Spring 00

30 Multiple Choice Questions

1. If you designed a new building that you rated as a perfect +1500 on Malcolm Wells’ Wilderness-Based Checklist for Design and Construction,

A. it would not be sustainable
B. it would just barely meet building code requirements
C. it would be a run-of-the-mill passive solar building
D. it would be more sustainable than Sim van der Ryn’s best work

2. Your client might insist that you use a sustainable building rating system such as the Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide or the LEED Green Building Rating System for your design, because she

A. wants favorable publicity for a new green building
B. knows that using the system will assure the most cost-effective design
C. wants to take advantage of government-sponsored cash incentives
D. all of the above

3. The CD-ROM-based Green Building Advisor

A. performs energy calculations for your design
B. offers sustainable design strategies for each phase of the design process
C. links you to Vital Signs web-based case studies of existing buildings
D. all of the above

4. The intent of sustainable building checklists and guides is to

A. lead the designer to sustainable solutions that he couldn’t otherwise develop
B. view the design and building process through a "lens" of sustainability
C. predict future building codes for sustainability
D. all of the above

5. The greatest strength of our economic cost system is that prices

A. predict total environmental, health, and societal costs
B. consider future scarcities
C. reflect the capital to be invested in infrastructure
D. none of the above

6. The heating and cooling device that attains 100% First Law efficiency

A. is impossible to build
B. is the device best suited for all buildings
C. delivers one Btu of useful thermal energy for each Btu of potential energy in the fuel it uses
D. none of the above

7. Using a ground-coupled heat pump to heat and cool a residence in Idaho is an example of

A. matching high grade fuel to a high grade task
B. matching low grade fuel to a low grade task
C. misuse of high grade fuel, akin to cutting butter with a chainsaw
D. using high grade fuel to gather low grade heating and cooling Btus

8. Renovating an old building for a new use can be considered an energy-efficient strategy because it has high potential to conserve

A. thermal and lighting energy on a daily basis
B. the energy embedded in construction materials
C. energy needed to transport building materials to the site
D. all of the above

9. You can save the most money for your client by designing her corporate headquarters

A. to conserve energy through passive design and daylighting
B. to be built for less than the contractor’s cost estimate
C. to improve worker productivity by providing good daylighting and thermal comfort
D. at a reduced architectural fee

10. A life-cycle cost analysis of an architectural project takes into account

A. first cost of building
B. operating and maintenance costs
C. your client’s time preference for money
D. all of the above

11. The government can and has influenced consumers to invest in energy conserving design and devices by

A. increasing fuel costs
B. offering tax incentives
C. giving rebates for compact fluorescent lights and shower flow restrictors
D. all of the above

12. The combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for

A. air pollution
B. acid rain
C. greenhouse gas emission
D. all of the above

13. A possible environmental impact of a nuclear power generating plant operating normally is

A. air pollution
B. water pollution
C. human health hazard
D. none of the above

14. Utilities now offer "green power" alternatives to customers by

A. selling energy generated by wind power at a slightly increased cost
B. installing photovoltaics on their residences for free
C. providing free energy conservation kits
D. all of the above

15. On-site energy can be generated for a residence or small commercial building by

A. photovoltaics cells
B. low-head hydroelectric generators
C. wind turbines
D. all of the above

16. Planning and designing mixed-use communities that increase the density of an existing urban area can

A. reduce air pollution
B. improve energy efficiency
C. mitigate social costs associated with urban sprawl
D. all of the above

17. Photovoltaic cells can be integrated into

A. skylights for daylighting
B. vertical walls
C. external shading devices for windows
D. all of the above

18. The most cost-effective means to reduce purchased power consumption in an existing older building

A. install a grid-connected PV system
B. institute energy conservation schemes
C. upgrade the central heating system
D. all of the above

19. An architect with a zen attitude gets the most enjoyment from

A. the final product of his design efforts
B. her design and construction process
C. creating beautiful gardens
D. conserving energy through building design

20. Impurities can be added to water in the evapotranspiration cycle when

A. it falls as rainwater
B. it flows as runoff
C. it percolates through the earth’s surface
D. all of the above

21. Manmade artifacts that tend to decrease the quality of water include

A. a suburban development
B. a civic water supply/waste water treatment system
C. tilled farmland
D. all of the above

22. Pure water is at issue because

A. over 99% of the earth’s supply of potable water is inaccessible to us
B. our health and welfare depend on it
C. civilization has tended to pollute water
D. all of the above

23. Water shortage in the Western US has caused

A. more dams and reservoirs to be built during the last ten years
B. subsidence of urban lands
C. legislation to allow residential black water recycling
D. all of the above

24. Use of a stream as a potable water supply is most feasible

A. near the top of a drainage
B. where stream flows are high
C. in rural areas
D. none of the above

25. Water supply problems in the drought-prone, high population growth Western US has led to legislation that makes the code-compliant toilet for new construction a

A. 0.5 gallon per flush model
B. 1.6 gallon per flush model
C. 3.5 gallon per flush model
D. 5.0 gallon per flush model

26. Storm water can be dealt with on site by using

A. cisterns to filter and store it
B. dry wells to return it to the water table
C. retention ponds or swales to encourage evaporation and percolation
D. all of the above

27. A clivus multrum toilet can be used to

A. avoid creating black water
B. recycle grey water
C. provide fertilizer for the carrot patch
D. all of the above

28. Increased runoff from urban sprawl is responsible for

A. poor water quality
B. an increase in the area of the 100-year flood plain
C. lowered water table replenishment rate
D. all of the above

29. Restoration of urban waterways, like Paradise Creek through Moscow, can be accomplished by

A. adding streamside trees to provide shade
B. creating swales to widen the streambed and to retain runoff
C. identifying and curtailing point sources of pollution
D. all of the above

30. An appropriate roofing material for rainwater catchment is

A. cedar shingles
B. asphalt composition shingles
C. clay tiles
D. none of the above