question

True or false: The most ambitious environmental restoration effort ever attempted is now underway in the Florida Everglades.

answer

True

question

What is the major way in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted to a form usable by living organisms?

answer

captured by soil bacteria which change it into soluble nitrates

question

True or false: As energy is transferred within a food chain, more usable energy is available to the top predators than to primary consumers.

answer

False

question

Which of the following are classified as primary consumers?

answer

grasshoppers and elephants

question

True or false: Unlike petroleum and coal, phosphate deposits are renewable resources whose supplies are constantly being replenished as organic tissues decompose and return to the soil.

answer

False

question

Rich, deep topsoil and moderate rainfall account for this being the most agriculturally productive of the world's biomes:

answer

temperate deciduous forest

question

True or false: Biogeochemical cycling helps to maintain the stability of ecosystems by retaining vital nutrients in forms usable by plants and animals.

answer

True

question

True or false: Burmese pythons are thriving and multiplying in southern Florida largely thanks to a climate change-induced rise in average temperatures.

answer

False

question

Which of the following statements about ecological succession is false?

answer

secondary succession differs from primary succession in that while both begin with a situation where no life is present, secondary succession bypasses several of the intermediate stages and reaches the climax more quickly

question

What is the largest single source of inorganic carbon?

answer

carbonate rock deposits

question

Reduction of competition for food and living space among species inhabiting the same geographical area is accomplished by:

answer

niche diversification

question

True or false: Consumer organisms are generally more numerous and smaller in size than producer organisms.

answer

False

question

Which biome today is experiencing more rapid destruction and degradation than any other?

answer

tropical rain forest

question

What trophic level is represented by a spider?

answer

secondary consumer

question

In which of the following biomes is annual precipitation lowest?

answer

tundra

question

What do zebra mussels, Asian carp, gypsy moths, and water hyacinths have in common?

answer

all are troublesome exotic species in the U.S.

question

True or false: An organism that has a broad tolerance range for various limiting factors will enjoy a wider geographic distribution than one with a narrow range of tolerance.

answer

True

question

True or false: Desert and tundra are two of the most fragile biomes - those where human pressures are likely to have very detrimental and long-lasting effects.

answer

True

question

Which invasive species is currently causing ecological havoc in the Everglades?

answer

Burmese pythons

question

In reference to ranges of tolerance for limiting factors, which of the following population groups is most sensitive to adverse environmental conditions?

answer

babies and young children

question

What is the current annual growth rate for world population?

answer

1.2%

question

If France has a birth rate of 13 and a death rate of 9, what is France's annual population growth rate?

answer

0.4%

question

The most serious health problem related to IUD use among American women is:

answer

pelvic inflammatory disease

question

Fertility rates today are highest in these two regions of the world:

answer

sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East

question

Which of the following statements about the emergency contraceptive Plan B is false?

answer

if a woman is in the very early stages of pregnancy when she takes Plan B, she is likely to abort

question

Who was Thomas Malthus?

answer

British economist who warned that population growth will always outstrip food supplies

question

Which 3 methods of contraception have the highest effectiveness rates in terms of preventing pregnancy?

answer

sterilization, pill, IUD

question

Among the world's industrialized nations, which has the highest population growth rate?

answer

United States

question

What is a major difference between family planning programs in the U.S. as compared with those in developing countries?

answer

developing countries make an active attempt to persuade and assist couples to use birth control

question

What is the most widely practiced method of birth control in the U.S. today among women age 15-44 who are currently using contraception?

answer

contraceptive pill

question

To what phenomenon does the term "demographic transition" refer?

answer

a fall in death rates, followed by a fall in birth rates which usually occurs as a traditional society becomes industrialized

question

Which of the following best describes the growth of a population exhibiting the S-curve type of growth?

answer

numbers increase slowly at first, then accelerate rapidly, and gradually level off and stabilize

question

Why is it difficult to convince many couples in the developing world to limit their number of children to 2?

answer

parents view many children as necessary to help with work and to care for parents in their old age

question

The limit at which a given environment can support a population is referred to as that environment's:

answer

carrying capacity

question

Who pioneered the family planning movement in the U.S.?

answer

Margaret Sanger

question

Which European countries have recently witnessed an explosive increase in HIV infection rates?

answer

Russia and Ukraine

question

According to the textbook, the estimated total world population is now:

answer

6.9 billion

question

What is the average number of children per couple in the United States today?

answer

2.0

question

Which of the following contraceptives is administered as an injection?

answer

Depo-Provera

question

Zero Population Growth (ZPG) has been attained by several nations in which of the following regions of the world?

answer

Europe

question

In which region has cattle ranching been the single most important cause of deforestation?

answer

Central America and Brazil

question

Which of the following is the leading cause of species loss at the present time?

answer

habitat destruction

question

The most common deficiency disease among children in developing countries living in poverty is ______ , the major cause for the high child mortality rates prevalent in those regions.

answer

kwashiorkor

question

Which of the following statements regarding food production trends is false?

answer

Due to record harvests in the late 1990s, world grain reserves are at their highest levels in 30 years

question

What is the single leading cause of deforestation in the world today?

answer

clearing land for agriculture

question

What is currently the most common route of entry for exotic pests introduced into the United States?

answer

in ballast water discharged by ships entering port

question

Which of the following statements about erosion control is false?

answer

Although soil conservation experts constantly urge farmers to improve their cultivation practices, the U.S. government has not yet implemented effective policies to reduce erosion rates.

question

Worldwide, a dietary deficiency of what important nutrient is the single most important cause of preventable brain damage and mental retardation?

answer

iodine

question

If a severely malnourished child is diagnosed as suffering from marasmus, this indicates that the victim's diet is deficient in:

answer

total calories/protein

question

Which of the following statements about wetlands is false?

answer

Urban development along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts is the leading cause of wetlands loss at the present time.

question

Which of the following is a species in danger of extinction due to introduction of an exotic species into its natural habitat:

answer

cichlid fish

question

What is meant by the "Green Revolution"?

answer

the introduction of new high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice into a number of developing nations, greatly boosting their crop yields

question

What is the major "energy crisis" among the poor in developing countries?

answer

scarcity of fuelwood which 90% of poor people in these countries use for cooking and heating their homes

question

Which of the following is most directly to blame for the fact that approximately 1 billion people in the world today are malnourished?

answer

poverty

question

Most of the gains in world food supply since 1950 were achieved by:

answer

improving yields per acre through use of farm chemicals and hybrid seeds

question

In developing countries numerous cases of childhood blindness could be prevented each year simply by adding what micronutrient to children's diets?

answer

vitamin A

question

What activity is regulated under the CITES agreement?

answer

trade in endangered species

question

The main strategy currently advocated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service for reducing soil erosion is:

answer

conservation tillings

question

Which of the following statements about malnutrition is false?

answer

The adverse impacts of childhood malnutrition on physical and mental development are reversible if the child receives an adequate diet when he/she grows older

question

Which country leads the world in aquaculture production?

answer

China

question

The death rate due to which of the following type of cancer has declined dramatically over the past 50 years because of improved diagnostic procedures?

answer

uterine cancer

question

What is p53?

answer

a tumor suppressor gene whose mutant form is believed responsible for many cancers

question

During which of the following stages of fetal development is exposure to a teratogenic agent likely to be the most damaging?

answer

3rd through the 8th week of pregnancy

question

A mutation is defined as any change in the _____ material.

answer

genetic

question

What is the cause of phocomelia?

answer

presence of thalidomide during the first trimester

question

Regular consumption of which of the following foods is believed capable of reducing an individual's chances of developing cancer?

answer

broccoli

question

Which of the following diseases is caused by a point mutation?

answer

sickle cell anemia

question

What is the cause of Down syndrome?

answer

presence of 47 chromosomes per cell rather than the normal 46

question

In reference to cancer prevention, which of the following statements is false?

answer

Including more fats in the daily diet and avoiding irritating fibrous foods can help in preventing stomach, colon, and rectal cancer.

question

Which of the following statements about cancer is false?

answer

Hereditary predisposition to cancer has been shown to have a negligible impact on cancer incidence.

question

According to the American Cancer Society, the only cancers for which death rates have been rising in recent years are:

answer

esophageal cancer and liver cancer

question

Pregnant women whose diet is deficient in folic acid are at heightened risk of bearing a child with what type of birth defect?

answer

neural tube defect

question

Which of the following statements about lung cancer is true?

answer

Lung cancer rates are higher among both men and women in regions where air quality is poor.

question

Which of the following types of cancer is sometimes associated with a prior viral infection?

answer

liver cancer

question

The fact that asbestos workers who smoke are 60 times more likely to develop lung cancer than are their nonsmoking colleagues is an example of:

answer

synergism

question

Which of these teratogenic substances is the cause of approximately 5% of all deaths among newborns in the U.S., most of them resulting from low birth weight caused by a reduction in blood oxygen levels?

answer

cigarette smoke

question

What are aflatoxins?

answer

carcinogens produced by a fungus growing on grains and nuts

question

Which of the following substances acts as a mutagen, a teratogen, and a carcinogen?

answer

x-rays

question

The standard procedure for testing the health effects of new chemicals is to administer very large doses of the substance in question to laboratory animals and to observe any adverse effects which might develop. Why are such large doses used?

answer

to compensate for the relatively short life span of the animals used and to obtain statistically significant results from a small sample group

question

Thalidomide, methyl mercury, Dilantin, Accutane, DES, and cytomegalovirus all share what characteristic?

answer

they are all teratogenic

question

Which of the following animals is most acutely sensitive to the toxic effects of dioxin?

answer

guinea pigs

question

Which two of the following toxic substances are capable of crossing the placental barrier and causing severe fetal damage in humans?

answer

lead and mercury

question

What was the toxic contaminant in Agent Orange which allegedly caused a variety of ailments among Vietnamese civilians and American servicemen exposed to the chemical during the Vietnam War?

answer

dioxin

question

What is considered to represent the single most frequent cause of lead poisoning among American children?

answer

swallowing paint chips or paint dust

question

Which of the following statements about LD50 is false?

answer

a substance with an LD50 of 85 is more toxic than one with an LD50 of 30

question

Why is testing for chronic toxicity more difficult, time consuming, and expensive than testing for acute toxicity?

answer

symptoms are often similar to other common health complaints and may be misdiagnosed; tests are usually carried out for a time period equivalent to the average lifespan of the rats or mice; symptoms may take months or years to manifest themselves

question

PCBs, which biomagnify as they move up the foodchain, are most commonly taken up by humans when they eat certain kinds of:

answer

freshwater fish

question

"Chloracne" is the first and most characteristic symptom of poisoning with which of the following?

answer

PCBs

question

Which of the following is now banned from production, sale, and distribution in the U.S.?

answer

PCBs

question

Which of the following is NOT a step in health risk assessment

answer

implementation of regulations

question

The most serious effect of lead poisoning is:

answer

damage to brain and central nervous system

question

Prospecting methods employed by gold miners in Brazil are resulting in what serious public health problem?

answer

mercury poisoning

question

Of all the human-made contaminants found in the modern environment today, which is the most widespread?

answer

PCBs

question

Which of the following statements regarding toxicity is correct?

answer

the lower the LD50, the more toxic a substance is

question

"Minamata Disease" killed or seriously disabled hundreds of Japanese who had inadvertently eaten fish contaminated with:

answer

methyl mercury

question

True or false: On the dose-response curve, the threshold is the point where the curve flattens out after reaching its maximum effect

answer

False

question

What is currently the leading cause of asbestos-related death?

answer

mesothelioma

question

Which of the following options describes the effects of endocrine disruptors?

answer

immune effects in humans and animals

question

Where do PCBs, dioxins, or any of the chlorinated hydrocarbons concentrate in living tissues?

answer

fat

question

An example of a persistent, broad-spectrum insecticide is:

answer

DDT

question

Which of the following insects could not be controlled through use of a stomach poison?

answer

mosquito

question

If a pesticide label indicates the product is "EPA-Registered," what does this mean in practical terms?

answer

the product is legal to sell and use in the United States

question

Which of these pests is a problem because its bite results in a painful ulceration which may take months to heal and leaves a large, permanent, ugly scar?

answer

brown recluse spider

question

What characteristic of botanical insecticides such as pyrethrum and rotenone makes them useful?

answer

they are very effective against a wide range of insect pests, yet are harmless to humans and pets

question

Which of the following would be a likely target of public health efforts to control breeding of the Asian tiger mosquito?

answer

tire casings

question

When did DDT first come into widespread use?

answer

after World War II—1945

question

Lyme disease is a newly recognized ailment transmitted by the bite of which of these pests?

answer

black-legged ticks

question

Which of the following is a nonselective herbicide, capable of killing any plant it contacts?

answer

glyphosate

question

In recent years there has been a sharp rise in the incidence of malaria in many tropical countries due to

answer

development of resistant strains of insects

question

In which of the following groups of organisms would you expect to see the greatest effects of pesticide biomagnification?

answer

quaternary consumers (e.g. pelicans)

question

For what accomplishment did Paul Muller receivea Nobel Prize in 1948?

answer

discovered that DDT is effective for killing insects

question

The mosquito-borne illness of greatest concern in the United States today is:

answer

West Nile virus

question

Minamata Disease, reproductive failure among peregrine falcons and eagles exposed to DDT, and the death of western grebes at ClearLake, CA, are all examples of:

answer

biomagnification

question

"Agent Orange" was used in Vietnam by the U.S.military as a:

answer

selective herbicide

question

Serious gastrointestinal diseases such as cholera and dysentery are carried by this insect vector:

answer

houseflies

question

What characteristic of the organophosphate insecticides makes them more environmentally acceptable than the chlorinated hydrocarbons?

answer

not persistent

question

Which of the following is no longer an effective method for controlling malaria?

answer

treatment of victims with chloroquine

question

The first large-scale use of DDT occurred in Italy in 1943 when the insecticide was used for dusting refugees in a successful attempt to prevent an outbreak of a deadly disease spread by body lice which frequently occurs under wartime conditions of overcrowding and poor sanitation. What disease did DDT prevent in this situation?

answer

typhus fever

question

What was the major reason EPA gave for banning the use of most chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides?

answer

the chemicals had been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals

question

Strained relations between the European Union and the United States are a result of the EU's ban on imports of what American food product?

answer

hormone-treated meat

question

Outbreaks of bacterial food poisoning are most often associated with eating:

answer

poultry, meat, or dairy products

question

Salmonellosis is an example of a:

answer

foodborne bacterial infection

question

Sneezing on foods during preparation or handling foods when an open cut or skin eruption is present is a likely way of inoculating foods with the pathogen responsible for which foodborne disease?

answer

Staphylococcus intoxication

question

What substances comprise the GRAS List?

answer

food additives in use prior to government requirements for safety testing

question

Which of the following foodborne diseases is particularly worrisome to public health officials because the pathogen involved is capable of growing quite well at temperatures considerably lower than those within the "Danger Zone"?

answer

Listeriosis

question

What is the current legal status regarding the use of sulfiting compounds?

answer

prohibited in supermarkets and salad bars but permitted in other foods and drugs if their presence is specifically noted on label

question

A type of allergic reaction known as "Chinese restaurant syndrome" is experienced by many consumers who eat foods containing the food additive:

answer

monosodium glutamate (MSG)

question

What substances are prohibited by the Delaney Clause?

answer

carcinogenic food additives

question

What is the "Danger Zone"—the temperature range which will support the multiplication of food poisoning bacteria and which should be avoided as much as possible during handling, preparation, and storage of susceptible foods?

answer

41°F-140°F

question

Chronic arthritis may develop as a lasting after-effect of which foodborne illness?

answer

salmonellosis

question

Food Defect Action Levels are aimed at regulating what type of substances in food?

answer

contaminants

question

For which two bacterial foodborne diseases is the infective dose thought to be very low?

answer

E. coli 0157:H7 and listeriosis

question

What is the most likely way in which the American consumer is currently being exposed to potentially dangerous pesticide residues?

answer

by eating imported fruits and vegetables on which overuse of chemicals banned in the U.S. is common

question

The incidence of both tapeworm and roundworm infections in the U.S. has been increasing as a result of the growing popularity of which ethnic specialty?

answer

sushi

question

Why are many researchers today worried about the continued use of antibiotics such as penicillin and tetracycline in livestock feed?

answer

their use may promote the development of bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics and this resistance can then be transferred to bacteria which cause human diseases

question

What synthetic food additive has virtually eliminated goiter as a health problem in the U.S.?

answer

iodine

question

Which foodborne disease has the most rapid time of onset following consumption of the tainted food item, with symptoms generally appearing 2-7 hours after eating?

answer

Staphylococcus intoxications

question

Some authorities advise consumers to avoid regular consumption of hot dogs, bacon, and lunch-meats because they contain a suspected carcinogenic food additive which is intended to deter spoilage and to make the meat look fresher. What is this controversial food additive?

answer

sodium nitrite

question

How does the federal government attempt to regulate pesticide residues on food?

answer

by setting "tolerance levels" for the maximum amount that may be present on specific crops

question

After years of research, what do most scientists say about health risks posed by exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs)?

answer

no evidence that EMFs pose any human health risk

question

The sharp increase in skin cancer rates during the past few decades in the U.S. has largely been attributed to excess exposure to:

answer

ultraviolet light

question

Which of the following statements about skin cancer is false?

answer

malignant melanomas are the most common type of skin cancer, responsible for 400,000 new cases annually

question

Which of the following forms of radiation is non-ionizing?

answer

ultraviolet light

question

For the average American, which of the following represents the single largest source of exposure to ionizing radiation on a yearly basis?

answer

radon gas

question

What is the minimum SPF sunscreen rating that is effective for preventing skin damage?

answer

15

question

The "half-life" of a radioactive isotope refers to:

answer

the time required for half of the original amount to undergo radioactive decay

question

Which of the following constitute high-level nuclear wastes?

answer

spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors

question

Choose the types of ionizing radiation form the list below:

answer

alpha particles; x-rays; gamma rays; beta particles

question

What characteristic of ionizing radiation gives it special significance in both human health and environmental pollution

answer

it has the ability to break chemical bonds

question

Only when this type of radiation is inhaled or in some way brought into contact with living tissue inside the body is harm caused by

answer

alpha particles

question

Which type of skin cancer has the highest fatality rate?

answer

malignant melanoma

question

True or false: Nuclear weapon fallout need no longer be taken into consideration in calculating total human radiation exposure

answer

True

question

True or false: A few inches of lead or several feet of concrete are necessary in order to protect from gamma rays

answer

True

question

True or false: Alpha particles are the most energetic type of radiation yet can be blocked by a simple piece of paper

answer

True

question

When would the largest number of health problems associated with detonation of a "dirty bomb" occur?

answer

immediately after the initial explosion, due to the blast itself

question

What is the purpose of nuclear fuel reprocessing?

answer

to recover uranium and plutonium from the spent fuel rods so that these fissionable fuels can be reused

question

Which of the following parts of the body is most vulnerable to the damaging effects of microwaves?

answer

eyes

question

What disease is most frequently associated with low-level exposure to ionizing radiation?

answer

leukemia

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