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Free Practice Quiz Question List

01. Environmental Systems and Sustainability Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 01. Environmental Systems and Sustainability, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
Choose one
1 point

A bird lives in a coastal marsh, eats small fish and insects, nests in reeds, and competes with another bird species for nesting sites. Which concept includes the bird’s feeding role, nesting requirements, and competition?

  1. A

    The habitat

  2. B

    The niche

  3. C

    The ecosystem

  4. D

    The biosphere

02
Choose one
1 point

Why is net primary productivity (NPP) more useful than gross primary productivity (GPP) for estimating the energy available to consumers in an ecosystem?

  1. A

    The total energy captured before respiration

  2. B

    The energy released as heat by all consumers

  3. C

    The energy remaining for consumers and decomposers

  4. D

    The energy stored only in decomposers

03
True or false
1 point

True or false: In ecosystems, matter generally cycles among reservoirs, whereas energy flows through the system and is eventually dispersed as heat.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

04
Written response
1 point

What term describes the range of conditions and resources a species actually occupies after competition and predation limit its potential range?

05
Fill in the blank
1 point

When melting snow exposes darker ground, the darker surface absorbs more solar energy and causes additional snowmelt. This is an example of .

06
Choose one
1 point

A city is evaluating a new public-transportation project. Which approach best applies the three dimensions of sustainability?

  1. A

    Evaluate environmental effects, economic feasibility, and distribution of benefits and burdens

  2. B

    Choose the option with the highest immediate economic return

  3. C

    Protect biodiversity without considering human livelihoods

  4. D

    Delay the decision until all scientific uncertainty is eliminated

07
True or false
1 point

True or false: The precautionary principle can support preventive action against a potentially serious environmental harm even when scientific certainty is incomplete.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

08
Choose all
1 point

Select all the examples that are regulating ecosystem services.

  1. A

    A wetland filtering pollutants from water

  2. B

    A forest providing timber for construction

  3. C

    A floodplain reducing peak flood damage

  4. D

    A park providing opportunities for recreation

09
Written response
1 point

What process converts atmospheric nitrogen into biologically usable compounds?

10
Fill in the blank
1 point

When forest is cleared for roads and housing, generally increases and generally decreases.

11
Choose all
1 point

A watershed loses substantial forest cover to development. Select all effects that are directly consistent with the systems analysis in the material.

  1. A

    More surface runoff

  2. B

    Less groundwater recharge

  3. C

    Lower sediment delivery to streams

  4. D

    Greater soil erosion

12
Open ended
1 point

Explain why a sustainability policy can be environmentally beneficial yet fail an environmental-justice evaluation. Identify the questions decision-makers should ask when assessing the policy.

13
Choose one
1 point

Which statement best describes the phosphorus cycle?

  1. A

    Most phosphorus cycles through a large atmospheric gas reservoir

  2. B

    Phosphorus is commonly released from rocks by weathering

  3. C

    Phosphorus enters waterways only through volcanic activity

  4. D

    Plants cannot absorb phosphate from soil or water

14
Choose one
1 point

Which term refers specifically to the physical place where an organism lives?

  1. A

    The organism’s complete role and resource use in an ecosystem

  2. B

    The physical place where an organism lives

  3. C

    The full range of conditions in which a species could survive without competition

  4. D

    The set of organisms that consume the species

15
True or false
1 point

True or false: Matter is generally recycled through Earth systems, whereas energy flows through ecosystems and is eventually dispersed as heat.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

16
Written response
1 point

What type of species interaction occurs when both participating species benefit?

17
Choose one
1 point

Why are decomposers essential to ecosystem function?

  1. A

    They convert all available energy into new matter.

  2. B

    They consume only living producers.

  3. C

    They chemically break down organic matter and release inorganic nutrients.

  4. D

    They prevent matter from moving between ecosystems.

18
Choose one
1 point

Which statement best describes net primary productivity (NPP) in an ecosystem?

  1. A

    It is the energy remaining after producer respiration.

  2. B

    It is the total energy used by consumers at all trophic levels.

  3. C

    It is the heat released by decomposers.

  4. D

    It is the energy reflected back to space by Earth.

19
Written response
1 point

What term describes the largest population of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely under particular conditions?

20
Choose one
1 point

Which example best represents a positive feedback in an Earth system?

  1. A

    Increased plant growth removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, counteracting an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

  2. B

    Melting snow or ice lowers surface reflectivity, increasing absorbed solar energy and causing more snow or ice to melt.

  3. C

    Increased vegetation intercepts precipitation and increases infiltration into the soil.

  4. D

    Decomposition returns nutrients to soil and water for reuse by organisms.