Test your basic knowledge |

Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Commission)






2. The percentage of material in a product that was recycled from manufacturing waste. Preconsumer content was formerly known as postindustrial content. Examples include planer shavings - sawdust - bagasse - walnut shells - culls - trimmed materials - o






3. The exterior surface of a building - the walls - windows - roof - and floor; also referred to as the building shell.






4. Plant material from trees - grasses - or crops that can be converted to heat energy to produce electricity.






5. A stormwater management feature consisting of an excavated depression and vegetation that collects and filters runoff and reduce peak discharge rates.






6. Wood that has been issued a certificate from an independent organization with developed standards of good forest management. This certificate verifies that wood products come from responsibly managed forests.






7. A comparison of a building system's performance with a baseline that is equivalent to minimal compliance with an applicable energy code - such as ASHRAE Standard 90 or California's Title 24.






8. Vehicles that use low-polluting - nongasoline fuels - such as electricity - hydrogen - propane or compressed natural gas - liquid natural gas - methanol - and ethanol. In LEED - efficient gas-electric hybrid vehicles are included in this group.






9. The resistance of a material to penetration by a liquid. The total imperviousness of a surface - such as paving - is expressed as a percentage of total land area that does not allow moisture penetration. Impervious surfaces prevent rainwater from inf






10. Solid particles or liquid droplets in the atmosphere. The chemical composition of particulates varies - depending on location and time of year. Sources include dust - emissions from industrial processes - combustion products from the burning of wood






11. A measure of greenhouse gas emissions associated with an activity. A comprehensive carbon footprint includes building construction - operation - energy use - building-related transportation - and the embodied energy of water - solid waste - and const






12. An indicator of ventilation effectiveness inside buildings. CO2 concentrations greater than 530 parts per million (ppm) above outdoor conditions generally indicate inadequate ventilation. Absolute concentrations of greater than 800 to 1000 ppm genera






13. Resources that are not depleted by use. Examples include energy from the sun - wind - and small (low-impact) hydropower - plus geothermal energy and wave and tidal systems. Ways to capture energy from the sun include photovoltaic - solar thermal - an






14. The process of reducing peak-period vehicle trips.






15. Previously used or developed land that may be contaminated with hazardous waste or pollution. Once any environmental damage has been re-mediated - the land can be reused. Redevelopment on brownfields provides an important opportunity to restore degra






16. A material - other than the principal product - generated as a consequence of an industrial process or as a breakdown product in a living system. (EPA)






17. The operation of mechanical systems for a minimum of two weeks using 100 percent outside air at the end of construction and prior to building occupancy to ensure safe indoor air quality.






18. Previously undeveloped land with soil suitable for cultivation. Avoiding development on prime farmland helps protect agricultural lands - which are needed for food production.






19. A voluntary - consensus-based - market-driven building rating system based on existing - proven technology. The LEED Green Building Rating System represents USGBC's effort to provide a national benchmark for green buildings. Through its use as a desi






20. Domestic wastewater composed of wash water from kitchen - bathroom - and laundry sinks - tubs - and washers. (EPA)






21. A required LEED Green Building Rating System component whose achievement is mandatory and does not earn any points.






22. The primary goal of each prerequisite or credit.






23. Equipment - distribution systems - and terminals that provide the processes of heating - ventilating - or air-conditioning. (ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007)






24. The percentage of water delivered by irrigation equipment that is actually used for irrigation and does not evaporate - blow away - or fall on hardscape. For example - overhead spray sprinklers have lower irrigation efficiencies (65%) than drip syste






25. Capable of decomposing under natural conditions. (EPA)






26. A structure designed to conserve water and energy; use space - materials - and resources efficiently; minimize construction waste; and create a healthful indoor environment.






27. The percentage of material in a product that was consumer waste. The recycled material was generated by household - commercial - industrial - or institutional end users and can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This includes returns of mate






28. A comparison of a building system's performance with a standard - such as ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.






29. The precipitation of dilute solutions of strong mineral acids - formed by the mixing in the atmosphere of various industrial pollutants (primarily sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) with naturally occurring oxygen and water vapor.






30. A measure of how well a material rejects solar heat; the index ranges from 0 (least reflective) to 100 (most reflective). Using "cooler" materials helps prevent the urban heat island effect (the absorption of heat by roofs and pavement and its radiat






31. A structure that uses water to absorb heat from air-conditioning systems and regulate air temperature in a facility.






32. Wastewater from toilets and urinals; definitions vary - and wastewater from kitchen sinks (perhaps differentiated by the use of a garbage disposal - showers - or bathtubs is considered blackwater under some state or local codes.






33. Also known as regional materials - the amount of a building's materials that are extracted - processed - and manufactured close to a project site - expressed as a percentage of the total materials cost. For LEED - regional materials originate within






34. Land that is likely to be flooded by a storm of a given size (e.g. A 100-year storm).






35. A stormwater control feature that uses a combination of an engineered basin - soils - and vegetation to slow and detain stormwater - increase groundwater recharge - and reduce peak stormwater runoff.






36. Management of a forest to produce in perpetuity a high-level annual or regular periodic output - through a balance between increment and cutting. (Society of American Foresters)






37. The emission of volatile organic compounds from synthetic and natural products.






38. A document that outlines the organization - schedule - allocation of resources - and documentation requirements of the commissioning process.






39. A process used to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a building by elevating the temperature in the fully furnished and ventilated building prior to human occupancy.






40. A committee consisting of industry experts who assist in interpreting credits and developing technical improvements to the LEED Green Building Rating System.






41. A measure of transportation demand that estimates the travel miles associated with a project - most often for single-passenger cars. LEED sometimes uses a complementary metric for alternative-mode miles (e.g. - In high-occupancy autos).






42. The temperature - humidity - and airflow ranges within which the majority of people are most comfortable - as determined by ASHRAE Standard 55-2004. Because people dress differently depending on the season - thermal comfort levels vary with the seaso






43. The spent or used water from a home - community - farm - or industry that contains dissolved or suspended matter.






44. Typical primary measures of energy consumption associated with buildings include kilowatt-hours of electricity - therms of natural gas - and gallons of liquid fuel.






45. The area on a project site that is used by the building structure - defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots - landscapes - and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint.






46. The installed lighting power per unit area.






47. A combination of symptoms - experienced by occupants of a building - that appear to be linked to time spent in the building but cannot be traced to a specific cause. Complaints may be localized in a particular room or zone or be spread throughout the






48. An analysis of the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product - process - or service.






49. A plan that diverts construction debris from landfills through recycling - salvaging - and reuse.






50. Plants that require saturated soils to survive or can tolerate prolonged wet soil conditions.