Understanding the Environment Study Guide worksheet - Free Printable

Here is the completed Matching and Multiple Choice section with explanations for each answer:

---

✔ MATCHING ANSWERS:

1. practice of growing, breeding, and caring for plants and animals used for a variety of purposes
→ d. agriculture
*Explanation:* Agriculture is the science and practice of farming — cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock.

2. study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environments
→ g. ecology
*Explanation:* Ecology is the branch of biology that studies the relationships between organisms and their physical and biological environments.

3. conflict between short-term interests of individuals and long-term welfare of society
→ c. “The Tragedy of the Commons”
*Explanation:* This concept, introduced by Garrett Hardin, describes how individuals acting in self-interest can deplete or spoil shared resources, even when it’s in everyone’s long-term interest to preserve them.

4. declining number and variety of the species in an area
→ a. loss of biodiversity
*Explanation:* Biodiversity refers to the variety of life at all levels (genes, species, ecosystems). Loss of biodiversity means fewer species and less genetic/ ecosystem diversity.

5. field of study involving the physical, biological, and social sciences
→ f. environmental science
*Explanation:* Environmental science is interdisciplinary — it combines biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and social sciences to understand and solve environmental problems.

6. law describing the relationship between an item’s availability and its value
→ b. supply and demand
*Explanation:* In economics, the law of supply and demand states that price is determined by the availability (supply) of a good and the desire for it (demand).

7. characterized by low population growth rate, high life expectancy, and diverse industrial economies
→ e. developed nation
*Explanation:* Developed nations typically have advanced economies, lower birth rates, longer life spans, and more diversified industries.

8. characterized by high population growth rate, low energy use, and very low personal wealth
→ h. developing nation
*Explanation:* Developing nations often have higher birth rates, lower per capita income, and less industrial development.

9. state in which a human population can survive indefinitely
→ j. sustainability
*Explanation:* Sustainability means meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs — essentially, indefinite survival within ecological limits.

10. natural material that can be replaced relatively quickly through natural processes
→ i. renewable resource
*Explanation:* Renewable resources (like solar energy, wind, timber if managed properly) replenish naturally over short time scales.

---

✔ MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWER:

11. Which of the following sciences contribute to the field of environmental science?
→ d. all of the above
*Explanation:* Environmental science draws from many disciplines:
- Physics & Chemistry → for understanding pollution, climate, energy transfer.
- Biology & Earth Science → for studying ecosystems, geology, weather, and biodiversity.
- Social Sciences → for understanding human behavior, policy, economics, and ethics related to the environment.

---

📝 Final Answer Key:

Matching:
1. d
2. g
3. c
4. a
5. f
6. b
7. e
8. h
9. j
10. i

Multiple Choice:
11. d

Let me know if you’d like this formatted as a printable answer sheet!