Ch. 8-16: Study Guide
Which of the following countries have the largest areas of arable land? (a) China and United States (b) United States and India (c) India and Brazil (d) Brazil and China
United States and India
The fastest-growing forms of renewable energy for electricity production in the world are (a) Wind and solar photovoltaic (b) Solar photovoltaic and biomass (c) Hydroelectric and biomass (d) Wind and hydroelectric
Wind and hydroelectric
Which one of the following contains the most liquid freshwater? (a) Lakes (b) Wetlands (c) Aquifers (d) Rivers
Aquifers
The two countries that account for the greatest amount of ethanol production as a fuel are (a) United State and Cuba (b) Cuba and China (c) China and Brazil (d) Brazil and United States
Brazil and United States
Which one of the following soil horizons does not contain humus? (a) O (b) A (c) C (d) E
C
Which one of the following countries accounts for the most oil imported by the United States? (a) Venezuela (b) Saudi Arabia (c) Canada (d) Mexico
Canada
The Delaney clause concerned which one of the following? (a) Sales of genetically modified crops (b) Certification of organic foods (c) Importation of natural pest predators or parasites (d) Carcinogenic food additives
Carcinogenic food additives
The country with the greatest number of nuclear power plants under construction is (a) USA (b) Russia (c) China (d) France
China
The country with the greatest number of solar hot water heaters is (a) Saudia Arabia (b) China (c) Brazil (d) Australia
China
If Earth rotated in the opposite direction, the Trade Winds in the northern hemisphere would blow from the (a) Northeast (b) Southeast (c) Northwest (d) Southwest
Northwest
The United States has extensive deposits of _________________ in Colorado, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming that, if exploited, could yield the equivalent of an estimated 800 billion barrels of oil. (a) Oil shale (b) Bitumen (c) Tar sands (d) Shale gas
Oil shale
Which one of the following kinds of pesticides is responsible for most pesticide poisonings of humans? (a) Carbamates (b) Chlorinated hydrocarbons (c) Pyrethroids (d) Organophosphates
Organophosphates
What is the principal reason that western rangelands in the United States produce less than half the livestock forage that they did in the early 19th century? (a) Overgrazing (b) Overdrafting of aquifers (c) Failure to rotate crops (d) Overcultivation
Overgrazing
Which one of the following soils would you expect to find in a tropical rain forest? (a) Alfisol (b) Aridisol (c) Mollisol (d) Oxisol
Oxisol
The four crops that account for the most production of genetically modified (GM) crops globally are (a) Corn, canola, cotton, and rice (b) Soybeans, corn, canola, and cotton (c) Rice, soybeans, corn, and canola (d) Cotton, rice, soybeans, and corn
Soybeans, corn, canola, and cotton
In 2005, representatives from so-called donor countries agreed to raise their Official Development Assistance (ODA) for developing countries to 0.35% of gross national income by 2010. Which one of the following countries had not achieved that goal by 2014? (a) United States (b) United Kingdom (c) Denmark (d) Sweden
United States
Which one of the following countries currently has the highest fertility rate? (a) Japan (b) Italy (c) China (d) United States
United States
Which one of the following countries has the lowest life expectancy? (a) United States (b) Japan (c) Sweden (d) United Kingdom
United States
The site recommended by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for long-term disposal of radioactive waste from the nuclear power industry in the United States is (a) The sediments at the bottom of the ocean within the territorial waters of the United States off the coast of California (b) The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico (c) The San Andreas Fault near Palm Springs, California (d) Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Yucca Mountain, Nevada
In a soil profile, the order of horizons from top to bottom is (a) O, A, B, C, E (b) O, E, C, B, A (c) O, A, B, E, C (d) O, A, E, B, C
O, A, E, B, C
Geothermal heat pumps (a) Can produce electricity using high-pressure steam to spin a steam turbine (b) Use geothermal heat to vaporize water to spin a steam turbine (c) Use geothermal heat to produce hydrogen gas from water (d) Can be used to heat and cool buildings
Use geothermal heat to vaporize water to spin a steam turbine
Which one of the following fissionable isotopes is produced in a breeder reactor? (a) 233U (b) 235U (c) 238U (d) 239Pu
239Pu
In hypothetical country A, everyone dies when they reach the age of 60. In hypothetical country B, which has a better health care system, everyone dies when they reach the age of 75. If the total population of both countries is stable, what percentage of the total population would you expect to be in the age group 32-46 years inclusive? (a) 20% in country A and 25% in country B (b) 25% in country A and 20% in country B (c) 39% in both countries (d) 15% in both countries
25% in country A and 20% in country B
Which of the following isotopes of hydrogen would be fused in a fusion nuclear power plant? (a) 1H and 1H (b) 1H and 2H (c) 2H and 3H (d) 1H and 3H
2H and 3H
The amount of biomass on successive trophic levels in a food chain forms a pyramid in which the biomass on trophic level N+1 is only 20% of the biomass on trophic level N. If pesticide P is transferred from one trophic level to the next with 100% efficiency, what will be the concentration of P on trophic level 5 if the concentration of P on trophic level 2 is 4 parts per million (ppm)? (a) 20 ppm (b) 100 ppm (c) 500 ppm (d) 2500 ppm
500 ppm
Which one of the following soil horizons is also called topsoil? (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) E
A
Which one of the following is an example of adiabatic heating? (a) A descending mass of air is warmed as it is compressed (b) University Lake is warmed by absorption of solar radiation (c) A home is warmed in the winter by a geothermal heat pump (d) Water is heated as it passes through the core of a nuclear power plant
A descending mass of air is warmed as it is compressed
Currently irrigated acreage: (a) Accounts for less than half of all cropland and produces less than half of the world's food (b) Accounts for less than half of all cropland but produces more than half of the world's food (c) Accounts for more than half of all cropland but produces less than half of the world's food (d) Accounts for more than half of all cropland and produces more than half of the world's food
Accounts for less than half of all cropland and produces less than half of the world's food
Which one of the following was not part of China's one-child policy? (a) Monthly subsidy for one-child families (b) Additional food rations for same-sex couples (c) Housing preferences for one-child families (d) Job priority for only children
Additional food rations for same-sex couples
Which one of the following statements is true about a Hadley cell? (a) Air rises at 60° latitude and sinks at 30° latitude (b) Air sinks at 60° latitude and rises at 30° latitude (c) Air rises at the equator and sinks at 30° latitude (d) Air sinks at the equator and rises at 30° latitude
Air rises at the equator and sinks at 30° latitude
The three regions of the world that currently account for the most exported grain are (a) Asia, Africa, and Australia/New Zealand (b) Africa, Australia/New Zealand, and North America (c) Australia/New Zealand, North America, and Western Europe (d) North America, Western Europe, and Asia
Australia/New Zealand, North America, and Western Europe
The Neolithic Revolution: (a) Began in Africa about 12,000 years ago (b) Began in Europe about 40,000 years ago (c) Began in the Middle East about 12,000 years ago (d) Began in China about 40,000 years ago
Began in the Middle East about 12,000 years ago
Which one of the following millennium development goals has been achieved? (a) Between 1990 and 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.25 per day (b) Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health (c) Have halted, by 2015, and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS (d) Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs, and reverse the loss of environmental resources
Between 1990 and 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.25 per day
The forms of renewable energy that currently account for the greatest amount of renewable energy production in the United States are (a) Wind and biomass (b) Biomass and hydropower (c) Hydropower and solar photovoltaic (d) Solar photovoltaic and wind
Biomass and hydropower
The nutrients that support plant growth in natural terrestrial ecosystems are supplied mainly by (a) Breakdown of detritus (b) Weathering of rocks (c) Chemosynthetic bacteria (d) Eluviation
Breakdown of detritus
Pheromones have not been used to control which one of the following pests? (a) Boll weevil (b) Cassava mealybug (c) Coddling moth (d) Tomato pinworm
Cassava mealybug
Which one of the following is the major cause of mortality in the least developed countries of the world? (a) Cancer (b) Cardiovascular diseases (c) Injuries (d) Communicable diseases
Communicable diseases
Which one of the following is not among the primary reasons that poor people in developing countries have large families? (a) High rate of infant and childhood mortality (b) Contraceptives are readily available (c) Many children provide assurance that parents will be cared for in their old age (d) Women are discouraged from obtaining an education
Contraceptives are readily available
Which one of the following is not one of the purposes of pumping water through the core of a nuclear reactor fueled with uranium-235? (a) Prevent the fuel rods from overheating (b) Extract heat from the core to boil water (c) Slow neutrons (d) Control the rate of the chain reaction
Control the rate of the chain reaction
Which one of the following energy policies would not directly impact use of natural gas and oil? (a) Carbon tax (b) Cap and trade on carbon dioxide emissions (c) Corporate tax rebates for installation of combined heat and power plants (d) Corporate tax rebates for installation of integrated gasification combined cycle power plants
Corporate tax rebates for installation of combined heat and power plants
In country X, the supply of calories averages 105% of the minimum daily requirement. Of the people living in country X, what percentage is likely to have calorie-deficient diets? (a) 0% (b) 25% (c) 50% (d) 75%
50%
Which one of the following is not a technique used in integrated pest management? (a) Cosmetic spraying (b) Crop rotation (c) Planting of refuge crops (d) Destruction of crop residues
Cosmetic spraying
Which one of the following countries is the only country in the world with extensive government-supported urban agriculture? (a) Russia (b) Cuba (c) China (d) Israel
Cuba
Which one of the following is not among the conditions conducive to small families? (a) Social security system (b) Educational opportunities for women (c) Early age at marriage (d) High cost of raising children
Early age at marriage
Which one of the following is not a primary source of energy? (a) Electricity (b) Sunlight (c) Coal (d) Wood
Electricity
Which one of the following renewable sources of energy is associated with the highest energy returned on energy invested? (a) Ethanol from corn (b) Electricity from wind turbines (c) Biodiesel fuel (d) Electricity from photovoltaics
Electricity from wind turbines
On which of the following continents is more water used for industrial purposes than for agriculture? (a) Africa (b) Asia (c) Europe (d) South America
Europe
Which one of the following regions of the world has the greatest installed PV panel electricity generating capacity? (a) Europe (b) North and South America (c) China (d) Middle East and Africa
Europe
Most of the human deaths attributable to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union were (a) Firemen who were called in to put out the fires that resulted from the accident (b) Children who drank cows' milk contaminated with radioactive iodine (c) The engineers who deliberately disabled the power plant's safety systems (d) Ukrainian workers who were bused in daily to work at the remaining reactor in the Chernobyl complex after the accident
Firemen who were called in to put out the fires that resulted from the accident
Roughly 99% of crop irrigation globally is done by (a) Surge flow and flood irrigation (b) Flood irrigation and center-pivot methods (c) Center-pivot methods and drip irrigation (d) Drip irrigation and surge flow
Flood irrigation and center-pivot methods
In which one of the following states is groundwater not being withdrawn faster than it is being naturally replenished? (a) Kansas (b) New Mexico (c) Texas (d) Florida
Florida
Which of the following countries generates the greatest percentage of its electricity from nuclear power plants? (a) USA (b) China (c) Russia (d) France
France
Which one of the following is the correct order of these revolutions? (a) Medical (first), green (second), industrial (third) (b) Green (first), industrial (second), Medical (third) (c) Industrial (first), medical (second), green (third) (d) Green (first), medical (second), Industrial (third)
Industrial (first), medical (second), green (third)
Which one of the following is not an example of cultural control of a pest? (a) Elimination of barberry, an alternate host for wheat rust (b) Planting hedgerows and shelterbelts to provide refuges for natural pest enemies (c) Introduction of parasitic wasps to control gypsy moths (d) Rotating crops so that pests of the first crop cannot feed on the second crop
Introduction of parasitic wasps to control gypsy moths
Which one of the following is a consumptive use of water? (a) Irrigating crops (b) Washing clothes (c) Flushing toilets (d) Use of cooling water for electric power plants
Irrigating crops
Which of the following reasons explains why few farmers in the United States irrigate their crops via drip irrigation? (a) Irrigation water is cheap, and initial installation costs are high (b) Initial installation costs are high and crop yields are reduced (c) Crop yields are reduced and the likelihood of salinization increases (d) The likelihood of salinization increases and irrigation water is cheap
Irrigation water is cheap, and initial installation costs are high
A Bt crop is a genetically modified crop that (a) Is better than crops with the wild type genotype (b) Is not adversely affected by certain herbicides (c) Is resistant to many insect pests (d) Is resistant to the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis
Is resistant to many insect pests
Soil containing organic matter and having which one of the following textures is ideal for many types of farming? (a) Clay (b) Loam (c) Sand (d) Silt
Loam
Which of the following are two of the negative aspects of no-till agriculture? (a) Results in lower crop yields and may increase the effects of pests that remain in crop residues (b) May increase the effects of pests that remain in crop residues and requires use of herbicides (c) Requires use of herbicides and is restricted to perennial crops (d) Is restricted to perennial crops and results in lower crop yields
May increase the effects of pests that remain in crop residues and requires use of herbicides
The three principal greenhouse gases emitted as a result of agricultural activities are (a) Nitrous oxide, ozone, and methane (b) Ozone, methane, and carbon dioxide (c) Methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide (d) Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and ozone
Methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide
Which one of the following is the best soil for agriculture? (a) Alfisol (b) Aridisol (c) Mollisol (d) Oxisol
Mollisol
Electricity produced by which one of the following is not an example of green power? (a) Solar (b) Wind (c) Natural gas (d) Geothermal
Natural gas
Most electric power plants built in the United States since 2000 use which one of the following sources of energy? (a) Coal (b) Oil (c) Nuclear energy (d) Natural gas
Natural gas
Which one of the following sources of energy is not used by electric power plants that generate electricity by boiling water? (a) Oil (b) Natural gas (c) Coal (d) Nuclear
Natural gas
The top three primary sources of energy in the United States are (a) Coal, oil, and nuclear (b) Oil, nuclear, and natural gas (c) Nuclear, natural gas, and coal (d) Natural gas, coal, and oil
Natural gas, coal, and oil
The fertility rate in Burkino Faso has exceeded the replacement rate for many years and is currently about 5.3. if the fertility rate were to suddenly drop to the replacement rate, why would the population of Burkino Faso continue to increase? (a) Recent dramatic improvements in health care (b) Immigration from neighboring countries (c) Improved nutrition from genetically modified crops (d) Population momentum
Population momentum
Energy policies can be broadly classified as supply-side policies that increase the use of fossil fuels and demand-side policies that lower the use of fossil fuels. Which one of the following is not demand-side policy? (a) Use tax rebates to encourage people to install solar hot water heaters (b) Provide economic incentives to electric power companies to build integrated gasification combined cycle power plants (c) Provide economic incentives to electric power utilities to install wind turbines (d) Use tax rebates to encourage people to buy hybrid electric cars
Provide economic incentives to electric power companies to build integrated
Which one of the following is the greatest source of exposure to radiation for people in the United States? (a) Natural radioactivity in the body (b) Cosmic radiation (c) Radon gas in average house (d) Continued fallout from nuclear testing
Radon gas in average house
Which one of the following is not an example of blue water? (a) The Mississippi River (b) Lake Huron (c) Groundwater (d) Rainwater taken up by plants
Rainwater taken up by plants
Which one of the following accounted for the greatest amount of U.S economic contributions to developing countries in 2010-2011? (a) Religious organizations (b) Official Development Assistance (ODA) (c) Foundations (d) Remittances
Remittances
Which one of the following statements is not true? (a) Globally about 15-20% of all electricity is generated by hydroelectric dams (b) Globally about 2 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation services (c) Roughly 800 million people do not have access to safe drinking water (d) Roughly 140,000 deaths each year are traced to waterborne diseases
Roughly 140,000 deaths each year are traced to waterborne diseases
Which one of the following can result from irrigating crops in dryland areas with insufficient water to leach salts down through the soil? (a) Nutrient mining (b) Acidification (c) Leaching (d) Salinization
Salinization
Which one of the following insect pests has been eliminated from the United States by release of sterile males? (a) Gypsy moths (b) Screwworm flies (c) Hessian flies (d) Japanese beetles
Screwworm flies
Which one of the following statements is not true? (a) Since 1960, the percentage of people living in high-income countries has increased. (b) Since 1960, life expectancy has increased. (c) Since 1960, infant mortality has decreased. (d) Since 1960, average income per capita has increased.
Since 1960, the percentage of people living in high-income countries has increased.
In a nuclear power plant fueled with uranium-235, what is the purpose of the moderator? (a) Prevent a runaway chain reaction (b) Slow neutrons (c) Maintain power output within a specified range (d) Shut down the reactor if there is a loss of cooling water
Slow neutrons
The two forms of renewable energy that have the drawback that they unintentionally kill birds are (a) Solar towers and wind turbines (b) Wind turbines and hydroelectric dams (c) Hydroelectric dams and solar PV (d) Solar PV and solar towers
Solar towers and wind turbines
Biodiesel is a fuel made from a mixture of normal diesel fuel and oil from (a) Corn (b) Canola (c) Soybeans (d) Oil palms
Soybeans
Which one of the following terms is used to characterize the arrangement of soil particles in clumps and aggregates? (a) Texture (b) Composition (c) Anisotropy (d) Structure
Structure
Millennium Development Goal 1 was to reduce by 50% the proportion of children under age five who were moderately or severely underweight. Which one of the following regions had not achieved that goal by 2012? (a) Sub-Saharan Africa (b) Western Asia (c) Eastern Asia (d) Latin America and the Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa
Which one of the following statements describes what happens when countries pass through the fertility transition? (a) The dependency ratio decreases and then increases (b) The dependency ratio increases and then decreases (c) The dependency ratio decreases and remains low (d) The dependency ratio increases and remains high
The dependency ratio decreases and then increases
Which one of the following statements is true? (a) The demographic transition has preceded the epidemiologic transition. (b) The fertility transition has preceded the epidemiologic transition. (c) The epidemiologic transition has preceded the fertility transition. (d) The demographic transition has preceded the fertility transition.
The epidemiologic transition has preceded the fertility transition.
Which one of the following reasons does not contribute to the fact that the cost of producing electricity at nuclear power plants is greater than the cost of producing electricity with fossil fuels? (a) Many of the costs of fossil fuels are externalized (b) There is no carbon tax (c) Decommissioning a nuclear power plant is costly (d) The lifetimes of nuclear power plants have turned out to be longer than expected
The lifetimes of nuclear power plants have turned out to be longer than expected
Which one of the following statements is not true about the Grameen Bank? (a) It loans small amounts of money to poor people (b) The loans have been found to have the greatest social benefits when focused on men (c) The payback rate on the loans has exceeded 97% (d) Recipients of the loans form credit associations
The loans have been found to have the greatest social benefits when focused on men
Cabbages and Condoms is (a) The name of a restaurant chain in Thailand (b) Two ways to minimize the likelihood of contracting HIV through casual sex (c) Two ways to avoid unwanted pregnancies (d) A nonprofit with a goal of improving nutrition and reproductive health
The name of a restaurant chain in Thailand
Which of the following statements correctly characterizes the results of using pesticides in agriculture globally since the advent of the green revolution? (a) The quantity of crops lost to pests has decreased and the percentage of crops lost to pests has decreased (b) The quantity of crops lost to pests has increased but the percentage of crops lost to pests has decreased (c) The quantity of crops lost to pests has decreased but the percentage of crops lost to pests has increased (d) The quantity of crops lost to pests has increased and the percentage of crops lost to pests has increased
The quantity of crops lost to pests has increased and the percentage of crops lost to pests has increased
The process by which water vapor passes through stomata from plants to the atmosphere is called (a) Osmosis (b) Diffusion (c) Aeration (d) Transpiration
Transpiration