Reference no: EM133191583 , Length: Word count: 5 Pages
Multiple Choices:
1. Pesticides are effective:
- at increasing the amount of crop damage due to insects.
- at increasing the farmer's cost for a particular crop.
- at reducing crop productivity due to competition with weeds.
- for controlling some organisms that cause diseases in humans.
- at controlling insects and weeds, but ineffective against plant pathogens.
2. GM (genetically modified) crops and foods:
- may have higher nutritional value than the original product.
- may be resistant to pests, diseases, and stressful (weather)/climate conditions.
- All of these choices are correct
- may produce unexpected allergic reactions in some consumers.
- have been largely banned by the European Union.
3. The "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico is:
- due to regular dumping of untreated human sewage into the gulf.
- the largest oxygen-free zone identified to date.
- present year round.
- home to numerous bacteria and bottom dwellers, such as sea stars and spiny lobsters, but no fishes.
- a large zone of hypoxia caused by excessive decomposition of algae.
4. Domesticated plants and animals:
- tend to lose genetic diversity as the farmer selects for more desirable agricultural characteristics.
- can readily survive in both cultivated and wild (natural) settings.
- are characterized by high genetic diversity.
- readily adapt to changing environmental conditions.
- are less likely to succumb to new strains of disease-causing organisms.
For each set of essay questions choose either option A or B to answer. You only have to answer one of the essay questions for each set. Please indicate which question you choose in your response.
1. Essay option
A. Compare and contrast the use of organic and commercial inorganic fertilizers. Which type is more cost effective? Which type is more environmentally friendly? Which type is the most effective overall? Justify your answers.
B. Identify and discuss four ways in which forest trees are currently harvested. Which method is the most ecologically sound, and why? Which method is the most economical? If your answer is different for these two questions, how could a compromise be reached?
2. Essay option
A. What is the relationship between biological diversity and cultural diversity? Include in your answer definition of terms and a rationale for why both notions need preservation.
B. Why is it important for communities to take responsibility for their own (local) environments if our goal is to improve the global environment? Provide an example to support your answer.
3. Essay option
A. Identify the major provisions of the two pieces of federal legislation that deal with the management of hazardous waste. Comment on the success of these laws in dealing with the problems of hazardous waste.
B. Discuss the use of biological organisms to remove hazardous contaminants. Give specific examples of types of organisms that can be used and the contaminants they can clean up. Identify two advantages of using living organisms and two problems associated with using this method.
4. Essay option
A. In 1999, the EU placed a 5-year moratorium on virtually all approvals of genetically modified (GM) crops. Currently, the European Union (EU) bans all imports of hormone-treated beef. What reasons does the EU give for not wanting these
B. Define genetic diversity and explain the importance of genetic diversity for crop plants and livestock. Identify one way genetic diversity is lost in organisms and discuss one benefit and one difficulty of lower genetic diversity.
5. Essay option
A. Describe how most drinking water is purified in the U.S. What are the benefits and potential hazards of chlorinating the water? Is there an alternative method for the purification of drinking water?
B. Compare the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act. Briefly discuss the effectiveness of each act and highlight any areas in which pollution is still "escaping" regulation.
6. Essay option
A. Discuss the pesticide risks to human health, including short-term effects of exposure to high levels, long-term effects of exposure to low levels, the risks to children, and the role of pesticides as endocrine disrupters.
B. Identify two problems concerning banned or heavily restricted pesticides. Why pesticide misuse is increasingly viewed as a global environmental problem?