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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens to agriculture in the Americas?
(a) It becomes an unsustainable design.
(b) It creates new ways to nurture crops.
(c) It becomes a system modeled after early nomads.
(d) It creates a system to replenish the soil.

2. What is another reason to build using local materials?
(a) It increases profits for importers.
(b) It prevents invasive, non-native species from entering the area.
(c) It encourages devolution.
(d) It stops exportation of local goods.

3. What threatens the soil the most?
(a) Plowing and turning of nutrients.
(b) Insects.
(c) Seed germination.
(d) Accumulation of toxic chemicals.

4. How can industry model nature?
(a) By working with the conditions of place and respecting diversity in materials and applications.
(b) By creating more simplistic designs based on new technology.
(c) By pushing for new designs that encourage efficiency.
(d) By preserving old technologies.

5. Which product is a good example of something designed for a throwaway society?
(a) Recycled paper.
(b) Gold jewelry.
(c) Microwaves.
(d) Running shoes.

6. All of the following are things a well-designed roof should provide, except:
(a) Conservation of water.
(b) Shelter for the house.
(c) Energy.
(d) A waste bin for toxic chemicals.

7. What do the authors suggest as an example of a good sewage treatment plan?
(a) Saving sewage in recyclable containers until we have the technology to process it.
(b) Storing winter sewage until it can be processed in the summer sun in a specially constructed wetland.
(c) Removing sewage from the location to an area with fewer inhabitants.
(d) Adding chemicals to sewage so that it can become save drinking water.

8. What material is the book itself made of?
(a) Recycled paper.
(b) Recycled milk cartons.
(c) Rice paper.
(d) An easily recyclable polymer, not paper.

9. What structural material did McDonough suggest for the Bedouin houses?
(a) Nylon tents.
(b) Concrete structures.
(c) Wood and glass structures.
(d) Adobe structures.

10. What do materials become in upcycling?
(a) Sewage sludge.
(b) Harmless waste.
(c) Recycled products like paper.
(d) Nutrients for other new materials.

11. Which statement most accurately reflects the authors' ideas?
(a) Our products and processes are best when they most resemble the natural world.
(b) Our industry is best when it uses more simple designs on a larger scale.
(c) Our products are best when consumers can afford them.
(d) Our industry is best when we accommodate worker equity.

12. What do the authors mean by "one size fits all"?
(a) To describe how third-world countries design houses.
(b) To describe the modern design for running shoes.
(c) To describe a decrease in diversity cause by modern industry.
(d) To describe the result of recycling materials.

13. What technology could a roof top use to lessen energy needs?
(a) Gas generators.
(b) Water heaters.
(c) Diesel turbines.
(d) Solar collectors.

14. Which of the following statements best describes natural systems?
(a) Natural systems waste more energy than industrial systems.
(b) Natural systems always go through a series of devolutions.
(c) Natural systems cannot recycle nutrients or materials.
(d) Natural systems take things from the environment but always give back.

15. How can leather be safely tanned?
(a) With plastic resins.
(b) With UV light tanners.
(c) With vegetable tanners.
(d) With wind-dry technology.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do conventional plastic shoes emit every time you walk or run?

2. What would NOT be a characteristic of a building inspired by the cherry tree?

3. What do the authors suggest we do about waste from sewage plants?

4. What happens to nutrients when agriculture becomes industrialized?

5. Which of the following statements best describes the authors' point of view?

(see the answer keys)

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