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Chapter 01 - Environmental Problems - Their Causes - and Sustainability
True / False
1. In the 1980s, there was a backlash against environmental laws and regulations, led by some who argued that
environmental laws were hindering economic growth.
a.
True
b.
False
2. An important goal of environmental science is to learn how life on the earth has thrived and survived.
a.
True
b.
False
3. Sustainability is the capacity of the earth’s natural system and human cultural systems to survive, flourish, and adapt to
changing environmental conditions in the very long-term future.
a.
True
b.
False
4. Polluting substances enter the environment through human activities alone.
a.
True
b.
False
5. Natural resources are considered natural capital, whereas natural services are not.
a.
True
b.
False
6. 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
7. Government subsidies can actually encourage companies to conduct business in ways that result in environmental
degradation.
a.
True
b.
False
8. According to the human-centered environmental worldview, all species have value as participating members of the
biosphere, regardless of their potential or actual use to humans.
a.
True
b.
False
9. Pollution cleanup efforts focus on greatly reducing or eliminating the production of pollutants.
a.
True
b.
False
10. Resource use per person is higher in the United States than it is in middle-income countries like China.
a.
True
b.
False
11. In order for the social changes to occur that will produce sustainable economies, fully 50% of the population of a
country must support the change.
a.
True
b.
False
12. Biodiversity is defined as the variety of genes, organisms, species, and ecosystems in which organisms exist and
interact, and plays an important role in the long-term sustainability of life on Earth.
a.
True
b.
False
13. Inexhaustible resources exist in a fixed quantity, or stock, in the earth’s crust.
a.
True
b.
False
14. One social science principle of sustainability is that we should leave the planet’s life-support systems in at least as
good a condition as that which we now enjoy, if not better, for future generations.
a.
True
b.
False
15. The tragedy of the commons is a phenomenon that occurs only when the number of users of a resource is small.
a.
True
b.
False
16. Natural capital degradation is a consequence of living unsustainably.
a.
True
b.
False
17. Indirect forms of solar energy, such as wind and flowing water, provide us with inexhaustible power that we can use
to produce electricity.
a.
True
b.
False
18. The per capita ecological footprint is the total ecological footprint for a given country or area.
a.
True
b.
False
19. Affluence always has negative environmental effects.
a.
True
b.
False
20. The “tragedy of the commons” refers to a situation in which the cumulative effect of large numbers of people trying to
exploit a widely available or shared resource can degrade it and eventually exhaust or ruin it.
a.
True
b.
False
21. Which term best describes the processes provided by healthy ecosystems that support life and human economies at no
monetary cost to us?
a.
nonpoint sources
b.
point sources
c.
sustainable principles
d.
natural resources
e.
ecosystem services
22. Environmental science can be described as interdisciplinary because it ____.
a.
allows for a rigorous study of the environment
b.
includes topics that are not explored in other disciplines
c.
often assigns responsibility to causes of environmental degradation
d.
is rapidly evolving over time into a different form of science
e.
includes biology, chemistry, geology, social sciences, and the humanities
23. What is one of the three goals of environmental science, as proposed by your text?
a.
Reduce affluence.
b.
Understand how we interact with the environment.
c.
Acquire a life-centered environmental worldview.
d.
Enhance environmental degradation.
e.
Reduce the use of technology.
24. What is a social movement that is dedicated to trying to sustain the earth’s life-support system for all forms of life?
a.
ecology
b.
environmental science
Chapter 01 - Environmental Problems - Their Causes - and Sustainability
c.
environmentalism
d.
preservationism
e.
sustainability
25. Which term encompasses all of the others?
a.
natural capital
b.
natural resources
c.
ecosystem services
d.
renewable resources
e.
nonrenewable resources
26. Nonrenewable, nonmetallic mineral resources include ____.
a.
copper
b.
solar energy
c.
sand
d.
trees
e.
clean air
27. You are installing solar collectors on the roof of your home to cut your use of the propane gas that heats both your hot
water tank and the living spaces in your home. In doing so, you are using a(n) ____ resource rather than a(n) ____
resource.
a.
renewable; nonrenewable
b.
inexhaustible; renewable
c.
renewable; inexhaustible
d.
nonrenewable; renewable
e.
inexhaustible; nonrenewable
28. One reason biodiversity is such an important aspect of sustainability is that it ____.
a.
maintains a ready supply of new materials for water, soil, and food
b.
is the ultimate source of energy for plants
c.
provides vital ecosystem services through the interactions among species and keeps any population from
growing too large
d.
makes life less susceptible to constant adaptation and changing environmental conditions
e.
increases ecotourism in less developed countries
29. Which process best illustrates an ecosystem service?
a.
natural gas fracking
b.
pollution cleanup
c.
water purification
d.
oil mining
e.
soil erosion
30. What term best describes the living and nonliving things with which we interact in a complex web of relationships?
a.
natural capital
b.
biodiversity
c.
the environment
d.
the chemical cycle
e.
the preservationist school
31. A group of organisms with a unique set of characteristics that distinguish it from other groups of organisms is called
a(n) ____.
a.
species
b.
ecosystem
c.
sustainable society
d.
natural resource
e.
population
Chapter 01 - Environmental Problems - Their Causes - and Sustainability
32. Why is there such little waste in nature?
a.
The sun is an inexhaustible resource.
b.
Organisms naturally avoid activities that create unnecessary waste.
c.
The wastes and decayed bodies of any organism become nutrients or raw materials for other organisms.
d.
The earth is so vast that natural waste is not easily identified.
e.
Waste is chemically unstable.
33. Your text refers to the dependence on solar energy, biodiversity, and chemical cycling as three major natural factors of
____.
a.
resource guidelines
b.
ecological footprints
c.
environmental tenets
d.
scientific principles of sustainability
e.
preservationist goals
34. Which resource would best be categorized as inexhaustible?
a.
oil reserves
b.
fisheries
c.
solar energy
d.
forests
e.
coal reserves
35. Which resource is nonrenewable?
a.
geothermal energy
b.
solar energy
Chapter 01 - Environmental Problems - Their Causes - and Sustainability
c.
freshwater
d.
copper
e.
trees
36. According to the ____, all species have value as participating members of the biosphere, regardless of their potential
or actual use to humans.
a.
human-centered environmental worldview
b.
earth-centered environmental worldview
c.
life-centered environmental worldview
d.
sun-centered environmental worldview
e.
geo-centered environmental worldview
37. Oil is a(n) ____.
a.
nonrenewable resource because it cannot be formed on human time scales
b.
renewable resource because it can be renewed through geologic processes
c.
inexhaustible resource because it is a form of stored solar energy
d.
ecosystem service because oil is a valuable commodity
e.
renewable resource because it can be used to make fertilizers that restore soil fertility
38. Middle-income countries such as India and China may have low ____, but they have a high ____.
a.
population size; population growth rate
b.
overall environmental impact; population growth rate
c.
population size; resource use per person
d.
overall environmental impact; resource use per person
e.
resource use per person; overall environmental impact
39. Many economists propose finding ways to include the harmful environmental and health costs of producing and using
goods and services in their market prices. What is this practice called?
a.
biodiversifying
b.
hidden appraisals
c.
subsidizing
d.
full-cost pricing
e.
external valuations
40. About 80% of the world's human population live in ____.
a.
nations with high average income per person
b.
the United States, Japan, Australia, and Germany
c.
more-developed countries
d.
less-developed countries
e.
environmentally-sustainable societies
41. Which resource is nonrenewable?
a.
groundwater
b.
trees in a forest
c.
solar energy
d.
oil
e.
fish populations
42. What is an example of a pollution control or prevention technology?
a.
coal-burning power plants
b.
fuel-efficient cars
c.
wastewater release into rivers
d.
agricultural fertilizer runoff
e.
smart phones
43. On human time scales, nonrenewable resources ____.
a.
may be considered inexhaustible
b.
can never be recycled
c.
are replenished by natural processes within hours
d.
are used without ever becoming depleted
e.
can be depleted much faster than nature can form them
44. Sustainable yield is the highest rate at which we can use a(n) ____ indefinitely without reducing its available supply.
a.
renewable resource
b.
fossil fuel
c.
solar energy
d.
mineral resource
e.
nonrenewable resource
45. The tragedy of the commons refers to the ____.
a.
overuse of privately held resources
b.
degradation of shared common resources
c.
human deaths resulting polluted shared resources such as air or water
d.
government over-regulation of fresh water use
e.
use of nonrenewable resources
46. In many parts of the world, renewable forests are shrinking and topsoil is eroding. This fact is evidence that ____.
a.
all forms of technology increase environmental impacts
b.
affluence has no impact on the health of the environment
c.
point sources of pollution are easy to identify
d.
the market prices of goods include the harmful environmental costs of producing them
Chapter 01 - Environmental Problems - Their Causes - and Sustainability
e.
we are living unsustainably
47. The term “ecological footprint” can best be described as the ____.
a.
average size of the lot on which a family home is built
b.
number of acres necessary to grow enough food to support a family
c.
geographic area in which a person travels during the course of their average daily activities
d.
amount of land and water needed to supply a population or an area with renewable resources and to absorb and
recycle the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use
e.
amount of tillable agricultural land necessary to supply the food requirements of a nation
48. A country’s ecological footprint is larger than its biological capacity to replenish its renewable resources and absorb
the resulting waste and pollution. What can be said about this country?
a.
It has an ecological deficit.
b.
It must not have any natural capital.
c.
It is a sustainable society.
d.
It is most likely a developing country.
e.
It can be described as preservationist.
49. Which activity is an example of environmental degradation?
a.
Using solar power at a rapid rate
b.
Growing crops for food
c.
Cutting trees for wood products faster than the trees can regrow
d.
Harvesting fish at a sustainable rate
e.
Using groundwater at the same rate it is replenished
50. The IPAT model calculates the environmental impact of human activities based on ____.
