WorksheetsAP Environmental Science Sustainability
Total questions: 55
Worksheet time: 1hrs 6mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Which of these countries has the largest ecological footprint?
a)
Haiti
b)
France
c)
Brazil
d)
United States
2.
The average footprint per person has increased from 2.2 to 2.7 since 2008, and the footprints of many developing nations, such as India and China, have also increased. This means that ________.
a)
we are even more unsustainable than before
b)
we are becoming more sustainable
c)
the ability of the planet to survive human beings has increased
d)
the populations of India and China are decreasing
3.
Advances in agriculture
a)
have resulted in increased death of humans
b)
have resulted in alteration of natural ecosystems
c)
did not increase the amount of food per person
d)
do not include chemical fertilizers
4.
The scientific process and knowledge is based on ______________.
a)
observations only
b)
testing hypotheses that are built on observations
c)
quantitative data alone
d)
educated guessing
5.
Sachiko and Fred are having a discussion about the scientific method. Sachiko makes the comment that every time she sees people carrying open umbrellas, she also sees several small car accidents. This is a(n) ________.
a)
theory about umbrellas
b)
theory about car accidents
c)
scientific study
d)
observation
6.
Ecology is ________.
a)
concerned with only economic problems
b)
the study of organisms and their interactions with the environment
c)
not a crucial discipline in environmental science
d)
the study of animal behavior
7.
Ruben has a new puppy and wants to feed it the best possible food. He decides he will feed it the very best canned food plus a dietary supplement of vitamins recommended by a veterinarian. Which of the following best describes Ruben's project?
a)
This is an example of an excellent, controlled experiment as it is written.
b)
Ruben needs to take careful measurements for it to be a good experiment.
c)
Ruben needs to control for the amount of exercise that the puppy gets each week
d)
This is not an experiment—there are no controls, constants or replicates. This is just an idea.
8.
Geothermal energy, wind and solar radiation are all examples of ____________________
a)
renewable resources
b)
biotic environmental factors
c)
biodiversity
d)
biodegradable materials
9.
Which of the following is the best description of a sustainable system component?
a)
a component that does not need to interact with other components.
b)
a component that requires increasing amounts of materials from surrounding components
c)
one which is in balance with the system as a whole. The same amount of energy is removed and replace within the system.
d)
Energy input must be higher than output.
10.
Ecosystem services ________.
a)
contribute to keeping the economy productive
b)
are not necessary to sustainable systems
c)
economically valuable services provided by natural systems
d)
valuable to natural systems but not to human-created systems
11.
The cumulative total and kind of living things on Earth is ________.
a)
biodiversity
b)
taxonomy
c)
increasing rapidly
d)
environment
12.
Increase in medical care and origination of hospitals
a)
Agricultural Revolution
b)
Environmentalism
c)
Tragedy of the Commons
d)
Industrial Revolution
13.
Nutrition improved with the access to reliable vegetables and protein; therefore, human life span increased
a)
Agricultural Revolution
b)
Environmentalism
c)
Tragedy of the Commons
d)
Industrial Revolution
14.
A common pond is depleted due to overfishing
a)
Agricultural Revolution
b)
Environmentalism
c)
Tragedy of the Commons
d)
Industrial Revolution
15.
With the development of urban societies, public waste disposal and sanitation systems were developed
a)
Agricultural Revolution
b)
Environmentalism
c)
Tragedy of the Commons
d)
Industrial Revolution
16.
People began to create permanent settlements and abandon the nomadic nature of their ancestors
a)
Agricultural Revolution
b)
Environmentalism
c)
Tragedy of the Commons
d)
Industrial Revolution
17.
A movement that links the ecological problems on the planet to the impact of human society
a)
Agricultural Revolution
b)
Environmentalism
c)
Tragedy of the Commons
d)
Industrial Revolution
18.
Which of the following is an example of a negative interaction of humans with the environment?
a)
application of fertilizers to crops
b)
hunting responsibly
c)
producing carbon dioxide and consuming oxygen
d)
participation in the phosphorus cycle
19.
Which of the following triggered an increase in the human population?
a)
increase in diseases
b)
improved sanitation and knowledge of bacteria
c)
war
d)
global warming
20.
Wackernagel and others have now determined that our ecological footprint _______________
a)
is decreasing
b)
exceeds the Earth's productive capacity
c)
is neligible
d)
is increasing at a rate that is sustainable
21.
The triple bottom line means ________________________.
a)
a business is financially productive and environmentally responsible
b)
a business has 3 individuals working on environmental issues
c)
a business underlines all important words three times
d)
a business is only concerned with making money
22.
What is sustainable development?
a)
The ability to use energy resources in such a way as to not have a negative impact on them
b)
energy sources that cant be used indefinately
c)
energy that has a negative impact on the world
23.
Sustainable Yeild
a)
Wood that can be processed to make oak doors
b)
Amount of renewable resource such as trees that can be used regularly without reducing future supply.
24.
Modern understandings of sustainable development hold that sustainability occurs when:
a)
biodiversity resources exceed human demand
b)
external costs are factored into the value of all converted ecosystems
c)
environmental goals overlap with social and economic goals, achieving a triple bottom line
d)
all economic costs of altering, developing, and maintaining converted ecosystems are taken into consideration
25.
In terms of ecosystem services, the sustainability managed ecosystems would:
a)
provide enhanced and restored services over unaltered natural ecosystems
b)
provide somewhat diminished or damaged services
c)
provide more and more valuable services than converted ecosystems
d)
restore the original biodiversity of ecosystems
26.
Which of the following will lead to a more sustainable world culture?
a)
increasing green energy production for everyone
b)
reducing overall consumption and halting population growth
c)
increasing consumer growth for all developing nations
d)
creating industrial systems that are linear in design and operation
27.
The "lesson" of Easter Island was that:
a)
conservation of resources is always necessary for sustainable societies
b)
we never comprehend resource issues until the resource is gone
c)
political support is required to ensure sustainable societies
d)
economics is an important facilitator of sustainable societies
28.
Several of the least expensive ways to achieve a sustainable lifestyle would include:
a)
using only renewable energy sources
b)
employing water conservation and recycling, bicycling, and eating local produce
c)
recycling, water conservation, and purchasing carbon offsets
d)
using tidal and solar energy, recycling, and water conservation
29.
Resources that can replace themselves as long as we use them carefully are...
a)
Flow resources
b)
Non-renewable resources
c)
Renewable resources
d)
Oil, gold and iron
30.
When the IPAT model is applied to China, the most important recent factor that has changed and is instrumental in determining environmental effects of China's population is:
a)
Value of P
b)
Value of A
c)
Value of T
d)
Value of China's growth rate
31.
When the IPAT model is applied to the United States, the least important factor in determining the environmental effects of the US population is?
a)
Value of P
b)
Value of A
c)
Value of T
d)
Value of A and T
32.
The area needed for a population to provide for itself and dispose of its waste is called its
a)
range
b)
ecological footprint
c)
naturalization zone
d)
realized niche
33.
Scientist use the IPAT equation (I = P*A*T) to find
a)
soil horizon depths
b)
a populations carry capacity
c)
a populations impact on area resources
d)
beach erosion rates
34.
Without the "greenhouse effect"
a)
Overnight temperatures would plunge downward
b)
the earth would catch on fire
c)
the earthe would heat up drastically
d)
the atmosphere would leave
35.
Which of the following is the most troubling greenhouse gas being produced by humans?
a)
Water Vapor
b)
Carbon Dioxide
c)
Methane
d)
Nitrous Oxide
36.
What is the tragedy of the commons?
a)
When you can't get a seat next to your friends at lunch.
b)
A scenario that describes the misuse of shared resources.
c)
A scenario that explains global warming.
d)
A lab we did in class
37.
Which of these is NOT a perpetual resource?
a)
Wood
b)
Sunlight
c)
Wave Power
d)
Wind Energy
38.
Using resources so that our needs are met without impacting future generations is called:
a)
conservation.
b)
resourcefulness.
c)
responsibility.
d)
sustainable use.
39.
The presence of what natural greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is vital to continued life on earth?
a)
Ozone
b)
Carbon Dioxide
c)
Oxygen Gas
d)
Nitrogen Gas
40.
Many natural resources are ____ but when we use them unsustainably they can become ____.
a)
renewable, nonrenewable
b)
nonrenewable, renewable
41.
When a resource like timber is used as fast as or slower than it regrows it is being used ____.
a)
nonrenewably
b)
unsustainably
c)
sustainably
d)
synthetically
42.
Kurt sees the entire Earth as being equally important and all pieces both living and non living interrelated and worth protecting. What term best describes Kurt's views?
a)
Biocentric
b)
Anthropocentric
c)
Ecocentric
43.
The movement that promotes fair treatment of all people in regards to environmental quality regardless of race, income, or ethnicity is...
a)
Ecocentrism
b)
Ecological Footprint
c)
Environmentalism
d)
Environmental Justice
44.
Any natural material used by humans is referred to as ?
a)
Natural Resource
b)
Renewable Resource
c)
Biodegradable Resource
d)
Nonrenewable resource
45.
a scientific hypothesis that has been supported by data and facts over and over again
a)
sustainability
b)
science
c)
theory
d)
environment
46.
what is point-source pollution?
a)
when pollution comes from many different places that are hard to identify
b)
pollution that comes from a specific site
c)
the ocean
d)
pollution that comes from people
47.
Which of the following statements about green taxes is FALSE?
a)
green taxes help to bring about full-cost pricing and encourage businesses to develop environmentally beneficial products
b)
low income groups are at a disadvantage if safety nets are not put into place
c)
the best way to implement green taxes is to make them very low so it is easy for wealthy polluters to pay them and continue their current practices
d)
green taxes are put into place so that harmful products and services are at true cost
48.
How is an environmental indicator used?
a)
helps describe the current state of an environmental system and where focus need to be placed to make envirnmental improvements
b)
used to describe the food resources for animals in a particular area
c)
used to determine that global warming is causing sea levels to rise
49.
If something is considered to be anthropogenic, what was the cause?
a)
extreme weather
b)
human activities
c)
natural occurence
d)
plant based
50.
Which of the following is NOT a basic necessity of life?
a)
food
b)
heathcare
c)
clean water
d)
electricity
51.
Which of the following is a positive effect of affluence?
a)
promotes high levels of consumption
b)
provide funding for developing technologies to reduce resource waste
c)
unnecessary waste of resources
d)
results in high levels of pollution
52.
Why is genetic diversity within a population important?
a)
make the population better able to survive during natural disasters
b)
creates new and better species within the population
c)
make the environment better able to provide for the population
d)
makes a population better able to adapt to changes in the environment
53.
What is the difference between GDP and GPI?
a)
GDP is the value of all the products and survices produced in a given country, while GPI takes into acount externalities such as higher education and resource depletion
b)
GDP is a measure of externalities such as pollution and health, while GPI is a measure of the monetary value of products and services in a country
c)
GDP measures the poverty level in a country, while GPI measures the cost of healthcare services
54.
Which of the following is a way to calculate valuation?
a)
money generated by people who pay for the benefit (tourism)
b)
surveys
c)
giving value to ecosystem services
d)
all of the above
55.
If more than one car is traveling on the road, what kind of pollution would that be?
a)
Non point source pollution
b)
point source pollution
100 %
