Q1] Please answer this question before going on to the rest of the quiz. There is only one correct answer, and you will earn a bonus quiz mark if you choose it.
Complete the sentence: "I understand that it is best for me to complete this assessment on my own, without collaboration and without extensive use of outside resources, because..."
A. working through this material now, on my own, is an important step towards preparing for the term test and the final exam, which are worth a lot more points than the quiz.
B. taking the time to think through these questions on my own will help me learn the material more effectively.
C. it is the most honest approach - getting help from someone or from the internet would not be a true representation of my own work.
D. it takes time to collaborate; the time I might spend arguing with my friends about the answers would be better spent thinking about them on my own, since my time for the quiz is limited.
E. All of the above answers are correct.
Q2] While discussing the subject of interdisciplinarity in environmental studies, Prof. Havelka spoke about different worldviews and how they can affect people's relationships with the environment. For example an anthropocentric, or _____________ worldview leads to a very different environmental management style than an ecocentric, or _____________ worldview.
A. holistic ... organic
B. unsustainable ... sustainable
C. productive ... economic
D. complex ... simple
E. human-centred ...
Q3] The environment
A. is a system with many interconnected parts and subsystems.
B. includes people and other organisms.
C. encompasses the relationships among organisms and their physical surroundings.
D. is legally defined in Canada, for purposes of making and enforcing laws and policies.
E. All of the above answers are correct.
Q4] Which one of the following is an example of environmental science?
A. Former U.S. President Al Gore writes a very informative book on climate change, called "An Inconvenient Truth," and a popular film is based on the book.
B. Researchers investigate the toxicity of BPA, a chemical that is commonly used in making baby bottles and other plastic items used in everyday life.
C. Residents in a suburban neighbourhood form a group to protest the installation of a nearby oil refinery.
D. The Waterkeeper Alliance is a network of environmental organizations that advocates for the protection of rivers and lakes.
E. All of these are examples of environmental science.
Q5] Qualitative data
A. cannot be used to support or refute hypotheses.
B. are data that are expressed in numerical formats.
C. cannot be replicated.
D. have too many variables that may not have been properly manipulated.
E. are descriptive and not easily measurable with numbers, such as information acquired through interviews or observations of test subjects.
Q6] Which one of the following is a biotic component of the environment?
A. glaciers
B. continents
C. clouds
D. bacteria
E. water
Q7] Early Earth (4.5 billion years ago)
A. had virtually no "free" oxygen.
B. had more abundant and complex life forms, compared to today's Earth.
C. was not a very dynamic place.
D. had a very similar atmosphere to today's Earth but had no water.
E. had dangerously high levels of oxygen in atomsphere
Q8] The hypothesis that the precursor chemicals for life were delivered to Earth's surface by comets or meteorites is called the
A. stromatolite hypothesis.
B. nebular hypothesis.
C. panspermia hypothesis.
D. heterotrophic hypothesis.
E. chemoautotrophic hypothesis
Q9] Oceans may have accumulated on Earth's surface as early as 4.4 billion years ago. Why not earlier?
A. Before then, the surface of the planet was too hot for liquid water to persist.
B. The stabilization of liquid water required the origin of life before it could occur.
C. The surface of Earth was cold and lifeless before 4.4 billion years ago.
D. The components of water (H2O) did not exist on Earth earlier than 4.4 billion years ago.
E. Earth itself is only 4.4 billion years old so it couldn't have had oceans before that.
Q10] Present-day stromatolites are an example of
A. the Cambrian Explosion.
B. fossils.
C. the earliest terrestrial organisms.
D. extremophile organisms.
E. algal mats, similar to those that may have formed fairly early in the history of life on Earth
Q11] Earth has two different types of crust: ____________ crust is made of denser basaltic rock, and ____________ crust is made of less-dense granitic rock.
A. convergent ... divergent
B. outer ... inner
C. oceanic ... continental
D. upper mantle ... lower mantle
E. lithospheric ... asthenospheric
Q12] What happens when an oceanic plate and a continental plate converge?
A. A hot spot is formed in the middle of the oceanic plate.
B. The result is completely unpredictable.
C. The continental plate slides under the oceanic plate because the continental plate is denser than the oceanic plate.
D. The oceanic plate slides under the continental plate because the oceanic plate is denser than the continental plate.
E. A hot spot is formed in the middle of the continental plate.
Q13] The asthenosphere
A. underlies the cooler, more rigid lithosphere.
B. is partially molten.
C. is a zone of weakness in the upper mantle.
D. is relatively squishy because its rock is near its melting temperature.
E. All of the above answers are correct
Q14] The oldest rocks on Earth are ≈3.8-4 billion years old, and the oldest mineral grains on Earth are ≈4.4 billion years old. Why aren't there any rocks and minerals older than this?
A. Geologists just haven't looked hard enough to find them.
B. There was no liquid water on the surface, so no rocks formed there.
C. The earlier surface was completely transformed by meteorite impacts, volcanism, and erosion.
D. Earth's early atmosphere was so acidic that it did not permit any rocks to form.
E. Earth itself is only 4 billion years old, so there can't be any minerals older than this
Q15] Which of the following describes a characteristic property of water?
A. It is noncohesive.
B. It dissolves many chemicals that are necessary for life.
C. It changes temperature very rapidly.
D. It is more dense in solid form than in liquid form.
E. It naturally has a high PH
Q17] The Himalaya mountain range is a modern-day example of a
A. subduction zone.
B. continental collision zone.
C. transform plate boundary.
D. continental rift zone.
E. divergent plate boundary.
Q18] Which one of the following is not part of a standard definition of "system"?
A. a portion of the universe
B. enables scientists to study changes that occur within it, under changing conditions
C. can consist of interrelated subsystems
D. supports life
E. can be separated from its surroundings by a boundary
Q19] Which one of the following is an example of a closed system?
A. a tree
B. the human body
C. a lake
D. None of these is a closed system.
E. All of these are closed systems.
Q20] In a closed system,
A. matter can be exchanged between the system and its surroundings.
B. energy can be exchanged between the system and its surroundings.
C. neither matter nor energy can be exchanged between the system and its surroundings.
D. both matter and energy can be exchanged between the system and its surroundings.
E. environmental media facilitate the transfer of materials and energy into and out of the system.
Q21] "Emergent properties" are
A. evolutionary changes observed in organisms over geologic time.
B. properties of a system that are not present in the individual components of the system.
C. characteristics that are displayed by organisms, little by little, as they mature.
D. trees that stick out over the top of a forest canopy.
E. properties displayed by vegetation that emerges during the growing season.