View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is one problem with recycled paper?
(a) It has stains from the bleaching process.
(b) It still contains the ink marks from the original paper.
(c) It contains a higher level of toxins after the recycling process.
(d) It can cause blindness if consumed in large quantities.

2. What is the authors' point in opening the introduction by discussing common household products?
(a) Commonplace objects are dangerous for children.
(b) Commonplace objects appear safe but are very dangerous once they are waste in the environment.
(c) Household objects are dangerous because they are very flammable.
(d) Cleaning products are very dangerous in and out of the home.

3. Which product is NOT considered dangerous in the environment?
(a) A chair.
(b) Coffee grounds.
(c) Printer toner.
(d) A computer.

4. Which words best describe how people view nature during the Industrial Revolution?
(a) Delicate and vulnerable.
(b) Predictable and harmless.
(c) Serene and simple.
(d) Dangerous and brutish.

5. Why is eco-efficiency not possible as stated by the author?
(a) It is impossible to use materials in a resourceful way and make products consumers want.
(b) It is impossible to design a product that is 100 percent beneficial to the environment.
(c) It is not possible to meet the demands of commerce and use less resources and create less toxic materials at the same time.
(d) It is not possible to create an industry that makes money off the environment.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who should be responsible for creating products that support the Earth?

2. What is the problem with recycling as we know it?

3. What does Paul Erlich write about?

4. What do the authors mean by designing products for worst-case scenarios?

5. What is an example of Bill and Michael's unique ideas for design?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how you could be breathing benzene fumes from your treadmill even though benzene is forbidden for use in rubber products in the United States.

2. Describe why books are traditionally difficult to recycle and how this book itself is a more positive design.

3. Describe one of Bill and Michael's ideas for completely positive design.

4. What challenges does Michael face while working for the Environmental Protection Agency?

5. Describe why the authors warn against too much efficiency in design.

6. Describe the vision that both Bill and Michael have for the future of the environment.

7. Explain why the authors say that eco-efficiency is not possible.

8. Explain what the authors mean by "brute force."

9. Explain how recycling is really downcycling.

10. Describe what causes "sick building syndrome" and name some of the associated health effects.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 994 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample