This Quiz prepared by Leslie J. Sonder, Dartmouth College.
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1 | |
As the magnitude of natural disasters increases their frequency of occurrence _______________. |
| | A) | increases |
| | B) | decreases |
| | C) | remains the same |
| | D) | varies over time |
| | E) | cannot be predicted |
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2 | |
As the magnitude of natural disasters increases their return period (recurrence interval) ________________. |
| | A) | increases |
| | B) | decreases |
| | C) | remains the same |
| | D) | varies over time |
| | E) | cannot be predicted |
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3 | |
Based on the data presented in Table 1.4 which natural hazard has caused the greatest number of deaths in a single event for the periods of time listed? |
| | A) | earthquakes |
| | B) | floods |
| | C) | volcanic eruptions and related disasters |
| | D) | hurricanes |
| | E) | tornadoes |
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4 | |
Examine Table 1.5. Which natural hazard has resulted in the greatest monetary losses in a single event for the period of time listed? |
| | A) | earthquake |
| | B) | hurricane |
| | C) | fire |
| | D) | flood |
| | E) | winter storm |
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5 | |
Which two natural hazards have caused the most damage both in terms of loss of life and monetary losses over the past 50 years on a global scale? |
| | A) | hurricanes and volcanoes |
| | B) | hurricanes and floods |
| | C) | hurricanes and tornadoes |
| | D) | hurricanes and winter storms |
| | E) | hurricanes and earthquakes |
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6 | |
Why do you suppose there has been an overall increase in the number of deaths and monetary losses related to natural disasters on Earth? |
| | A) | There are more hazardous events occurring every year. |
| | B) | The magnitudes of natural hazard events are increasing. |
| | C) | Events are better documented today than in the past. |
| | D) | Human populations are increasing in areas of risk. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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7 | |
An effect that natural disasters can have on people affected by the event is an increased rate of ____________________. |
| | A) | homicide |
| | B) | suicide |
| | C) | immigration |
| | D) | population growth |
| | E) | all of these |
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8 | |
Which of the following factors has contributed to the fact that United States had the fewest deaths related to natural hazards in the past 30 years but the greatest monetary losses in terms of insurance claims? |
| | A) | Buildings in the U.S. are safer. |
| | B) | Building costs in the U.S. are high. |
| | C) | Buildings and other types of property are better insured in the U.S. |
| | D) | More expensive structures are being built in hazardous areas. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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9 | |
Which of the following factors helps explain why the greatest number of deaths related to natural disasters in the past 30 years has occurred in a zone extending from Bangladesh through India and into Turkey? |
| | A) | Many people live in these areas. |
| | B) | A high frequency of powerful events occur in this zone. |
| | C) | A variety of catastrophic processes occur within this zone. |
| | D) | A, B, and C |
| | E) | A and C |
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10 | |
The Earth's human population is estimated at _________________ people. |
| | A) | 670 million |
| | B) | 1000 million |
| | C) | 4.6 billion |
| | D) | 6.4 billion |
| | E) | 10 billion |
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11 | |
The Polynesian experience on Easter Island could be summarized as __________________. |
| | A) | don't carve statues out of basalt |
| | B) | know and respect your environment's carrying capacity |
| | C) | stay away from chickens |
| | D) | cannibalism isn't for everyone |
| | E) | don't look a gift yam in the mouth |
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12 | |
Which of the following statements best represents the concept of exponential growth? |
| | A) | Growth consisting of multiplying the population by the same factor every year. |
| | B) | Rapid growth consisting of adding the same number of individuals each year. |
| | C) | Linear incremental growth pattern. |
| | D) | Growth so rapid that it is difficult to quantify. |
| | E) | Stairstep-like growth with plateaus and sudden bursts of growth. |
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13 | |
In terms of population growth, the phrase doubling time refers to ___________________. |
| | A) | two times the annual growth rate |
| | B) | period of time required to double the present population |
| | C) | period of time for the population to increase by 2 percent |
| | D) | the increase in slow neutrons in a nuclear reactor |
| | E) | none of the above |
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14 | |
The world's human growth rate is simply expressed as __________________. |
| | A) | the sum of all births |
| | B) | the subtraction of all deaths |
| | C) | growth of human population |
| | D) | the birth rate minus the death rate |
| | E) | none of the above |
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15 | |
Based on the rule of 70, after 35 years the size of an initial population of 10,000 individuals, whose annual growth rate is 4 percent, will be _________________ individuals. |
| | A) | 15,000 |
| | B) | 25,000 |
| | C) | 35,000 |
| | D) | 40,000 |
| | E) | none of the above, provide the correct answer _______________________. |
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16 | |
The growth rate of a country's population today depends on all but which of the following? |
| | A) | birth rate |
| | B) | death rate |
| | C) | climate |
| | D) | socioeconomic factors such as education levels, urbanization, and opportunities for women |
| | E) | age distribution of the population |
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17 | |
Some of the factors contributing to increased human population growth include ________________. |
| | A) | advent of agriculture and animal husbandry |
| | B) | closely monitored clean water and safe food supplies |
| | C) | advances in medicine, such as antibiotics and sterile procedures |
| | D) | better and more effective communication resources |
| | E) | all of the above |
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18 | |
At the beginning of the 21st century, the doubling rate of the human population is about __________________. |
| | A) | 125 years |
| | B) | 75 years |
| | C) | 65 years |
| | D) | 50 years |
| | E) | 25 years |
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19 | |
The rate of world population growth has decreased from 1.8 percent in 1990 to 1.3 percent in 2004. What factors appear to have caused this dramatic decrease? |
| | A) | war, disease, and economic depression |
| | B) | governmental control on reproduction |
| | C) | family-planning opportunities for more women |
| | D) | increased urbanization and opportunities for women |
| | E) | answers C & D |
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20 | |
The impact on human population of women having 1.6 versus 2.6 children per woman is ______________. |
| | A) | the difference in world population between 3.6 and 27 billion in 2150 |
| | B) | negligible |
| | C) | the difference in world population between 10.8 and 3.6 billion in 2150 |
| | D) | the difference in world population between 10.8 and 27 billion in 2150 |
| | E) | demographic transition |
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21 | |
The carrying capacity of the Earth is ________________. |
| | A) | a fixed number |
| | B) | impacted in part by technological innovations |
| | C) | limitless |
| | D) | finite |
| | E) | answers B and D |
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22 | |
At today's 1.4 percent growth rate, human population would reach the unimaginable figure of 529 trillion people in about _____________ years. |
| | A) | 10,000 |
| | B) | 5400 |
| | C) | 2500 |
| | D) | 1040 |
| | E) | 875 |
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23 | |
Populations that severely overextend the carrying capacity of their environment risk _______________. |
| | A) | nothing |
| | B) | increased population growth |
| | C) | demographic transition |
| | D) | catastrophic collapse |
| | E) | resource growth |
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24 | |
The impact of our ever-increasing human population on natural resources is ________________. |
| | A) | insignificant |
| | B) | resulting in overexploitation of some resources (e.g., virgin forests, oil & gas reserves) |
| | C) | good for the environment |
| | D) | a boon to the commodities market |
| | E) | of little interest to science |
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25 | |
At current growth rates, and taking into account human lives lost to disease, war, and natural disasters, world population grows each year by about _________________ people. |
| | A) | 1 billion |
| | B) | 500 million |
| | C) | 100 million |
| | D) | 80 million |
| | E) | 40 million |
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26 | |
The concept of carrying capacity refers to ____________________. |
| | A) | the size of a population that can subsist on available resources |
| | B) | how much mass the human skeleton can support |
| | C) | the mass of potatoes grown in bogs in Ireland |
| | D) | a crisis known as population implosion |
| | E) | the mass of carbon in individual multicellular organisms |
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