Some U.S. power plants have switched to lowsulfur coal, but this move has actually
increased carbon emissions because more coal must be burned to generate a given
amount of electricity.
a. True
b. False
Of the following water cycle processes, the one working against gravity is
a. percolation
b. infiltration
c. runoff
d. transpiration
e. precipitation
Inexhaustible resources exist in a fixed quantity, or stock, in the earth’s crust.
a. True
b. False
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYWith the absence of emergency action to curtail
____ and preserve tiger habitat, few if any tigers, including the Sumatran tiger, will be
left in the wild by 2022.
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYpollution
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYclimate change
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYinvasive species
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYfragmentation
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYpoaching
Two or more different elements can combine to form isotopes.
a. True
b. False
Large dams and reservoirs ____.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYreduce danger of flooding upstream
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYdisrupt migration and spawning of fish
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcannot be used for outdoor recreation
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYallow extensive downstream transport of
sediments
e. have created lakes over of otherwise unproductive
landHTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
Lightning is one of the natural mechanisms by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted
to ammonia or ammonium ions.
a. True
b. False
What kind of movement does the heat within the core and mantle directly generate?
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYconvection cells or currents
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYtsunamis
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYearthquakes in the crust
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYlandslides
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYseismic tremors within a volcano
Species that provide early warnings of environmental change in a community or an
ecosystem are called ____.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYinvasive species
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYexotic species
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYkeystone species
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYindicator species
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYnative species
The Environmental Working Group estimates that you could reduce your pesticide
intake by up to 90% by eating only 100% organic
____.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYbeef from nonfeed lots
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYpolyculture grains
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcomplex carbohydrates
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYmeats and dairy from nonindustrial agriculture
e. fruits and vegetables from the dirty dozenHTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYThe current rate of extinction is ____ compared
to the rate that existed before humans arrived on the earth.
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYabout the same
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYslightly less
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYup to 1,000 times higher
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYalmost 1,000 times lower
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYfluctuating wildly
What is the primary problem with drawing groundwater from near ocean coastlines?
a. pollution travels faster through sandy soils
b. sand clogs up the wells
c. sinkholes
d. land subsidence
e. saltwater can be pulled into freshwater aquifers
Commercial forests have the same biodiversity as oldgrowth forests.
a. True
b. False
A forested slope is set to be logged. Which method will minimize erosion and protect
the stream at the base of the slope from being polluted by excess sediment?
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYstrip cutting
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYclearcutting
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYsurface cutting
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYsecondgrowth cutting
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcrown cutting
Pipe insulation and vinyl ceiling and floor tiles may be sources of
____.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYchloroform
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYformaldehyde
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcarbon monoxide
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYasbestos
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYsulfur dioxide
It estimated that excessive irrigation will cause 30% of the world’s arable land to
become ____.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYdesert
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYsalty
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYdevoid of soil
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYoversaturated with water
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYseverely eroded beyond use
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYSpecies diversity is important because ____.
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYecosystems with high levels of species
diversity tend to be more stable
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYif a few species go extinct, the consequences
are not that longterm
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYit ensures that there’s plenty of competition for
niches, resulting in fitter species
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYfunctional diversity is lower when species
diversity is high
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYit increases ecosystem diversity
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYKudzu was deliberately introduced to the U.S. to
help ____.
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYstabilize honey bee populations
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYeliminate other invasive species
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcontrol soil erosion
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYmanage colony collapse disorders in various
species
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYproduce sustainable food sources
Which fertilizer type is relied upon most in moredeveloped countries?
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYorganic
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYsynthetic
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYanimal manure
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYgreen manure
e. compostHTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
Clownfish usually live within sea anemones, whose tentacles sting and paralyze most
fish that touch them. The clownfish, which are not harmed by the tentacles, gain
protection from predators and feed on the waste matter left from the anemone’s meals.
The clownfish protect the sea anemones from some of their predators and parasites. The
relationship between clownfish and sea anemones is
____.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcompetition
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcarrying capacity
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYparasitism
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYmutualism
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcommensalism
Because of the concentration of people, automobiles, business enterprises, and
industries in cities, they can never be sustainable.
a. True
b. False
China’s onechild policy ____.
a. has had no effect on population growth
b. has not yet been enacted
c. has been copied by many other countries around the world
d. has been praised for improving human rights
e. was created amidst the threat of mass starvation due to rapid population growth
What has released toxic ions of cadmium and aluminum into the soils, causing trees to
weaken?HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYair pollution
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYphotochemical smog
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYvolatile organic compounds
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYnitric acid
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYacid deposition
Wind farms are viable options for supplying more of our energy needs in the future
because ____.
a. highspeed wind is a form of mediumquality energy
b. highspeed wind is a form of highquality energy
c. highspeed wind is a form of lowquality energy
d. wind continuously moves at great speeds around the globe
e. wind is potential energy
Genes mutate, individuals are selected, and populations evolve.
a. True
b. False
Recent genetic research indicates that ____ or more individuals are needed for an
endangered species to maintain its capacity for biological evolution.
a. 10
b. 100
c. 1,000
d. 10,000
e. 100,000
The equator is warmer than the poles because
____.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYthe sun’s rays strike directly at the equator
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYcooler air is less dense
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYthe Coriolis effect pulls cold air north and
south
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYpolar ice sheets cool the atmosphere
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYthe sun exerts a gravitational pull on the warm
air
Agricultural activities are the leading cause of water pollution with organic chemicals
and oxygen demanding wastes as the major pollutants.
a. True
b. False
The ____ states that no group of people should bear an unfair share of the burden
created by pollution, environmental degradation, or the execution of environmental
laws.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYenvironmental justice principle
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYpolluterpays principle
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYprevention principle
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYprecautionary principle
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYreversibility principle
Exponential growth occurs when a quantity such as the human population increases at a
fixed percentage per unit of time, such as 0.5% or 2% per year.
a. True
b. False
It could be said that ____ favored the bee with the larger wingspan, and so the ____
evolved.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYadaptation; bee
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYevolution; population
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYmutation; bee
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYnatural selection; population
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYmutation; population
What is a way that governments can encourage reuse and recycling?
a. Governments can set fair market prices for various products.
b. Governments can force people to recycle with negative incentives.
c. Governments could remove the harmful Superfund Act.
d. Governments could encourage the use of POPs in controlling waste.
e. Governments can increase subsidies and tax breaks for reusing and recycling
When there is a dispute about ____, it is often because of different assumptions about
supplies and rates of use.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYstrategic minerals
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYsubsidies
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYdepletion allowances
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYmarket price
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYdepletion times
Which practice would make forestry less sustainable?
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
a. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYReduce roadbuilding in forests.
b. Stop clearcutting on steep slopes.HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITY
c. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYClear oldgrowth forests for tree plantations.
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYInclude ecosystem services of forests in
estimates of their economic value.
e. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYLeave most standing dead trees and larger
fallen trees for wildlife habitat and nutrient cycling.
Under the 1985 Food Security Act (Farm Act), farmers participating in the
Conservation Reserve Program received ____________________ to stop planting crops
on highly erodible land and replant with grass or trees for 10–15 years.
The burning and clearing of tropical forests adds carbon dioxide, a(n)
____________________ gas, to the atmosphere.
Explain why decomposers are a necessary and important part of ecosystems.
A(n) ____________________ ____________________is a stand of trees resulting from
secondary ecological succession.
Typically speaking, organisms that are described as ____________________ tend to
have broad niches.
List three ecosystem services or economic services provided by forests.
Since the AIDS virus has reduced life expectancy in some subSaharan African countries
by as much as 20 years, the result is that some countries, such as Botswana and
Zimbabwe, will each lose half of their adult population within a decade. Briefly discuss
the implications of this tragedy.
____________________ is the rate at which an ecosystem’s producers (usually plants)
convert solar energy into chemical energy stored in compounds found in their tissues,
not accounting for the use of chemical energy through aerobic respiration.
_____________________ are chemical substances that persist in the environment and
accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and other organisms.
Damaging algal blooms occur annually in several hundred ____________________
zones around the globe within temperate coastal waters and in large bodies of water
with restricted outflows.
A primary consumer can also be described as a(n) ____________________, a word that
means “plant eater”.
Some birds provide important ecological services in pollination and seed dispersal. As
such, a declining bird population could cause a(n) ____________________ of
extinctions.
On the accompanying graph, what dose in hypothetical units did it take to kill 25% of
the population?
Most species reintroductions fail because a suitable ____________________ is not
available.
Since the late 1960s, ecologists have developed mathematical ____________________
that simulate ecosystems.
The immune system has specialized cells and tissues that protect the body against
disease and harmful substances by forming ____________________, which are
specialized proteins that render invading agents harmless.
Four variables govern changes in population size— births, deaths,
__________________ and emigration.