Chapter 2: Review Questions

Question 1

1. Which of the following statements about matter is false?

  1. All matter is composed of atoms.

  2. An element consists of a single kind of atom.

  3. Molecules consist of two or more atoms.

  4. Two bound oxygen atoms are a compound.

Question 2

2. Which of the following is a form of potential energy?

  1. Kinetic energy

  2. Heat energy

  3. Chemical energy

  4. Radiant energy

Question 3

3. Which of these statements is true of energy flow through an ecosystem?

  1. Primary production exceeds production at higher trophic levels.

  2. Most energy flows through carnivores.

  3. Most energy flows through detritivores.

  4. Herbivore production equals primary production.

Question 4

4. Which of the following is a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics?

  1. Organisms expend energy for maintenance.

  2. Energy in a system is conserved.

  3. Energy in a system and surroundings decreases.

  4. Energy for work increases over time.

Question 5

5. What is an externality in an open economic model?

  1. Effects of manufacturing on consumer activity

  2. Environmental damage due to economic activity

  3. Environmental damage to an economic system

  4. Effects of consumers on an economic system

Question 6

6. How does supply and demand influence the price of a product?

  1. Price is influenced entirely by demand.

  2. Increased supply will lead to increased price.

  3. Increased supply will lead to decreased price.

  4. Decreased supply will lead to decreased price.

Question 7

7. Which of the following does not fit the Tragedy of the Commons model?

  1. A family grazing cattle on their own land

  2. Farmers grazing sheep on community lands

  3. Independent boat owners fishing the open sea

  4. Several utility companies emitting air pollutants

Question 8

8. Why was access to large areas with varying local climates critical to sustaining the traditional cattle-based economy of the Maasai?

  1. It allowed raising unlimited numbers of cattle.

  2. It avoided cooperation with neighboring groups.

  3. It included grazing lands that remained productive during droughts.

  4. It provided a means to avoid predators of cattle, such as lions.

Question 9

9. What role did the business community play in the campaign to reduce production of CFCs?

  1. They first resisted regulation, but became supportive once alternatives were developed.

  2. They resisted control efforts throughout the campaign and still do.

  3. They were initially supportive of CFC regulation but later resisted.

  4. They remained neutral throughout.

Question 10

10. What key observation inspired the economist Elinor Ostrom to challenge Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons model?

  1. Her ideas were not inspired by observations; they were entirely theoretical.

  2. She observed that many local communities have managed common-pool resources for centuries without outside regulation.

  3. She observed that common-pool resources are almost never depleted in the absence of regulation.

  4. She observed that traditional communities do not require rules for sustaining resources.

Critical Analysis

Question 1

1. How are ecosystems and economic systems similar? How are they different?

Question 2

2. What are the average energy losses in each of the pyramids in Figures 2.16 and 2.17? What are some implications of the differences in energy loss among these energy pyramids?

Question 3

3. Examine Figure 2.9. Describe how eliminating all decomposers and detritivores would affect the cycling of carbon in the global ecosystem.

Question 4

4. Explain why the energy flow through carnivores in an ecosystem cannot exceed primary production in the ecosystem.

Question 5

5. Discuss how Pigovian taxes and subsidies can be used to protect the environment (e.g., to protect a nation’s forests from deforestation).