Chapter 1. Natural Disasters and the Human Population Questions

Put the different stages of the demographic transition in the correct order, with the earliest stage on top.

A stable population with high death and birth rates Rapidly increasing population with high birth rates and decreasing death rates Increasing population with lower birth rates and lower death rates A stable population with low death and birth rates

Which of the following is not an example of a natural hazard?

A tornado that destroyed large parts of a town

Which of the following statements about the concept of carrying capacity is incorrect?

As human population increases, so do the food resources available.

Of the 40 deadliest natural disasters between 1970 and 2016, most occurred in ________.

Asia

Which of the following are concerns about the human population explosion? (Select all that apply.)

Increased frequency of mega-killer natural disasters Climate change Increased pollution Decreasing supplies of fresh water and food

What increased the carrying capacity of Irish land during the 1500s, leading to a rapid increase in population?

Introduction of the potato

Between 1845 and 1852, the population of Ireland decreased by approximately 20%. What factors led to this drastic decline? (Select all that apply.)

Mass emigration to North America Starvation and disease due to potato crop failures

Why is population growth linked to increased loss of life and property due to natural disasters?

More people live in proximity to natural hazards.

What is the natural consequence of more people moving to coastal communities in the future?

More people will die from tsunamis, hurricanes, and floods.

Good farming, faith, and fatalism, not ignorance, is why people live at the base of ______ an active volcano near Mexico City.

Popocatépetl

___ describes the number of years between same-sized natural disaster events.

Return period

Which of the following are likely causes for the rise in population growth that occurred 8,000 years ago? (Select all that apply.)

The development of agriculture The domestication of animals

Why do so many people live at the base of Popocatépetl, despite the hazards associated with an active volcano? (Check all that apply.)

There is a good climate with lots of sunshine and reliable rainfall. The rich volcanic soil is good for agriculture.

Advances in public health and medicine were some of the main reasons population ______ in the 18th century.

grew

Most of the 40 worst natural disasters ranked by money lost since 1970 have occurred in ______.

the United States

Over the past 500 years, the average number of deaths globally due to earthquakes has been ______ per hundred years.

1,000,000

The present rate of world population growth is about _____.

1.2%

Due to population growth, particularly in less-developed countries, it is estimated that million-death earthquakes are likely to occur once every _____ years.

100

For an annual growth rate of 5%, what would be the number of years required to double to population?

14

Fossil evidence suggests that modern humans evolved about ______ years ago in Africa.

200,000

Population growth was relatively flat until about ______ years ago, when it began to rise.

8,000

Mega-killer earthquakes in the past 500 years occurred in which countries? (Select all that apply.)

China, Japan, Indonesia, Haiti

____ is the number of years required for a population to double in size given an annual percentage growth rate. (Enter only one word for each blank space.)

Doubling time

According to demographic transition theory, what factor leads to declines in mortality and fertility rates?

Economic development

What is hazard mitigation?

Efforts to reduce the number of deaths and damage caused by a natural disaster

True or false: Human beings tend to react to natural disasters by becoming more inward-looking, concerned only with their own well-being.

False

True or false: The recent decline in global birth rates will result in a decline in world population within the next 50 years.

False

Why is it expected that the number of deaths by natural disasters will rise?

Global population is increasing.

Social science research has shown that, in general, people respond to natural disasters in which of the following ways? (Select all that apply.)

Greater levels of sympathy and empathy; Greater participation in humanitarian efforts; Greater levels of connectedness and cohesion

Social science research has shown that, in general, people respond to natural disasters in which of the following ways? (Select all that apply.)

Greater participation in humanitarian efforts Greater levels of sympathy and empathy Greater levels of connectedness and cohesion

Both the 1918 and 2009 influenza pandemics were type A, or _____, viruses.

H1N1

Which of the following are examples of great natural disasters? (Select all that apply.)

Haiti earthquake, 2010; Japan earthquake and tsunami, 2011; China earthquake, 2008; Myanmar cyclone, 2008

Which factor is most important in determining the number of deaths that occur due to a natural disaster?

Human population density

Which of the following accurately describe Popocatépetl's activity over the past few thousand years? (Select all that apply.)

It has frequent small eruptions. It occasionally has large eruptions.

What two factors, other than population size, were shown by Van der Vink to be related to the number of natural-disaster deaths?

Level of democracy Level of economic development

Which of the following will likely increase with continued worldwide population growth? (Choose all that apply.)

Natural disasters Pollution Global warming

What happens to global population if the average number of births per woman is 1.6?

Population declines.

Which of the following is the best explanation for why more great natural disasters are predicted to occur in the near future?

Population growth, particularly in areas vulnerable to natural disasters, means that fatalities will be high.

Which of the following statements best reflects the relationship between the magnitude and frequency of natural disasters?

Small events are more common than large events.

Why is it difficult to assess the beginning of human history? (Select all that apply.)

The fossil record is incomplete. There exist no historic documents.

True or false: A study by van der Vink and students at Princeton University suggests that the level of democracy is more important than the strength of an economy in determining the death toll of a natural disaster.

True

Which of the following factors are believed to be the cause of declining world fertility (birth rates) in recent years? (Select all that apply.)

Urbanization Increased opportunities for women

Match the different stages of the demographic transition with their correct definitions.

Very early: High death rate and birth rate; population remains stable Early: Decreasing death rate, high birth rate; population increases rapidly Late: Low death rate, decreasing birth rate; population growth rates decline After: Low death rate and birth rate; population remains stable

How will population growth affect the frequency of earthquakes that result in more than 1 million deaths?

We may experience them as often as once per century: five times as frequent as now.

Why are the most expensive (in terms of insurance losses) natural disasters not also the deadliest? (Select all that apply.)

Wealthy countries are better insured. Wealthy countries build stronger buildings.

Besides humans, influenza viruses commonly spread between ____ and ____.

birds; pigs

An example of a pandemic is the ______, which affected Europe in the 14th century.

bubonic plague

The number of individuals that a particular environment can support is referred to as its ___ . (Enter one word per blank.)

carrying capacity

During ______, countries shift from high to low mortality and fertility rates, and population growth declines.

demographic transition

Before agriculture, global population was controlled by ____, ____, and food abundance.

disease; weather

Urbanization and increasing opportunities for women are the two likely causes for the ______.

dropping world population growth rates

Of the 40 deadliest natural disasters between 1970 and 2016, the two most frequent mega-killers were _______. (Select all that apply.)

earthquakes hurricanes

The destruction of buildings and roads, loss of jobs, and decreases in tourism income are all examples of the negative ___ impact of natural disasters. (Enter only one word per blank.)

economic

The sharp upward curve in this graph of human population over time is the result of _______.

exponential growth

On a yearly basis in the United States, the most likely low-fatality events are _____.

floods and tornadoes

A natural event, such as a tsunami, that so overwhelms a region that international assistance is needed with rescue, medical care, and rebuilding is called a(n) ________.

great natural disaster

A natural _____ is the threat of a naturally occurring event that could have a negative effect on human life or property.

hazard

Large-magnitude natural disasters tend to occur ___ frequently than small-magnitude natural disasters.

less

The size of a natural disaster is referred to as its __.

magnitude

The term ____ refers to the size of a natural disaster.

magnitude

Of the 40 greatest insurance loss disasters between 1970 and 2016, most were due to ______.

natural disasters

A(n) ___ is an infectious disease that spreads across very wide areas, often across multiple continents.

pandemic

Viruses move easily between humans, _____, and _____ because they live and interact with them.

pigs; birds

The most important factor determining the number of deaths globally due to natural disasters is ______.

population

The deadliest natural disasters occur in the regions of the world where _____.

population density is highest

Countries where a significant percentage of the population is under 15 years old are likely to experience ______ over the next 50 years.

population growth

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 has been identified as _____, a subtype that still causes epidemics today.

swine flu (H1N1)

The famous carved statues of Easter Island were one of the reasons the Rapa Nui society collapsed because ______.

there were no trees left for canoes, homes, or fuel

Economic losses from natural disasters include those tied to the destruction of buildings and ____ systems, but also include losses in productivity and ____

utility; wages

A ____ consists of genetic material coated by fat and protein and cannot reproduce by itself.

virus

Popocatépetl is a(n) ___ located between Mexico City and Puebla, two of the largest cities in Mexico. (Enter only one word per blank.)

volcano