Spheres
This term describes the frozen portion of the hydrosphere, which includes glaciers and ice caps.
cryosphere
This type of system interaction works to stabilize a system by counteracting a change and bringing balance.
negative feedback loop
This term refers to the measure of an individual or group's environmental impact based on resource usage and waste production.
ecological footprint
This economic worldview prioritizes human interests, property, and community safety over animal habitats or overall ecosystem health when evaluating environmental policies.
anthropocentric worldview/perspective
Passed in 1980 and also known as the Superfund Act, this law provides a framework for cleaning up hazardous waste sites.
CERCLA
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
Which gas makes up 78% of Earth's atmosphere?
A) Oxygen
B) Carbon dioxide
C) Nitrogen
D) Hydrogen
C) Nitrogen
As Arctic ice melts, it exposes darker ocean water that absorbs more heat, causing even more ice to melt. This process is an example of a:
A) Positive feedback loop
B) Negative feedback loop
C) Closed loop
D) Non-system interaction
A) Positive feedback loop
The human population first reached 1 billion people in the year _________.
1804
A policy approach where the government sets strict limits on emissions and issues fines to non-compliant companies is known as _________-and-control.
command
The _________ Protocol, passed in 1987, is an international treaty aimed at phasing out ozone-depleting substances.
Montreal Protocol
reshwater accounts for _____% of Earth's total water, while saltwater makes up the remaining 97.5%
2.5%
When waves erode and shape a rocky coast, the interaction occurs between the hydrosphere and the _________.
geosphere
The average American's ecological footprint is how much larger than the global average?
A) 1.5 times
B) 2.0 times
C) 3.5 times
D) 5.0 times
C) 3.5 times
What does traditional economic modeling historically fail to account for?
A) Consumer demand
B) Supply levels
C) The negative environmental impacts of growth
D) International trade regulations
C) The negative environmental impacts of growth?
Which legislation was passed in 1973 to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival?
A) NEPA
B) CITES
C) Clean Water Act
D) Endangered Species Act
B) CITES
True or False: Earth's four spheres (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere) operate completely independently without affecting one another.
False (The spheres are interconnected, and changes in one can impact the others).
True or False: A single raindrop is considered a complex environmental system.
False (A raindrop is a single component, whereas systems are sets of interconnected parts, such as the water cycle or food web).
True or False: The Industrial Revolution occurred in the early 1900s.
False (It occurred in the 1700s and 1800s).
True or False: The overuse of shared, publicly available resources like oceans or clean air is known as the "Tragedy of the Commons".
True
True or False: The Paris Climate Agreement (2015) sets a target to keep the global temperature increase from exceeding 2°C.
True
Layer under the crust and above the outer core on Earth.
mantle
A plant absorbing carbon dioxide from the air to perform photosynthesis demonstrates an interaction between the biosphere and the _________.
atmosphere
Which of the following correctly pairs a major historical event with its impact on human population growth?
A) The Industrial Revolution began 10,000 years ago and led to urban hunting-and-gathering lifestyles.
B) The Agricultural Revolution shifted communities from hunting and gathering to farming, which increased available food supplies.
C) The Agricultural Revolution began in the 1700s and led to reliance on fossil fuels.
D) The Industrial Revolution decreased human life expectancy due to poor urban sanitation
B) The Agricultural Revolution shifted communities from hunting and gathering to farming, which increased available food supplies
True or False: In a cap-and-trade system, if a company reduces its pollution below its legal allowance, it is required to surrender its extra permits to the government without financial compensation
False (Companies are allowed to sell or trade their extra pollution permits to other companies that exceed their limits).
Which pair of U.S. laws addresses mining on federal land: one allowed unchecked mineral extraction starting in 1872, while the other was passed in 1977 to ensure coal mining sites are restored?
A) Homestead Act of 1862 & Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
B) General Mining Law of 1872 & Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
C) CERCLA & General Mining Law of 1872
D) Clean Air Act & Energy Policy Act
B) General Mining Law of 1872 & Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act