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SCI 256 Final Exam
1. Justification that sees some aspect of the environment as valuable because it provides individuals with economic benefits:
a) utilitarian
b) ecological
c) moral
d) aesthetic
e) economical
2. Discomfort, symptoms, or disease reported by many occupants of the same structure:
a) formaldehyde
b) sick building syndrome
c) chimney effect
d) black lung disease
e) radon
3. “Carrying capacity” refers to:
a) the maximum weight that can be put on a vehicle or machine
b) the nutrient value of a food source
c) the amount of a mineral resource that can be recovered economically from a mine
d) the average life-expectancy of an individual in a population
e) the maximum number of individuals that can be supported by an ecosystem
4. An observation that is agreed upon by the majority of scientists is called a
a) hypothesis
b) controlled experiment
c) technology
d) theory
e) fact
5. Which of the following statements is not true about assumptions of science?
a) events in the natural world follow patterns
b) science is based on a type of reasoning known as induction
c) basic processes and laws are not the same throughout the universe
d) generalizations can be subjected to tests that disprove them
e) science can provide absolute proof of the truth of its theories
6. The growth rate at which the amount doubles in a fixed unit of time is called
a) linear growth
b) negative feedback
c) exponential growth
d) positive feedback
e) equilibrium
7. Which of the following are associated with natural systems that have long residence times (for example, underground aquifers)?
a) throughput is greater than pool size
b) difficulty in flushing out pollutants once they are introduced
c) the system is quickly polluted and quickly cleaned
d) the system is quickly polluted but slowly cleaned
e) short regeneration times following periods of greater output than input
8. Systems can be regarded as either open or closed. Using the example of a small life-raft in the Pacific Ocean:
a) wind in the sails is an open system; cans: of food are a closed system
b) wind in the sails is a closed system; cans: of food are an open system
c) both are closed systems
d) both are open systems
e) a life-raft cannot be considered in terms of systems
9. Which of the following examples describes the movement of a nation from a high population growth to a low population growth?
a) demographic transition
b) replacement fertility curve
c) logistic growth curve
d) sustainability
e) carrying capacity
10. A devastating tsunami on December 26,2004 killed an estimated 230,000 people. With a growth rate at just 1.2% per year, replacing the number of lives lost took:
a) a couple of hours
b) a couple of days
c) a couple of weeks
d) a couple of years
e) this amount of people has not been replaced yet
11. Human demography suggests that an improving economy in a country correlates with:
a) decreased birth rate, increased population growth rate
b) decreased death rate, increased population growth rate
c) decreased birth rate, decreased population growth rate
d) increased birth rate, decreased population growth rate
e) increased birth rate, increased population growth rate
12. The reservoirs and pathways that any chemical element follows through the Earth’s system is called the:
a) carbon cycle
b) nitrogen cycle
c) hydrologic cycle
d) geological cycle
e) biochemical cycle
13. The original source of energy that drives the hydrologic cycle is:
a) rain
b) thermal energy
c) solar energy
d) gravity
e) photosynthesis
14. A set of interacting species that live in the same area is called a(n):
a) ecological community
b) community level effect
c) keystone species
d) ecosystem
e) individual species
15. A species upon which the entire ecosystem depends on is called a(n):
a) ecological communityb) community level effectc) keystone speciesd) ecosysteme) individual species
16. An ecological community is:
a) a set of interacting species that occur in the same place
b) a system of interdependent living and nonliving components in a given area over a given period of time
c) a system based on the living environment
d) the smallest group that has all characteristics necessary to sustain life
e) the total physical and chemical environment of a continent
17. These organisms live at or near deep ocean vents and derive energy from inorganic sulfur compounds:
a) autotrophs
b) chemautotrophs
c) biotrophs
d) heterotrophs
e) homotrophs
18. What is meant by energy “fixation”?
a) storage of light energy in the green parts of a plant
b) the capture of light energy by plants
c) the production of biomass
d) the transfer of light energy to energy in chemical bonds of an organic compound
e) the energy flow in ecosystems
19. Gradual, sequential changes in the composition of an ecosystem, particularly following an initial disturbance is called:
a) tolerance
b) succession
c) facilitation
d) interference
e) reforestation
20. Why does the availability of chemical elements increase immediately after a fire?
a) many elements are blown onto the atmosphere
b) fire restores the natural habitat
c) many compounds in the ash are highly soluble in water
d) toxins are removed by smoke
e) natural predators are eliminated by the fire
