WPT Environment and Nature 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the greenhouse effect?
- The cooling of Earth's surface caused by cloud cover
- The warming of Earth's surface as atmospheric gases trap heat from the sun (Correct answer)
- A farming technique that uses glass structures to grow crops year-round
- The process by which plants convert sunlight into energy
Correct answer: The warming of Earth's surface as atmospheric gases trap heat from the sun
The greenhouse effect occurs when gases like CO₂ and methane trap solar heat in Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet's surface.
Question 2: Which U.S. federal agency is primarily responsible for protecting the natural environment and human health from pollution?
- The Department of the Interior
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Correct answer)
- The National Park Service
- The Department of Energy
Correct answer: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA was established in 1970 to consolidate federal research, monitoring, standard-setting, and enforcement for environmental protection.
Question 3: What is biodiversity?
- The variety of different species and ecosystems in a given region or on Earth (Correct answer)
- The process of introducing new species into an ecosystem
- A government program to protect endangered animals
- The study of plants and their medicinal properties
Correct answer: The variety of different species and ecosystems in a given region or on Earth
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, encompassing species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
Question 4: What does the term 'carbon footprint' mean?
- A geological record of carbon deposits underground
- The total amount of greenhouse gases produced by an individual, organization, or activity (Correct answer)
- The area of forest needed to offset industrial emissions
- A unit used to measure air quality in urban areas
Correct answer: The total amount of greenhouse gases produced by an individual, organization, or activity
A carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions — especially CO₂ — caused directly and indirectly by a person, product, or organization.
Question 5: What is the primary cause of ocean acidification?
- Increased volcanic activity on the ocean floor
- The absorption of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Correct answer)
- Runoff of agricultural fertilizers into the ocean
- Rising ocean temperatures from solar activity
Correct answer: The absorption of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Ocean acidification occurs when seawater absorbs atmospheric CO₂, forming carbonic acid and lowering the ocean's pH.
Question 6: Which of the following is a renewable energy source?
- Natural gas
- Coal
- Wind power (Correct answer)
- Nuclear energy
Correct answer: Wind power
Wind power is renewable because it harnesses energy from an inexhaustible natural resource — wind — without depleting it or producing direct emissions.
WPT Environment and Nature 1
What is the greenhouse effect?