Environmental Chapter 1: Science and Sustainability

Are most U.S. college students today more environmentally literate compared to students who graduated in 2001? A) Despite concerns over issues related to sustainability, most current college students and those who have recently graduated are less environmentally literate. B) Most 2001 and recent college graduates were required to take at least one environmentally related course. C) Students who graduated in 2001 are less environmentally literate. D) More recent college graduates took courses in sustainability since it is a relatively new field.

A) Despite concerns over issues related to sustainability, most current college students and those who have recently graduated are less environmentally literate.

If you are registered to take a course called "The Ethics of Human Population Growth," which department at your school will likely be offering the course? A) Environmental Studies B) Chemistry C) Music D) Environmental Science

A) Environmental Studies

Which of the following is a scientific theory? A) "Aspirin reduces the risk of heart attack." B) "All organisms are composed of similar units of organization called cells." C) "I think my skin itches because I switched to a new body soap." D) "Students who sleep better at night do better on their exams than those who do not."

B) "All organisms are composed of similar units of organization called cells."

What would be an outcome of a paradigm shift in science? A) We would need to reject our hypothesis while going through the process of the scientific method. B) Many fields of science would have to rethink their understanding of the world. C) Temperatures in the arctic circle would rise, causing the sea ice to melt. D) We would have to give up using the scientific method since the shift would show we have been wrong in the past.

B) Many fields of science would have to rethink their understanding of the world.

How did the agricultural revolution lead to an increase in human population numbers? A) Farming allowed for the discovery of pesticides, which allowed for better food production. B) The shift from a nomadic lifestyle to settling down on farms with domesticated animals allowed for nutritional needs to be met more easily. C) Industrialization and manufacturing allowed us to produce more food. D) The discovery of medicines like antibiotics allowed us to live longer.

B) The shift from a nomadic lifestyle to settling down on farms with domesticated animals allowed for nutritional needs to be met more easily.

Which of the following best describes the industrial revolution? A) people beginning to grow crops, domesticate animals, and live sedentary lives B) an urban society with increased access to goods and fossil fuel use C) fewer people living healthier, longer lives D) more rural communities with closer ties to organic farming techniques

B) an urban society with increased access to goods and fossil fuel use

The main advantage of observational studies and natural experiments over manipulative studies is that natural experiments ___________. A) show causation B) are able to test hypotheses in the field and with large study areas C) can prove hypotheses D) always limit the independent variables to one

B) are able to test hypotheses in the field and with large study areas

If a scientist travels to the rain forest to observe and catalog new species, he or she would be conducting __________. A) variable-driven science B) descriptive science C) biased science D) hypothesis-driven science

B) descriptive science

When scientists determined that Earth was round rather than flat, this was a ___________. A) hypothesis B) paradigm shift C) sustainable solution D) cyclical shift

B) paradigm shift

In a controlled experiment, if a researcher wants to examine the effect of a high-calorie diet on an animal's weight, which one would be the independent variable? A) the cage the animal was kept in B) the high-calorie diet C) neither the food nor the weight gain because both variables are manipulated D) the animal's weight gain

B) the high-calorie diet

A __________ is widely accepted, and has been extensively validated by a great amount of research. A) paradigm shift B) theory C) hypothesis D) prediction

B) theory

Of the following, which can be depleted if overused? A) sunlight B) water C) wave energy D) wind

B) water

Which statement describes or follows from the concept of sustainability? A) Human population must decline for the foreseeable future to maintain Earth's natural resources. B) Sustainability means that we regenerate degraded ecosystems. C) An example of sustainable use is that water extracted from underground resources must be equal to or less than the water that recharges the underground resources. D) An example of sustainable use is that the forests that we have today will be preserved and not used for human consumption.

C) An example of sustainable use is that water extracted from underground resources must be equal to or less than the water that recharges the underground resources.

What is Earth's natural capital? A) It is the economic value of services the environment provides to humans. B) It comprises the total of all manufactured goods made from natural resources. C) It is the accumulation of Earth's wealth of resources. D) It is the combination of fresh and salt water resources.

C) It is the accumulation of Earth's wealth of resources.

Which of the following choices best describes the elements of our environment? A) all the nonliving things around us B) all the living things around us C) all the living things and nonliving things in the environment around us D) rocks, clouds, ice caps, and soil

C) all the living things and nonliving things in the environment around us

Which of the following is NOT something a proponent of campus sustainability would support? A) replacing energy-inefficient lightbulbs with energy-efficient ones B) implementing a new Environmental Science degree program C) constructing a conventional science building that houses large laboratories and offices D) initiating campus-wide recycling and composting activities

C) constructing a conventional science building that houses large laboratories and offices

Which of the following are examples of ecosystem services? A) industrial production of fertilizers B) power and electricity produced from fossil fuel combustion C) nutrient cycling, pollination of crops, and air and water purification by plants and wetlands D) recycling of aluminum, glass, and paper

C) nutrient cycling, pollination of crops, and air and water purification by plants and wetlands

Which of the following is a nonrenewable resource? A) fossil fuels B) wind C) food D) sunlight

A) fossil fuels

The following statement is an example of a(n) __________: "People in Japan eat more fish on average than do people of other countries." A) observation B) conclusion C) hypothesis D) theory

A) observation

Along with population growth, which of the following choices is a major root of the environmental problems caused by humans? A) our exploitation and consumption of resources B) our sustainable development practices C) our reforestation projects D) our renewable energy initiatives

A) our exploitation and consumption of resources

Based on our general understanding of resource use in wealthy versus poor nations, if the people of a poor country deplete renewable resources at a rate 10% faster than Earth can replenish them, which percentage of overshoot might represent the United States? A) 1% B) 8% C) 10% D) 40%

D) 40%

What was the paradigm shift in how we view Easter Island? A) Europeans were the first people to colonize the island and imported the great stone statues that still exist today. B) Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders depleted the island's resources and wiped out the wildlife and vegetation. C) Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders grew tired of living on an island and migrated to the mainland. D) Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders did not devastate their environment, but instead suffered after foreigners arrived on the island.

D) Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders did not devastate their environment, but instead suffered after foreigners arrived on the island.

Which statement is an INCORRECT description of peer review? A) Peer review helps to ensure that the design of the experiment is logically correct and the conclusions of the experiment logically follow its methods. B) Peer review is a powerful guard against faulty science contaminating the literature. C) Peer review is a process by which scientists who specialize in a given field critique the work of another scientist in their field. D) Peer review is used rarely and only when researchers are at the beginning of their careers.

D) Peer review is used rarely and only when researchers are at the beginning of their careers.

Which of the following would most likely be believed by the scientific community? A) a single experiment that has not been replicated B) an experiment that has been replicated twice with the same results C) an experiment that has been replicated once with the same results D) an experiment that has been replicated 10 times with the same results

D) an experiment that has been replicated 10 times with the same results

If a scientist makes an observation and eventually carries out an experiment to explain that observation, he or she is conducting __________. A) observational science B) descriptive science C) pseudo-science D) hypothesis-driven science

D) hypothesis-driven science