chapter 14 final test questions

True/(False)

Like the United States, most more-developed countries have refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol calling on them to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

5. True/(False)

Low-income countries account for a large majority of the world's energy consumption.

True/(False)

A positive feedback loop offsets the original change in an environmental cycle and works toward restoring the balance.

True/(False)

Due to their advanced environmental regulations, the U.S. and Canada both emit fewer carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita than other high-income countries.

Places always have small, yearly environmental changes, but as long as these fluctuations are within their normal range, the overall system is said to be:

* a. in equilibrium b. secure c. a cycle d. a biosphere e. in a positive feedback loop

A natural feedback solution to an environmental problem is unique because it is:

* a. the only one that operates independent of human activity b. the only one that addresses the adverse consequences of the problem c. the only one that addresses the driving forces of the problem d. the most effective e. the fastest way to produce results

Which of the following are human activities that directly damage environmental systems?

*a. forestry and industry b. soil erosion and water pollution c. population growth and culture d. lung disease and species extinction

Based on the flowchart you did in completing Chapter 14 (Aral Sea article), in which of the five categories in the model of human-caused environmental change would you find "population 40 million and increasing"?

*a. human driving forces b. human activities c. environmental change *d. adverse consequences e. solutions

Based on the flowchart you did in completing Chapter 14 (Aral Sea article), in which of the five categories in the model of human-caused environmental change would you find "central government dictates crops, water use.

*a. human driving forces b. human activities c. environmental change d. adverse consequences e. solutions

The IPAT formula calculates environmental impact as a factor of...

*a. population, affluence, and technology b. people, attitudes towards the environment, and technology c. people, approach to development, and technology d. population, automobile technology (i.e., level and type of exhaust)

China's one-child policy is an example of what type of solution to environmental problems?

*a. prevention b. technological change c. natural feedbacks d. land-use change e. mitigation f. compensation

(True)/False

A negative feedback loop offsets the original change in an environmental cycle and works toward restoring the balance.

. "The Scourge of Cows" describes environmental damage in what region?

.a. Africa b. Asia * c. Latin America d. Australia e. United States-Mexico border region

Based on the flowchart you did in completing Chapter 14 (Aral Sea article), in which of the five categories in the model of human-caused environmental change would you find "drinking water contaminated by pesticides"?

A.human driving forces b. human activities *c. environmental change d. adverse consequences e. solutions

True/(False)

As world population increases, human impact on the environment decreases

(True)/False

China emits more carbon dioxide (CO2) than other low-income countries due to its rapid growth and extreme dependence on coal.

(True)/False

Chopping down trees in the rainforest is a form of "direct biological interference."

True/(False)

Environmental impact invariably increases with a country's level of development.

True/(False)

Given the following approximated data, North America has a greater impact on global CO2 emissions than Asia.

True/(False)

Given the following approximated data, North America has a greater impact on global CO2 emissions than Asia. Population GNP per capita CO2 emissions per $ of GNP North America 300 million $30,000 0.6 Asia 3500 million $4,000 0.6

True/(False)

Global warming is caused by the heat released from the burning of fossil fuels.

True/(False)

Governmental policy is a negligible (i.e., not very important) factor on energy usage and pollution in a country.

(True)/False

Human impact on the natural environment results from human interference with ecosystem cycles.

( True)/False

In general, individuals in more-developed countries consume more resources on a per capita basis.

True/(False)

In the generalized model of human-caused environmental change, the last box (solutions) can loop back to provide feedback to human activities and adverse consequences, but not to human driving forces or environmental change.

(True)/False

In the greenhouse effect, CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of the radiant heat energy from the Earth and reradiate it in all directions, including back to Earth.

(True)/False

The IPAT formula calculates environmental impact as a factor of population, affluence, and technology.

True/(False)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded in 2001 that there is still not strong evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities

True/(False)

The carbon wedge diagram illustrates that it is possible to stabilize CO2 emissions through behavioral changes only

True/(False)

The five stages of the "human impact on the environment" model in the book are (in the proper order): (1) human driving forces, (2) environmental change, (3) human activities, (4) adverse consequences, and (5) solutions

. (True)/False

The hydrologic cycle is an example of an environmental system.

The country that emits the most CO2 per year is

a. USA * b. China c. India d. Russia

In the article by James Parsons, the main human activity causing deforestation of the tropical rainforest in the Americas is:

a. agriculture b. hunting/gathering * c. livestock raising d. logging e. mining

Which of the following is not one of the five stakeholder groups in the role-playing activity?

a. big business b. environmentalists c. local workers d. government * e. scientists

A state of being in which forces of change are in balance is called a:

a. cycle b. feedback loop c. positive feedback loop d. input-output system * e. equilibrium

All of the following are true of the carbon wedge diagram except:

a. each wedge represents a technology that can lower annual carbon emissions by 1 billion tons per year within 50 years time b. without introducing these technologies, carbon emissions could continue on the path to doubling within 50 years time *c. if the world can succeed in stabilizing emissions to a "flat path" for the next 50 years, global temperatures would stop increasing d. no single technology is capable by itself of reducing carbon emissions enough to stabilize global emissions

The purpose of the IPAT model is to:

a. explain how environmental change affects human society b. explain global warming * c. explain the multiplicative nature of human factors impacting the environment d. classify the adverse consequences of environmental change e. explain the cyclical nature of positive and negative feedback loops

Which of the following are adverse human and natural consequences in the model of human-caused environmental change?

a. forestry and industry *b. soil erosion and water pollution c. population growth and culture d. lung disease and species extinction

Which of the following are human driving forces?

a. forestry and industry b. soil erosion and water pollution * c. population growth and culture d. lung disease and species extinction

Based on the flowchart you did in completing Chapter 14 (Aral Sea article), in which of the five categories in the model of human-caused environmental change would you find "83% of fish species disappeared"?

a. human driving forces b. human activities c. environmental change *d. adverse consequences e. solutions

Based on the flowchart you did in completing Chapter 14 (Aral Sea article), in which of the five categories in the model of human-caused environmental change would you find "summers hotter, winters colder"?

a. human driving forces b. human activities c. environmental change *d. adverse consequences e. solutions

The level of uncertainty around trends of historical changes in surface temperatures, sea levels, and snow covers is

a. increasing b. unchanged *c. decreasing d. random

All of the following are technologies that can produce one billion tons of carbon reduction per year in 50 years except

a. increasing the fuel economy of 2 billion cars from 30 to 60 miles per gallon * b. replacing 1,400 natural gas power plants with coal plants c. stopping all deforestation globally d. lowering residential and commercial electricity use globally by 25% e. use one-sixth of the world's cropland to grow crops for ethanol for 2 billion cars (using little to no fossil fuels for fuel or fertilizer in the process)

Which of the following mechanisms of environmental change is exemplified by soil erosion caused by plowing a steep hillside?

a. input of waste materials into the biosphere * b. redistribution or sequestering of natural resources c. direct interference of biological entities d. adverse human consequences

Which of the following is not one of the three basic categories of human-caused environmental change?

a. input of waste materials into the biosphere b. redistribution or sequestering of natural resources (energy or materials) c. direct interference with biological entities * d. burying of solid, hazardous, and toxic wastes

At more than 360 parts per million, the global CO2 concentration:

a. is the same as the preindustrial level b. is at the high end of the normal range of the last millennium c. has finally leveled off * d. is approaching levels not seen in the last 60 million years

In the IPAT model for CO2 emissions, population was measured in persons, affluence was measured in GDP per person, and technology was measured in ___________. (Hint: Try writing out the formula. The units of the right side should be the same as the units of the left side.)

a. kg of CO2 b. kg of CO2 per person * c. kg of CO2 per dollar of GDP d. kg of CO2 per square mile e. kg of CO2 per mile

The idea that small parcels of land must be connected to improve biodiversity has roots in the theory of:

a. migration b. land use c. evolution * d. island biogeography e. agricultural change

Which of the following is a positive feedback loop in global warming?

a. more CO2 in the atmosphere leads to higher plant growth, which takes CO2 out of the atmosphere b. higher temperatures lead to more evaporation, which leads to more clouds, which reduce the temperature by shading the Earth and reflecting sunlight back towards space * c. more CO2 in the atmosphere leads to higher temperatures, which leads to more air conditioning by humans, which leads to more energy use, which adds more CO2 to the atmosphere d. more CO2 in the atmosphere leads to higher temperatures, which heat the oceans, which absorb CO2 out of the atmospher

Actions that attempt to reduce the adverse consequences of environmental change are part of which of the following categories

a. natural feedback loop *b. mitigation c. prevention d. compensation

Actions that try to solve environmental problems by addressing the initial driving forces of a problem are considered to be part of the category of:

a. natural feedback loop b. mitigation * c. prevention d. compensation

Which order of the following fossil fuels ranks them starting with the one that produces the most CO2 for a given amount of heat energy, and ending with the one that produces the least?

a. natural gas, coal, oil b. oil, natural gas, coal c. oil, coal, natural gas * d. coal, oil, natural gas

40. In the article "Wilding America," what are proposed to preserve Mountain Lions in southern Californi

a. nature preserves b. limits to development * c. wildlife corridors d. more deer e. fire

A system in equilibrium is characterized by:

a. nothing moving b. positive feedback loops c. renewable resources d. equal amounts of stocks, flows, and energy-material redistribution * e. stocks are replenished by flows

. The primary mechanism causing the Aral Sea to shrink in size is:

a. pollution b. species manipulation * c. redistribution of natural resources d. none of the above

In the article about tropical deforestation, road-building into the Amazon is an example of which kind of driving force?

a. population b. affluence c. technology * d. political/economic decisions

Which of the following is not one of the five primary human driving forces of environmental change?

a. population b. affluence c. technology * d. pollution e. political and economic policy

Which of the following would be considered the primary human driving force behind the desertification of the Aral Sea region?

a. population b. affluence c. technology d. culture * e. political and economic systems

Waste recycling is an example of what type of solution to environmental problems?

a. prevention *b. technological change c. natural feedbacks d. land-use change e. mitigation f. compensation

Which of the following is not a type of solution in the model of human-caused environmental change?

a. prevention b. technological change *c. energy/material redistribution d. mitigation

A coyote population that thrives off an increase in the wild rabbit population due to being fed by a friendly suburban resident is an example of what type of solution to environmental problems?

a. prevention b. technological change *c. natural feedbacks d. land-use change e. mitigation f. compensation

Zoning the area around Phoenix Sky Harbor airport for light industry instead of residential communities is an example of what type of solution to environmental problems?

a. prevention b. technological change c. natural feedbacks *d. land-use change e. mitigation f. compensatio

Cleaning up the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska one rock and bird at a time is an example of what type of solution to environmental problems?

a. prevention b. technological change c. natural feedbacks d. land-use change *e. mitigation f. compensation

Paying the medical bills of Phoenix residents affected by a recent chemical warehouse fire is an example of what type of solution to environmental problems?

a. prevention b. technological change c. natural feedbacks d. land-use change e. mitigation *f. compensation

Current effects of global warming include all of the following except:

a. sea-level rise b. thinning of Arctic Sea ice c. retreat of nonpolar glaciers d. lengthening of growing seasons for crops * e. fewer severe droughts and heavy-precipitation events

The concept of economic development that does not compromise the world's resource base and the environment for the use of future generations is called:

a. system equilibrium b. luxury denial * c. sustainable development d. environmental intervention

"NIMBY" stands for which concept?

a. when natural feedback loops are not able to solve an environmental problem * b. when people do not want undesirable land-use activities near their residences c. when large corporations pay local residents to compensate for pollution d. when people hope that a problem will go away by ignoring it e. when nearby impacts are a function of movement, base, and year