evr ch 1
Which of the following is a scientific theory? "Students who sleep better at night do better on their exams than those who do not." "All organisms are composed of similar units of organization called cells." "Aspirin reduces the risk of heart attack." "I think my skin itches because I switched to a new body soap."
"All organisms are composed of similar units of organization called cells." Although this observation has been supported by scientific evidence over the past 15 years, it is too specific and it is not yet supported at the level of a scientific theory like, for example, the Theory of Gravity.
Which statement describes or follows from the concept of sustainability? Sustainability means that we regenerate degraded ecosystems. 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. An example of sustainable use is that the forests that we have today will be preserved and not used for human consumption. Human population must decline for the foreseeable future to maintain Earth's natural resources.
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. Some areas may be replenished while others may be depleted.
Which of the following best describes the industrial revolution? A. fewer people living healthier, longer lives B. more rural communities, with closer ties to organic farming techniques C. an urban society with increased access to goods and fossil fuel use D. people beginning to grow crops, domesticate animals, and live sedentary lives
C. an urban society with increased access to goods and fossil fuel use The industrial revolution allowed people to use fossil fuels to power farm machinery, so that many could leave farming and move to cities.
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? Environmental Science Environmental Studies Music Chemistry
Environmental Studies What type of topics do Environmental Science programs focus on? SCIENCE programs focus on the natural sciences STUDIES programs focus more on the social sciences
What is Earth's natural capital? It comprises the total of all manufactured goods made from natural resources. It is the combination of fresh and salt water resources. It is the accumulation of Earth's wealth of resources. It is the economic value of services the environment provides to humans.
It is the accumulation of Earth's wealth of resources. Natural capital is the total wealth of all of Earth's resources - not just water.
How did the agricultural revolution lead to an increase in human population numbers? Industrialization and manufacturing allowed us to produce more food. The shift from a nomadic lifestyle to settling down on farms with domesticated animals allowed for nutritional needs to be met more easily. The discovery of medicines like antibiotics allowed us to live longer Farming allowed for the discovery of pesticides, which allowed for better food production.
The shift from a nomadic lifestyle to settling down on farms with domesticated animals allowed for nutritional needs to be met more easily. Because of farming, food was more accessible and readily available so that people could reproduce more successfully.
Which of the following best describes the elements of our environment? all the living things and nonliving things in the environment around us rocks, clouds, ice caps, and soil all the nonliving things around us all the living things around us
all the living things and nonliving things in the environment around us The environment consists of everything living and nonliving around us.
Which of the following would be most likely to be believed by the scientific community? an experiment that has been replicated once with the same results an experiment that has been replicated 10 times with the same results a single experiment that has not been replicated an experiment that has been replicated twice with the same results
an experiment that has been replicated 10 times with the same results Of all the options, the experiment with the most replications will be most believable
The main advantage of observational studies and natural experiments over manipulative studies is that natural experiments ___________. always limit the independent variables to one show causation can prove hypotheses are able to test hypotheses in the field and with large study areas
are able to test hypotheses in the field and with large study areas. Observational and natural experiments can only show a correlation between complex variables
Which of the following is NOT something a proponent of campus sustainability would support? replacing energy-inefficient lightbulbs with energy-efficient ones constructing a conventional science building that houses large laboratories and offices implementing a new Environmental Science degree program initiating campus-wide recycling and composting activities
constructing a conventional science building that houses large laboratories and offices Recycling and composting reduce materials going to landfills - these are sustainable solutions to waste disposal.
If a scientist travels to the rain forest to observe and catalog new species, he or she would be conducting ___________. variable-driven science descriptive science hypothesis-driven science biased science
descriptive science Taxonomists, who are responsible for cataloging new species, are those who conduct descriptive science
Which of the following is a nonrenewable resource? fossil fuels food sunlight wind
fossil fuels Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. They have been made by a process of decomposition of organic remains over millions of years. It is not possible to replenish such resources in the hundreds of years humans have been using them.
Which of the following is an example of a "wicked problem"? 2x + 2 =4 global warming 2 + 2 = ? growing a plant
global warming Global warming is a complex problem that has no simple solution.
If a scientist makes an observation and eventually carries out an experiment to explain that observation, he or she is conducting ___________. observational science descriptive science hypothesis-driven science pseudo-science
hypothesis-driven science Descriptive science does not use experiments, but rather observations and descriptions alone.
The following statement is an example of a(n) __________: "People in Japan eat more fish on average than people of other countries." observation conclusion theory hypothesis
observation A conclusion is drawn after experimentation. Which step of the scientific method applies better to this statement?
Along with population growth, which of the following is a major root of the environmental problems caused by humans? our reforestation projects our exploitation and consumption of resources our renewable energy initiatives our sustainable development practices
our exploitation and consumption of resources Sustainable development practices are not a major root of the environmental problems caused by humans but rather help reduce the environmental impact of humans.
When scientists determined that the earth was round rather than flat, this was a ___________. hypothesis cyclical shift sustainable solution paradigm shift
paradigm shift A sustainable solution has nothing to do with a change in scientific understanding. Which answer does?
In a controlled experiment, if a researcher wants to examine the effect of feeding a high-calorie diet on an animal's weight, which one would be the independent variable? the animal's weight gain neither the food nor the weight gain, because both variables are manipulated the high-calorie diet the cage the animal was kept in
the high-calorie diet This is the variable the scientist manipulates because different animals would be given different amounts of the high-calorie food.
A __________ is widely accepted, and has been extensively validated by a great amount of research. theory prediction paradigm shift hypothesis
theory A hypothesis is a simple explanatory statement that may be disproven by a single experiment.
Of the following, which can be depleted if overused? wind wave energy water sunlight
water Water is renewed naturally through the water cycle but this takes time. When we overuse water it can lead to depletion.
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 the earth can replenish them, which percentage of overshoot might represent the United States? 40% 10% 1% 8%
40% How does the overshoot of a country like the United States compare to that of less developed countries? If every country used resources like US we would need 4 planet Earths
What was the paradigm shift in how we view Easter Island? Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders depleted the island's resources and wiped out the wildlife and vegetation. Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders grew tired of living on an island and migrated to the mainland. Europeans were the first people to colonize the island, and imported the great stone statues that still exist today. Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders did not devastate their environment, but instead suffered after foreigners arrived on the island.
Evidence suggests that Easter Islanders did not devastate their environment, but instead suffered after foreigners arrived on the island. New research suggests that the traditional "ecocide" interpretation of the data was incorrect.
Which statement is an INCORRECT description of peer review? Peer review is a powerful guard against faulty science contaminating the literature. Peer review is used rarely and only when researchers are at the beginning of their careers. Peer review is a process by which scientists that specialize in a given field critique the work of another scientist in their field. Peer review helps to ensure that the design of the experiment is logically correct and the conclusions of the experiment logically follow its methods.
INCORRECT: Peer review is used rarely and only when researchers are at the beginning of their careers. All research publications are evaluated by peers, regardless of the qualifications of the person doing the research. Unfortunately, a few cases of research fraud are not detected until the research is repeated by another investigator.
What would be an outcome of a paradigm shift in science? We would need to reject our hypothesis while going through the process of the scientific method. We would have to give up using the scientific method since the shift would show we have been wrong in the past. Temperatures in the arctic circle would rise, causing the sea ice to melt. Many fields of science would have to rethink their understanding of the world.
Many fields of science would have to rethink their understanding of the world. A paradigm shift is a major change in our understanding of how the world works. Acceptance of the sun as the center of our solar system (as opposed to Earth) changed our understanding of astronomy and physics, and the idea of plate tectonics allowing the continents to move affected our understanding of geology, ecology, and evolution.
Are U.S. students who graduated in 2008 more environmentally literate compared to students who graduated in 2001? More 2008 graduates took courses in sustainability, since it is a relatively new field. Most 2001 and 2008 graduates were required to take at least one environmentally related course. Students who graduated in 2001 are less environmentally literate. Students who graduated in 2008 are less environmentally literate.
Students who graduated in 2008 are less environmentally literate. Reread the section titled "Environmental science prepares you for the future."