Chapter 15 Economics and Urbanization Exam Prep

Principles of Environmental Science, 9e (Cunningham)

Chapter 15 Economics and Urbanization

1) Reflects the local economy by accounting for only those goods and services bought and sold locally:

A) GPI

B) GPD

C) GPA

D) GNP

E) HDI

2) ________ applies ecological ideas of system functions and recycling definition of resources.

A) Ecological economics

B) Neoclassical economics

C) Ecological services

D) Classical economics

E) Environmental economics

3) This form of economics assumes that natural resources are finite (such as oil, gold, and water) and exist in fixed amounts. A farmer's marker is a good example.

A) classical economics

B) ecological economics

C) neoclassical economics

D) capital

E) environmental economics

4) ________ is an example of green infrastructure that improve air quality, conserve energy, reduce storm water runoff, reduce noise, and helps reduce urban heat island effects.

A) Mixed-use planning

B) Green spaces

C) Green roofs

D) Smart growth

E) Recycling programs

5) In 1950, only ________ percent of the world's population lived in cities.

A) 16

B) 22

C) 31

D) 38

E) 43

6) In 2000, what continent had the highest percentage of people living in urban areas?

A) North America

B) Europe

C) Asia

D) South America

E) Africa

7) Ecological economics is different from the other economic theories because it recognizes the

A) scarcity of natural capital.

B) recycling of ecological processes and the scarcity of manufactured capital.

C) abundance of natural capital.

D) fragility of the human economy and power of ecological systems.

E) human economy as one part of a dynamic world system.

8) Natural capital is that which is created by

A) industrial processes.

B) human labor.

C) natural Earth processes.

D) animal labor.

9) Renewable resources are those that

A) will not be exhausted.

B) will always renew themselves unless we destroy them.

C) can be renewed through intensive investments of capital and labor.

D) are intangible and inexhaustible.

E) are intangible and exhaustible.

10) An example of an intangible resource, or one that is difficult to place a monetary value on, is

A) solar energy.

B) satisfaction.

C) human labor.

D) capital.

E) extinct species.

Use the following scenario to answer the next two questions. A large lending institution is evaluating the long-term pros and cons of building a hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rainforest. First, the lending institution is identifying the appropriate factors and then quantifying them. The factors include, but are not limited to, the direct expenses of building the dam, the lost opportunities from placing a dam on the river, and the profit from the dam. Also included is an analysis of who will be affected by the dam.

11) What is the name of the process the lending institution is going through?

A) a long-term analysis

B) a supply-demand analysis

C) a tangible-intangible cost analysis

D) a benefit-need ratio analysis

E) a cost-benefit analysis

12) Which of the following is not a major criticism of this type of analysis?

A) People are willing to answer questions about how much they would spend to save the Amazon rainforest.

B) The quantification process compares the value of the lives of indigenous people's lives with the lives of people in the city who would be receiving the electricity.

C) The focus of this type of analysis would be mainly on the hydroelectric project rather than alternatives.

D) Monetary values are placed on intangible things like the river running freely.

E) These are all criticisms of this type of analysis.

13) When we purchase a product, the price we pay directly reflects the ________ cost of producing it. If the manufacture of the product degrades the quality of air or water, then the costs of this pollution are termed ________ costs.

A) incidental; external

B) incidental; indirect

C) indirect; incidental

D) external; internal

E) internal; external

14) When a factory pollutes a river, the costs and losses that affect people downstream would be called

A) indirect costs.

B) external costs.

C) incidental costs.

D) internal costs.

E) social costs.

15) Businesses are now willing to become "green" because

A) it improves their public image.

B) it saves money.

C) doing so is expensive but makes good advertising.

D) doing so improves their image and saves money in the end.

E) they need to obey laws and comply with government regulations.

16) Many businesses are exploring and adopting the "design for the environment." Which of the following is not associated with this approach?

A) Improve public relations about the business' environmental policies.

B) The products of a process are resources for other processes.

C) Work within the limits of the current incoming amounts of solar energy.

D) Include an emphasis on the maintenance of cultural and biological diversity.

17) Environmental protection has been proven to ________ the number of available jobs because ________.

A) decrease; it limits the use of nonrenewable resources (as in the case of the logging industry)

B) increase; labor is usually substituted for natural resources (as in the case of recycling)

C) stabilize; the use of nonrenewable resources is stabilized and jobs are scarce anyway

D) decrease; it negatively affects economic growth

E) stabilize; it limits the use of nonrenewable resources (as in the case of the logging industry)

18) Urbanization began to grow especially quickly after the

A) development of agriculture.

B) beginning of the twentieth century.

C) invention of commerce and religion.

D) industrial revolution.

E) invention of record keeping.

19) Which of the following is a push factor for urban growth?

A) jobs in rural manufacturing

B) unemployment in farming communities

C) better access to education at big universities

D) high unemployment in cities

E) opportunities for specialization in an occupation

20) Which would be an example of sustainable development?

A) current use of fossil fuels in the U.S.

B) heap-leach extraction of gold

C) harvest of food species to the point of extinction

D) development of brownfields in urban areas

E) suburban development programs

21) Which is an example of a pull factor for an urban area?

A) unemployment in rural areas

B) the availability of arts and cultural activities

C) heavy traffic on city streets

D) the lack of clean drinking water in rural areas

22) Slums are usually dwelling places that are

A) illegal and built by squatters.

B) legal but have inadequate living conditions.

C) small but up to city code.

D) condemned by the city but illegally occupied.

E) on undeveloped lands in the outskirts of a city.

23) In many U.S. cities, poor, undereducated, minority, and other less powerful groups are often concentrated

A) in urban centers.

B) at city margins.

C) outside of the city entirely.

D) in a ring of satellite settlements around a city.

24) Which is not a negative consequence of urban sprawl?

A) increased traffic congestion

B) abandonment of city centers

C) inefficient use of land

D) increased lot and land areas for homes

25) Traditional suburban development does not

A) consist of only house lots and streets.

B) typically consist of identical parcels of land without open space.

C) facilitate social interactions among neighbors.

D) consume agricultural land and wildlife habitat.

26) The emphasis in the traditional U.S. suburban development is on ________. This is reflected by the ________.

A) flexible housing; variety of living arrangements supported by most suburban zoning ordinances

B) walking; pedestrian-friendly streets

C) social interactions; pedestrian-friendly streets and parks

D) ease of shopping and running errands; nearby availability of goods and services

E) the automobile; prominent streets, garages, and driveways

27) Which would not be a goal of smart growth?

A) reduction of noise, air and water pollution

B) increased access to artistic and cultural opportunities

C) reduction of substandard housing

D) improved communication among members of the community

E) housing areas remote from work and shopping areas

28) According to the principle of new urbanism, what is the ideal size of a city?

A) less than 15,000 people

B) 15,000-30,000

C) 30,000-50,000

D) 50,000-100,000

E) up to 150,000

29) The idea of a steady-state economy was developed by

A) Thomas Malthus.

B) John Stuart Mill.

C) Adam Smith.

D) Henry David Thoreau.

E) Karl Marx.

30) Mass transportation in urban areas is one example of how cities have negative impacts on the environment.

31) Suburbs are known for the presence of artistic and cultural opportunities.

32) A major criticism of the 'limits to growth' model is that it doesn't fully account for technological innovations.

33) The dilemma of public property use presented by Garret Hardin is also called the "free rider problem."

34) The estimated annual value of soil formation by natural systems is more than 10 trillion dollars.

35) International trade of goods internalizes costs.

36) A megacity is defined as having more than 50 million residents.

37) Taking advantage of utilizing existing resources and infrastructure to plan communities is described as

A) smart growth.

B) sustainable growth.

C) urban sprawl.

D) brownfield development.

38) An open access system will lead to

A) smart growth.

B) sustainable development.

C) tragedy of the commons.

D) urban sprawl.

39) Cap-and-trade is a system where market forces help drive sustainability.

40) In 2100, how many of the world's top ten largest urban areas are predicted to be in the United States?

A) zero

B) one

C) two

D) three

E) four

41) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of urban sprawl?

A) large mixed-use areas where people can live, work, and play all in the same area

B) dominance of freeways and private automobiles

C) widespread shopping centers

D) decaying city centers and unlimited outward extension

E) low-density residential development

42) What would be an example of externalizing costs?

A) All of these answers are examples of externalizing costs.

B) water quality decline due to nonpoint source pollution

C) releasing particulate matter or pollution into the atmosphere

D) increased risk of flooding by changing wetlands into development

E) loss of stream habitat and disruption of food chains due to overburden from strip mining dumped in headwater streams

43) Smart growth and "green" cities are those in which urban planners consider efficient use of resources.