1. Define, compare and contrast "ecology" and "environmental science."
2. Define the term "environment, as it is used in environmental science.
3. If someone is a biocentric preservationist, what does this mean? Explain your answer in terms of ethical considerations (i.e., morals and values).
4. Describe two ways in which increased wealth can lead to improved environmental conditions, and one way in which increased wealth can lead to a deterioration of the environment.
5. Define acute poverty, and describe an example of how it can lead to environmental degradation.
6. "Technological optimists believe that human ingenuity and enterprise (science and technology) will find cures for all our environmental problems." Critique this statement.
7. Describe the basic ethical beliefs of two of the following perspectives: anthropocentrism, stewardship, ecocentrism, ecofeminism. For each one that you choose, explain how someone with that perspective would be likely to approach issues concerning the conservation of resources.
8. What is meant by the term "toxic colonialism"? Provide an example of toxic colonialism, and explain how the term relates to issues of environmental justice.
9. List three of the steps involved in critical thinking, and explain why they are important things to do while unpacking an argument.
10. The congressional black caucus in the U.S. Congress reportedly has a higher-than-average voting score on environmental issues that any other group. Why do you suppose this is so?
11. Your telephone has stopped working. Describe how you would apply the scientific method to determine exactly what the problem with your phone is. In the course of answering this question, explicitly state as many steps in the scientific method as possible or necessary.
12. Define, compare and contrast the Expansionist worldview and the Ecological worldview.
13. Describe the 1^st and 2^nd laws of thermodynamics, and their implications for living systems.
14. Explain how the 2^nd law of thermodynamics relates to the typical shape of an energy pyramid.
15. Describe how you would convert a biomass pyramid into an energy pyramid. (Think about the relationship between energy and the organic compounds that make up biomass.)
16. Why are decomposers considered to be so important in natural systems?
17. Identify four major sinks of carbon, and the single major sink for phosphorus.
18. Although 78% of the atmosphere is nitrogen gas, plants can’t use nitrogen in this form. What forms of nitrogen can plants use, and what are three ways in which gaseous nitrogen is converted into these forms.
19. For every 3000 calories of solar energy striking an old-field ecosystem, only 1.5 calories end up being stored in the molecules of new flesh in the herbivores. How do you account for all the missing calories? Identify at least five different fates of the missing calories.
20. List four ways in which we participate directly or indirectly in the carbon cycle.
21. The interiors of compost piles and piles of cow manure are often much warmer than the surrounding air temperature. Why might this be?
22. Describe the major ways in which humans are altering the global nitrogen cycle and the global carbon cycle.
23. Explain why the winds near the equator (the doldrums) and near 30^o N and 30^o S (the horse latitudes) are light and variable, rather than strong and directional (like the trade winds between the equator and 30^o N and 30^o S).
24. Explain why low pressure systems develop near the equator and high pressure systems typically develop near 30^o N and 30^o S.
25. Define Milankovitch cycles, and describe two causes of them.
26. What is the difference between climate and weather?
27. Describe two reasons why the temperature near the equator is warmer than near the poles.
28. Explain why regions near the equator receive such large amounts of precipitation, and why regions near 30^o N and 30^o S are often desert-like.
29. Define an El Nino event, and describe how El Ninos can affect global climatic patterns.
30. Describe one chemical, physical or thermal characteristic of each of the four zones of the atmosphere (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere).
31. Name two greenhouse gases, and describe how an increase in the concentration of these gases could lead to global warming.
32. Describe two possible consequences of global warming.
33. For the chapter "Cooling the lava" in McPhee’s The Control of Nature: Think about what the alternatives to the actions taken to save the harbor were, and why these were not pursued. Think about whether the actions taken by the people in the chapter were guaranteed to solve the problem, or whether other factors such as luck were important. Think about what you would have done if you were in the position of the people of the town, and why. Think about the role of social cohesion, political organization and scientific knowledge in contributing to the solution of the problem of the lava.

NOTE: You are responsible for all material covered in lecture and in the text, not only for the material presented in these questions. Short-answer questions on the exam are likely to come at least in part from these questions. Also, make sure that you look at the questions at the ends of the chapters in Cunningham & Saigo, and look in the Student Study Guide for examples of true-false, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the blank questions.