EARTH & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE - HUMAN IMPACT

Ecological Footprint Quiz

  • 10 questions
  • Difficulty: Hard
  • Board: USCC
  • Attempt online on the examination portal

Here are the first 3 questions. Click “View all questions” to see the complete assessment.

Q1.

A household estimates its annual ecological footprint using these conversion factors: each mile driven requires 0.00025 global hectares, each kilowatt-hour of electricity requires 0.00010 global hectares, and each kilogram of landfilled waste requires 0.00050 global hectares. Which plan produces the greatest net reduction in the household's annual ecological footprint?

  1. A) Drive 2,000 fewer miles but landfill 300 more kilograms of waste.
  2. B) Drive 1,500 fewer miles and use 2,500 fewer kilowatt-hours of electricity.
  3. C) Drive 3,000 fewer miles but use 1,000 more kilowatt-hours of electricity.
  4. D) Use 4,000 fewer kilowatt-hours of electricity and landfill 200 fewer kilograms of waste.

Q2.

Cedar Town currently has 8,000 residents who each use 90 liters of water per day. Its population is expected to reach 9,200 while per-person use falls to 81 liters per day. Pine Town currently has 6,000 residents who each use 110 liters per day. Its population is expected to reach 6,300 while per-person use falls to 99 liters per day. Which conclusion is supported by the data?

  1. A) Both towns will decrease total water demand because per-person use falls.
  2. B) Cedar Town will increase total water demand, while Pine Town will decrease total water demand.
  3. C) Both towns will increase total water demand because both populations grow.
  4. D) Cedar Town will decrease total water demand, while Pine Town will increase total water demand.

Q3.

A school serves 300 beef meals, 200 chicken meals, and 100 bean meals each week. Producing one beef meal releases 6.0 kilograms of greenhouse gases, one chicken meal releases 2.5 kilograms, and one bean meal releases 1.0 kilogram. Which weekly menu change would reduce emissions the most while serving the same number of meals?

  1. A) Replace 200 chicken meals with 200 bean meals.
  2. B) Replace 150 beef meals with 150 bean meals.
  3. C) Replace 100 beef meals with 100 chicken meals.
  4. D) Replace 100 bean meals with 100 chicken meals.

Q4.

Three types of shirts have different freshwater footprints and useful lives. A conventional cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water and lasts 60 wears. A recycled-fiber shirt requires 1,000 liters and lasts 40 wears. A low-cost shirt requires 800 liters and lasts 10 wears. A student needs shirts for a total of 120 wears. Which purchasing plan uses the least manufacturing water?

  1. A) Buy one conventional cotton shirt and six low-cost shirts.
  2. B) Buy twelve low-cost shirts.
  3. C) Buy three recycled-fiber shirts.
  4. D) Buy two conventional cotton shirts.

Q5.

A neighborhood wants to replace traditional lawns. Native plant yards use 8,000 liters of irrigation water per year and release 0.5 kilogram of fertilizer into runoff. Traditional lawns use 30,000 liters and release 3 kilograms. Paved yards require no irrigation but greatly increase stormwater runoff. Artificial turf uses 1,000 liters for cleaning but releases plastic particles. Which plan best reduces freshwater use and avoids shifting the ecological impact to another part of the environment?

  1. A) Replace the lawns with native plant yards.
  2. B) Cover the yards completely with concrete pavement.
  3. C) Install artificial turf and wash it regularly.
  4. D) Keep traditional lawns but water them at night.

Q6.

A community center used 6,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year for lighting. It replaced its lights with models that use 60% as much electricity per hour. Because the lights were cheaper to operate, the center increased lighting time by 25%. How did this change affect the center's annual electricity footprint?

  1. A) It fell by 40% because the new lights use 40% less electricity per hour.
  2. B) It fell by 25% because annual use became 4,500 kilowatt-hours.
  3. C) It rose by 15% because the lights were used for more hours.
  4. D) It fell by 15% because the longer operating time canceled most savings.

Q7.

A town must provide 10,000 drink servings at public events. A standard single-use bottle requires 1 resource unit to manufacture and creates one discarded bottle. A recycled single-use bottle requires 0.6 resource unit and is also discarded after one serving. A reusable bottle requires 8 resource units to manufacture, lasts 50 servings, and is discarded after its final use. Which choice minimizes both manufacturing resource use and the number of discarded bottles?

  1. A) Use 200 reusable bottles for 50 servings each.
  2. B) Use 10,000 standard single-use bottles.
  3. C) Use 10,000 recycled single-use bottles.
  4. D) Use 5,000 standard bottles and refill each one once.

Q8.

Island X has 20,000 residents, an ecological footprint of 5 global hectares per person, and 60,000 global hectares of available biocapacity. Island Y has 35,000 residents, a footprint of 2 global hectares per person, and 80,000 global hectares of biocapacity. Which proposal is best supported by these data?

  1. A) Island Y must immediately reduce its per-person footprint by 50% because it already exceeds its biocapacity.
  2. B) Island X should increase its population by 40% because its total biocapacity is greater than its population.
  3. C) Island X should reduce its per-person footprint by 40% to bring total demand down to its biocapacity.
  4. D) Island Y can double its population without changing consumption because its present footprint is low.

Q9.

The city can shift 100,000 passenger-kilometers of daily travel from one transportation mode to another. Based on the figure, which shift would produce the greatest decrease in daily greenhouse gas emissions?

Diagram for question 9: The city can shift 100,000 passenger-kilometers of daily travel from one transportation mode to another.…
  1. A) Shift travel from rail to bicycles.
  2. B) Shift travel from cars to bicycles.
  3. C) Shift travel from buses to bicycles.
  4. D) Shift travel from cars to rail.

Q10.

A city must choose a plan that provides housing for 100 new households. Based on the figure, which plan best limits pressure on land, freshwater, and nearby ecosystems?

Diagram for question 10: A city must choose a plan that provides housing for 100 new households. Based on the figure, which plan best…
  1. A) Choose Woodland Edge.
  2. B) Choose Compact Infill.
  3. C) Choose Highway Suburb.
  4. D) Choose Wetland Towers.

What this assessment covers

Concepts Tested

  • Human Impact

Question Mix

  • Hard questions included

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  • Apply

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