ESRM 100 Chapters 10, 13-19  Ð Exam II Study Questions

Chapter 10

1.)  In an average year, each person in the U.S. and Canada consumes __________ the amount of energy consumed by a person in one of the poorest countries of the world.
a)    Less than half
b)    About equal to
c)    About 10 times
d)    More than 300 times

2.)  The three major sources of commercial energy worldwide are:
a)    Coal, oil, and natural gas
b)    Coal, oil and nuclear reactors
c)    Wood, peat, and coal
d)    Oil, natural gas, and wood
e)    None of the above

3.)  Fossil fuels are a __________ resource because it will take millions of years for natural processes to replace what we have extracted.
a)    Non-solar derived
b)    Limitless
c)    Nonrenewable
d)    Renewable

4.) Which type of energy use has increased in the world since 1995?

a) Oil

b) Natural gas

c) Coal

d) Nuclear

e) Renewables

5.)  Disadvantages to nuclear power include all of the following except:
a)    High start-up and operational costs
b)    No real long-term, satisfactory method of waste disposal
c)    Public concern over safety of technology

d)    Increase in production of greenhouse gases

Chapter 13

6.)  If there were no humans, there would be no greenhouse effect.
a)    True
b)    False

7.)  Which of the following is a green house gas?
a)    methane
b)    nitrous oxide
c)    chlorofluorocarbons
d)    all of the above
e)    none of the above

8.) Which of the following does not affect climate?

a) Ocean currents

b) Milakovitch cycles

c) Variation in the sunÕs energy

d) Stratus cycles

e) Dust

9.) El Ni–o events will become less common due to global warming.

a) True

b) False

10.) In the greenhouse effect, incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the EarthÕs surface and re-emitted as _______ radiation.

a) Ultraviolet

b) Infrared

c) Far red

d) Microwave

e) Shortwave

Chapter 14

11.)  The Clean Air Act has had all of the following results, EXCEPT:
a)    generally improving local and regional air quality in the U.S.
b)    motivated some companies that produce a lot of pollution to move their operations to developing countries where pollution standards are lower
c)    requiring SUV's to have higher fuel efficiency
d)    reduction in air pollution

12.) What is an example of a secondary pollutant?

a) Particulates
b) Sulfur dioxide

c) Ozone

d) Nitrogen oxides

e) Hydrocarbons

13.) Which of the following effects is due to particulates?

a) Lung cancer

b) Corrodes paint

c) Birth defects

d) Burns plants

e) Heart disease

14.) Acid rain can lead to fish accumulating heavy metals.

a) True

b) False

15.) What is not a source of indoor air pollution?

a) Tobacco smoke

b) Legionella pheumophila

c) Molds

d) Radon gas

e) Carbon dioxide

Chapter 15

16.) Which strategic metal or metal ore has the largest stockpile in the US?

a) Manganese

b) Bauxite

c) Chromium

d) Tin

e) Tantalum

17.)  Metal mine tailings (surface waste deposits from mining):
a)    are not a major source of environmental pollution.
b)    can cause offsite water or air pollution.
c)    are a reliable indicator of soil pollution from pig pens.
d)    make good topsoil.

18.) World consumption of minerals has ________ since 1945.

a) quadrupled

b) doubled

c) tripled

d) quintupled

e) sextupled

19.) ________ is/are ground up rock residue after the high-grade ore has been extracted

a) Slag

b) Overburden

c) Smelting

d) Till

e) Tailings

20.) What are two strategies for dealing with scarcity of mineral and metal resources?

a) increase supply, increase prices

b) increase supply, decrease demand

c) recycle and reuse

d) all of the above

e) a and c only

Chapter 16

21.)  Paper, which is typically a recyclable material, makes up approximately _____ of the domestic waste stream directed towards landfills in the United States.
a)    7%
b)    14%
c)    35%
d)    79%

22.)  The United States produces __________ of solid waste each year, approximately 80% of which is produced by __________.
a)    180 million tons; agriculture, mining and mineral production
b)    180 million tons; industry and agriculture
c)    11 billion tons; municipalities and industry
d)    11 billion tons; agriculture, mining, and mineral production

23.)  __________ is the reprocessing of discarded materials into new, useful products.
a)    Reducing
b)    Reusing
c)    Recycling
d)    Recreating

24.)  Composting __________ the amount of wastes that enter the municipal solid waste stream.
a)    Increases
b)   Decreases
c)    Has no effect on

d) Decomposes

25.)  __________ are large areas of contaminated properties that have been abandoned or are not being used to their potential because of real or suspected pollution.
a)    Brownfields
b)    Dead zones
c)    Industrial sites
d)    Toxic waste dumps

Chapter 17

26.) The most common element in the whole earth is:

a) uranium

b) neon

c) iron

d) calcium

e) none of the above

27.)  The Pacific ÒRing of FireÓ is caused by:
a)    oceanic plates are being subducted under the continental plates.
b)    continental plates are being subducted under the oceanic plates.
c)    lunar gravitational effects on the midocean ridges
d)    all of the above

28.) Which rock type is created by weathering?

a) Igneous

b) Sedimentary

c) Metamorphic

d) Minerals

e) Glacial

29.) What is not a mineral?

a) Quartz

b) Mica

c) Hornblende

d) Granite

e) Feldspar

30.) Which of the following is not a characteristic of natural hazards?

a) they are predictable

b) to be considered a hazard, people must be present

c) hazards can result from geologic processes or weather events

d) hazards can produce beneficial outcomes

d) improvements in predicting events and estimating risk have reduced the likelihood that hazards causing catastrophes will occur

Chapter 18

31.)  The idea that commonly held resources are degraded and destroyed by self-interest is known as:
a)    The Law of Communal Property
b)    The Tragedy of Selfishness
c)    The Law of Diminishing Returns
d)    The Tragedy of the Commons

32.)  In a steady-state economy, resource use and production achieve _________:
a)    Homeostasis
b)    Equilibrium
c)    Equitability
d)    Homogeneity
e)    Heterogeniety

33.)  Economics is the allocation of scarce resources.
a)    True
b)    False

34.)  Market Equilibrium is when externalized costs exceed demand.
a)    True
b)    False

35.) Which of the following does not describe an ÒexternalityÓ in environmental economics?

a) an indirect cost

b) a side effect that is reflected in market prices

c) a factor to be considered in determining levels of environmental protection

d) an effect not normally accounted for in cost-revenue analysis

e) a factor measured by an individualÕs willingness to pay

Chapter 19

36.)  Approximately what percent of the worldÕs population live in urban areas?
a)    10%
b)    25%
c)    50%
d)    80%

37.)  Roads, parking lots, and freeways take up approximately what percent of total land area in most U.S. cities?
a)    5%
b)    11%
c)    33%
d)    60%
e)    75.3%

38.)  One goal of sustainable development is to raise all peopleÕs consumption levels to the same level as North Americans and Europeans.
a)    True
b)    False

39.)  What is an example of an Urban Sustainability Indicator?
a)    Children in poverty
b)    money earned and spent in the neighborhood
c)    air and water quality, litter
d)    access to public transportation
e)    all of the above

40.) Consider the rise and fall of human civilizations throughout history. What factors exert the greatest influence on the ability of a society to thrive?

a) soils and fresh water

b) soils and climates

c) climate, soils, clean water, and wildlife

d) lack of competition with other human civilizations for resources

e) all of the above