TEST BANK FOR SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE FOR A CHANGING WORLD, 3RD EDITION, SUSAN KARR, ANNE HOUTMAN, JENEEN INTERLANDI

TEST BANK FOR SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE FOR A CHANGING WORLD, 3RD EDITION, SUSAN KARR, ANNE HOUTMAN, JENEEN INTERLANDI APTERS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR REVISION SUCCESS A+ MODULE 1.1 Guiding Question 1 What is the purpose and scope of environmental science? Multiple Choice 1. Environmental science does NOT rely or draw on: 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 these choices are related to environmental science. Answer: E Section: Environmental Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 2. Which example does NOT 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 these choices describe an environment. Answer: E Section: Environmental Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Understanding 3. Which phrase BEST describes the term 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 Answer: C Section: Environmental Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 4. Which statement is TRUE of environmental science? A. It relies only on natural sciences such as ecology and geology. B. It examines only the workings of the natural world. C. It examines the natural world and our relationship to it. D. It is focused on areas without human impact. E. It focuses on the future of the Earth. Answer: C Section: Environmental Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Understanding Essay 5. What does an environment include? Section: Environmental Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering Feedback: An environment includes the biological (living) and physical (nonliving) surroundings in which any given living organism exists. 6. What is environmental science, and what fields of study does it rely on? Section: Environmental Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering Feedback: Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field of research that draws on the natural (for example, ecology) and social sciences (for example, anthropology) as well as the humanities (for example, literature) in order to understand the natural world and our relationship to it. 7. Why are nonliving things included in the definition of an environment? Section: Environmental Science Level: 3 Bloom’s Level: Analyzing Feedback: Nonliving things—such as rocks, water, and oxygen—are included in the definition of an environment because although they are not living, they still have a tremendous impact on the organic beings that do live in that environment. Imagine an environment that contains several species of fish, some of which suddenly start to die off. Now let’s say this die-off is caused by the temperature of the water rising in this environment. If we didn’t consider water to be part of an environment, we would not know to test the water for the possible cause of the fish dying. Guiding Question 2 Why are both empirical and applied approaches useful in environmental science? Multiple Choice 8. An example of applied science is: 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. Answer: A Section: Empirical and Applied Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Understanding 9. Which example illustrates 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 ultrafast passenger trains D. improving the efficiency of electricity transmission E. developing pest control methods that do not include pesticides Answer: B Section: Empirical and Applied Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Understanding 10. What is empirical science? A. a scientific approach using observation and experimentation B. research findings that help solve practical problems C. a scientific approach to predict climate problems in the future D. a method to examine the nonliving components of the world E. a field of research including humanities and social sciences Answer: A Section: Empirical and Applied Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 11. What did mud cores from lake beds around Viking settlements tell scientists? A. The temperature was unusually higher than average over the past 1,000 years. B. The Vikings vanished during the Little Ice Age. C. There were not enough people in the Viking settlements. D. Soil erosion was a significant problem for the Vikings. E. Vikings ate sheep, seal, and walrus. Answer: D Section: Empirical and Applied Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 12. Which statement is NOT an example of self-inflicted environmental damage done by the Greenland Vikings? A. They overgrazed. B. They used grassland to insulate their houses. C. They chopped down forests for fuel and home construction. D. They grew to a few thousand individuals. E. The climate cooled. Answer: E Section: Empirical and Applied Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 13. What evidence did scientists use in Greenland to study atmospheric conditions at the time of the Viking settlements? A. air bubbles trapped in ice cores B. mud core samples C. animal bones collected from middens D. insect fossils E. the law of superposition Answer: A Section: Empirical and Applied Science Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering Essay 14. Which would likely come first when studying an environmental issue: an applied science study or an empirical science study? Why? Section: Empirical and Applied Science Level: 2 Bloom’s Level: Applying Feedback: It is likely than an empirical science study would occur first. These studies investigate the environmental issue through rigorous scientific testing to determine the impact and extent of the issue. An applied science study may take the findings of the empirical study to design and test a potential solution to the problems uncovered. Guiding Question 1-3 What characteristics make an environmental dilemma a “wicked problem”? Multiple Choice 15. 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 Answer: B Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Understanding 16. 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 Answer: C Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 17. What does it mean when an environmental issue is a “wicked problem”? A. It is created by people who care only 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. It involves the destruction of a specific habitat. Answer: C Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 18. Potential trade-offs to reforestation efforts do NOT include: A. high cost. B. water shortages. C. fragmentation of habitats. D. less land for agriculture. E. All of these answers are potential trade-offs to reforestation efforts. Answer: E Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 2 Bloom’s Level: Applying/Analyzing 19. Which example illustrates a consequence of climate change? A. deforestation B. sea level rise C. overconsumption D. irrigation E. burning fossil fuels Answer: B Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 2 Bloom’s Level: Understanding Essay 20. What is environmental literacy? Why is it important for individuals to have a strong understanding of environmental literacy when discussing environmental problems caused by humans? Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 2 Bloom’s Level: Understanding/Applying Feedback: Environmental literacy is a basic understanding of how ecosystems function and of the impact of our choices on the environment. Most environmental problems can be traced to three causes: human population growth, overuse of resources, and pollution. It is important that people understand the impact that a growing human population has on Earth and how our increasing numbers are consuming resources at unsustainable rates. Additionally, it is important that individuals understand how our activities generate pollution and how this pollution affects our health and the environment. 21. Refer to Infographic 3. The Green Revolution brought modern industrialized agricultural techniques to developing countries so that they could better feed their growing populations. The idea is to achieve higher yields by taking advantage of better seed types, irrigation, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. By doing this, less land, such as rainforest, would need to be converted to agriculture. Use the infographic to describe the pros and cons of the Green Revolution on the environment, thus illustrating why climate change is a wicked problem. Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 2 Bloom’s Level: Applying Feedback: When deforestation is prevented, more carbon dioxide is taken out of the atmosphere, which helps to prevent global warming. Also, when habitats are kept intact, biodiversity is better protected in those areas not converted into agriculture. However, by adding use of tractors, fossil fuels need to be combusted, and this contributes to global warming. Chemicals added to crops will run off into water and soil. Added irrigation can cause water shortages and soil problems. 22. Refer to Infographic 3. What is the triple bottom line of climate change? Section: Environmental Issues as “Wicked Problems” Level: 3 Bloom’s Level: Analyzing Feedback: The triple bottom line includes the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our choices. In the instance of climate change, our choices, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and overconsumption, have led to global warming. Some of the environmental impacts of these choices include increased average atmospheric temperature, sea level rise due to melting of polar ice caps, and habitat and species endangerment and loss. Some of the social impacts of our choices that have led to climate change are the suffering of agriculture in certain regions, the spread of tropical disease (which impacts socioeconomic factors when people are too sick to work or contribute to their societies or when the cost of treating the disease increases), human habitat destruction (such as mining, conversion of forest to farmland, and so on), and the development of political issues surrounding the causes of and potential solutions to climate change. Some of the economic impacts of climate change are decreased food production due to poor climate conditions and lack of water for farming; financial crisis in some industries such as commercial fishing, since some species of fish can no longer survive in the warmer waters; and increased costs in food production and energy production. Guiding Question 4 What does it mean to be sustainable? Multiple Choice 23. What food source was absent from the animal bones found in the Greenland middens? A. seal B. caribou C. walrus D. cattle E. fish Answer: E Section: Sustainable Development Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 24. Some of the most revealing clues to the demise of the Greenland Vikings come from: A. ice cores. B. mud samples. C. animal bones. D. the Inuit. E. the climate. Answer: D Section: Sustainable Development Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Remembering 25. Which statement is NOT a goal of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda? A. Develop more uses for fossil fuels. B. End hunger and all forms of malnutrition. C. Increase efficient use of water to reduce waste. D. Prevent or significantly reduce ocean pollution. E. Eliminate poverty. Answer: A Section: Sustainable Development Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Understanding Essay 26. Unlike the Icelandic Vikings or Inuit, the Greenland Viking society was not sustainable. Describe what we know about their collapse. Section: Sustainable Development Level: 1 Bloom’s Level: Understanding Feedback: From ice cores, we know the climate cooled due to natural causes, and this made life difficult for the population in terms of growing food and raising livestock. In terms of self-inflicted environmental damage, evidence from mud cores indicates that soil erosion was a significant problem. This was due to overgrazing livestock (cows); using grassland to insulate Viking homes; and cutting down forests for fuel, homes, and other wooden products. These impacts on the environment were particularly severe because the environment was sensitive to begin with. As the population swelled to several thousand, the environment could no longer support the population and it crashed. Guiding Question 5 Why do scientists think we are living in a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene? Multiple Choice 27. Why do scientists suggest that we have entered the Anthropocene, a new geologic time interval? A. We have been in the Holocene so long, it is time for a new interval on the Geological Time Scale. B. The human population will be 11 billion in 2100. C. Geologic evidence from humans is accumulating and will be found after we are gone. D. Climate change from greenhouse gas–emitting fossil fuels is melting too much polar ice. E. The previous natural climate cycle is ending. Answer: C Section: Human Impact and the Anthropocene Level: 2 Bloom’s Level: Understanding 28. How is anthropogenic climate change different from the climate change experienced by the Greenland Vikings? A. It involves new chemical compounds. B. It is caused by human actions. C. It is a natural cycle Earth goes through. D. It causes average atmospheric temperature to decrease. E. It is caused by increased tectonic activity. Answer: B Section: Human Impact and the Anthropocene Level: 2 Bloom’s Level: Understanding/Applying 29. What was the conclusion of the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment?