The Hidden Cost of Pollution Practice Questions

1. In the study estimating the effect of tollbooth smog pollution on infant health, which group of infants was 'the control group'? *

a. Infants born within 2km of a tollbooth.

b. Infants born between 2-10km of a tollbooth and near a highway.

c. Infants born further than 10km of a tollbooth and near a highway.

d. Infants born further than 10km of a tollbooth and away from a highway.

2. In the study estimating the effect of tollbooth smog pollution on infant health, what effect did the introduction of EZPass have on infants near the tollbooth? *

a. A drop in premature births, but the effect was not very large.

b. A drop in low birthweight infants, and the effect was large.

c. A drop in birth defects, and the effect was large.

d. There was no noticeable change.

Questions 3 and 4 deal with the following scenario: A researcher has discovered that crime fell after the three strikes law was passed in California in 1994.

3. The researcher argues that this shows that the three strikes law reduced crime. What is one plausible counter-argument? *

a. The three strikes law could brutalize criminals and cause more crime.

b. California is not like other states.

c. The three strikes law is applied unequally across races.

d. There are other reasons why crime may have been falling in the 1990s.

4. Given your answer to the previous question what is one possible method of making the three strikes study more credible? *

a. A larger sample size.

b. Study similar laws in other countries.

c. Compare the change in crime in CA before and after 1994 with the change in crime during the same period in other similar states.

d. Make sure the law is applied fairly.

5. In the video, we learned that the 'optimal' pollution point on the pollution Laffer curve is to the left of the top of the graph where GDP is highest. See the graph below.

Why is the point to the left of the top of the graph? The optimal point is to the left of the top of the graph because: *

a. Pollution has long run effects and this only captures short run effects.

b. Pollution has negative externalities that aren't captured in the graph.

c. This graph doesn't factor in other measures of well being, such as happiness.

d. We'd have to increase pollution by a lot to get very marginal increases in GDP.

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