SCI 256 Final Exam Solutionhttp://www.homeworkwarehouse.com/downloads/sci-256-final-exam-solution/Copy and Paste the above URL into your browser

SCI 256 Final Exam Solution

1. According to the Environmental Science text, overuse of local resources had little or no long-lasting effect:A) before the Industrial RevolutionB) during the Industrial RevolutionC) after the Industrial RevolutionD) when there were only a few people on the EarthE) overuse always had a global effect

2. Like the Scientific Method, the process of making decisions can be presented as a series of steps. List these steps, as enumerated in this course.

3. You weigh flour on a scale to find out how much you need for baking cookies because your recipe calls for exactly 105.00 grams (otherwise your cookies will be like bricks). Yesterday the scale fell from the counter onto the floor and is now off by 10.25 grams. Did you get a precise or an accurate measurement? Justify your answer.

4. The lessons of Amboseli National Park teach us that:I. Overgrazing by domestic livestock can have devastating impacts on native ecosystems.II. East African ecosystems are especially vulnerable to environmental change, especially periodic drought.III. Continued wet-dry cycles change soils, the distribution of plants, and the abundance of animals.A) I onlyB) II onlyC) III onlyD) II and III onlyE) I, II, and III5. Consider a situation where increased solar radiation reaches the Earth's surface and raises the ocean temperature. This results in more evaporation, which produces more clouds. The increased cloud cover reduces the amount of solar radiation that reaches the surface of the Earth. This is an example of:A) uniformitarianismB) the greenhouse effectC) atmospheric moisture balanceD) a positive feedbackE) a negative feedback

6. Human population growth during the pre-industrial agricultural period and during the Industrial Revolution period occurred with little change in:A) birth ratesB) death ratesC) growth ratesD) maximum human life expectancyE) average life expectancy

7. The crude growth rate is defined as:A) birth rate minus death rateB) maximum life time minus average life expectancyC) crude birth rate minus crude death rateD) birth rate plus death rateE) maximum growth rate that can be accommodated

8. The nitrogen cycle is one of the most important biogeochemical cycles. However, molecular nitrogen (N2) in the atmosphere is not a significant element for life because:A) almost all nitrogen is in the atmosphere and therefore unavailable to lifeB) organisms use either CO2 or O2 but not nitrogenC) N2 is relatively inert and must be transformed in order to be usefulD) where nitrogen is insufficient, organisms can use other, more plentiful nutrientsE) nitrogen is an important nutrient, necessary for life

9. The case study of Lake Washington in the Environmental Science text illustrates how phosphorous in the effluent of sewage treatment plants caused an unnatural growth of algae in the lake. Before the unnatural algae growth, phosphorous was the __________ in the growth of the algaeA) chemical factorB) selected factorC) limiting factorD) validating factorE) aspiring factor

10. Which population is most likely to exhibit an evolutionary response to a change in its environment?A) a population in which all organisms are genetically identical and which has a high rate of reproductionB) a population which has high genetic variabilityC) a population in which the effect of intraspecific competition is reduced by behavioral adaptationsD) a population undergoing genetic driftE) a population highly susceptible to predators

11. A set of interacting species that live in the same area is called a(n):A) ecological communityB) community level effectC) keystone speciesD) ecosystemE) individual species

12. Matter and energy are both always conserved, both in physical systems and biological systems. This principle is stated in the:A) first law of enthalpyB) first law of entropyC) first law of thermodynamicsD) the first law of energy efficiency

E) the second law of thermodynamics

13. Change in the amount of biomass is called:A) primary productionB) secondary productionC) net productionD) biological productionE) ecological production

14. Which of the following refers to lack of a specific chemical component of food:A) malnourishmentB) famineC) undernourishmentD) miasmaE) nonnourishment

15. Describe the characteristics of land considered to be marginal for agriculture.

16. When a pest develops resistance to a chemical, all of the following are true except:A) natural selection took placeB) it developed adaptations during times of secondary pest outbreaksC) mutation and genetic drift took placeD) evolution selected for individuals better resistant to the chemicalE) higher quantities of pesticide will be required in the next application

17. In the 1930s, soil erosion became a major issue in the United States. Large areas of the American Midwest became the so-called Dust Bowl. Explain how this happened.

18. Forests differ from many other natural resources in that:A) their management is inexpensiveB) in the U.S., most are publicly ownedC) they are potentially renewableD) there is little government regulation associated with their useE) overuse has adverse environmental consequences19. Forests have been managed more successfully than fisheries mainly because:A) tree populations grow according to the logistic growth model, while fish populations fluctuate dramatically from year to yearB) since trees have fewer species of predators than fish, the impact of predators on tree population dynamics can be assessedC) it is very difficult to know the size of a fish population, but trees are easier to countD) the environment of trees is more stable than the environment of fishE) tree populations are harvested according to the OSY, whereas fish populations are harvested according to the MSY

20. With the recent introduction of off-road vehicles to the Sahara desert, the Sahara goat has been subjected to an increase in hunting by Bedouins. Studies indicate that as the total population size is decreased by the hunting, the percentage of females that are pregnant is increasing. This is an example of:A) competitive exclusion

B) density-dependent population regulationC) successionD) density-independent population regulationE) prey and predator

21. What are the major advantages of wild game ranching, compared with traditional goat, sheep, and cattle ranching?

22. Can a heat engine convert all of the energy input into work? Why or why not?

23. Which energy transformation occurs as a book falls from the top of your book shelf towards the floor?A) the book's potential energy and kinetic energy decreasesB) the book's potential energy decreases and it's kinetic energy increasesC) the book's potential energy increases and it's kinetic energy decreasesD) the book's potential energy and kinetic energy increaseE) according to the first law of thermodynamics, both energies stay the same

24. According to the Environmental Science text, the estimated peak oil production will about 50 billion bbl per year and it will arrive sometime between 2020 and 2050. In 2004 the growth rate for oil was 3.4% . What will happen when the peak production occurs and demand is not met?A) the price of oil will increaseB) disruption to society is likely to happenC) a gap between demand and production will occurD) all of theseE) the predicted peak production will never take place because there are many unknown reserves to be discovered

25. Why is combustion of natural gas cleaner than burning oil?

26. Passive solar is one general class of solar energy systems. Name three other solar systems ?

27. Biodiesel is a biofuel sometimes used to power cars and trucks. One potential source of biodiesel is:A) used engine oilB) the seafood industryC) dairy farmsD) urban landfill runoffE) waste frying oil from restaurant kitchens

28. What are the two nuclear processes that can be used to release energy? Define each one.

29. Name the important steps in the nuclear fuel cycle.

30. Which of the following is a serious groundwater overdraft problem:A) loss of fish habitatB) land subsidenceC) damage to river ecosystems

D) damage to riparian vegetationE) all of these

31. The total runoff of the world's rivers is 48,000 km3 of fresh water each year. Human use of water is about 4,000 km3, or about 8% of the total. How can anyone say there is a water shortage on Earth?

32. According to the Environmental Science text, what is the most critical water pollution problem in the world?A) lack of clean, disease-free drinking waterB) thermal pollutionC) municipal sewageD) sediment polluted watersE) industrial effluent

33. A specific location where pollution is introduced into surface water or groundwater:A) acid mine drainageB) point sourceC) secondary treatmentD) cryptosporidiumE) fecal coliform bacteria

34. A carbon sequestration project is underway in Norway beneath the North Sea. Explain the purpose of this project.

35. Which of the following is a plausible argument that burning fossil fuels may not lead to severe global warming:A) conversion from oil to alternative energy may quickly reduce CO2 in the atmosphereB) average global temperature during the last 100 years actually has declined by 0.5CC) melting glaciers may increase the Earth's albedoD) rising global sea level will reduce gasoline consumptionE) various negative feedbacks may reduce the effects

36. Which of the following was an important factor in producing air pollution during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China?A) coal-fired electrical power plantsB) air stagnation caused by hills surrounding the cityC) southerly windsD) coal used to heat homes in the cityE) all of these were important factors

37. Which of the following is the least significant air pollutant (either primary or secondary) associated with driving cars and other vehicles?A) carbon monoxideB) nitrous oxidesC) gaseous hydrocarbonsD) ozone

E) hydrogen fluoride

38. Black lung disease is associated with long-term exposure to:A) ozoneB) radon gasC) sick buildingsD) high concentrations of petroleum vaporE) high concentrations of carbon-rich particles in the air

39. In a large office building, a number of employees begin complaining of headaches, dizziness, and nausea at about the same time. What is this condition called? List some possible causes for the symptoms.

40. Name four of the five most populous countries in the world.