CHAPTER 23
Environmental Devastation
MULTIPLE CHOICE
187.
a. refers to the tragic pollution of an area called, the commons, in England in the 1800s.
b. refers to the idea that all land in the U.S. is now privately owned.
c. refers to the idea that unrestricted access to public land will lead to resource depletion.
d. refers to the idea that people will prefer to use privately owned land rather than public
land.
188. According to conservatives the problem of pollution arises because
a. government fails to pass effective laws controlling pollution
b. pollution does not affect business firms.
c. the market price of pollution is too high.
d. the costs of pollution do not affect business profits.
189. According to critics of the Liberal view, laws to control pollution are
a. generally very effective.
b. very costly to both business and consumers.
c. often ineffective due to the opposition of powerful business lobbies.
d. less effective than relying on the invisible hand of the market.
190. Who was Robert Malthus?
a. a famous environmentalist of the 1920s.
b. the creator of the Clean Air Act.
c. an economist who believed population growth would eventually lead to resource
depletion.
d. an economist who believed that technological change will eventually correct most
ecological imbalances.
191. The environmental problem currently receiving the most media attention is climate change.
What is the issue of climate change about?
a. the issue is the inability of some populations to adapt to seasonal climate changes.
b. climate change deals with technological breakthroughs in the ability to predict tornados,
hurricanes and other natural disasters.
c. climate change deals with efforts on the part of scientists to control the climate in the
northern hemisphere.
d.
192. What is the greenhouse effect?
a. The effect that building a lot of greenhouses has on the economy.
b. The effect that building massive greenhouses in desert areas has on annual rainfall.
c. The effect of accumulations of hydrogen dioxide in oceans.
d. The effect of accumulations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
193. Why are neoclassical conservative economists optimistic about climate change?
a. They have faith in the ability of government to handle emergencies.
b. They believe a robust global economy will lead to technological advances that will
eventually lead to a cleaner environment.
c. They look forward to climate change as a welcome stimulus to the economy.
d. Neoclassical conservative economists are just generally optimistic people.
194. A much discussed approach to greenhouse emissions is the cap-and-trade system. How
does this work?
a. Businesses would trap greenhouse gases in gas canisters and trade them on the open
market.
b. Businesses would be given subsidies to encourage them to pollute less.
c. Businesses would buy a permit to allow them to pollute above a certain legal limits.
d. Businesses would have pay a tax based on the amount of pollution that emit.
195.
a. cans, wastepaper and smoke.
b. cans, carbon dioxide and smoke.
c. wastepaper, carbon monoxide and smoke.
d. cans, wastepaper and sulphur.
196. The most important source of smog in most cities is
a. automobiles.
b. wood burning.
c. hydroelectric dams.
d. nuclear power plants.