Environmental Science Quiz one

Environmental Science

Practice Quiz #1 – page 24

1. Describe why fishing has changed at Apo Island, and the direct and indirect effects on people’s lives.

Apo Island was experiencing a catastrophic decline in fish stocks as early as 40 years ago.  This was caused by a population explosion accompanied with destructive fishing techniques like using dynamite and cyanide to stun the fish.  Fishing was the way the citizens on Apo Island survived and they were directly affected with the lack of fish to eat or sell.  Indirectly this effected the children’s education.  Families with a higher income tend to send their children to school longer and can cover the higher education costs.

1. What is the idea of “ecological services”?  Give an example.
   

Recycling and purifying ground water, processing air pollution, carrying out photosynthesis, and creating soil are known as ecological services.

An example of this would be the creation of fertilizer for farmers to use out of the waste from their animals.  Planting trees is an example of creating clean air to breathe.  Creating lifesaving medicines from the depths of the rainforest is an example of ecological services.

1. Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory.

A hypothesis is a testable explanation and when an explanation has been supported by a large number of tests, and when a vast majority of experts have reached a general consensus that it is a reliable description or explanation, we call it a scientific theory.

1. Describe the steps in a scientific theory.

1. Observe the situation.
2. Propose a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
3. Develop a test of the hypothesis and predict the result that would indicate your hypothesis was correct.
4. Gather data from your test.
5. Interpret the results of your test.

1. What is probability?  Give an example.

Probability is a measure of how likely something is to occur.

What is the probability of flipping a coin and landing heads up? – 1 out of 2

What is the probability of any nation landing people on Mars? – Maybe

1. Why are scientists generally skeptical?  Why do tests require replication?

Scientists are generally skeptical about accepting a proposed explanation until there is substantial evidence to support it, even then, they are cautious about accepting conclusions until they can reproduce it.  Sometimes several scientists in different parts of the world are required to reproduce the result using the same parameters until it is accepted.

1. What is the first step in critical thinking, according to table 1.4?

The first step in critical thinking is: what is the purpose of my critical thinking?

1. Distinguish between utilitarian conservation and biocentric preservation.  Name two environmental leaders associated with each of these philosophies.

Roosevelt and Pinchot’s utilitarian conservation argued that the forests should be saved, “not because they are beautiful or because they shelter wild creatures of the wilderness, but only to provide homes and jobs for people.”

Muir and Leopold argued that nature deserves to exist for its own sake, regardless of its usefulness to us.  The fundamental rights for other organisms to exist.

1. Why do some experts regard water as the most critical natural resource for the twentieth-century?

As more people use the water that we have shortages will occur.  Water is a finite natural resource, we only have so much – it is reusable, but it is not renewable.  We do not “create” water – we simply use the water we have.  We are even desalinating water from the ocean in a limited supply, that will grow in time.  However, shortages will continue as more and more citizens of the world use and abuse water.

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