Unit 2 Vocab

Question 1

Weather

Answer 1

Atmospheric conditions at a given time

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

Atmospheric conditions measured over a long period of time

Question 3

Ecosystem

Answer 3

All of the living and non-living things in an area (Sun’s energy, soil, plants, animals, etc.)

Question 4

Biosphere

Answer 4

All of the living things in an ecosystem

Question 5

Hydrosphere

Answer 5

All of the water in an ecosystem

Question 6

Atmosphere

Answer 6

All of the gases in an ecosystem (Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, etc.)

Question 7

Pollutants

Answer 7

Foreign contaminants that interfere with natural processes and are toxic to life

Question 8

Point-source

Answer 8

Pollution whose source is easily identifiable (Think smokestack of a factory)

Question 9

Climate change

Answer 9

The gradual warming of Earth’s average temperature over time

Question 10

Consensus

Answer 10

An agreement on a topic or debate (Scientific consensus on climate change)

Question 11

Doubling time

Answer 11

Number of years needed to double a country’s population

Question 12

Natural increase rate

Answer 12

How much a country is growing based on the births and deaths of its people (NOT counting immigration)

Question 13

Malthus’ theory on population growth

Answer 13

Population can only grow as large as its food supply can support

Question 14

Developed state

Answer 14

Country that features a stable economy and a high standard of living for its citizens

Question 15

Developing state

Answer 15

Country that is making progress in making life better, but still lags behind in areas of human or economic development

Question 16

Terrorism

Answer 16

Pre-planned, politically motivated violence against regular people done by a sub-national group with the purpose of creating a psychological impact

Question 17

Genocide

Answer 17

Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group:
Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group

Question 18

Deterrence

Answer 18

Possession of nuclear weapons with the goal of preventing others from attacking

Question 19

Mutually assured destruction

Answer 19

Belief that countries will not use nuclear weapons out of fear of being destroyed by their opponent’s nuclear weapons in the process