What is one characteristic of all major culture revolutions that have happened since the hunter-gatherer era? 

A)  shorter life spans 
B)  decreased resource consumption and pollution 
C)  improved living standards 
D)  decreased food supplies

The mineral halite has cube-shaped crystals because:

A) there are no planes along which the mineral can break
B) cubes are the most common way two tetrahedron can join
C) of the arrangement of atoms in the crystal lattice
D) halite is soluble in water

Which of the following features is NOT formed by precipitation of calcite from water?

A) travertine
B) stalagmite
C) stalactite
D) sinkhole
E) flowstone

How many megacities exist in the world today? 

A)  9 
B)  18 
C)  28 
D)  39

Which belief characterizes a life-centred worldview? 

A)  Preserving the Earth's biodiversity is humanity's priority. 
B)  Human ingenuity can fix any problems. 
C)  Earth has an unlimited capability to absorb human pollutants. 
D)  Ever-increasing production will not severely stress Earth's systems.

Some desert plants open their ____________________ only at night to take up carbon dioxide.

Which niche would likely be affected by global warming? 

A)  a keystone niche 
B)  a specialist niche 
C)  an indicator niche 
D)  a generalist niche

Which of the following is an example of heat transfer by convection?

A) water within a pan is heated and flows in a circular path
B) seawater is drawn into a mid-ocean ridge, heated, and rises
C) the rise of material beneath mid-ocean ridges coupled with subduction
D) all of these

Which of the following is a valid statement with relevance to groundwater?

A) in most sediments, adjacent grains fit tightly together
B) fractures are the main way groundwater moves through some rocks, such as granite
C) most groundwater occurs in underground lakes
D) most groundwater occurs in underground rivers
E) all of these

The three most pervasive viral diseases are influenza,hepatitis B,and SARS.