1.Which of the Following Statements Is Not a Global Environmental Problem?
Sci 1121 Environmental Science, Section One Exam, Spring 2012 (Watch for negatives like the word “not.”)
1.Which of the following statements is not a global environmental problem?
A.The human population is growing nearly exponentially, especially in ‘third world,’ developing countries.
B.Many, perhaps most, of the world’s ecosystems are currently being destroyed
C.Human caused global cooling is changing climates
D.Biodiversity is dramatically decreasing
2.Which of the following statements is true regarding human population growth?
A.The earth will always be able to support human populations, regardless of how much this population grows
B.People in third world,’ developing countries have the same average income as in developed countries
C.The smallest population increases will be in ‘third world,’ developing countries
D.Human population growth is projected to stabilize in the next 100 years
3.Current “global climate change”:
A.Is a completely bogus, liberal media invention
B.Is the human caused, long-term cooling of the Earth
C.Is the human caused, long-term warming of the Earth
D.Has very little effect on weather, sea levels, or ecosystems
4.Which of the following statements is true regarding the “greenhouse effect “?
A.It has little to nothing to do with ‘global climate change’
B.It causes the surface of the earth, its atmosphere, and its oceans to cool down
C.It is largely caused by the over-accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels and wood
D.The United States is, by far, the most positive proponent of the Kyoto protocol and like international proposals
5.Biodiversity is defined by which of the following statements?
A.The natural species variation among all of the living organisms within any particular ecosystem
B.The number of individuals of a particular species in a particular ecosystem
C.The number of different races (subspecies) of any one particular species
D.A rock band with Black, White, and Latino members
6.Which of the following statements is not true regarding biodiversity?
A.Biodiversity has a great impact on the overall future potential of medicinal drugs
B.Biodiversity has a great impact on the overall future potential of agricultural crops
C.Biodiversity has a great impact on the overall livelihood of many peoples of the world
D.Biodiversity has nothing to do with the overall ‘health’ of natural ecosystems, or our own ethical lives
7.The scientific study of all the natural and human-caused interactions (cause-effect) of the world that we live upon is:
A.Environmental science
B.Philosophy
C.Astrology
D.Bogus
8.The environmental movement in the United States:
A.Did not begin until late in the twentieth century
B.Had nothing to do with president Theodore Roosevelt
C.Had nothing to do with the Great Depression and World War II
D.Was inspired and fueled by conservation associations, popular authors, and grassroots initiatives
9.The scientific method:
A.Can be used to ask question and get answers about anything, subjective or objective, in the world
B.Is a systematic, rationale way to observe and test phenomenon of the objective world around us
C.Is a totally bogus way to ask questions and analyze the world around us
D.Always provides absolutely true answers
10.The difference between a hypothesis and a theory is:
A.Theories (not hypotheses) are educated guesses about the causes and effects of observed phenomenon
B.Hypotheses (not theories) are logically consistent across all observations and often include many theories
C.Hypotheses (not theories) can predict the outcome of future observations
D.Theories (not hypotheses) are a valid interpretation of reality
11.An ecosystem is sustainable if it can:
A.Continue indefinitely without depleting nutrients, species, and energy resources, in spite of being harvested
B.Be harvested at levels above the capacity of the populations within it to restore themselves
C.Become completely depleted, but is able to be restored afterwards
D.Never be altered by humans
12.Which of the following concepts has nothing to do with environmental sustainable solutions?
A.Economic feasibility, political support, and social desirability
B.Political expediency, especially by special interest, conservative political groups
C.Ecological viability backed up by sound scientific research of how the world works
D.Stewardship, i.e. public and individual responsibility in managing natural resources for the common good
13.As a nation’s income level rises:
A.Some problems, such as inadequate sanitation, increase through taxes and technology
B.Some problems, such as urban sprawl and CO2 emissions, continually decrease
C.Some problems, such as little access to safe water, decrease over time
D.Some problems, such as air pollution, are not affected at all
14.Which of the following statements is true regarding political/economic systems in the world?
A.In dictatorships the market economy runs by principles of supply and demand without governmental interference
B.In free-market, capitalistic economies the government makes all central economic decisions and owns all industry
C.Most countries have a combination of free-market and dictatorship style economies
D.Competition decreases efficiencies in most all economies
15.Environmental public policy:
A.Attempts to maximize short-term personal profit at the expense of long-term consequences to society
B.Are self-serving environmental laws and regulations developed by private corporations and individuals
C.Has the purpose of promoting the common good in protecting both human welfare and the natural world
D.Is a luxury to be tolerated as long as it does not interfere with personal freedoms or economic development
16.The “environment versus economy” argument criticizes responsible/sustainable environment policy; this is bogus:
A.Because environmental protection policy causes the loss of millions of jobs and billions of dollars each year
B.Because environmental protection policy transfers wealth from pollution controllers to polluters
C.Because environmental protection policy has no adverse effect on the economy
D.Because environmental protection policy is never worth the expense
17.As more and more money is spent on pollution control:
A.The problems get worse and worse
B.The problems are guaranteed to go completely away
C.They will never be able to pay for themselves in any benefit to humankind
D.A point of diminishing returns is reached where the value of the benefits derived isn’t worth its cost
18.Which of the following statements is not true according to the article from The Nation that I asked you all to read?
A.Mexican pig farmers were no longer able to work locally due to NAFTA and illegally migrated to USA pig farms
B.The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) eliminated barriers to trade within North America
C.The passage of NAFTA dramatically increased the wealth of Mexican pig farmers
D.Pig farming has serious environmental problems regardless of where it is done
19.The study of all processes influencing the distribution, abundance, and interactions of organisms in their environment:
A.Is astrobiology
B.Is philosophy
C.Is theology
D.Is ecology
20.A classification of organisms of all the same kind, that if sexual, can interbreed and produce fertile offspring is the:
A.Genus
B.Species
C.Population
D.Community
21.A group of organisms that can all potentially interbreed, and all live in the same place and time are called a:
A.Genus
B.Species
C.Population
D.Community
22.A group of all the organisms in any particular place and time, regardless of whether they can interbreed or not is a:
A.Genus
B.Species
C.Population
D.Community
23.An interactive complex of all the organisms and the non-living components of any particular time and place is called:
A.A biome
B.An ecotone
C.A biosphere
D.An ecosystem
24.The transitional zones between the different environmental complexes of the question directly above are called:
A.Biomes
B.Ecotones
C.Biospheres
D.Ecosystems
25.A large area of the earth defined by its climate and all the living and non-living components of its environment is:
A.A biome
B.An ecotone
C.A biosphere
D.An ecosystem
26.For any particular condition or resource, particular organisms have evolved to grow, thrive, and reproduce best at their:
A.Optimum range
B.Zones of stress
C.Lower limit of tolerance
D.Upper limit of tolerance
27.The place, defined by the physical environment, in which a particular species has evolved to live is called:
A.Its hood
B.Its niche
C.Its habitat
D.Its synergism
28.The sum of all conditions and resources, biotic and abiotic, in which a particular species has evolved to live is called:
A.Its hood
B.Its niche
C.Its habitat
D.Its synergism
29.Which of the following gaseous molecules is not a principal component of the Earth’s atmosphere?
A.Oxygen (O2)
B.Nitrogen (N2)
C.Methane (CH4)
D.Carbon dioxide (CO2)
30.The energy stored in the chemical bonds of a piece of firewood is called:
A.Heat
B.Radiation
C.Kinetic energy
D.Potential energy
31.Which of the following statements is not a consequence of either of the two laws of thermodynamics?
A.Energy can neither be created nor destroyed (except in a E=mc2 relativistic manner)
B.Energy can be converted from one form to another
C.All energy conversions lose usable energy as heat
D.Increasing entropy requires the input of energy
32.Which of the following statements does not pertain to organisms known by the ecological term producers?
A.They have the capability to make their own high-energy organic molecules from inorganic raw materials
B.The primary producer pathway, photosynthesis, uses the sun for energy input
C.Photosynthesis uses glucose to produce carbon dioxide
D.The most familiar producers are photosynthetic plants
33.Which of the following statements does not pertain to organisms known by the ecological term consumers?
A.They often use the process of cellular respiration to break down complex organic molecules to produce energy
B.They have the capability to make their own high-energy organic molecules from inorganic raw materials
C.They are organisms that support their lives by feeding on the other life forms
D.Cellular respiration uses glucose to produce carbon dioxide
34.Biogeochemical cycles describe the paths of molecules through an ecosystem; which of the following is not one?
A.The unicycle
B.The carbon cycle
C.The nitrogen cycle
D.The phosphorous cycle
35.Nitrogen fixation is the process whereby inorganic N2 is ‘fixed’ into organic form; which of the following is true?
A.This is largely accomplished by symbiotic bacteria in the root nodules of legume plants
B.Since there is plenty of nitrogen in the air, it is seldom a limiting nutrient
C.All organisms can directly use the nitrogen gas within the atmosphere
D.It has little consequence to the rest of life on Earth
36.Which of the following statements is true regarding exponential population growth?
A.When plotted against time a “J” shaped curve is graphed out
B.When plotted against time a “S” shaped curve is graphed out
C.The per capita growth rate continually increases over time
D.Exponential growth of a population can go one indefinitely
37.Which of the following statements is true regarding logistic population growth?
A.When plotted against time a “J” shaped curve is graphed out
B.When plotted against time a “S” shaped curve is graphed out
C.The per capita growth rate continually increases over time
D.Logistic growth of a population cannot go one indefinitely
38.Population density-dependent factors that affect the carrying capacity of a species in an ecosystem (i.e. density-dependent environmental resistance factors) do not include which of the following?
A.Availability of appropriate habitat
B.Availability of appropriate food
C.Level of predation
D.Wildfire
39.Species that tend to be “r-selected” (i.e. growth rate determined selection) usually consists of individuals that:
A.Die at a very young age, and produce many offspring, with little parental care (type III survivorship)
B.Die at a very young age, and produce few offspring, with lots of parental care (type III survivorship)
C.Die at a very old age, and produce many offspring, with little parental care (type I survivorship)
D.Die at a very old age, and produce few offspring, with lots of parental care (type I survivorship)
40.Examples of species that tend toward “K-selection” (i.e. carrying capacity determined selection) include:
A.Most medium to small sized vertebrates, e.g. most fish, many reptiles, and most rodents
B.Most large mammals, like elephants, whales, and apes; large birds; and trees
C.Species that have an equal probability of dying at any age
D.Most invertebrates and most herbaceous plants
41.If two species live together such that both partners benefit, (e.g. lichens =fungus+algae), this is an example of:
A.Endosymbiosis
B.Commensalism
C.Parasitism
D.Mutualism
42. If two species live together such that one of them benefits and the other is harmed is, this is an example of:
A.Endosymbiosis
B.Commensalism
C.Parasitism
D.Mutualism
43.If multiple species use the same resource but at different times or in different ways, this is the:
A.Resource partitioning phenomenon
B.Competitive exclusion principle
C.Mutualism version of symbiosis
D.Community bipartitions system
44. An organism that can use energy and inorganic substances to produce all the organic material it requires is:
A.A decomposer
B.A heterotroph
C.An autotroph
D.A virus
45. An organism that obtains its energy and nutrients (other than water) from other life forms is:
A.A decomposer
B.A heterotroph
C.An autotroph
D.A virus
46.An organism that uses the organic molecules in detritus and recycle them through the ecosystem is:
A.A decomposer
B.A heterotroph
C.An autotroph
D.A virus
47.An interconnected series of food chains in any particular ecosystem is called:
A.Competitive exclusion principle
B.Predator-prey relationships
C.Biomagnification
D.Food web
48.In the Planet Earth Jungle episode, the huge tree falling with lots of plants quickly growing afterwards illustrates:
A.Secondary succession on a very local scale
B.Primary succession on a very local scale
C.Resource partitioning
D.Keystone species
49.All the different monkeys eating figs at different times in the Planet Earth Jungle episode was an example of:
A.Secondary succession on a very local scale
B.Primary succession on a very local scale
C.Resource partitioning
D.Keystone species
50.The most biodiverse terrestrial biome on the Earth is the:
A.Desert
B.Grassland/prairie
C.Tropical rain forest
D.Northern coniferous forest
1