Physical Geology Exploring the Earth 6th Edition By James S. Monroe – Test Bank

Complete Test Bank With Answers

Sample Questions Posted Below

CHAPTER 20 ‑ TEST QUESTIONS

TRUE OR FALSE

1. Energy use by the average global citizen has essentially remained constant over the last 50 years.

ANSWER: false

2. Geologists have a high profile when it comes to the role they play in human affairs.

ANSWER: false

3. The solutions to environmental problems associated with rapid growth in population are disciplinary, fairly specific, and require focused training or learning.

ANSWER: false

4. Human settlement and civilization is dependent on a stable agricultural base.

ANSWER: true

5. Stable and sedentary populations require fertile soils and a good water supply.

ANSWER: true

6. The code of Hammurabi represents the world’s first regulation and is associated with fair use of water for irrigation.

ANSWER: true

7. Terrain has historically played a critical role in warfare.  It is influenced by geology.

ANSWER: true

8. In this day of modern transport and technology, the role of geology in human affairs has been minimized.

ANSWER: false

9. Humans can impact Earth processes such as erosion but it is minimal. 

ANSWER: false 

10. Damming a river causes both positive and negative impacts downstream.

ANSWER: true

MULTIPLE CHOICE

11.  Development of civilization on Earth require which of the following attributes related to climate?

A.  warm climate and low sea level

B.  warm climate and stable sea level

* C.  stable climate and stable sea level

D.  stable climate and high sea level

12.  Geology plays a role in which of the following human affairs?

A.  resource availability and extraction

B.  evaluating human impacts on the environment

C.  susceptibility of humans to the impacts of natural hazards

D.  environmental restoration

* E.  all of the above

13.  The transition from nomadic existence to settled, sedentary communities was not likely during the ice age because of which of the following?

* A.  the inability to establish a stable and reliable agricultural base

B.  the inability to stay warm in a glacial environment

C.  the lack of fertile soils

D.  the lack of surface water for irrigation

14.  The code of Hammurabi established regulations for which of the following?

A.  building irrigation systems

* B.  cooperative and fair use of water

C.  determining beneficial use of water

D.  dealing with drought

15.  Which of the following events caused the greatest challenge to established religion in the 18^th and 19^th centuries?

A.  eruption of Vesuvius and the burial of Pompeii

B.  a devastating earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal  

* C.  James Hutton’s work on the age of Earth 

D.  Hammurabi’s code

16.  Which of the following resources was NOT part of international trade 2000 years ago?

A.  gold and silver

B.  kaolinite clay

C.  amber

* D.  petroleum

17.  Which of the following consequences will result from increased soil erosion caused from human impacts?

A.  land will slip into the sea

* B.  fertile soils will be destroyed

C.  global climate will change

D.  rivers will flood more frequently

18.  Which of the following impacts results downstream from a dam or reservoir?

A.  buildup of sediment

B.  flooding

* C.  bank erosion and lowering of the water table

D.  deposition of fertile sediment

19.  Which of the following is considered by scientists to be a natural switch causing climate change?

A.  continent-wide changes in land cover and land use

* B.  change in position of the thermocline

C.  increased cloudiness

D.  decreased summer precipitation

20.  Which of the following is NOT a potential solution to human-induced climate change?

A.  storing atmospheric CO₂ underground  

B.  using alternative fuels 

C.  growing new forests and plantations

* D.  reducing development in glaciated areas

FILL-IN

21. ____________ _____________ is a special branch of earth science whose objective is to develop solutions to earth and environmental problems we have created for ourselves.

ANSWER: environmental geology

22. The Code of Hammurabi dictated the fair use of __________. 

ANSWER: water

23.The first legal regulation, which dictated the fair use of water, was known as the ____________________.

ANSWER: Code of Hammurabi

24. Satellite images and aerial photographs are used to determine attributes of a landscape, a study known as ___________ ____________.

ANSWER: terrain analysis

25. An earthquake near Lisbon, Portugal, in 1755 inspired Voltaire to write ______________.

ANSWER: Candide

26. Sensitive environmental thresholds that cause rapid change in natural systems like climate are called __________ ___________.

ANSWER: natural switches

27. The boundary between shallower, warm seawater and deeper, colder seawater is known as the ___________.

ANSWER: thermocline

28. ___________ ___________ are the seaward extension of continental ice sheets.

ANSWER: ice shelves

29. Warmer sea-surface temperatures and weaker trade winds produces a wetter, rainy season known as ________________.

ANSWER: El Nino

30. Global ____________ at the start of the Holocene Epoch provided a favorable climate for agriculture to thrive.

ASNWER: Warming

CRITICAL THINKING

31. Global warming gave rise to civilization, but will devastate some of the same populations in the future.  Explain.  

ANSWER: The warmer climate and lower sea level associated with global warming 10,000 years ago created a climate that enabled stable agriculture and maritime trade.  The warming today is occurring at a much greater rate and could warm the planet sufficiently to change make some current agricultural areas prone to drought as well as inundate coastal areas with sea level rise.   

32.  Should dams continue to be built?  Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of dams.

ANSWER:  Dams provide both advantages and disadvantages.  Advantages include flood control, water supply, and hydroelectric power.  Disadvantages include siltation, downstream erosion, and lowering of the water table.  Any community, region, or country deciding whether to build a dam must weight both advantages and disadvantage, taking into account downstream impacts.

33. Describe what a natural switch is and provide an example of one.

ANSWER: A natural switch is an environmental threshold which, once crossed, results in a rapid change.  An example of one would be an overturning of the thermocline causing an El Niño–La Niña cycle.

SHORT ANSWER

34. The advent of modern civilazation was dependent on what two conditions?

ANSWER: productive and reliable agricultural base, stable sea level to carry on maritime trade

35. Describe a historical event in which geology played a major role.

ANSWER: events in literature, such as the writing of Candide, catastrophic events, such as the burial of Pompeii, or military events, such as the Battle of Vicksburg

36. Describe a long-term threat to global food supply.

ANSWER: either continued global warming or soil erosion will have a lasting impact on production and fertility of agricultural lands

37. List several advantages to the construction of dams and reservoirs.

ANSWER: flood control, stable water supply, hydroelectric power, recreation

38. List several disadvantages to the construction of dams and reservoirs.

ANSWER: siltation and reduced capacity, downstream bank erosion, lowering of the water table

39. What is the impact of ice shelf collapse?

ANSWER: higher sea level resulting from glacial movement into the seas

40. List several ways to decrease the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere.

ANSWER: use alternative fuels, sequester CO₂ by growing forests or plantations or storing it underground

 PAGE 332 Physical Geology: Exploring the Earth – Instructor’s Manual

Chapter 20 – Geology and Humanity PAGE 331