Quiz for Thinking Like a Historian: The Environmental Movement: Reimagining the Human-Earth Relationship

Question

1. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (source 1) spurred the environmental movement with its analysis of the impact of which of the following?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is c. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, published in 1962, exposed the toxic impact of the pesticide DDT on the human and natural food chains. The book spurred the revival of the American environmental movement.
Incorrect. The answer is c. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, published in 1962, exposed the toxic impact of the pesticide DDT on the human and natural food chains. The book spurred the revival of the American environmental movement.

Question

2. Ralph Nader (source 2) characterized pollution as violence resulting from a system of oppression and suppression. This perspective on the environment borrowed from the rhetoric of which earlier movement?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is d. The analysis of environmental pollution advanced here by Ralph Nader was clearly influenced by the rhetoric of the movements of the 1960s, including the New Left and the civil rights movement. His characterization of environmental pollution as violence alluded to the violence caused by racism and war. His emphasis on the role played by a system of oppression and suppression that legitimized the interests of the polluters was informed by the New Left’s analysis of American society.
Incorrect. The answer is d. The analysis of environmental pollution advanced here by Ralph Nader was clearly influenced by the rhetoric of the movements of the 1960s, including the New Left and the civil rights movement. His characterization of environmental pollution as violence alluded to the violence caused by racism and war. His emphasis on the role played by a system of oppression and suppression that legitimized the interests of the polluters was informed by the New Left’s analysis of American society.

Question

3. How might the juxtaposition of the images in sources 4 and 7 have influenced Americans’ thinking about environmental issues?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is b. The juxtaposition of these two photos—one that emphasizes the earth’s small and finite nature in the giant void of the universe and another that calls attention to the massive amount of waste produced by one family in a typical year—would have increased support for the environmental movement. The photos would have underlined the fact that continued generation of waste could, within a relatively short period of time, overwhelm the planet.
Incorrect. The answer is b. The juxtaposition of these two photos—one that emphasizes the earth’s small and finite nature in the giant void of the universe and another that calls attention to the massive amount of waste produced by one family in a typical year—would have increased support for the environmental movement. The photos would have underlined the fact that continued generation of waste could, within a relatively short period of time, overwhelm the planet.

Question

4. In his speech at the 1980 Republican National Convention, candidate Ronald Reagan said, “Make no mistake. We will not permit the safety of our people or our environmental heritage to be jeopardized, but we are going to reaffirm that the economic prosperity of our people is a fundamental part of our environment.” With these remarks, Reagan was suggesting that

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is b. Reagan believed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the laws it enforced were, in part, responsible for the economic crisis in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. In this speech, he sought to satisfy those who saw the need to protect the environment and those who saw the EPA as an obstacle to economic prosperity.
Incorrect. The answer is b. Reagan believed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the laws it enforced were, in part, responsible for the economic crisis in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. In this speech, he sought to satisfy those who saw the need to protect the environment and those who saw the EPA as an obstacle to economic prosperity.