ENSC 204A
Practice Questions
1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of irrigation agriculture.
2. Differentiate between traditional agriculture and industrial agriculture.
a. Why is traditional agriculture considered to be organic agriculture?
3. Briefly explain five major environmental impacts of industrial agriculture.
a. State the strategies for mitigating the impacts stated in question 3 above.
4. What is aquaculture?
a. List four benefits and four major harmful environmental impacts of aquaculture.
5. Cropland degradation and erosion are some of the major challenges associated with
industrial agriculture. Explain six major strategies for controlling erosion.
6. Distinguish between crossbreeding and genetic engineering.
a. State at least three differences between the two approaches
7. What are some of the challenges of organic agriculture?
8. Define the following: undernutrition, overnutrition and malnutrition
9. List four ways in which your lifestyle directly or indirectly contributes to erosion.
10. Explain five benefits of genetically modified foods.
a. List four major concerns associated with genetically modified foods.
11. What are unconventional sources of oil and natural gas.
a. Describe the strategies for exploiting unconventional sources of oil and natural
gas.
12. What is net energy yield and EROI?
a. Why are they important in evaluating energy resources?
13. Define the following:
a. Natural gas
b. Liquefied petroleum gas
c. Liquefied natural gas
14. What are the major advantages and disadvantages of using natural as an energy resource?
15. What factors hinder the development of hydrogen as an energy source despite its promise
as cleaner energy source.
16. What are the environmental implications of developing tight oil and shale gas?
17. Distinguish between passive solar heating and activity solar heating.
a. Discuss four advantages and disadvantages each of active and passive solar
systems.
18. What are the major disadvantages associated with generation of hydroelectric power?