Question 1

In regard to the current state of e -wastes in the U.S., _.

Accepted Answer

A)  because the EPA has classified e -wastes as toxic, more than 95% are being recycled 
B)  by EPA mandate, all metals in electronics have been replaced by biodegradable materials 
C)  only because of the actions of charitable organizations, the recycling rate is 5% 
D)  although the recycling of e -wastes has improved, 60% of e -wastes are still being landfilled and incinerated 
E)  the recycling rate has dropped significantly between 1999 and 2010 
A)  because the EPA has classified e -wastes as toxic, more than 95% are being recycled 
B)  by EPA mandate, all metals in electronics have been replaced by biodegradable materials 
C)  only because of the actions of charitable organizations, the recycling rate is 5% 
D)  although the recycling of e -wastes has improved, 60% of e -wastes are still being landfilled and incinerated 
E)  the recycling rate has dropped significantly between 1999 and 2010 D

Question 2

Heavy metals .

Accepted Answer

A)  are not harmful unless they are directly ingested 
B)  become less hazardous over time as they degrade chemically 
C)  are unregulated by the U.S. government 
D)  become less hazardous after incineration 
E)  bioaccumulate in animal tissues 
A)  are not harmful unless they are directly ingested 
B)  become less hazardous over time as they degrade chemically 
C)  are unregulated by the U.S. government 
D)  become less hazardous after incineration 
E)  bioaccumulate in animal tissues E

Question 3

The first bottle bills were .

Accepted Answer

A)  a consequence of landfill regulations 
B)  designed to provide glass for road construction 
C)  initiated in the 1990s 
D)  designed to provide incentives to industry 
E)  designed to cut down on litter 
A)  a consequence of landfill regulations 
B)  designed to provide glass for road construction 
C)  initiated in the 1990s 
D)  designed to provide incentives to industry 
E)  designed to cut down on litter E

Question 4

Industrial ecologists _.

Accepted Answer

A)  urge an emphasis on internal manufacturing costs rather than external costs 
B)  redesign industrial systems to maximize physical and economic efficiency 
C)  primarily analyze industrial inputs 
D)  advocate taxes on green industries 
E)  favor an economy that moves linearly rather than circularly 
A)  urge an emphasis on internal manufacturing costs rather than external costs 
B)  redesign industrial systems to maximize physical and economic efficiency 
C)  primarily analyze industrial inputs 
D)  advocate taxes on green industries 
E)  favor an economy that moves linearly rather than circularly

Question 5

can contaminate wastepaper and decrease the value of collected paper and cardboard.

Accepted Answer

A)  Corrugated cardboard boxes 
B)  Paper shopping bags 
C)  Newspapers 
D)  Cereal boxes 
E)  Office papers 
A)  Corrugated cardboard boxes 
B)  Paper shopping bags 
C)  Newspapers 
D)  Cereal boxes 
E)  Office papers

Question 6

In general, buying in bulk is environmentally friendly because it .

Accepted Answer

A)  allows consumers to save money by purchasing larger amounts of an item for less 
B)  encourages people to eat or use just a little bit more than smaller sizes 
C)  recycles materials that would otherwise wind up in a landfill 
D)  reduces packaging waste 
E)  encourages people to eat less or use less of a product 
A)  allows consumers to save money by purchasing larger amounts of an item for less 
B)  encourages people to eat or use just a little bit more than smaller sizes 
C)  recycles materials that would otherwise wind up in a landfill 
D)  reduces packaging waste 
E)  encourages people to eat less or use less of a product

Question 7

E -wastes are a source of .

Accepted Answer

A)  heavy metals 
B)  compostable organic compounds 
C)  acid corrosives 
D)  ignitables 
E)  radioactive materials 
A)  heavy metals 
B)  compostable organic compounds 
C)  acid corrosives 
D)  ignitables 
E)  radioactive materials

Question 8

Recycling aluminum cans saves aluminum from virgin bauxite. % of the energy needed to make the same amount of

Accepted Answer

A)  50 
B)  70 
C)  80 
D)  25 
E)  95 
A)  50 
B)  70 
C)  80 
D)  25 
E)  95

Question 9

Which of the following is produced by anaerobic decomposition in landfills?

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrogen oxides 
B)  ozone 
C)  carbon dioxide 
D)  methylmercury 
E)  methane 
A)  nitrogen oxides 
B)  ozone 
C)  carbon dioxide 
D)  methylmercury 
E)  methane

Question 10

In the U.S., which of the following produce(s) the largest amount of unregulated hazardous waste?

Accepted Answer

A)  agriculture 
B)  households 
C)  utilities 
D)  military 
E)  industry 
A)  agriculture 
B)  households 
C)  utilities 
D)  military 
E)  industry

Question 11

Which decade was associated with the greatest percentage increase in the amount of waste disposed of in landfills?

Accepted Answer

A)  1960s 
B)  1970s 
C)  1980s 
D)  1990s 
E)  2000s 
A)  1960s 
B)  1970s 
C)  1980s 
D)  1990s 
E)  2000s

Question 12

pay for the cleanup of Superfund sites.

Accepted Answer

A)  State and local governments 
B)  The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability (CERCL
A)  Act of 1980 and the EPA 
C)  U.S. and Canadian governments 
D)  The EPA and the Department of the Interior 
E)  Polluters and taxpayers 
A)  State and local governments 
B)  The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability (CERCL
A)  Act of 1980 and the EPA 
C)  U.S. and Canadian governments 
D)  The EPA and the Department of the Interior 
E)  Polluters and taxpayers

Question 13

The amount of e -waste being produced in the U.S. is , and the amount of e -waste being recycled is .

Accepted Answer

A)  decreasing; increasing 
B)  increasing; decreasing 
C)  decreasing; decreasing 
D)  increasing; increasing 
E)  increasing; leveling off 
A)  decreasing; increasing 
B)  increasing; decreasing 
C)  decreasing; decreasing 
D)  increasing; increasing 
E)  increasing; leveling off

Question 14

The Fresh Kills Landfill _.

Accepted Answer

A)  is being converted into a public park 
B)  is New York's first and only modern sanitary landfill 
C)  is a Superfund site located in Philadelphia 
D)  collapsed onto a residential neighborhood because it had been filled to too great a height 
E)  will remain open until late 2020 
A)  is being converted into a public park 
B)  is New York's first and only modern sanitary landfill 
C)  is a Superfund site located in Philadelphia 
D)  collapsed onto a residential neighborhood because it had been filled to too great a height 
E)  will remain open until late 2020

Question 15

In the United States today, the approach that best reduces the volume and weight of municipal solid waste is .

Accepted Answer

A)  incineration 
B)  composting 
C)  recycling 
D)  compaction 
E)  sanitary landfills 
A)  incineration 
B)  composting 
C)  recycling 
D)  compaction 
E)  sanitary landfills

Question 16

Deep -well injection .

Accepted Answer

A)  is the EPA -approved method of disposing of low -level radioactive wastes 
B)  has been banned as unsafe by the Dept. of the Interior 
C)  involves putting hazardous wastes into layers of porous rock deep beneath human water supplies 
D)  is a method of disposing of hazardous wastes in deep aquifers 
E)  is a pool of strong acids on the land surface used for breaking down e -waste 
A)  is the EPA -approved method of disposing of low -level radioactive wastes 
B)  has been banned as unsafe by the Dept. of the Interior 
C)  involves putting hazardous wastes into layers of porous rock deep beneath human water supplies 
D)  is a method of disposing of hazardous wastes in deep aquifers 
E)  is a pool of strong acids on the land surface used for breaking down e -waste

Question 17

Lining a landfill with a thick tough plastic barrier is a strategy to address problems related to .

Accepted Answer

A)  leachate 
B)  methane production 
C)  mudslides and trash slides 
D)  settling 
E)  incomplete decomposition 
A)  leachate 
B)  methane production 
C)  mudslides and trash slides 
D)  settling 
E)  incomplete decomposition

Question 18

What do the town of Times Beach, Missouri, and the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York, have in common?

Accepted Answer

A)  Both have municipal programs for dealing with e -waste. 
B)  Both recently won presidential recycling awards. 
C)  Both have banned the use of plastic grocery bags. 
D)  Both were built on closed municipal landfills. 
E)  Both were evacuated because of contamination by toxins. 
A)  Both have municipal programs for dealing with e -waste. 
B)  Both recently won presidential recycling awards. 
C)  Both have banned the use of plastic grocery bags. 
D)  Both were built on closed municipal landfills. 
E)  Both were evacuated because of contamination by toxins.

Question 19

The average American generates approximately lbs. of solid waste per day.

Accepted Answer

A)  4.4 
B)  1.5 
C)  40 
D)  9 
E)  13.7 
A)  4.4 
B)  1.5 
C)  40 
D)  9 
E)  13.7

Question 20

is/are the intercollegiate recycling competition that began in Ohio in 2001.

Accepted Answer

A)  Go Green 
B)  The Recycle -or -Die games 
C)  The 3R games 
D)  The Green Giant challenge 
E)  Recyclemania 
A)  Go Green 
B)  The Recycle -or -Die games 
C)  The 3R games 
D)  The Green Giant challenge 
E)  Recyclemania

Exam 22: Metric System

In regard to the current state of e -wastes in the U.S., _.

Heavy metals .

The first bottle bills were .

Industrial ecologists _.

can contaminate wastepaper and decrease the value of collected paper and cardboard.

In general, buying in bulk is environmentally friendly because it .

E -wastes are a source of .

Recycling aluminum cans saves aluminum from virgin bauxite. % of the energy needed to make the same amount of

Which of the following is produced by anaerobic decomposition in landfills?

In the U.S., which of the following produce(s) the largest amount of unregulated hazardous waste?

Which decade was associated with the greatest percentage increase in the amount of waste disposed of in landfills?

pay for the cleanup of Superfund sites.

The amount of e -waste being produced in the U.S. is , and the amount of e -waste being recycled is .

The Fresh Kills Landfill _.

In the United States today, the approach that best reduces the volume and weight of municipal solid waste is .

Deep -well injection .

Lining a landfill with a thick tough plastic barrier is a strategy to address problems related to .

What do the town of Times Beach, Missouri, and the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York, have in common?

The average American generates approximately lbs. of solid waste per day.

is/are the intercollegiate recycling competition that began in Ohio in 2001.

Science and Sustainability: an Introduction to Environmental Science

Environmental Systems: Matter, Energy, and Ecosystems

Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology

Species Interactions and Community Ecology

Economics, Policy, and Sustainable Development

Human Population

Soil, Agriculture, and the Future of Food

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

Environmental Health and Toxicology

Geology, Minerals, and Mining

Fresh Water, Oceans, and Coasts

Atmospheric Science, Air Quality, and Pollution Control

Global Climate Change

Nonrenewable Energy Sources, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Renewable Energy Alternatives

Managing Our Waste

The Urban Environment: Creating Sustainable Cities

Sustainable Solutions

Answers to Data Analysis Questions

How to Interpret Graphs

Periodic Table of the Elements

Geologic Time Scale Glossary Credits Index

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