Student Center | Instructor Center | Information Center | Home

Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 7/e

William P. Cunningham, University of Minnesota
Mary Ann Cunningham, Vassar College
Barbara Woodworth Saigo, St. Cloud State University

Environmental Ethics and Philosophy

Practice Quizzing


1	Relativists believe that
		A)	since everything in life is arbitrary, there is no reason to behave morally.
		B)	there are no fixed facts that are independent of interpretation. What is ethical is determined by the situation.
		C)	the proper act is the one that maximizes good for the most people.
		D)	goodness is happiness.


2	Moral agents are defined as
		A)	authoritarian figures who lead society in the determination of what is right and wrong.
		B)	people who deserve to be treated morally by others.
		C)	humans who are appropriately held responsible for their actions.
		D)	religious leaders.


3	Moral subjects are
		A)	those individuals that are properly held responsible for their actions.
		B)	also considered moral agents.
		C)	those persons or entities deserving of being treated morally.
		D)	collectively, those topics of behavior for which right and wrong can be defined.


4	Moral extensionism refers to
		A)	the expansion of what constitutes a moral agent.
		B)	the expansion of what constitutes a moral subject.
		C)	judging people’s behavior only in the context of their specific situation.
		D)	giving a moral consideration only to those beings capable of self-consciousness.


5	Inherent value refers to value
		A)	possessed by something merely because it exists.
		B)	earned through moral behavior.
		C)	deserved because of one’s usefulness to others.
		D)	conferred only on those people that cannot be held responsible for their own behavior.


6	Anthropocentric means
		A)	human centered.
		B)	animal centered.
		C)	life centered.
		D)	community centered.


7	Worldviews are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT they
		A)	determine how we interpret events around us.
		B)	strongly influence our behavior.
		C)	are determined based on rational analysis.
		D)	are not necessarily accurate.


8	Which view is embedded in this statement: some things are right or wrong regardless of the situation?
		A)	utilitarian
		B)	relativist
		C)	nihilist
		D)	universalist


9	A person with the _____ view would likely believe that each living organism has inherent value.
		A)	stewardship
		B)	biocentric
		C)	anthropocentric


10	A person with the _____ view would claim that broad ecological processes have inherent value.
		A)	stewardship
		B)	biocentric
		C)	anthropocentric
		D)	ecocentric


11	The ecofeminist view sees the role of humans in the world as
		A)	caregivers.
		B)	masters.
		C)	caretakers.
		D)	destroyers.


12	Evidence suggesting environmental racism is real includes observations that
		A)	lead levels in minority group children of inner cities are higher than in other children.
		B)	minorities make up twice the proportion of people in areas with locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) as in communities without LULUs.
		C)	minority populations are over-represented in areas near landfills or hazardous waste facilities.
		D)	all of the above constitute evidence for the existence of environmental racism.


13	Toxic colonialism occurs in a number of forms including:
		A)	attempts to locate waste dumps and other undesirable facilities on Native American reservations.
		B)	taking advantage of poor Third World countries by disposing of toxic wastes in such places.
		C)	use of environmentally risky technologies in poor countries but not in industrialized countries.
		D)	all of the above.


14	A hypothesis is
		A)	a tentative answer or response to an observation or question.
		B)	an actual experiment conducted to answer a question.
		C)	the gathering of concrete information other than through experimentation to help explain an observation.
		D)	a final conclusion arrived at after all evidence has been taken into account.


15	In science a theory is
		A)	simply someone’s opinion.
		B)	a tentative explanation, comparable to a hypothesis.
		C)	an explanation supported by a substantial body of evidence.
		D)	speculation.


16	The broad thought model used in science to determine research directions, interpret results, and ultimately to refine theories is called the
		A)	hypothesis.
		B)	parsimony.
		C)	paradigm.
		D)	inductor.


17	Neo-Luddites feel
		A)	technology will be extremely important in solving environmental problems of the future.
		B)	science and technology create more problems than they solve.
		C)	that since what constitutes ethical behavior depends on context, environmental ethics will not be helpful resolving future environmental issues.
		D)	inductive science is better suited to resolve environmental dilemmas than hypothesis-driven science.


18	The relationship between Christianity and environmentalism has engendered significant discussion. Which of the following have become part of that discussion?
		A)	Some feel that past interpretations of the Bible have actually aggravated our environmental problems.
		B)	Many religious groups have strongly urged politicians to protect species from extinction.
		C)	Many people feel the Judeo-Christian teachings urge humans to play a stewardship role relative to nature.
		D)	All of the above are part of the religion/environment dialogue.


19	The process of science is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT which one? Science
		A)	attempts to keep explanations as simple as possible.
		B)	proves concepts and theories.
		C)	attempts to be objective.
		D)	tries to be unbiased.


20	The concept of appropriate technology
		A)	promotes environmentally sound approaches to problems.
		B)	focuses on massive projects to gain economics of scale.
		C)	is viewed as community based.
		D)	includes more than one of the above.


21	Worldviews are shaped by
		A)	our family backgrounds.
		B)	our personal experiences.
		C)	our level of education.
		D)	all of the above.


22	The "not in my back yard" (NIMBY) phenomenon is expressed as protests against unwanted facilities in a local area.
		A)	True
		B)	False


23	The process by which science works is useful to the general public in addition to scientists.
		A)	True
		B)	False


24	Hypothesis-driven science that attempts to deduce broad understandings by studying individual parts of a phenomenon has been criticized as not recognizing that observations are influenced by unavoidable observer bias.
		A)	True
		B)	False


25	The approach of holistic science is to seek literal proof of theories before accepting them.
		A)	True
		B)	False


26	Biocentrists believe that humans are the only entities possessing inherent value.
		A)	True
		B)	False


27	Creating a generalization based on several observations is an example of deductive reasoning.
		A)	True
		B)	False


28	Environmental justice requires that all people have equal rights to a safe and healthy environment.
		A)	True
		B)	False


29	If something cannot be directly experimented upon it is not considered to be a part of science.
		A)	True
		B)	False

2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.