Cie 400 Fall 2014 Exam Solution

CIE 400/CIE 600 Fall 2014                                        

Dept. of Civil & Environmental Eng.                        

Name __________________________

Midterm Exam Solutions

October 8, 2014

Open book, open notes

Write all of your work directly on these pages.

Section A (30 points). Multiple choice: select the best answer. CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER FOR EACH QUESTION IN SECTION A.

1. One of the most difficult challenges at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution was:

1. Finding an abundant source of energy to make cast iron[pic 1]
2. Shipping raw materials back to England for production
3. Procuring land to build factories on
4. Locating buyers of the manufactured products
5. Ensuring good working conditions for the factory workers

1. After products were manufactured in England during the Industrial Revolution, they were:

1. Shipped to locations around England.
2. Shipped to locations throughout Europe.
3. Shipped to locations where the raw materials had come from.
4. Two of the above
5. All three of the above (a, b, c)[pic 2]

1. President Thomas Jefferson urged pioneers in rural areas to establish simple lifestyles by growing their own food on farms. This did not work because:

1. The pioneers did not want to farm.
2. The pioneers were not able to raise enough food for their families unless they had slaves.
3. There was insufficient water for farming.
4. Farming was changing rapidly at this time due to technological progress.
5. None of the above.[pic 3]

1. Consider an empire that is continually taking over surrounding territory in order to get more resources for its own well-being. Which of the following describes the limits on how far that empire can expand?

1. Eventually the empire will run short of people to defend its borders.
2. Eventually the empire will run short of water.
3. Eventually the empire will not be able to produce enough food for its population.
4. Eventually it will take more energy to bring resources back to the center of the empire than are being gained by adding new territory. [pic 4]
5. None of the above.

1. Which of the following is not an ecosystem service?

1. Water flowing downhill that operates a water wheel
2. Growth of natural grasses that cattle feed upon
3. Evaporation of water so that marine kelp and other biomass harvested from the ocean can dry out and be burned as biofuel
4. Incorporation of nitrogen in the soil by alfalfa, soybeans, and certain other plants
5. All of the above are ecosystem services[pic 5]

1. Which of the following is not a true statement about degradation of wastes?

1. Various microscopic animals consume waste products and convert them to forms that can be used by other components of the ecosystem
2. Degradation of waste is an ecosystem service
3. Wastes are always reduced to individual atoms of particular elements[pic 6]
4. There are no “landfills” in nature because there are no permanent wastes
5. All of the above statements are true

1. Consider the Easter Island civilization and the Inca civilization. Which of the following statements is true?

1. The Easter Island civilization was not sustainable, while the Inca civilization was much more sustainable.[pic 7]
2. Both civilizations were near collapse when European explorers visited.
3. Neither civilization was near collapse when European explorers visited.
4. More than one of the above statements is true.
5. None of the above statements is true.

1. Sustainable design includes all of the following except one – identify the one attribute that is not desired.

1. Minimize the amount of waste from manufacturing a product.
2. Design a product that will last as long as possible.[pic 8]
3. Design a product that contains as few different materials as possible.
4. Enable a product to be taken apart easily at the end of its useful life.
5. All of the above statements describe desirable attributes.

1. Which group in Table 1.1 refers to what should be sustained independent of direct benefits to people?

1. Earth, Biodiversity, Ecosystems[pic 9]
2. Ecosystem services, Resources, Environment
3. Cultures, Groups, Places
4. More than one of the above is correct
5. None of the above is correct

1. Which set of sustainability principles includes consideration of how attractive and pleasing an item looks?

1. The Natural Step
2. Hannover Principles[pic 10]
3. Twelve Principles of Green Engineering
4. Sandestin Principles
5. None of the above

Section B (30 points). 

1. The following time periods and locations in Western civilization have been discussed in Chapter 2:

1. Period of humans as hunter-gatherers before agriculture was invented