Arch 464
ECS
Midterm II
Spring 2001
30 Multiple Choice Questions
1. A building heating device that has a first law efficiency of more than 100%
A. cannot exist
B. is a good example of matching an appropriate fuel source to the task of heating
C. delivers more heating btus than the fuel btus used to operate it
D. is the only device appropriate for heating a new building
2. The largest potential long term savings in a new corporate headquarters is
A. a reduced architect’s fee
B. reduced energy costs due to passive design and daylighting
C. government-sponsored cash and tax incentives for energy savings
D. increased productivity and reduced absenteeism
3. An environmental cost analysis of a building
A. considers its life-cycle cost
B. considers health, societal, and ecological costs
C. considers only costs associated with energy purchases
D. considers costs for enhancing employee productivity
4. The greatest strength of our economic cost system is that prices
A. consider future scarcities
B. reflect the capital to be invested in infrastructure
C. predict total environmental, health, and societal costs
D. none of the above
5. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution most energy used by civilization has been produced by
A. bio-fuels
B. fossil fuels
C. hydro-power
D. none of the above
6. Which of the following energy sources is environmentally benign
A. nuclear fission
B. hydro-electricity
C. natural gas
D. none of the above
7. Acid rain is associated with
A. burning petroleum- and coal-based fuels
B. nuclear power plants
C. non ecological forestry practices
D. all of the above
8. Currently the least expensive (per kilowatt hour produced) new energy generation plant to build is
A. a nuclear power plant
B. a hydro-electric plant
C. a wind farm
D. building-integrated photovoltaics dispersed over an entire city
9. Renewable energy sources that are currently being developed include
A. geothermal generators
B. tidal generators
C. wave action generators
D. all of the above
10. Utility companies try to control peak hour energy demands by
A. encouraging grid-connected photovoltaic installations
B. giving incentives for energy conservation measures
C. energy pricing at different rates for peak and off-peak hours
D. all of the above
11. Producing no pollutants, solar energy is currently used to
A. passively heat homes
B. generate electricity
C. generate steam
D. all of the above
12. Designing an off-grid home that requires the occupants to use an automobile to commute to work doesn’t avoid an increase in
A. air pollution
B. acid rain
C. greenhouse gas emission
D. all of the above
13. California’s current energy crisis is being caused by
A. deregulation of the utilities
B. peak demand exceeding generation capacity
C. the highest per capita energy use in the nation
D. all of the above
14. Architects and designers can reduce peak utility-provided energy use in buildings by
A. employing effective daylighting schemes
B. installing building-integrated photovoltaic systems
C. specifying compact fluorescent lamps in place of incandescent lamps
D. all of the above
15. Given that your design for a residence or small commercial building must be energy self-sufficient, on-site energy can be generated by
A. photovoltaics cells
B. low-head hydro-electric generators
C. wind turbines
D. all of the above
16. The expense of integrating a photovoltaic system into a new building can be offset by
A. using a building-integrated scheme
B. utility incentives including net metering (excess kilowatts are sold back to the utility)
C. tax incentives for energy saving devices
D. all of the above
17. Photovoltaic cells provide direct current electricity unless
A. linked to deep-discharge batteries
B. coupled with an inverter
C. teamed with low-head hydro
D. all of the above
18. Civilization can reduce the quality of water in the evapo-transpiration cycle
A. during rainfall
B. when runoff over paved surfaces occurs
C. as storm water percolates through the soil
D. all of the above
19. Suburban sprawl in a community that abuts a river can
A. increase the chance of flooding
B. increase surface water pollution
C. cause increased erosion
D. all of the above
20. The local aquifer can be polluted by
A. pesticides and herbicides applied to lawns and gardens
B. combustion of fossils fuels in energy generation plants
C. rainwater collection systems
D. all of the above
21. A watershed or drainage is defined by
A. the political boundaries of the state or county
B. the aquifers beneath it
C. the ridgelines that surround it
D. all of the above
22. A building can be independent of a municipal water supply by
A. using its roof to collect rainwater
B. incorporating a dry well
C. having hydronic floors
D. all of the above
23. Removing more ground water than can be replenished each year can cause
A. draughts
B. subsidence of urban lands
C. a withdrawal syndrome
D. all of the above
24. The type of water that is easiest to treat on-site is
A. white water
B. grey water
C. black water
D. all of the above are easy to treat
25. The Sweet Avenue project on Paradise Creek in Moscow is an example of
A. a stream restoration project
B. a flood mitigation project
C. sound parking lot run-off management practices
D. all of the above
26. In all municipalities in all western states, a reasonable technique for conserving more water than an ordinary new building is
A. the use of 1.6 gallon/flush toilets
B. xeriscaping to replace lawns
C. recycling grey water
D. all of the above
27. A clivus multrum composting toilet requires
A. a full heated basement beneath the entire building
B. a vent stack to allow off-gassing
C. waste collection to dispose of fecal remains
D. all of the above
28. Constructed wetlands have proven feasible to treat
A. effluent from a municipal waste water treatment plant
B. grey water from a complex of institutional buildings
C. black and grey water from a residence
D. all of the above
29. Ordinary solid wastes that can be recycled include
A. fluorescent lamps
B. all plastics
C. office paper
D. all of the above
30. Solid waste reduction is necessary because
A. existing landfills are filling up and new ones are becoming harder to permit
B. recycling has become a profitable major industry
C. waste to energy plants have proven to be effective in reducing energy costs and reducing air pollution
D. none of the above