recycle the components.
e. Save the containers in a stash in your garage for future use.
23. Nonrenewable resources include
a. Oil
b. Minerals
c. salt and sand
d. Coal
e. oil, minerals, salt, sand and coal
24. Sustainable yield is the highest rate at which we can use a(n) without reducing its
available supply.
a. renewable resource
b. perpetual resource
c. energy resource
d. mineral resource
e. nonrenewable resource
25. The tragedy of the commons refers to
a. overuse of privately held resources
b. overuse of shared common resources
c. human deaths from polluted shared resources such as air or water
d. government over-regulation of fresh water use
e. a Shakespeare play