Sample Questions - Part 1

Question 1

What landscaping strategy will best eliminate the need for irrigation?

A. Micro-irrigation
B. Mulching
C. Xeriscaping
D. Drip irrigation

Answer 1

C - Xeriscaping is a landscaping method that employs drought-resistant plants to
minimize or eliminate water use.

Question 2

Which of the following does a site assessment evaluate?

A. Existing structures and Surrounding density
B. Hydrology and Shading
C. Hydrology and Geology
D. Shading and Existing structures
E. Surrounding density and Existing structures

Answer 2

C is the correct answer. A site assessment is “an evaluation of an area’s above ground and subsurface
characteristics, including its structures, geology, and hydrology. Site assessments typically help determine
whether contamination has occurred and the extent and concentration of any release of pollutants.
Remediation decisions rely on information generated during site assessments.” – USGBC

Question 3

What is the impact of creating a dense, compact mixed-use neighborhood?

A. Less pavement for roads and less infrastructure for utilities
B. Increased in the travel time to work for occupants
C. Increased in flooding from stormwater runoff and the heat island effect
D. Decreased availability of alternative transportation

Answer 3

A is the correct answer. If buildings are closer together and hold more occupants, less roads and utility
infrastructure is required. This saves on materials which reduces demand for virgin materials and
transportation of those materials.

Question 4

A door found onsite and turned into a table as part of a major renovation would be considered what type
of material?

A. Reused
B. Renewable material
C. Commingled material
D. Recycled material

Answer 4

A is the correct answer. The door is an example of a reused material. Reused materials are construction
materials recovered from building sites and reused on different building sites in the same or a different
capacity. Examples can include flooring, brick, beams, and doors.

Question 5

Designing a building with a natural ventilation system will impact which of these credit categories?

A. Sustainable Sites
B. Energy and Atmosphere
C. Materials and Resources
D. Integrative Strategies

Answer 5

B is the correct answer. A natural ventilation system (aka passive ventilation) will reduce the energy
demands of a building. No mechanical cooling system will need to be installed and run.

Question 6

A developer is reviewing potential sites for a new office building in an urban area. What is one of the first
steps towards LEED certification?

A. Convening a goal-setting workshop
B. Setting construction material quantities
C. Discuss overlapping benefits
D. Assigning roles and responsibilities

Answer 6

A is the correct answer. Before any design work meet with the building owner to determine their goals for
the project.

Question 7

What is one role of GBCI?

A. Third-party technical reviews of registered LEED projects
B. Approving the LEED Rating Systems
C. Promoting the triple bottom line
D. Auditing USGBC Member Companies

Answer 7

A is the correct answer. GBCI administers the LEED certification program, performing third-party technical
reviews and verification of registered projects to determine if they have met the standards set forth by the
LEED rating system.

Question 8

The triple bottom line can be described as:

A. People, planet, profit
B. Socially responsible enterprise and investment
C. Integration of a building with its natural surroundings
D. The cost of green building

Answer 8

A is the correct answer. Sustainability in the building sector can be measured by achieving the triple
bottom line: sustainable practices that benefit the planet, people, and profit.

Question 9

Which of the following best describes systems thinking?

A. A Sustainable plan for built environments that improve existing conditions.
B. An approach to design and operations that brings team members together to work collaboratively on all
the project’s systems, finding synergistic solutions that support greater levels of sustainability.
C. A formal review process of the design of a project based on its intended function to identify potential
alternatives that reduce costs and improve performance.
D. An understanding of the built environment as a series of relationships in which all parts influence many
other parts

Answer 9

D is the correct answer. This type of exam question tests an ability to accurately know the exact (or best)
definition of a term – as defined by USGBC. This is USGBC’s definition of systems thinking.

Question 10

Which of the following would a landscape architect use to measure the outdoor water use of a project?

A. EPA WaterSense Water Budget Tool
B. Local historic records
C. IPC and UPC codes
D. EPAct 1992

Answer 10

A is the correct answer. The WaterSense Water Budget Tool

Question 11

What is the best design strategy for improving indoor air quality during operations and maintenance of a
building?

A. Use air filters with high Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings
B. Orient the building for optimal sun exposure
C. Use natural refrigerants
D. Use soft surfaces on the interiors

Answer 11

A is the correct answer. Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings are a standard comparison of
the efficiency of an air filter. The MERV scale ranges from 1 (least efficient) to 16 (most efficient) and
measures a filter’s ability remove particles from 3 to 10 microns in size. The ratings were developed by
ASHRAE

Question 12

What does LEED stand for?

A. Leadership in Energy Efficient Design
B. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
C. Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design
D. Leadership in Environmental Efficient Design

Answer 12

B is the correct answer. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Question 13

The Sustainable Sites category focuses on all the following EXCEPT which of the following:

A. Restoring project site elements
B. Integrating the site with local and regional ecosystems
C. Preserving the biodiversity on which natural systems rely
D. The ways in which community infrastructure affects occupants’ behavior and environmental
performance.

Answer 13

D is the correct answer. This choice is the focus of the Location and Transportation category.

Question 14

Question 14: Energy and Atmosphere
What is lighting power density measured in?

A. Number of luminaries per unit area
B. Installed lighting power per unit area
C. Footcandles per floor area
D. The quantity of light trespass on adjacent sites, measured in watts

Answer 14

B is the correct answer. Lighting power density is the installed lighting power per unit area (the amount of
electrical power used to illuminate a space). It is usually expressed in Watts per unit of area. Reducing the
lighting power density can reduce energy use.

Question 15

Which of the following preventive maintenance tasks would a facility manager routinely perform to
maintain indoor air quality?

A. Conducting a flush-out and Replacing air filters
B. Calibrating sensors and Replacing air filters
C. Conducting a flush-out and Cleaning the ducts with UV light
D. Dusting all blinds with electrostatic cloths and Calibrating sensors

Answer 15

B is the correct answer. Checking the CO2 sensors and the outdoor airflow monitors are tasks the facilities
manager could do periodically to make sure the system is functioning as designed. Replacing air filters
should be done as part of a routine preventive maintenance schedule.

Question 16

Which of the following does NOT exemplify strategies of reducing harm to the environment over a
building’s entire life?

A. Restoring a historic building
B. Using salvaged flooring in a new building
C. Conducting a life-cycle assessment to help reduce a building’s environmental footprint
D. Tearing down a building and putting up a more energy-efficient one in its place

Answer 16

D is the correct answer. Studies show that most of the time an existing building can be renovated/reused
and achieve the same energy savings as a new building would have, without demolishing and sending the
old building to the landfill.

Question 17

A bioswale would be used to help earn credit in what LEED category?

A. Water Efficiency
B. Energy and Atmosphere
C. Sustainable Sites
D. Indoor Environmental Quality

Answer 17

C is the correct answer. Bioswales are landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from
surface runoff water during and after construction. They consist of a swaled drainage course with gently
sloped sides and filled with vegetation, compost and/or riprap. Bioswales would be used to help capture
and improve the quality of runoff.

Question 18

If a project owner wants to create a landscape with plants that require watering, which of the following is
the minimum outdoor water reduction from a baseline required for a new office project?

A. 10%
B. 20%
C. 30%
D. 40%

Answer 18

C is the correct answer. 30%.

Question 19

Which of the following are examples of infill development?

A. A design that increases the number of units of residential space per acre
B. A store built inside an existing parking deck
C. The development of a brownfield site
D. An office project on a previously developed site in a city center

Answer 19

D is the correct answer. Infill development occurs within established urban areas where the site or area
either is a vacant place between other developments or has previously been used for another urban
purpose. This example is a type of infill project.

Question 20

What amount of time do people in the United States spend on average indoors?

A. 50%
B. 60%
C. 70%
D. 80%
E. 90%

Answer 20

D is the correct answer. The importance of the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) category is partly due
to how much time people spend indoors. How healthy the indoor environment is, such as air quality, is
related to human health.

Question 21

What is an environmental benefit of cogeneration?

A. Reduced erosion and sedimentation
B. Reduced air pollution
C. Reduced wastewater generation
D. Recharging of aquifers

Answer 21

B is the correct answer. Reduced air pollution

Question 22

What are the roles of USGBC?

A. Overseeing LEED credential maintenance and third-party technical reviews of registered LEED projects
B. Administering and creating the LEED rating systems and issuing LEED building certifications
C. Auditing member companies and providing building grants to for-profit companies
D. Promoting the triple bottom line and administering the LEED exams

Answer 22

B is the correct answer. USGBC is responsible for administering and creating the LEED rating systems.
USGBC issues LEED building certifications once they have been approved by GBCI’s third-party review

Question 23

A project developer is creating an erosion and sedimentation control plan. The plan must conform to which
of the following requirements?

A. The EPA Construction General Permit or the local equivalent
B. The LEED ESC Plan
C. The landscape architect’s site elevations
D. The Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR)

Answer 23

A is the correct answer. An erosion and sedimentation control plan are required for the Construction
Activity Pollution Prevention prerequisite. The plan must conform to the EPA Construction General Permit
or local equivalent, whichever is more stringent.

Question 24

Which of the following are strategies do NOT help a project team design for flexibility?

A. Demountable partitions
B. Modular casework
C. Moveable furniture
D. Operable windows

Answer 24

D is the correct answer. This is a type of individual occupant control.

Question 25

Which of the following building components contribute to the plug load?

A. Computers
B. Elevators
C. Recessed lighting
D. HVAC system

Answer 25

A is the correct answer. The plug load or receptacle load is “the electrical current drawn by all equipment
that is connected to the electrical system via a wall outlet.” – USGBC. Plug loads are a part of the
calculation for a building’s energy use.

Question 26

Developments located within walking distance of diverse uses reduce:

A. Water use
B. Greenhouse gas reductions
C. Sedimentation of nearby water bodies
D. Air pollution

Answer 26

D is the correct answer. When car trips are replaced by walking, air pollution is reduced from the avoided
emissions of burning fuel. Therefore, density plays a role in climate change.

Question 27

What steps would be included in the pre-design phase of a green building project?

A. Develop, test, and select green systems
B. Commissioning Document Review
C. Review laws and standards
D. Review material’s test data

Answer 27

C is the correct answer. Reviewing laws and standards should be done as early as possible in the process
since these have a significant impact on what can be built, where, and how

Question 28

Which of the following project designs would help with both rainwater management and municipal water
use reduction?

A. Rainwater harvesting
B. Vegetated roof
C. Submetering
D. Underground parking

Answer 28

A is the correct answer. Rainwater harvesting can help with rainwater management by keeping the
rainwater on site and reducing the rate of runoff. If allowed, harvested rainwater can assist in irrigation to
help with reducing municipal water use for outdoor water needs.

Question 29

Which of the following contaminants is not removed by a proper ventilation system?

A. Radon
B. Material off-gassing
C. CO2 concentrations
D. CFCs

Answer 29

D is the correct answer. CFCs are part of refrigerant management. Ventilation does not remove them.

Question 30

Which of the following are credit categories found in the LEED scorecard?

A. Sustainable Sites and Indoor Air Quality
B. Water Efficiency and LEED AP
C. Materials and Resources and Sustainable Sites
D. Energy Performance and Materials and Resources

Answer 30

C is the correct answer. The LEED credit categories common among the rating systems are: Location and
Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources,
Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation. Please note: The correct category name is
Indoor Environmental Quality, not Air. Air quality is a subset of IEQ.