2024 – Question 1 1 Which statement best characterizes the assertions of the logarithmic logistic models of societal development contained in both the
Economics 50 Multiple Choice Questions – 2024
Question 1
1. Which statement best characterizes the assertions of the logarithmic-logistic models of societal development contained in both the charts from Raskin et al. in the lecture and Turner and McCandless (2004) “How Humankind Came to Rival Nature”?
Contemporary environmental degradation will likely doom all societies to failure |
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Because humans have always impacted their environment there is no need to be concerned about contemporary environmental change |
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Human-caused transformation of the environment is an entirely new feature of the industrial revolution |
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We are now at the beginning of a new stage of social, cultural, and technological development that could lead to new environmental challenges as well as better understanding of the human-environment condition |
1 points
Question 2
1. Which regions of the world currently have the lowest percentage of urban population?
Sub-saharan Africa and south Asia |
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Sub-Saharan Africa and South America |
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South Asia and southern Europe |
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South Asia and South America |
1 points
Question 3
1. In the European enlightenment formulation, women, indigenous people, and nature are
feminized and exploitable objects |
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active and thinking subjects |
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feminized and sacred objects |
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life-giving and fearful subjects |
1 points
Question 4
1. In terms of world population censuses, the definition of urban
is singularly defined and established by the U.N. |
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defines any place with a population of 10,000 people or more |
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defines all places where residents are not primarily engaged in agricultural activities |
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varies from country to country |
1 points
Question 5
1. The oceans cover about what percent of the earth’s surface?
71% |
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50% |
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30% |
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95% |
1 points
Question 6
1. Whereas the I=PAT equation suggests that the higher a country’s affluence or income the higher that country’s environmental impact, Kuznets Curves suggest that
as per-capita income increases the environment worsens, until reaching a maximum carrying capacity and leading to societal collapse |
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as per-capita income increases population and technology increase at a steady rate, reflecting the increasing need to innovate and find solutions to environmental problems. |
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as per-capita income increases the environment worsens, until reaching a turning point beyond which as per-capita income continues to increase the environment improves (a bell curve) |
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as per-capita income increases population and food production increase at a steady rate, reflecting the increasing purchasing power of individual consumers (a linear progression) |
1 points
Question 7
1. In terms of the Colorado River flow, we have learned that
the flow of the river is expected to decrease within the next 25 years |
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the flow of the Colorado remained the same from year-to-year before the construction of large dams |
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the flow of the Colorado River has fluctuated greatly over the last 800 years |
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we have dramatically under-allocated the Colorado’s water. |
1 points
Question 8
1. Which two factors most contributed to the Great Plains Dust Bowl of the 1930s?
rapid urban growth and aridity |
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deforestation and erosion |
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over-plowing and drought |
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over-hunting and flooding |
1 points
Question 9
1. Which statement about Great Plains population distribution is most accurate?
populations in rural areas have grown rapidly since 1950 due to increases in tourism and construction |
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populations in urban areas have decreased since 1950 as people have “gone back to the land” to work farms abandoned during the Dust Bowl |
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the population of every county across the entire region has steadily increased since 1950 with the boom in the oil economy |
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populations in rural areas have decreased in many places since 1950 due to the increasing efficiency of modern agricultural practices |
1 points
Question 10
1. Thomas Malthus’ theory on population growth and food production
considers affluence and technology as important variables |
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has unequivocally been proven correct |
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has unequivocally been proven wrong |
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does not take into account many social, economic, institutional, and cultural variables |
1 points
Question 11
1. The urban garden and community agriculture movement in the United States can best be described as
subsistence agriculture |
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industrial agriculture |
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cash-crop agriculture |
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none of these answers |
1 points
Question 12
1. The infrastructure of informal settlements, sometimes referred to as slums, squatter settlements, and favelas, is typically characterized by
a lack of indoor plumbing |
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all of the these answers |
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the use of a variety of scrap materials to build homes |
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unpaved streets |
1 points
Question 13
1. Food prices and oil (petroleum) prices
exhibit a positive relationship; as oil prices increase food prices tend to increase |
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tend to not be related |
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remain steady from year to year |
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exhibit a negative relationship; as oil prices increase food prices tend to decrease |
1 points
Question 14
1. “Path-dependency” as illustrated by Turner and McCandless (2004) “How Humankind Came to Rival Nature” refers to
the transition to a “planetary” society |
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the steady upward trajectory of human civilization |
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the current socioeconomic and environmental conditions that constrain or expand future possibilities |
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the lack of precedent for the scale of contemporary environmental changes |
1 points
Question 15
1. Some scientists have argued that using the term Anthropocene is redundant. Why?
Because modern humans have existed throughout the Pleistocene Epoch for the last 2.5 million years |
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Because the Holocene Epoch, in which we currently live, already denotes a time when the human imprint is widespread |
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Because humans cannot really cause lasting damage or change the global environment |
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Because humans have modified the global environment since at least the Industrial Revolution |
1 points
Question 16
1. In the Cartesian formulation from the European enlightenment, man is separate from, and superior to, nature. This make nature
a dangerous and terrifying object |
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an inferior and exploitable object |
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an interdependent and embodied object |
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a separate and sacred object |
1 points
Question 17
1. What is the average depth of the Ocean?
7,800 meters |
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15,000 meters |
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3,800 meters |
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1,000 meters |
1 points
Question 18
1. According to the charts from Raskin et al. in the lecture, which of the following systems of social organization, forms of economy, and communications technology characterizes the current “Planetary Phase?”
tribe/village, hunting/gathering, language, respectively |
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nation-state, industrial system, and printing, respectively |
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city-state/kingdom, settled agriculture, writing, respectively |
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global governance, globalization, and the internet, respectively |
1 points
Question 19
1. LUCC science has emerged as an important field in the last half of the 20th century due primarily to the analytical power of
historical records of the use of fire |
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population growth records |
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urbanization |
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satellite remote sensing |
1 points
Question 20
1. Which of the following cities has grown in recent decades in part due to rural displacement caused by the expansion of the oil industry?
Lagos, Nigeria |
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Los Angeles, USA |
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Beijing, China |
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Detroit, USA |
1 points
Question 21
1. The variables in the I=PAT equation for understanding environmental change due to population growth are defined as
impact = (population) (affluence) (technology) |
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impact = (personality) (affluence) (time) |
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institutions = (population) (affluence) (time) |
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institutions = (personality) (affluence) (time) |
1 points
Question 22
1. In 1950, half of the world’s 10 largest cities were in Europe and the United States. How many European and U.S. cities are projected to be in the list of the world’s 10 largest cities in 2025?
1 |
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5 |
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7 |
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6 |
1 points
Question 23
1. The largest share of population growth in the 21st century is expected to come from
China |
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Europe |
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the more developed countries |
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the less developed countries |
1 points
Question 24
1. In the 1980s and 1990s, which trend was observed in the relationship between cultivated land and cereal yields globally?
both cereal yields and the amount of land in cultivation increased |
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the amount of land in cultivation increased while cereal yields decreased |
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cereal yields increased while the amount of land in cultivation decreased |
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both cereal yields and the amount of land in cultivation decreased |
1 points
Question 25
1. In the reading from Jared Diamond (2005) “Malthus in Africa,” it was revealed that
population growth and high population densities put stressors on land and resources that contributed to the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s |
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women in Sub-Saharan Africa ultimately had no say in the number of children they had, therefore leading to increasing population growth rates |
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the factors that influence women’s and family’s choices about how many children to have in Sub-Saharan Africa are many and complex |
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population growth and high population densities were a significant cause of the HIV/Aids epidemic and the resulting “missing” population of Sub-Saharan Africa |
1 points
Question 26
1. In the LUCC case of Brazilian deforestation, which of the following best exemplifies an underlying cause?
the farmer in the slide show physically planting soy beans |
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increasing international demand in urban areas for soy products |
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ranchers and cowboys cutting down trees for cattle pasture |
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the cattle eating new tree growth |
1 points
Question 27
1. Hardin’s (1968) “Tragedy of the Commons” idea is best exemplified by
over-fishing in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland |
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the Rwandan genocide |
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population decline in the Adriatic region of southern Europe |
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China’s one-child policy |
1 points
Question 28
1. Which of the following cities has lost population in recent decades in part due to the decline of the manufacturing economy?
Lagos, Nigeria |
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Beijing, China |
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Detroit, USA |
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Los Angeles, USA |
1 points
Question 29
1. About what percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas today?
10% |
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50% |
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80% |
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20% |
1 points
Question 30
1. In the 1990s and early 2000s, _____ experienced the greatest rise in the number of people living on less than $0.50 per day.
Latin America |
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Pacific Islands |
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Sub Saharan Africa |
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south Asia |
1 points
Question 31
1. In terms of population, Europe has
has experienced internal displacement due to civil war |
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offered monetary incentives to families to have additional children |
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experienced high rates of in migration from Africa and the Middle East |
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adopted a strict family planning policy to limit population growth |
1 points
Question 32
1. Which of the following was not a recommendation of John Wesley Powell in his Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States?
change the size of land allotments under the homestead act |
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discontinue Eastern riparian water laws and adopt a new water law for the West |
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redraw state boundaries around major river watersheds |
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large dams and reservoirs should be built by private companies and individuals |
1 points
Question 33
1. In LUCC science, land use refers to
the social, economic, political, cultural and institutional factors that define how land should be used |
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the natural covering of land existing before human modification |
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the physical covering of land whether it is natural or human created |
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the human alteration of an environment, for instance from forest to cropland |
1 points
Question 34
1. Stage 1 of the demographic transition model is characterized by
low birth rates, low death rates, but high population |
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low birth rates, low death rates, and decreasing population |
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high birth rates, high death rates, and low population |
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high birth rates, declining death rates, and rapidly increasing population |
1 points
Question 35
1. During the summer of 2015, most migrants in Europe’s refugee “crisis” intended to reach which country as their final destination?
Germany |
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Hungary |
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Greece |
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Slovakia |
1 points
Question 36
1. During the second half of the 20th century in the United States, Cleveland, Detroit, and Buffalo all _____ population; while Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles all _____ population.
gained; lost |
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gained; gained |
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lost; gained |
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lost; lost |
1 points
Question 37
1. In terms of global demographics, the term “demographic divide” refers to
the inability of many countries to pass beyond stage 1 of the demographic transition model |
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the social and political differences between generations, such as the baby boom generation and the millennial generation. |
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the ways demographers divide country populations based on gender, age, and income levels |
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the different population profiles that characterize LDCs vs. MDCs |
1 points
Question 38
1. Which environmental philosophy challenges the “Western” opposition of man and nature most directly?
Environmental preservation |
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Conservation management |
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Transcendentalism |
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Ecofeminism |
1 points
Question 39
1. A country growing at a rate of 2 percent per year would be expected to double its population in
35 years |
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70 years |
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20 years |
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200 years |
1 points
Question 40
1. The Bureau of Reclamation’s earliest projects in the 1900s and 1910s included
a desalination plant at Yuma |
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the CAP |
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Glen Canyon Dam and the Los Angeles Aqueduct |
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Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River |
1 points
Question 41
1. In the reading from William Cronon (1992) “A Place for Stories,” the two differing story arcs that shape our understanding of human-caused environmental changes are different in that they present a
objective vs. subjective view |
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pro vs. con view |
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declensionist vs. progressive narrative |
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disagreement about the basic facts and evidence |
1 points
Question 42
1. The overall human population of the earth is _____. The overall population growth rate is _____.
decreasing; also decreasing |
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increasing; also increasing |
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increasing; decreasing |
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decreasing; increasing |
1 points
Question 43
1. In terms of population, Russia has
experienced high rates of in migration from Africa and the Middle East |
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offered monetary incentives to families to have additional children |
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adopted a strict family planning policy to limit population growth |
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has experienced internal displacement due to civil war |
1 points
Question 44
1. All of the following are associated with the modern food system except
a large, hungry urban population |
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widespread subsistence farming |
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factory farming |
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a large number of food miles |
1 points
Question 45
1. In terms of population, Colombia has
offered monetary incentives to families to have additional children |
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has experienced internal displacement due to civil war |
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experienced high rates of in migration from Africa and the Middle East |
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adopted a strict family planning policy to limit population growth |
1 points
Question 46
1. The Green Revolution (GR) beginning in the 1960s refers to
the advances of agricultural science and increasing crop yields combined with the diplomatic and political work to distribute those advances to LDCs |
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the social upheaval that lead to the founding of modern environmental organizations and events such as Earth Day |
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the cultural and economic changes experienced in China as a result of the Great Leap Forward |
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the advances of agricultural science and increasing crop yields |
1 points
Question 47
1. In Turner and McCandless (2004) “How Humankind Came to Rival Nature” and the charts from Raskin et al. in the lecture, the phases of human development follow a logarithmic-logistic model where the duration of each subsequent era decreases by a factor of 10. For instance, the stone age lasts 100,000 years while the early civilization age lasts only 10,000 years. Why might this be?
the societal transitions are spurred by not only technological advances but also population, which has a tendency to increase exponentially and spur changes in the the organization of society |
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there are regular environmental changes that happen naturally, without any influence from humans, and at the same time as the great societal transitions |
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At each transition there has been a major social or environmental catastrophe which forced people to advance to a new phase |
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in each phase people are much smarter than before, so they need less time to transition to a new era |
1 points
Question 48
1. As people in developing countries become more affluent, a greater proportion of their diet will likely consist of
rice |
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meat |
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fresh fruits |
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fresh vegetables |
1 points
Question 49
1. It has been argued that the start date for the Anthropocene is
difficult to identify because humans have always modified the environment in some ways |
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about 1950, with large increases in fossil fuel use |
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all of these answers |
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about 1800, with the Industrial Revolution |
1 points
Question 50
1. In the reading from John Tierney (1986) “Fanisi’s Choice,” it was revealed that
population growth and high population densities put stressors on land and resources that contributed to the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s |
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women in Sub-Saharan Africa ultimately had no say in the number of children they had, therefore leading to increasing population growth rates |
||
the factors that influence women’s and family’s choices about how many children to have in Sub-Saharan Africa are many and complex |
||
population growth and high population densities were a significant cause of the HIV/Aids epidemic and the resulting “missing” population of Sub-Saharan Africa |
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