Exam Review

Question 1

What is the age of the Earth?

Answer 1

4.56 billion years

Question 2

Of the energy gained by any trophic level (i.e., producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc.), what percentage is typically transferred to the next trophic level?

Answer 2

10-20%

Question 3

Which of the following statements about the formation of the universe and solar system is true?

Answer 3

Planets started as small dust particles and gases, and accreted relatively rapidly into large bodies

Question 4

A good “working definition” for life might be: “A highly organized system that can capture, store, and transmit:”

Answer 4

Energy

Question 5

Of the additional heat trapped by climate change, how much is absorbed by the oceans?

Answer 5

80-90%

Question 6

Which is NOT an effect of ‘bad’ ozone in the troposphere?

Answer 6

More UV radiation reaches Earth’s surface

Question 7

What causes the seasons?

Answer 7

Earth’s tilt

Question 8

How many major extinction events have occurred on earth, including the current extinction event driven by human activities?

Answer 8

6

Question 9

The distribution of terrestrial biomes is determined mostly by?

Answer 9

Temperature and precipitation

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true?

Answer 10

• coal is generated mostly from the burial of terrestrial organic matter
• petroleum (crude oil) is generated mostly from the burial of marine organic matter
• in 2014, petroleum was the largest share of the US primary energy consumption
*** all of the above statements are true

Question 11

A Doppler shift towards the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum means that waves are shifting to:

Answer 11

A lower energy and longer wavelength

Question 12

A heterotroph is an organism that:

Answer 12

Uses organic compounds as a source of energy

Question 13

Which of the following statements regarding ecosystems is true?

Answer 13

Ecosystems maintain themselves by cycling energy and nutrients from external sources

Question 14

Warm currents are located along the ________ side of ocean basins and ________ side of continents

Answer 14

West; east

Question 15

What is the approximate pH of the surface ocean today?

Answer 15

8

Question 16

A majority of the coal that is burned in the US is used for:

Answer 16

Electric power

Question 17

About how much of the US electricity is currently generated from renewable energy sources?

Answer 17

10%

Question 18

Which of the following would most likely have the greatest positive impact on the quality of the natural environment worldwide?

Answer 18

Stabilization or reduction of the size of the human population

Question 19

Put the following sequence of events in the Earth’s history from oldest to youngest

Answer 19

A) The Big Bang
B) The moon-forming impact
C) Emergence of the first living prokaryotic organisms
D) The rise of significant amounts of oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere
E) the evolution of shelled organisms

Question 20

CO2 + H2O + sunlight = C(x)H(2x)O(x) + O(2)

Answer 20

Photosynthesis

Question 21

C(x)H(2x)O(x) = CO2 + H2O

Answer 21

Respiration

Question 22

-log(H+)

Answer 22

Definition of pH

Question 23

CH4 + 2O(2) = CO2 + 2H(2)O

Answer 23

Combustion of natural gas

Question 24

CO2 +H2O = HCO(3)- + H(+)

Answer 24

Ocean acidification

Question 25

Of anthropogenic (human-generated) carbon dioxide emissions, about how much of these emissions have ended up in the Atmosphere?

Answer 25

50%

Question 26

Of anthropogenic (human-generated) carbon dioxide emissions, about how much of these emissions have ended up in the Ocean?

Answer 26

25-33%

Question 27

Of anthropogenic (human-generated) carbon dioxide emissions, about how much of these emissions have ended up in the Terrestrial Ecosystems?

Answer 27

16-25%

Question 28

Argon(Ar):

Answer 28

1%

Question 29

Carbon dioxide(CO2):

Answer 29

0.039%

Question 30

Nitrogen(N2):

Answer 30

78%

Question 31

Oxygen (O2):

Answer 31

21%

Question 32

Deserts latitude

Answer 32

30 degrees

Question 33

The ITCZ and equators latitude

Answer 33

0 degrees

Question 34

The poles latitudes

Answer 34

90 degrees

Question 35

Name three atmospheric “greenhouse” gases that are important for global warming

Answer 35

• carbon dioxide (CO2)
• methane (CH4)
• water (H2O)

Question 36

Name the three most important fossil fuels in terms of human consumption

Answer 36

• oil or petroleum
• natural gas
• coal

Question 37

What two important biological processes lead to the seasonal variations in CO2 in the atmosphere?

Answer 37

Photosynthesis and respiration

Question 38

When CO2 is increasing in the atmosphere, which process is dominant in the northern hemisphere?

Answer 38

Respiration

Question 39

List and explain 3 reasons why the human population growth is exponential and not linear

Answer 39

• medical advances: lower down death due to sickness
• development of new farming practice and mechanization of agriculture: provide a more stable source of food
• creation of sewage systems: makes people’s environment healthier, limiting the spreading of sickness

Question 40

List several impacts on the planet Earth and it’s resources caused by human population growth?

Answer 40

• Climate change
• Deforestation
• Soil erosion and degradation
• Land use change and habitat loss
• Biodiversity loss
• Stratospheric ozone depletion
• Degraded air quality
• Degraded water quality
• Scarcity of fresh water
• Land contamination