Tragedy of the commons environmental science worksheet

Quiz

1) Land value can generally be quantified in terms of dollars. One notable exception is

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food value.

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shelter value.

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mineral value.

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natural resource value.

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intrinsic value.

2) The tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act out of self interest for short-term gain is generally referred to as

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capitalism.

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communism.

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the invisible hand.

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the tragedy of the commons.

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the Hardin effect.

3) In theory, a population grows most quickly at ____ % of the environment’s carrying capacity.

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10

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25

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50

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75

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100

4) Cave swallows make nests out of saliva, which some people then harvest to make expensive soup. If too many nests are harvested, then the swallows won’t be able to rear their young and the population will crash. When evaluating how many nests to harvest, we should focus on

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market forces such as the cost of bird’s nest soup.

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international policy.

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maximum sustainable yield.

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the tragedy of the commons.

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cave swallow cave preference.

5) Approximately ____ % of the Earth’s land surface is considered “protected” by the United Nations.

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10

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25

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50

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75

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100

6) The nation with the largest percentage of publically held land is

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the United States

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Costa Rica.

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Russia.

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China.

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India.

7) Most environmental law, policy, and management plans in the United States are based on

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remediating externalities.

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ecological principles.

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economic forces.

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the resource conservation ethic.

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old English laws.

8) When looking at both private and public lands in the United States, the most common use is

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timber production.

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grazing land.

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recreational.

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defense.

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residential.

9) From an economic standpoint which forest harvesting technique is generally best?

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Clear-cutting

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Shelterbelt

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Shelter tree

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Selective cutting

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Ecologically sustainable forestry

10) Which is NOT a problem with clear-cutting as a means of timber harvest?

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The possibility of raising water temperatures

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Increased soil erosion

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Lack of cover for certain wildlife

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Herbicide use prior to replanting

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High cost of clear-cutting when compared to other methods

11) Before certain projects can begin in the United States, the project owner must file an EIS. The purpose of this is to

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discover whether the project would be well served by multi-use zoning.

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force land owners to proceed in the way that will have the least environmental impact.

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force land owners to file an environmental mitigation plan.

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reduce the likelihood of creating urban sprawl.

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force land owners to suggest alternative approaches to the project and assess the environmental impacts of those alternatives.

12) Currently, most of the U.S. population lives in ____ areas.

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rural

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suburban

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exurban

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urban

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superurban

13) The most common use of land in the United States is

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silviculture.

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plant agriculture for human consumption.

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plant agriculture for animal consumption.

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rangelands.

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urban landscape.

14) National wildlife refuges are managed primarily for the purpose of protecting wildlife. They are usually managed by

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FWS.

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BLM.

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USFS.

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NPS.

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whichever agency managed the land before the refuge was established.

15) The vast majority of wilderness areas in the United States exist in

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the southeastern states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

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the midwestern states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

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Texas and Hawaii.

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the western States (California, Oregon, and Washington).

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Alaska.

16) Industrial Agriculture has many benefits. Which of the following is NOT a benefit associated with industrial agriculture?

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The ratio of energy input to calorie output is low.

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There is larger food production per hectare.

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Monoculture can be more efficient.

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Economy of scale can make the food less expensive.

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None of the above

17) Humans started moving from hunter-gatherer societies to more agricultural societies approximately ____ years ago

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1,000

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10,000

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100,000

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1,000,000

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10,000,000

18) Typically, most of the energy subsidies in modern agriculture are in the form of

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solar power.

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hydroelectric power.

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nuclear power.

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fossil fuels.

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manual labor.

19) Synthetic fertilizers have many advantages over traditional “organic” animal waste fertilizers. These include all of the following EXCEPT

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ease of application.

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highly adjustable nutrient content.

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bioavailability of nutrients.

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lack of nutrient runoff problems.

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highly concentrated when produced.

20) The U.S. accounts for about what percent of worldwide pesticide use?

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20

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33

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50

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80

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95

21) After many years of applying the selective pesticide provironex, a farmer notices that the applications seem less effective. This is likely due to

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the fact that provironex is fat soluble and has been bioaccumulating.

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provironex is selective, so other pests are filling the niche from the exterminated ones.

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provironex is persistent, and the farmer should apply less for better results.

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the target species has begun to evolve resistance.

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provironex is a wide-spectrum pesticide that needs to be fine-tuned for the target species.

22) A substance that kills invertebrates that feed on crops and breaks down relatively rapidly is called a

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persistent herbicide.

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nonpersistent herbicide.

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persistent insecticide.

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nonpersistent insecticide.

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pesticide treadmill.

23) Scientists have inserted a gene for the production of vitamin A into rice. This practice of changing the genetic structure of agricultural products to improve desirable traits is known as

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genetic engineering.

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transmodification.

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selective breeding.

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natural selection.

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animal husbandry.

24) Which of the following statements about sustainable agriculture is NOT true?

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Sustainable agriculture is often based on traditional agriculture techniques.

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A key component of sustainable agriculture is soil protection.

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Sustainable agriculture is more labor intensive than conventional agriculture, and so cost is an issue in areas with high labor costs.

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Sustainable agriculture does not take into account the economic viability of the farmer.

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Sustainable agriculture uses techniques such as crop rotation, intercropping, and agroforestry to protect soil substrate and nutrients.

25) In order for organic farmers to make a profit (and thus be economically sustainable),

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manure (organic fertilizer) must be found in abundance in close proximity to the farm.

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the government must continue to provide an “organic” subsidy.

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conventional farmers must pay a tax to subsidize the organic farmers.

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consumers must be willing to pay higher costs associated with organic produce.

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organic farmers cannot make a profit.