Question 1

Beginning in the eighteenth century,discoveries in science,medicine,and public health caused death rates to drop dramatically.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

At present,the world population of humans grows by over ______ million per year.

Accepted Answer

A) 0.08 
B) 0.8 
C) 8 
D) 80 
E) 800

Question 3

At present,the world population is growing at about 1.2 percent per year for a doubling time of 58 years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The return period of a disaster is the average number of years ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) before survivors return to their homes 
B) before the economy returns to pre-disaster levels 
C) to exponentially decay to zero 
D) between same-sized events 
E) between events of the same type,regardless of size

Question 5

The locations of the worst dollar-loss disasters for the insurance industry present a very different picture than the list of worst locations for fatalities in the last three decades of the twentieth century.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The Easter Island statues were more than 200 feet high,weighed about 1500 tons apiece,and were erected upon ceremonial platforms.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

If a 1.2 percent annual rate of human population increase were to continue without change into the future,the volume of human flesh would about equal the volume of the Earth in less than 2,000 years from now.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The greatest insurance dollar losses as a result of natural disasters in the last three decades of the 20th century occurred in ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) Mexico 
B) China 
C) the United States 
D) Pakistan 
E) India

Question 9

Today,the less-developed countries have ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) low death rates and high birth rates 
B) low death rates and low birth rates 
C) high death rates and low birth rates 
D) high death rates and high birth rates

Question 10

During prosperous times,the Easter Islanders' diet was based on _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) chickens and yams 
B) potatoes 
C) fish and turtles 
D) nuts,figs,and Easter eggs 
E) nuts,fish,and bananas

Question 11

At present,the world population of humans is growing at a rate of ________% per year.

Accepted Answer

A) 0.02 
B) 0.12 
C) 1.2 
D) 12 
E) 22

Question 12

Most of the 40 deadliest disasters between 1970 and 2012 occurred in a belt running from China and Bangladesh through India and Iran to Turkey.This area was particularly vulnerable because __________________.

Accepted Answer

A) it has a high population density 
B) most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur here 
C) precipitation rates are very high in this region,producing frequent,large,and sudden floods 
D) lightening producing thunderstorms are more common in these regions 
E) fires are more common in these regions

Question 13

The population of Easter Island was limited by all but which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) war between rival clans 
B) environmental degradation from the use of resources required to move statues 
C) cannibalism 
D) lack of trees to build canoes to catch more fish 
E) the Ebola virus

Question 14

When carrying capacity decreases,populations collapse in mass die-offs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Today,the world growth rate for human population is rapidly declining.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

During the last half of the 20th century,earthquakes,tsunami,and ______________ account for the majority of deaths from natural disasters.

Accepted Answer

A) volcanic eruptions 
B) floods 
C) landslides 
D) hurricanes 
E) tornadoes

Question 17

If 6 billion people stood shoulder-to-shoulder with each person having his or her own 3-ft by 1-ft space,the entire world population would fit inside a square fence about 42 kilometers (26 miles)on a side.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Which of the following disasters has the highest probability of causing a "10-fatality event" each year?

Accepted Answer

A) an earthquake 
B) a volcanic eruption 
C) a hurricane 
D) a tornado 
E) a flood

Question 19

In the last 50 years of the 20th century,world population grew from ______ billion to over 6 billion.

Accepted Answer

A) 5 
B) 4 
C) 3.5 
D) 3 
E) 2.5

Exam 1: Natural Disasters and the Human Population

Beginning in the eighteenth century,discoveries in science,medicine,and public health caused death rates to drop dramatically.

At present,the world population of humans grows by over ______ million per year.

At present,the world population is growing at about 1.2 percent per year for a doubling time of 58 years.

The return period of a disaster is the average number of years ________________.

The locations of the worst dollar-loss disasters for the insurance industry present a very different picture than the list of worst locations for fatalities in the last three decades of the twentieth century.

The Easter Island statues were more than 200 feet high,weighed about 1500 tons apiece,and were erected upon ceremonial platforms.

If a 1.2 percent annual rate of human population increase were to continue without change into the future,the volume of human flesh would about equal the volume of the Earth in less than 2,000 years from now.

The greatest insurance dollar losses as a result of natural disasters in the last three decades of the 20^th century occurred in ________________.

Today,the less-developed countries have ____________.

During prosperous times,the Easter Islanders' diet was based on _______________.

At present,the world population of humans is growing at a rate of ________% per year.

Most of the 40 deadliest disasters between 1970 and 2012 occurred in a belt running from China and Bangladesh through India and Iran to Turkey.This area was particularly vulnerable because __________________.

The population of Easter Island was limited by all but which of the following?

When carrying capacity decreases,populations collapse in mass die-offs.

Today,the world growth rate for human population is rapidly declining.

During the last half of the 20^th century,earthquakes,tsunami,and ______________ account for the majority of deaths from natural disasters.

If 6 billion people stood shoulder-to-shoulder with each person having his or her own 3-ft by 1-ft space,the entire world population would fit inside a square fence about 42 kilometers (26 miles)on a side.

Which of the following disasters has the highest probability of causing a "10-fatality event" each year?

In the last 50 years of the 20^th century,world population grew from ______ billion to over 6 billion.