When you are using this on the web -- remember, that highlighted words or phrases will link to one key place in the notes, where the topic was first introduced. The same topic, may, however, be discussed in other areas of the notes. Also, remember, please, that if you want to check yourself, you can click on Answers here or at the bottom of the exam. If you then want to jump back to the exam, just use the "<<" button at the bottom of this exam, or the "Back" button on your browser.

Note: some of these subjects are so dynamic that what was a correct answer in 2008 may not be correct in 2009!

1. The first and second laws of thermodynamics (energy can neither be created nor destroyed and energy is lost every time it is transferred) help to explain
A. the mechanism by which sulfate "attacks" ozone in the stratosphere.
B. why it makes environmental sense for humans to "eat lower on the food chain."
C. why many people don't perceive any risks associated with genetically modified crops.
D. our dependence on fossil fuels as our primary source of energy.
E. our increasing reliance on relatively few crop varieties.

2. Conservation tillage can greatly reduce soil erosion. While it has been adopted by many farmers, many do not use conservation tillage, largely because they are concerned about increased
A. need to irrigate with conservation till.
B. need to fertilize with conservation till.
C. fuel and tractor costs associated with conservation till.
D. problems with weeds and other pests.
E. emission of CO 2 from fields under conservation tillage

3. If you farm land that is considered highly erosion-prone by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and you do not have an approved soil conservation plan in place
A. the Federal government will not allow you to keep farming.
B. the local Soil & Water Conservation District can claim your land.
C. you may be ineligible for Federal subsidies, such as crop price supports.
D. you will be fined an average of $50 per acre each year that you farm that land.
E. your friends and neighbors will avoid you at parties.

4. One benefit of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in addition to its conserving soil, protecting water quality (sometimes!), and creating wildlife habitat is that
A. it increases US grain reserves, as a hedge against years of crop failure.
B. it allows increased grain production from the lands during fallow years.
C. emissions of CO2 from CRP lands are lower than when the land is being cultivated.
D. fertilizers can be banded in crop rows on CRP lands, rather than being broadcast.
E. crops grown on CRP lands are protected against damage by tropospheric ozone.

5. Imagine that you have been farming in an area where some of the land is steeply sloping, and you've been leaving that area in grass cover. However, you've decided to plant crops there to increase your profits. Which of the following practices would cause the most soil erosion?
A. Contour plowing
B. Terracing
C. Planting with rows running up and down the slope
D. Conservation tillage
E. Cover cropping.

6. Planting "catch crops" during the off-season, rotating grains with legumes, and conserving soil can all decrease
A. depletion of stratospheric ozone.
B. pesticide use in agriculture.
C. use of inorganic fertilizers in agriculture.
D. pest resistance to pesticides.
E. soil salinization.

7. The phrase "evolutionary arms race" refers to the
A. idea that reliance on inorganic fertilizers can lead to "addiction" to them.
B. use of bioengineering to produce herbicide resistant crops.
C. concept that increased exposure to uv-B radiation will increase mutation rates.
D. rapid development of pesticide resistance by pests, which causes pesticide manufacturers to develop new pesticides.
E. history of DDT use, which resulted in near extinction of some species.

Integrated pest management involves use of (A) environmental, (B) genetic, (C) biological, and (D) chemical approaches to controlling pests. For the practices listed in questions 8 - 9, below, indicate which type of approach the practice is focused on, selecting from approaches A - D, as listed above.

8. Release into fields large numbers of lady bugs, which feed on aphids that weaken plants.
9. Use mulch on the soil surface (e.g., crop residue, plastic, dead leaves, etc.) to suppress weeds.

10. Which one of the following biological controls has been used to control pests both directly (as a spray or powder) and indirectly (by incorporation of some of its genes into crop plants)?
A. "Bt" (Bacillus thuringiensis )
B. Lady bug
C. Lace bug
D. Lygus beetle
E. Claviceps purpurea

11. Plants that are genetically engineered to produce pesticide,
A. produce it only when stimulated to do so by pest attack.
B. produce it all of the time, potentially speeding the development of resistance in target pests.
C. produce such a low dose of the pesticide that it is not very effective in pest control.
D. are, by law, also engineered to be sterile so that they can't cross pollinate with weeds.
E. have been tested in controlled environments, but haven't been approved for commercial use.

12. Farmers can trap insects, scout to determine the size of insect populations, and spray fields with sex attractants to interfere with insect reproduction because ________ have been produced commercially.
A. pyrethroid insecticides
B. insect pheromones
C. organochlorine pesticides
D. taxol
E. the "cry" gene

13. Which one of the following is a risk associated with planting crops that have been genetically engineered for herbicide resistance?
A. Crops may pollinate nearby weedy relatives, making the weeds resistant to herbicides.
B. Resistance to herbicides also decreases resistance to most insect pests.
C. Such crops contain high levels of the poison lecithin.
D. The genes for herbicide resistance may "infect" cattle, forcing them to eat poison weeds.

14. Most genetically engineered crops have been engineered to resist pests or herbicides. However, recently, a major crop was engineered to improve human nutrition. Which crop was this?
A. Corn that contains all of the essential amino acids
B. Rice that produces beta-carotene, a precursor for Vitamin A
C. Wheat with increased concentrations of Vitamin C
D. Strawberries with enhanced protein content
E. Potatoes with lowered fat content

15. A genetically engineered variety of bent grass (Agrostis stolonifera) that is resistant to the herbicide Roundup was recently planted in an experimental field in eastern Oregon, and results demonstrated that
A. it actually was not resistant to that herbicide.
B. it grew very slowly compared to non-engineered grass of the same speices.
C. its resistance to the herbicide lasted for only one generation.
D. it was also unusually drought tolerant.
E. its genes were found in "sentinel plants" as far as 13 miles from the field.

16. Former President Reagan claimed that there wouldn't be ozone problems in California if there weren't so many trees. The ozone precursor that he was referring to, which is produced in relatively large amounts by trees, was
A. volatile organic compounds (VOC's).
B. nitrous oxide (N2O)
C. NOX
D. O3
E. CFC's

17. With regard to ozone and agricultural crops, it is safe to say that
A. ozone causes less injury to crops than do most other air pollutants.
B. most crops are insensitive to ozone.
C. we don't know whether ozone is or is not damaging to crops.
D. ozone at levels commonly encountered in large areas of the US is injurious to many crops.
E. ozone can injure crops, but only at concentrations that are higher than those found in the US.

18. A "criteria pollutant" is an air pollutant for which
A. the US EPA has developed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
B. criteria for proof of causation cannot be met.
C. sources are few and geographically restricted.
D. no effective controls are known.
E. biological effects are unknown, but are suspected to be important and adverse.

19. Ozone is implicated in the declining health and eventual death of ponderosa and Jeffrey pine trees over thousands of acres in southern California. Ozone weakens the trees, sometimes enough to kill them, but often it is bark beetles that actually complete the killing of the weakened trees. In terms of levels of causation for death of these trees, ozone is the ______________ factor, while beetles are ___________factors.
A. penultimate, maximal
B. maximal, penultimate
C. proximate, ultimate
D. ultimate, proximate
E. substantiated, unsubstantiated

20. You conduct an observational field study and find that trees in areas with more ozone grew more slowly than trees in areas where ozone levels were lower. You follow up with an experiment. You plant seedlings of this tree species in a greenhouse, and give them optimum water, nutrients, light and temperature. You fumigate some with ozone, and some are controls that do not receive ozone. You find that tree growth is not affected by ozone under these conditions. From this result, you can
A. be certain that ozone did not cause the growth decrease you observed in the field.
B. infer that ozone does not affect this species' growth under your experimental conditions, but you cannot be certain that it was not important in the field.
C. be certain that your lab experiment was flawed, because the observational data prove unambiguously that ozone slows tree growth.
D. conclude that ozone injures trees, but not by affecting their growth.

21. Fill in the blanks to complete the following sentence concerning trade offs between experimental and observational approaches to understanding the cause(s) of an environmental problem:
A strength of the ______ approach to assessing causation is that it is ______, however this approach also lacks _______ when compared to the _________ approach.
A. experimental, realistic, control, observational
B. observational, controlled, realism, experimental
C. experimental, controlled, statistical significance, observational
D. observational, realistic, control, experimental

For questions 22 - 24, match the most appropriate compound from the list below with the environmental problem to which it contributes. There is only one appropriate choice for each problem, but compounds may be used more than once.
A. SO4 (sulfate) B. O3 C. CH4 (methane) D. NOx E. CFC's

22. Compound that both accelerates destruction of stratospheric ozone and "protects" against global warming.

23. One of the primary contributors to tropospheric ozone formation.

24. "Greenhouse gas" that also destroys stratospheric ozone.

25. A "hybrid" car
A. is half tuck and half passenger car.
B. combines parts from two manufacturers (for example, Ford and Chevrolet).
C. runs using a gasoline engine and an electric motor, either in series or in parallel.
D. requires fuel that is half gasoline and half hydrogen.
E. emits only water from its exhaust system.

26. Rowland and Molina's calculations about the fate of CFC's suggested that
A. most of them would dissolve in the oceans, where they would cause coral bleaching.
B. they would all break down in the troposphere.
C. about half would be destroyed in the troposphere and half would reach the stratosphere.
D. essentially all would reach the stratosphere, where ozone would free their chlorine atoms.
E. essentially all would reach the stratosphere, where intense radiation would release chlorine atoms from them.

27. Depletion of stratospheric ozone is
A. only a theoretical possibility.
B. occurring only over Antarctica in spring.
C. occurring only over Antarctica and the Arctic.
D. occurring globally, but most rapidly near the equator.
E. occurring globally, but most rapidly over Antarctica.

28. Lowered stratospheric ozone concentrations are likely to cause
A. decreased global precipitation.
B. migration of plants and animals towards the earth's poles.
C. thermal expansion of oceans.
D. increased frequency of skin cancer and cataracts on eyes.
E. increased productivity of algae in oceans.

29. Your exposure to uv-B radiation has probably not changed measurably over the past 10 - 20 years if you live in
A. Corvallis, Oregon.
B. northern Canada.
C. southern Australia.
D. a city near the equator.
E. southern Argentina.

30. If the industrialized nations that signed the Copenhagen agreement on substances that deplete stratospheric ozone (which was a revision of the "Montreal Protocol") abide by the treaty, their production of most ozone-depleting compounds, particularly CFC's, should stop (or have stopped) by
A. 1996.
B. 2010.
C. 2030.
D. 2050.
E. 2100.

31. If nations abide by the Copenhagen agreement (referenced above), when should some repair of stratospheric ozone (other than over Antarctica) be (or have been) detectable? (Note, I don't mean when should stratospheric ozone levels be recovered back to "pre-hole" levels, I'm just asking about when should they begin to start to repair.)
A. By the year 1987, just after the Montreal Protocol was signed
B. Some repair is, apparently, being detected now (in 2008)
C. Between 2025 and 2050
D. Between 2050 and 2100
E. Stratospheric ozone levels are not expected to repair

32. Imagine that you are shopping for a new car, and you want to buy one whose air conditioner is cooled with something that is neither a depleter of stratospheric ozone NOR a "greenhouse gas." Which car should you buy?
A. One manufactured in the late 1970's
B. One that uses an HCFC coolant
C. One that uses an HFC coolant
D. None of the above match your criteria

33. Which statement concerning the "greenhouse effect" is true? The greenhouse effect
A. has warmed Earth since long before there were humans.
B. began during the mid-1700's, with the advent of industrialization.
C. caused Earth to warm up out of the last ice age, and then disappeared.
D. was first noticed when monitoring of CO2 over Hawaii began in 1958.
E. hasn't been detected yet, but climate modelers anticipate that it will be by 2050.

34. This figure represents carbon emissions per person in selected nations as of the year 2002. Which bar represents the U.S.? (Use letters on top of bars in the figure.) A, B, C, D, or E.

(You can't see the graph, but you get the idea!)

35. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is a consortium of over 2000 international scientists, convened by the United Nations and the World Meterological Organization) released its latest report in 2007, in which it makes projections about future atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases ("CO2-equivalents") based on a wide range of possible emissions scenarios. That report suggests that those concentrations will be at least doubled over preindustrial (~ 1860) concentrations by approximately which year?
A. 1995 (they already have doubled).
B. 2010.
C. 2100
D. 3100.
E. never -- no one expects them to double.

There are many potential feedbacks that could affect the rate at which atmospheric concentrations of CO2 change in response to increased CO2 emissions. If mechanisms listed in questions 36 - 37 actually occurred, would each most likely be a: A. positive feedback, speeding at least temporarily, the rate at which gas concentrations increase; B. negative feedback, slowing at least temporarily, the rate at which gas concentrations increase; or C. neutral mechanism -- that is, neither a positive or negative feedback.

36. Plant growth rates are stimulated by increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

37. Increased rates of decomposition in soils, as could occur when permafrost melts.

38. Farmer Lady Tillie thinks she can make about the same amount of money by growing any one of the following crops, but she has heard that one of them is strongly associated with the production of methane. Which crop should she avoid growing if methane production is a concern?
A. Rice
B. Wheat
C. Soybeans
D. Corn

39. Which of the following statements best summarizes our discussion about "CO2 fertilization."?
A. CO2 can be encapsulated and spread onto fields in a pellet form.
B. CO2 is the most limiting resource for most crop plants.
C. CO2 fertilizer cannot be used on organic farms without a permit.
D. We don't know whether plant productivity in the field will be stimulated by added CO2
E. By fertilizing wetlands and swamps with CO2, we might reduce methane production.

Questions 40 - 41 refer to the Kyoto treaty on global climate change, which was recently ratified by enough nations that it has gone into effect.

40. Recognizing that CO2 emissions must be cut by at least 25 % immediately if we are to hold the increase in atmospheric concentrations to "just" a doubling over preindustrial levels, and by roughly 80% if we are to stabilize concentrations at present levels, signatories of the treaty agreed, to
A. freeze emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000.
B. decrease emissions by an average of 5% below 1990 levels by about 2010.
C. decrease emissions by an average of 25% below 1990 levels by about 2010.
D. decrease emissions by an average of 80% below 1990 levels by about 2010.
E. wait to see if climate is really changing before mandating any specific emissions reductions.

41. Signatories of the treaty can use "emissions trading" as part of their strategy for achieving compliance with the Protocol. "Emissions trading" means that
A. emissions of methane (CH4) can be increased as long as emissions of CO2 remain constant.
B. emissions of CO2 cannot be increased, but no guarantees are made concerning emissions of other "greenhouse gases."
C. industries, utilities, and industrialized nations can buy and sell CO 2 emissions credits.
D. emissions from before 1990 can be traded with those after 1990 to comply with the treaty.
E. no reductions in emissions will take place.

42. If atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases by the end of the 21st century are within the ranges predicted by the IPCC in its 2007 report, what climatic consequences are predicted to occur, on a global basis? Global mean temperatures are likely to increase by
A. 10-15o C, and precipitation will decrease, globally.
B. 10-15o C, and precipitation will increase, globally.
C. 1.1 - 6.4 o C, and precipitation will decrease, globally.
D. 1.1 - 6.4 o C, and precipitation will increase, globally.

43. The 1990's was the hottest decade on record (since instrumental monitoring of temperatures began), and global mean temperatures have risen by 0.76 o C in the past century. Your friend, knowing that you have taken BI301, asks you "So, what does this mean? Have humans affected global temperatures?" What answer to this question was given by the authors of the 2007 IPCC Report?
A. "We have simply been in a period with many El Nino events; warming is totally natural."
B. "Observed warming is consistent with predictions of climate models, but it is also of the same magnitude as natural climate variability and human influences cannot be detected."
C. "There is new and stronger evidence that 25% of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities."
D. "Most of the observed increase is very likely (> 90% probability) due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations"

44. Sea levels are expected to rise as the climate warms. What mechanism is likely to be most important in causing sea levels to change as predicted?
A. Warmer air will increase precipitation, which will fall as snow at the poles, tying up water that would otherwise be in the oceans.
B. Cooler air will cause contraction of both ice caps and water
C. Thermal expansion of water as it warms.
D. Melting of mountain glaciers.
E. Melting of Antarctic ice sheets.

45. What do bleaching of coral reefs and the fact that Arctic ice is thinning have in common?
A. Both might be caused by ocean warming.
B. Both are probably caused by depletion of stratospheric ozone.
C. Corals cannot survive when their covering of ice is removed.
D. Nitrogen enrichment of waters has changed the freezing point of ocean waters, causing melting of ice caps, and nitrogen also damages corals.
E. Both have been common events since the year 1900, and neither is worrisome.

46. You read the following in an editorial: "Plants and animals will have no trouble coping with the predicted climate changes. After all, they did just fine when Earth warmed up after the last glacial period.." What is the primary flaw in this claim? It ignores the fact that
A. CO2 concentrations are predicted to rise to toxic levels as climate changes.
B. the predicted climate change will make Earth hotter than ever before in its history.
C. the predicted climate changes will happen much faster than most previous climate changes.
D. over 85% of Earth's species became extinct when it warmed up after the last glacial period.
E. Earth was much wetter at the end of the last glacial period than it will be in the future.

47. Most of the actions we could take to decrease the risk of human-accelerated climate change actually make sense to do even if predictions about climate change turn out to be wrong. Which one of the following actions would not be useful for other reasons as well?
A. Decrease tropospheric ozone pollution
B. Decrease reliance on meat from ruminant livestock, such as cattle, in our diets
C. Decrease use of inorganic fertilizers in agriculture
D. Decrease reliance on fossil fuels
E. All of the changes listed above could be useful even if climate change predictions are wrong.

48. What is displayed in this graph?

(This is a good guessing game without seeing the graph, right? Click Answers to see what was graphed)

A. Trends in stratospheric ozone concentrations over the years 1958 through 2000.
B. Trends in atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the years 1958 - 2000.
C. Trends in global temperatures over the years 1958 - 2000.
D. Trends in global precipitation over the years 1958 - 2000.
E. Trends in hybrid car purchases over the years 1958 - 2000.

49. In 1981, China's population was 1.04 billion and her percentage rate of natural increase (r %) was 1.6%. By 2007, that percentage rate had decreased to 0.5% and her population was 1.3 billion. You read, "Good news about population! Recently released statistics indicate that China will add fewer people to her population in 2007 than she did in 1981." This claim about changes in China's "G" is
A. false, because r is still higher than 0.2%.
B. false, because there are so many more people in 2007 than there were in 1981.
C. false, because the claim ignores that rates of natural increase use an inverse scale.
D. true.
E. true, but because of the "one child per couple" policy, not because of a change in r.

50. How does the percentage natural rate of increase (r %) for the US compare to that of most other industrialized nations. The rate for the US is
A. higher.
B. lower.
C. about the same as.

51. Which one of the following predictions for future population growth would be false, if current patterns in per capita birth and death rates remained constant?
A. The US population will stabilize in another couple of generations (ignoring immigration).
B. The population of Europe will decline slightly.
C. The global population will stabilize between 2050 and 2100.
D. The populations of some African nations will double in less than 30 years.

52. "Replacement level fertility" is
A. the actual average number of children born per woman in a nation in a year.
B. another term for the percentage rate of natural increase of the population.
C. the number of children each woman should have to replace herself and her mate.
D. calculated as: per capita birth rate minus per capita death rate (= b - d).
E. the number of births per year per 1,000 people in the population.

53. Approximately what percentage of the world's population is at zero population growth ("ZPG")?
A. 0 - 5 %
B. 13 - 18 %
C. 35 - 40 %
D. 60 - 65 %

54. Your friend asks you, "Are we having any trouble producing enough grain for everyone in the world?" What, based on what you have learned this term, is the most appropriate answer?
A. "We currently produce more than enough for everyone to eat a typical US diet, but we just don't distribute it well."
B. "Global per capita grain production is increasing faster and faster every year."
C. "While global per capita grain production increased up through about 1984, it has not continued to increase consistently or significantly since then"
D. "Global per capita grain production in 2000 is less than half of what it was in 1950."
E. "I don't know; I don't think we talked about that."

While the "Green Revolution" increased agricultural production, it also created problems. Match each practice listed in questions 55 - 58 with the one problem, listed below, with which it is most strongly and directly associated. None of the choices should be used more than once.
A - eutrophication of water bodies; B - soil erosion; C - methane production by ruminant livestock; D - loss of crop diversity; E - destabilization of natural controls and nontarget effects

55. Increased water stress for plants, with associated increased reliance on irrigation
56. Heavy use of inorganic fertilizers
57. Heavy reliance on chemical pesticides
58. Widespread planting of relatively few crop varieties

59. After many years of reliance on inorganic fertilizer supplements instead of using organic matter to maintain soil fertility, soil water holding capacity tends to ___and retention of nutrients tends to _____.
A. increase, increase
B. increase, decrease
C. decrease, decrease
D. decrease, increase
E. stay constant, stay constant

60. You have been hired by an international consulting firm who sends you off to South Africa where they still use DDT to control malaria-carrying mosquitoes. You are given these data, and asked to interpret them. What would you say?

Species	DDT concentration (parts per trillion)
Zooplankton	0.0040
Minnow	0.5000
Predatory fish	2.000
Fish-eating bird	25.000

A. This is not an experimental study, therefore no interpretation of the data is possible.
B. The data indicate that biomagnification of DDT is occurring.
C. This is a text book example of eutrophication.
D. This is a negative feedback loop so DDT concentrations should stabilize.
E. There is a positive correlation between mosquito populations and fish eagle body size.

61. Consider the feedback system diagrammed below. This system is a

(Another guessing game -- take a look at information on feedback systems [link above] and then Answers.

A. negative feedback system, which tends be destabilizing.
B. negative feedback system, which tends to be stabilizing.
C. positive feedback system, which tends to be destabilizing.
D. positive feedback system, which tends to be stabilizing.

62. Soil salinization associated with irrigation is most likely to occur where the climate is
A. dry all year, soils are poorly drained, and irrigation rates are high.
B. dry in summer and wet in winter, soils are poorly drained and irrigation rates are high.
C. wet all year, soils are poorly drained, and irrigation rates are low.
D. dry all year, soils are well drained, and irrigation rates are low.
E. wet all year, soils are well drained, and irrigation rates are high.

63. If a food is labeled "100 % organic," its constituents were produced without
A. supplemental water.
B. inorganic or organic sources of fertilizer.
C. use of Bt as a spray or powder.
D. use of synthetic organic pesticides.
E. use of fossil-fuel driven machines.

64. Which of the following most accurately reflects the typical sequence (first to last) of events that occur as a site first begins to be overgrazed, and as overgrazing continues?
A. Cover by annual plants decreases, cover by biotic crusts decreases, cover by perennial grasses increases, total vegetation cover increases.
B. Cover by annual plants decreases, cover by perennial grasses decreases, cover by biotic crusts increases, total vegetation cover decreases.
C. Cover by perennial grasses decreases, cover by biotic crusts decreases, cover by annual grasses increases, total vegetation cover decreases.
D. Cover by perennial grasses increases, cover by biotic crusts increases, cover by annual grasses increases, total vegetation cover increases.

65. Which one of the following new or recently remodeled buildings on the OSU campus is a LEED-certified "Gold" building? (LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). (Sorry folks -- this isn't in the web notes so I can't give a link -- check Answers to see!)
A. Dixon Recreation Center
B. Valley library
C. Memorial Union
D. Kelley Engineering
E. Agricultural and Life Sciences (ALS)

Answers

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This page is maintained by Patricia Muir at Oregon State University. Page last updated Nov. 12, 2008.