ASU CEE181 SUSTAINABLE
SYSTEMS PRACTICE EXAM
40 QUESTIONS
Question 1: An engineering team wants to compare two packaging systems that
deliver di�erent quantities of product. What should it de�ne �rst so the life-cycle comparison is meaningful?
Choices:
1) A list of only the manufacturing emissions 2) A functional unit that provides an equivalent service 3) The market price of each package 4) The geographic location of the design o�ce
Correct Answer: A functional unit that provides an equivalent service
Explanation: A life-cycle assessment needs a common functional unit so alternatives are compared on the same service basis. Comparing packages without normalizing the service they provide can produce misleading results.Page 1
Question 2: Why is selecting a system boundary often one of the most
consequential choices in a life-cycle assessment?
Choices:
1) It �xes the market price of the product 2) It guarantees that all social impacts are quanti�ed 3) It determines which impacts are included or excluded from the analysis 4) It removes the need for assumptions Correct Answer: It determines which impacts are included or excluded from the analysis Explanation: The system boundary de�nes which processes and life-cycle stages are counted.A narrow boundary can omit important upstream or downstream burdens, so boundary selection can materially change the result.
Question 3: Which statement best distinguishes industrial ecology from a narrow
end-of-pipe pollution-control approach?
Choices:
1) Industrial ecology examines material and energy �ows across interconnected systems 2) Industrial ecology considers only hazardous waste disposal 3) Industrial ecology excludes economic activity from analysis 4) Industrial ecology assumes every process should be evaluated in isolation Correct Answer: Industrial ecology examines material and energy �ows across interconnected systems Explanation: Industrial ecology uses a systems perspective to study �ows of materials and energy across processes, �rms, and larger industrial networks rather than focusing only on controlling pollution after it is created.Page 2
Question 4: A manufacturer reduces factory emissions by outsourcing a highly
polluting production step to another country. From a life-cycle perspective, what is the main concern?
Choices:
1) The product automatically becomes carbon neutral 2) Transportation impacts are never relevant to LCA 3) The apparent improvement may be burden shifting rather than a true reduction in total impact 4) Outsourcing eliminates the need to de�ne system boundaries Correct Answer: The apparent improvement may be burden shifting rather than a true reduction in total impact Explanation: A life-cycle perspective looks across the full system. Moving a polluting step elsewhere may simply shift the burden geographically or to another life-cycle stage rather than reduce overall impact.Question 5: Which choice is most consistent with the goal-and-scope phase of life- cycle assessment?
Choices:
1) Calculating only the �nal impact score 2) De�ning the study purpose, functional unit, and system boundaries 3) Selecting a marketing slogan for the product 4) Eliminating all uncertainty from the data Correct Answer: De�ning the study purpose, functional unit, and system boundaries Explanation: Goal and scope de�nition establishes why the LCA is being performed, what function is being compared, and what processes are included. Those choices guide the inventory and impact assessment that follow.Page 3