Chapter Six: Risks and Hazards

Douglas, Wildavsky, and other cultural theorists suggest that our sense of hazards, risk, and uncertainty is a. learned through socialization and culture b. hard-wired through evolution c. irrational because it is based on affect

Learned through socialization and culture.

Risk is defined as a. a product, process, or condition that potentially threatens people and their reproduction. b. the estimated likelihood that a decision or action will have a negative consequence. c. the degree to which probabilities cannot be assessed.

The estimated likelihood that a decision or action will have a negative consequence.

The key elements of risk include all of the following EXCEPT a. decision b. natural hazards c. anticipation

Natural Hazards

Environmental justice movements attempt to correct systemic inequalities that a. limit people's ability to make informed decisions b. lead to environmental degradation in poor neighborhoods c. all of the above.

All of the above.

Gilbert F. White argued that engineering technologies such as levees were the solution to flooding problems a.true b. false

False

Natural hazards are those in which there is no human presence or impact. a. true b. false

False

A culture that espouses the precautionary principle is likely to a. view nature as resilient b. assume that disturbances to natural systems are only temporary c. prefer to avoid certain activities until it is clear that they are safe d. endorse the consumption of genetically modified organisms.

Prefer to avoid certain activities until it is clear that they are safe.

Cultural theory argues that perception of risk is based on how we interact with others, rather than universal human traits or individual biases a. true b. false

True

The degree to which the outcomes of a situation is unknown is called a. risk b. uncertainty c. vulnerability d. hazard

Uncertainty

Which of the following risk perception biases is likely to lead to an underestimation of risk? a. unobservable b. voluntary c. immediate effects d. potential for catastrophe

Voluntary