Read the Following Scenario and Answer the Question(s) Below

question 17

Multiple Choice

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging) . The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
-Wetlands in the United States _______________.

• A) have decreased due to natural causes, such as floods and hurricanes
• B) have increased due to natural causes, such as floods and hurricanes
• C) have stayed about the same over the past 40 years
• D) have decreased due to human development
• E) have increased due to human development

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Definitions:

Output

The aggregate output of goods or services from a firm, industry, or the economy as a whole.

Academic Probation

A warning status given to students whose academic performance falls below an institution's requirement.

Managerial Decision

A choice made by managers that determines the direction or action taken by an organization on various issues.

Grade Point Average

A numeric calculation representing the average value of the accumulated final grades earned in courses over time, typically on a scale from 0 to 4.0.