1401

Question 1

Capitalism is an economic system

Answer 1

Where private owners of capitals make decisions based on profit

Question 2

Economists use ___ to estimate a resources future economic value compared to its present value

Answer 2

Discount rate

Question 3

A life cycle assessment should be done as a comparison of the _______ of the different stages in the life of a product

Answer 3

Impact on the environment

Question 4

All of the following affect a country’s population growth rate except for:

Answer 4

All of the above affect population growth rates

Question 5

which of the following is most likely to be a limiting factor for plant growth

Answer 5

phosphorus

Question 6

fluxes of nitrogen both into and out of the atmosphere are controlled predominately by

Answer 6

the activity of microscopic bacteria

Question 7

high quality energy is constantly

Answer 7

becoming low quality energy

Question 8

which of the following does NOT describe a pathway by which a single carbon atom can enter the atmosphere

Answer 8

photosynthesis

Question 9

why does the price of gas you pay at the pump not reflect the true cost of gasoline

Answer 9

because of large government subsidies and tax breaks to oil producers

Question 10

which of the following is one of the root causes of environmental problems

Answer 10

rapid population growth

Question 11

why has the population been able to grow so quickly in such a short period of time

Answer 11

because of medical care, clean water and better access to nutritious food

Question 12

using renewable resources faster than nature can renew them is called

Answer 12

degrading natural capital

Question 13

how can a more-developed country (MDC) with 100 million people have a larger environmental impact than a less-developed country (LDC) with a population of 400 million people

Answer 13

people in MDC tend to consume more and have more harmful technologies compare to people in the ldc

Question 14

which of the following is not an environmental problem relate to human population growth

Answer 14

the presence of arsenic in some soils

Question 15

which of the following is not an example of a natural service

Answer 15

recycling plastic bottles to save resources

Question 16

which of the following statements does not explain why the easter island story is often use as a warning to the current global human population

Answer 16

it is an example of how technology can save a population from the brink of collapse

Question 17

carrying capacity is___

Answer 17

the maximum number of individuals that an ecosystem can sustain without causing harm to the environment

Question 18

the term “ecosystem” is use to describe large environmental units. Which of the following features is shared by all ecosystems?

Answer 18

the flow of energy and the cycling of chemical elements

Question 19

weigh a piece of paper, and then burn it until it turns into ash. collect the produced gases and ash and weigh them. the weight of the gas and ash produced equals the weight of the original weight of the oxygen consumed in the burning. Which scientific law explains this?

Answer 19

law of conservation of matter

Question 20

in which sphere of the earth system do chemicals have the longest residence times

Answer 20

lithosphere

Question 21

any energy resource with a low or negative net energy yield cannot compete in the open marketplace with other energy alternatives with high net energy yields unless____

Answer 21

subsidised by the government or some other funding source

Question 22

tapping deep aquifers for water sources creates all of the following concerns except

Answer 22

deep aquifers are heavily polluted

Question 23

what is the definition of a mineral reserve?

Answer 23

identified deposits from which we can extract a mineral at profit

Question 24

what is the main obstacle to extracting rare-earth materials from a deposit

Answer 24

they are typically found at low concentrations at the host rock/ the energetic cost

Question 25

which of the following energy sources has the least environmental impact?

Answer 25

wind

Question 26

why does the price of gas you pay at the pump not reflect the true cost of gasoline

Answer 26

because of large government subsidies and tax breaks to oil producers

Question 27

what is the main drawback to hydropower

Answer 27

disruption of aquatic ecosystems

Question 28

which is the largest way that we are altering the carbon cycle?

Answer 28

burning fossil fuels

Question 29

which of the following is the most significant threat posed by climate change according to the IPCC report

Answer 29

the fast rate of change

Question 30

all of the following are ways to increase our fresh water supply,except for which one?

Answer 30

providing water filters to developing countries

Question 31

the main goals of a dam and reservoir include all of the following, except

Answer 31

clean the water

Question 32

most of the solar energy that the earth receives is concentrated at the equator . which pair of terms is responsible for distributing this energy around the globe

Answer 32

evaporation and condensation

Question 33

the oceans offer a virtually unlimited supply of water, yet desalination is not a common source of freshwater, even in many arid coastal areas. all of the following describe the main drawback of using desalination to produce more freshwater, except for which of the following?

Answer 33

it can lead to the depletion of the water table

Question 34

what is the factor that may limit the production of electivity from solar thermal power plants

Answer 34

water

Question 35

which of the following is not a problem with burning coal

Answer 35

supplies of coals are very limited

Question 36

which of the following statements about the greenhouse effect is false

Answer 36

the greenhouse effect is a new theory the explains the warming of the atmosphere

Question 37

which of the following statements about resources is false

Answer 37

they are the portion of a reserve that is presently extracted economically

Question 38

scientists expect human-enhanced global warming to do all of the following except:

Answer 38

lower sea levels

Question 39

although these are all common in our atmosphere, which one is not a greenhouse gas?

Answer 39

nitrogen

Question 40

which of these is responsible for most of your per capita water footprint

Answer 40

virtual water

Question 41

the term pollution refers to

Answer 41

an unwanted change in the environment caused by the introduction of harmful chemicals

Question 42

which of the following is a type of pollution that characterises urban areas with frequent, strong sunshine?

Answer 42

photochemical smog

Question 43

in an integrated waste management approach to solid waste, which of the following would be given last priority

Answer 43

bury

Question 44

why are secure hazardous waste landfills not commonly used

Answer 44

they are very expensive to build and maintain

Question 45

toxic chemicals in e-waste are polluting the environment and endangering human health. Which of these options is the best long-term solution to this problem?

Answer 45

require manufacturers not to use hazardous and toxic chemicals

Question 46

which of the following is not a common component of municipal solid waste

Answer 46

sludge

Question 47

if an integrated waste management (IWM) approach was implemented, which of the following would be the appropriate disposal place for banana peels?

Answer 47

garden

Question 48

what is eutrophication

Answer 48

physical, chemical and biological changes in an environment when there is an excessive release of nutrients in the water

Question 49

which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why soil is one of our most important environmental resources

Answer 49

soil is sterile and thus prevents the accumulation of harmful bacteria

Question 50

forests provide us with many important ecosystem services including all of the following except for:

Answer 50

increase stream water runoff

Question 51

farms can be considered a type of ecosystem as many of the processes which occur in a natural ecosystem also occur in farms. Farm ecosystems differ from natural ecosystems in many ways. Which of the following is NOT one of these differences

Answer 51

farms do not include any plants pollinated by insects

Question 52

which of the following would cause a population to overshoot its carrying capacity

Answer 52

a reproductive time lag between birth and death rates

Question 53

four of the following are reasons protecting marine biodiversity is difficult; one iS NOT

Answer 53

there is no understanding of what needs to be done

Question 54

why did catch rate of fish increase significantly in the 1960s

Answer 54

new technology increased our ability to detect and catch fish

Question 55

in the process of ecological succession, facilitation occurs when

Answer 55

early-successional species help the establishment of later species `

Question 56

which of the following soil horizons is considered topsoil

Answer 56

A

Question 57

which of the following is not a consequence of overfishing

Answer 57

increased income for local fishing communities