48) What bioregion consists of plants and animals that adapt to differing levels of sunlight
through layers of vegetation?
A) desert and grassland
B) evergreen forest
C) tundra
D) Mediterranean shrubs and woodland
E) tropical rainforest
49) An assemblage of local plants, animals, and insects covering a large area such as a tropical
rainforest or a grassland is called a
A) bioregion.
B) bionicle.
C) biosphere.
D) biogeography.
E) biore.
50) Tropical rainforests typically
A) have rich soils.
B) have three major levels of vegetation.
C) are located 30 degrees or more from the equator.
D) have at least one dry season.
E) have low average temperatures.
51) Tropical forests are NOT well–suited for intensive agriculture because
A) the excessive amount of rainfall in the region tends to prohibit effective plant growth.
B) available nutrients are stored in tropical forest vegetation, so when the ground cover and trees
are removed, the nutrients are removed, too.
C) the ground layer of vegetation in tropical forests is so thick that the land is extremely difficult
to clear.
D) the temperatures in tropical forests are too high to allow feasible crop production.
E) they tend to be located too far inland.
52) In what type of bioregion is desertification most likely to occur?
A) tropical forests
B) temperate forests
C) coniferous forests
D) tundra
E) grasslands
53) In the ________ climate regions, where precipitation exceeds 10 inches, a prolonged
summer-season drought of three or four months produces a unique array of grasses, shrubs, and
trees.
A) Humid Sub-tropical
B) Tropical Savanna
C) Climatic Savanna
D) Prairie
E) Mediterranean
54) In Canada and Alaska, evergreen, needleleaf forests are called ________ referring to their
near arctic location.
A) conifers
B) boreal forests
C) tundra
D) semi–deciduous forests
E) native forests
55) Tropical rainforest canopies are generally
A) a two–layer canopy that is thickest in its upper layer and thin in its lower layer.
B) a two–layer canopy that is thickest in its lower layer and thin in its upper layer.
C) dense tropical forest vegetation usually arrayed in three distinct levels that are adapted to
increasing amounts of sunlight, from the treetops to the darker forest floor.
D) dense tropical forest vegetation usually arrayed in three distinct levels that are adapted to
decreasing amounts of sunlight, from the treetops to the darker forest floor.
E) a one-layer canopy.
56) The nutrients that are available for plant growth in tropical rainforests tend to be stored in
A) the uppermost layer of the soil.
B) the bottommost layer of the soil.
C) a layer that is approximately one meter below the surface.
D) the decaying vegetative material that has fallen on the rainforest floor.
E) the living plants.
57) Seasonal rainforest trees are ________, meaning they shed their leaves during the harsh dry
season in order to slow or completely halt growth.
A) deciduous
B) evergreen
C) savanna
D) stunted
E) steppes
58) What world region is experiencing the highest rate of tropical deforestation?
A) Africa
B) South America
C) East Asia
D) Southeast Asia
E) North America
59) The amount of tropical forest that is lost each year is equivalent to the size of what U.S.
state?
A) Rhode Island
B) Texas
C) Alaska
D) Delaware
E) Wisconsin
60) About half of the tropical forests that are lost each year are located in what part of the world?
A) Amazon Basin of South America
B) Southeast Asia
C) tropical Africa
D) the Caribbean
E) Oceania
61) What is the major cause of widespread cutting of tropical rainforests?
A) the recent globalization of commerce in international wood products
B) an expansion of farmlands in tropical regions
C) intensified efforts to protect the forests from wildfires by harvesting
D) rising worldwide demand for paper
E) urban sprawl
62) Which of the following is one of the factors most responsible for the destruction of tropical
rainforests?
A) the world’s growing appetite for beef
B) a tree disease that was accidentally carried to tropical forests around the world
C) intensified efforts to protect the forests from wildfires by harvesting
D) flooding
E) drought
63) The world’s growing appetite for what food product is a leading cause of tropical
deforestation?
A) pork
B) sugar
C) lamb
D) bananas
E) beef
64) Today, the primary driver of tropical deforestation is
A) land appropriation for national park lands.
B) plantation farming.
C) lack of formal education.
D) recent globalization of commerce in international wood products.
E) overpopulation.
65) With what bioregion is the term “steppe” associated?
A) grasslands
B) tropical forests
C) savanna
D) coniferous forests
E) tundra
66) In which parts of the world has desertification been the most serious problem?
A) Southeast Asia and Oceania
B) Western and Southern Europe
C) Southeast Asia and North America
D) Africa, Australia, and South Asia and North America
E) Canada and Eastern Europe
67) Why does the timber industry prefer softwood species over hardwood trees of the temperate
forest?
A) because the hardwoods are heavier and more difficult to transport
B) because the hardwoods are more difficult to mill
C) because the softwoods are ideal for making fine furniture
D) because the softwoods are more plentiful
E) because the softwoods grow faster
68) This bioregion is associated with the widespread temperate C climate, where precipitation
falls year-round in amounts of 30-60 inches, summers are warm, and winters are cold, yet no
month
averages below freezing.
A) Temperate Deciduous Forest
B) Evergreen
C) Mediterranean Shrub and Woodland
D) Tropical Rainforest
E) Tropical Savanna
69) Why is there special concern about timber firms in Japan and China purchasing logs from
North American evergreen forests?
A) Japan gets a discount on the logs.
B) Japan does not hire U.S. workers to cut the trees.
C) These trees are often cut from public forests in the United States and Canada.
D) At this time, the United States and Japan are involved in a larger trade dispute.
E) all of the above
70) Reportedly, half of this country’s lumber was cut and milled illegally by gangs of workers
allegedly
organized and controlled by the country’s mafia.
A) Italy
B) Venezuela
C) Ukraine
D) Russia
E) Poland
71) This bioregion has two versions: the expansive arctic version of the far northern hemisphere
and, sharing many similar traits, the alpine version found at high elevations in mountainous areas
worldwide.
A) tundra
B) boreal
C) taiga
D) the chaparral
E) evergreen
72) The production of what agricultural product is a major factor in the destruction of African
rainforests?
A) tea
B) coffee
C) cacao
D) corn
E) beans
73) In the 1930s, which country experienced desertification known as the “Dust Bowl”?
A) China
B) Argentina
C) Turkey
D) United States
E) Spain
74) What region of the world experiences the highest water stress?
A) North America
B) South America
C) Northern Africa
D) Russia
E) Northern Europe
75) Water planners use the concept of ________ to map where water problems exist and also to
predict where future problems will occur.
A) water stress
B) cation ratio
C) water predictive analysis
D) systems analysis
E) water output prediction solutions
76) What innovation was made available to Indian women to reduce the time spent carrying
water?
A) water–carrying drones
B) electric pumps that bring water directly to rural homes
C) specially bred miniature camels
D) the Wello WaterWheel
E) electric golf carts
77) Hydrologists predict that ________% of Africa’s population will experience water shortages
by 2025.
A) 35
B) 45
C) 60
D) 75
E) 90
78) What is the major reason water costs have increased in the developing world?
A) global climate change
B) an increase in agricultural activities
C) the privatization of water systems
D) war
E) population increases
79) In Haiti, even before the 2010 earthquake, almost ________% of all deaths of children under
five were directly tied to waterborne diseases
A) 70
B) 50
C) 40
D) 30
E) 20
80) What is a major negative outcome to fracking?
A) cheap oil prices
B) transportation difficulties in moving oil
C) rapid increased employment in under-populated states
D) decreases in oil production
E) a switch to solar or nuclear power sources
81) What country will soon become the first large industrial economy powered primarily by
renewable energy?
A) Germany
B) the United States
C) France
D) China
E) Japan
82) Global energy demand is projected to increase ________% by 2030.
A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40
E) 50
83) Which of the following is NOT a form of renewable energy?
A) wind
B) natural gas
C) water
D) solar energy
E) All of these choices are forms of renewable energy.
84) Which of the following is NOT a form of nonrenewable energy?
A) oil
B) natural gas
C) coal
D) solar energy
E) uranium
85) What is plate tectonics? What are the major types of plate movement and the landforms
associated with them?
86) Briefly explain the following terms:
Adiabatic Lapse Rate
Orographic Effect
Continentality
87) What was the Kyoto Protocol, who were the major countries involved in this initiative, and
how did it finally come to be international law in 2005?
88) What are the major causes and effects of climate change?
89) Explain how Antarctica contributes to our understanding of climate change.
90) Briefly discuss the major climate regions of the world.
91) Please explain the major climatic controls and how they have an effect on meteorological
conditions.
92) Please explain the three major factors contributing to tropical deforestation. In which regions
do we find this problem especially pronounced?
93) Discuss the problem of deforestation of tropical forests.
94) Discuss the problems of water scarcity around the world.
95) Briefly explain the problems of global water access and water sanitation.
96) Discuss the relationship between water resources and the role of women in the developing
world.