Name: 

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Chapter 1 Practice

Enter the appropriate word(s) to complete the statement.

1. Environmental degradation, also known as __________ __________ __________ is the process of wasting, depleting,
and degrading the earth’s natural capital at an accelerating rate.

2. The _______________ _______________ worldview holds that we are separate from and in charge of nature, that
nature exists mainly to meet our needs and increasing wants, and that we can use our ingenuity and technology to manage
the earth’s life-support systems, mostly for our benefit, into the distant future.

3. A resource such as solar energy, that is constantly available, is called a(n) __________ __________.

4. Some of the world’s countries are called low-income, __________-__________ countries, and include Congo, Haiti,
Nigeria, and Nicaragua.

5. Our lives and economies depend on energy from the ____________________ and natural resources and natural
services provided by the earth.

6. Your ____________ ____________ is a set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and
what you think your role in the world should be.

7. Old drink bottles that are collected, washed, and refilled are an example of ____________________.

8. Fish, fresh air, forests, and fertile soil are examples of __________ __________.

9. The exhaust pipe of an automobile or the smokestack of a coal-burning powerplant are examples of ______________
sources.

10. IPAT is a simple way of looking at how three factors influence the impact humans have on the environment. The
formula is Impact = Population (P) x __________ x Technology (T).

11. Extreme poverty is living on less than the equivalent of $_______________ per day.

12. The circulation of chemicals necessary for life, from the environment through organisms and back to the environment,
is called ____________________.

13. The _______________ revolution involved the invention of machines for the large-scale production of goods in
factories.

14. Natural capital equals __________ __________ plus __________ __________.

15. The earth’s population is growing _______________.

16. Describe what Garrett Hardin meant by the Tragedy of the Commons, and give an example.

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Chapter 1 Practice

17. In the accompanying figure, note that following the Black Death, the line representing the total human population rose
dramatically. This rise indicates a fundamental relationship between births, deaths, and growth rates. Discuss this
relationship, indicating why the steep rise occurred, and why an expected leveling off may occur soon.

18. What is an environmental worldview? Discuss your environmental worldview and explain why you hold this
viewpoint.

19. The "biological capacity" is the ability of the natural world to replenish its renewable resources and absorb the
resulting waste products and pollution. Exceeding the biological capacity creates an "ecological deficit." Discuss the
potential future implications for the earth resulting from the fact that we are currently exceeding the earth's biological
capacity by about 25 percent.

20. Many scientists contend that the earth is the only real example of a sustainable system. What are the three major
natural factors have played the key roles in the long-term sustainability of life on this planet? How can you apply each to
your life?

Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

21. The real prices of goods and services do not include the ____.
  a. cost of raw materials
  b. cost of manufacturing
  c. environmental costs of resource
use
  d. cost of distribution
  e. cost of advertising

22. All nonrenewable resources can theoretically be ____.

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Chapter 1 Practice

  a. converted to nonmetallic minerals

  b. converted to renewable ones
  c. exhausted or depleted
  d. recycled or reused
  e. alive

23. Subsidies and tax breaks to companies are

  a. helpful to the environment
  b. not helpful to the economy
  c. not actually helpful to these companies
  d. not helpful to the environment
  e. helpful to individuals

24. According to the World Bank, about how many people worldwide live in extreme poverty?
  a. 1 million
  b. 9 million
  c. 40 million
  d. 90 million
  e. 900 million

25. The U.N. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment reports that human activities have degraded ____ percent of the earth’s
natural services, and mostly since 1950.
  a. 20
  b. 40
  c. 60
  d. 80
  e. 95

26. Which substance would be considered a nonrenewable resource?

  a. groundwater
  b. trees in a forest
  c. fertile soil
  d. oil
  e. crops

27. How many people can the earth support indefinitely?

  a. No one knows.
  b. 5 billion
  c. 10 billion
  d. 15 billion
  e. 20 billion

28. _____ growth starts off slowly, but after only a few doublings, grows at an enormous rate.
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  a. Exponential
  b. Logarithmic
  c. Parallel
  d. Linear
  e. Resource

29. Which statement represents an environmental wisdom worldview?

  a. Continuous rapid economic growth improves environmental conditions.
  b. Our success depends on learning how life sustains itself.
  c. Maximizing research funding is the key to controlling the environment.
  d. Human beings are the most important life forms on the earth.
  e. There is always more.

30. What is one of the root causes of environmental problems?

  a. rapid population growth
  b. even global distribution of wealth
  c. increasingly sustainable use of resources
  d. absorption of environmental costs in goods and services
  e. decreased use of nonrenewable resources in more-developed countries

31. What is the best description of natural income?

  a. renewable resources provided by the earth’s natural capital
  b. nonrenewable resources created by humans
  c. income based on government subsidies
  d. excess resources remaining after our ecological footprint
  e. new and alternative resources created by humans

32. What is the set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what you think your role in
the world should be?
  a. environmental worldview
  b. environmental justice
  c. environmental ethics
  d. environmental economics
  e. environmental capital

33. What is the best description of an ecological deficit?

  a. The total ecological footprint is larger than the biological capacity to replenish renewable resources.
  b. The total ecological footprint is smaller than the biological capacity to replenish renewable resources.
  c. All nonrenewable resources have been exhausted and there are no renewable resources available.
  d. The total ecological footprint is equal to the sustainable yield of renewable resources.
  e. The total ecological footprint only involves the use of nonrenewable resources.

34. Research by social scientists suggests that it takes ____ percent of the population of a community, country, or the
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Chapter 1 Practice
world to bring about major social change.
  a. 1−2
  b. 5−10
  c. 15−20
  d. 25−35
  e. 50−60

35. Which substance would be considered a renewable resource?

  a. copper
  b. oil
  c. fresh air
  d. salt
  e. sand

36. The primary difference between renewable resources and nonrenewable resources is ____.
  a. how easily each can be discovered
  b. the available amount of each resource
  c. the length of time it takes for each to be replenished
  d. how fast each is being consumed
  e. how quickly each can produce electricity

37. What is the most likely effect of a pollutant?

  a. degradation of life-support systems for humans
  b. more cooperative behavior among wildlife
  c. greater allocation of resources to human health
  d. natural recycling of atmospheric air
  e. renewable natural capital

38. Solar energy is known as a(n) ____.

  a. renewable resource
  b. recyclable resource
  c. inexhaustible resource
  d. reusable resource
  e. nonrenewable resource

39. Which of the following illustrates natural capital degradation?

  a. use of wind power
  b. saving endangered species
  c. cleaning up pollution
  d. aquifer depletion
  e. water runoff

40. Which action is an example of reuse?

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Chapter 1 Practice

  a. re-melting aluminum cans

  b. making compost out of kitchen scraps
  c. using plastic butter tubs to store leftovers
  d. using waste heat to warm a room
  e. making paper goods from previously used
paper

41. At our current average rate of use per person, how many planet Earths would we need to provide an endless supply of
renewable resources?
  a. 0.5
  b. 0.9
  c. 1
  d. 1.5
  e. 2

42. Affluence typically results in _____.

  a. population growth
  b. less education
  c. increased poverty
  d. environmental restoration
  e. environmental degradation

43. What situation is most likely to occur as a result of poverty?

  a. increased media attention on children’s health
  b. access to clean drinking water
  c. increased consumption in average
  d. spread of disease from poor sanitation
  e. heart disease and diabetes from obesity

44. An average ecological footprint of an individual in a given country or area is known as ____.
  a. per capita gross GNP
  b. ecological footprint
  c. per capita GDP
  d. sustainable yield
  e. per capita ecological
footprint

45. Each of the three major cultural revolutions has allowed _____.

  a. ecological restoration
  b. expansion of the human population
  c. greater worldwide sustainability
  d. pollution prevention
  e. decreased consumption

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Chapter 1 Practice
46. Which discipline is most associated with environmental science?
  a. botany
  b. political science
  c. sociology
  d. ecology
  e. psychology

47. What term describes the highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its
available supply?
  a. conservation
  b. sustainable yield
  c. preservation
  d. perpetual resource
  e. degradation

48. The degradation of commonly held resources is known as _____.

  a. the tragedy of the commons
  b. open-access degradation
  c. sustainable yield
  d. pollution
  e. government regulation

49. The term _____ refers to the contamination of the environment by a chemical or other agent that is harmful to
organisms.
  a. natural capital
  b. pollution
  c. pesticide
  d. human activity
  e. point source

50. What is the primary cause of natural deficit disorder?

  a. too much poverty
  b. too much affluence
  c. increased isolation from nature
  d. poor sanitation
  e. increased pollution

51. Volcanic gases in the atmosphere are considered a type of _____.

  a. cultural change
  b. natural capital degradation
  c. nonrenewable resource
  d. renewable resource
  e. pollution

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52. What is a nonpoint source of pollution?
  a. drainpipe
  b. car exhaust pipe
  c. power plant
  d. volcano
  e. pesticides in the air

53. What is one of the three social science principles of sustainability?

  a. A dependence on solar energy
  b. A focus on chemical cycling
  c. The degradation of natural capital
  d. A responsibility to future generations
  e. The ability to retain biodiversity

54. Nature deficit disorder is most likely to cause _____.

  a. obesity
  b. poverty
  c. stress
  d. poor sanitation
  e. dependence

55. Topsoil is an important component of _____.

  a. biodiversity
  b. ecosystems
  c. natural resources
  d. win-win solutions
  e. nutrient cycling

56. According to a number of environmental scientists, we already know how to reuse or recycle at least _____ of the
nonrenewable resources we use.
  a. 80%
  b. 65%
  c. 50%
  d. 40%
  e. 25%

57. More-developed countries _____.

  a. have a lower average income
  b. use mostly renewable resources
  c. rely entirely on nonrenewable resources
  d. comprise 17% of the world’s population
  e. provide fewer recycling services

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58. What viewpoint embodies the idea that we should be responsible, caring managers of the earth?
  a. The planetary management worldview
  b. The stewardship worldview
  c. The environmental wisdom worldview
  d. The environmental justice movement
  e. The renewable worldview

59. An estimated _____ middle-class consumers live in China.

  a. 10 million
  b. 150 million
  c. 300 million
  d. 500 million
  e. 1 billion

60. In the IPAT equation, the ‘P’ stands for _____.

  a. poverty
  b. pollution
  c. per capita ecological
footprint
  d. percent
  e. population size

61. Using normally renewable resources faster than nature can renew them is called ____.
  a. nutrient cycling
  b. nutrient deficit
  c. sustainability
  d. trade-offs
  e. degrading natural capital

62. Having tall smokestacks is a form of _____.

  a. pollution prevention
  b. pollution cleanup
  c. natural capital degradation
  d. ecological restoration
  e. tragedy of the commons

63. The first major cultural change that occurred in the human population was the _____.
  a. information-globalization revolution
  b. agricultural revolution
  c. industrial-medical revolution
  d. technological revolution
  e. sustainability revolution

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64. What are the priorities for more sustainable use of renewable resources, in order?
  a. refuse, renew, reduce, and recycle
  b. recycle, renew, reuse, and reduce
  c. resource, recycle, renew, and reduce
  d. refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle
  e. refuse, reduce, recycle, and renew

65. A forest with plants, animals, and various other organisms is an example of a(n) _____.
  a. ecosystem
  b. species
  c. ecology
  d. life-support system
  e. nutrient

66. Sustainability refers to _____.

  a. the way in which the natural world works
  b. how we interact with the environment
  c. human methods of coping with environmental problems
  d. refusing, reducing, reusing, and recycling
  e. the capacity of the earth’s natural systems to survive, flourish, and
adapt

67. Which revolution began about 50 years ago and involved the development of technologies for gaining rapid access to
all kinds of information and resources on a global scale?
  a. The technology revolution
  b. The information-globalization revolution
  c. The agricultural revolution
  d. The industrial-medical revolution
  e. The sustainability revolution

68. Use of a natural resource based on sustainable yields is most applicable to the idea of ____.
  a. nonrenewable resources
  b. renewable resources
  c. shared resources
  d. amenable resources
  e. recycling

69. Which of the following is a point source of pollution?

  a. wind carrying dirt and pesticides from croplands
  b. runoff from a stockyard
  c. a smokestack from a power plant
  d. fertilizer runoff from lawns
  e. runoff from cropland

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70. Exponential growth occurs when a population increases at a(n) _____ per unit time.
  a. fixed number
  b. variable percentage
  c. fixed percentage
  d. slow rate
  e. unpredictable rate

The IPAT model of environmental impact uses the following equation:

Impact (I) = Population (P) x Affluence (A) x Technology (T)

Use this equation to answer the following three questions.

71. For two countries with the same population size and affluence, what would differentiate their total environmental
impacts?

72. What is the key factor in total environmental impact in most more-developed countries?

Consider the total and per capita ecological footprints of the selected countries below and then use the data to answer the
accompanying question.

Total Ecological Footprint

Country Share of Global Biological Capacity (%)
(hectares/person)
United States 2,810 (25%)
European Union 2,160 (19%)
China 2,050 (18%)
India 780 (7%)
Japan 540 (5%)

73. The total ecological footprint of China is relatively large, why is the per capita ecological footprint of China so small?

The IPAT model of environmental impact uses the following equation:

Impact (I) = Population (P) x Affluence (A) x Technology (T)

Use this equation to answer the following three questions.

74. What is the key factor in total environmental impact in most less-developed countries?

75. What are two ways to deal with the degradation of a shared resource?

Indicate whether the statement is true or false.

76. Reducing poverty, promoting family planning, and elevating the status of women would help the world’s population
continue to grow.
  a. True
  b. False

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77. Pollution cleanup is usually the best way of dealing with the release of a pollutant.
  a. True
  b. False

78. Pollutants are all human-made; in other words, they cannot enter the environment naturally.
  a. True
  b. False

79. A drainpipe of a factory that is releasing a pollutant is an example of nonpoint source of pollution.
  a. True
  b. False

80. China has the world’s largest population and second-largest economy.

  a. True
  b. False

81. The amount of biologically productive land and water required to supply the people in a country with renewable
resources and recycling wastes and pollution is the ecological footprint.
  a. True
  b. False

82. A basic cause of environmental problems results from the fact that companies using resources have to pay for the cost
of the harmful environmental costs of supplying their products.
  a. True
  b. False

83. While we are heavily dependent on the environment, we are not dependent on it for everything we need to stay alive
and healthy.
  a. True
  b. False

84. Take away solar energy and all natural capital would collapse.
  a. True
  b. False

85. The three overarching themes relating to the long-term sustainability of life on this planet are solar energy,
biodiversity, and chemical cycling.
  a. True
  b. False

86. Environmental science is a branch of environmentalism and has the aim of protecting the earth's life-support systems.
  a. True
  b. False

87. Species are currently becoming extinct at the same rate as during prehuman times.

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  a. True
  b. False

88. In environmental science, individuals tend to matter less because the issues are global in nature.
  a. True
  b. False

89. Living sustainably means living on natural income.

  a. True
  b. False

90. The Tragedy of the Commons refers to a lack of agricultural resources available for the common (poor) people in a
country.
  a. True
  b. False

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Chapter 1 Practice
Answer Key
1. natural capital degradation

2. planetary management

3. inexhaustible resource

4. least developed

5. sun

6. environmental worldview

7. reuse

8. renewable resources

9. point

10. Affluence

11. 1.25

12. nutrient cycling

13. industrial-medical
industrial
industrial medical

14. natural resources natural services

natural services natural resources

15. exponentially

16. Hardin uses the term to indicate a resource that no one owns individually, that is held "in common," and which is
available for exploitation. Open range land, owned by the government but used by ranchers to graze cattle, is an example.

17. The death rate fell without a drop in birth rates. Leveling off will result when birth rate drops.

18. An environmental worldview is a set of assumptions and values reflecting how one things the world works and what
they think their role in the world should be.

The remainder of the answer will depend on the student’s worldview. The three environmental worldviews are:

Planetary management: we are separate from and in charge of nature

Stewardship: we can and should manage the earth for our benefit
Environmental wisdom: we are part of, and dependent on, nature and the earth’s life support system exists for all species

19. Overuse of a resource will result in its degradation and ultimately its permanent loss. The pollution levels resulting

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Chapter 1 Practice
from the use of the resource will overcome the biological capacity to cleanse the earth and societies will suffer from both
results.

20. The three scientific principles of sustainability are:

Dependence on solar energy
Biodiversity
Chemical cycling

Application answers will vary.

21. c

22. c

23. d

24. e

25. c

26. d

27. a

28. a

29. b

30. a

31. a

32. a

33. a

34. b

35. c

36. c

37. a

38. c

39. d

40. c

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Chapter 1 Practice
41. d

42. e

43. d

44. e

45. b

46. d

47. b

48. a

49. b

50. c

51. e

52. e

53. d

54. c

55. e

56. a

57. d

58. b

59. c

60. e

61. e

62. b

63. b

64. d

65. a

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66. e

67. b

68. b

69. c

70. c

71. The harmful environmental effects of technologies used in each country would be the differentiator.

72. Affluence

73. China has a large population.

74. Population size

75. One is to use a shared or open-access renewable resource at a rate well below its estimated sustainable yield by using
less of the resource, regulating access to the resource, or doing both. The other way is to convert shared renewable
resources to private ownership.

76. False

77. False

78. False

79. False

80. True

81. True

82. False

83. False

84. True

85. True

86. False

87. False

88. False

89. True

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90. False

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