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USGBC LEED Green Associate Exam Questions
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21.
How might the heat island effect impact local wildlife species?
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Some wildlife species might decline
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It helps local wildlife maintain a steady population
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It can contribute to overpopulation
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It is related to the atmosphere and not to animal species
Correct answer: Some wildlife species might decline
The heat island effect is an increase in microclimate temperatures created by waste heat from human activity. An increase in energy demand is not the only consequence of the heat island effect. Wildlife species may not be able to adapt to the higher temperatures and may begin to decline.
The heat island effect does not help wildlife maintain a steady population or contribute to overpopulation; it contributes to wildlife's decline. The heat island effect is related to both the atmosphere and plant and animal species.
22.
In what phase of the integrative process should the project document how the energy model impacted the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) and the Basis of Design (BOD)?
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The implementation phase
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The occupancy phase
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The discovery phase
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The iterative phase
Correct answer: The implementation phase
During the implementation phase, the design gets put to work and construction begins. Here the team documents how the energy model impacted the BOD and the OPR.
The iterative phase is fictitious. The discovery phase is when you would perform the energy model. By the occupancy phase, the building has been built, and how the energy model impacted the OPR and the BOD should already be documented.
23.
Due to regulations, EA Credit - Renewable Energy Production allows projects to purchase which type of renewable energy from off-site, third parties?
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Wind power
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Solar power
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Geothermal
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Hydropower
Correct answer: Wind power
There are often regulations concerning how close wind turbines can be to a building, so EA Credit - Renewable Energy Production allows projects using wind power to purchase it from off-site third-party generators.
Solar power, geothermal, and hydropower are not allowed, for this credit, to be bought from a third party.
24.
A construction crew is separating their waste and planning on donating any materials that they cannot recycle and reuse. Which of the following credit categories do these strategies support?
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Materials and Resources
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Building Design and New Construction
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Sustainable Sites
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Operations and Maintenance
Correct answer: Materials and Resources
Materials and Resources is the credit category that focuses on waste management and diverting materials from landfills. This credit category requires construction teams to have waste diversion strategies and gives points to project teams that keep track of their waste.
Building Design and New Construction and Operations and Maintenance are not credit categories. Sustainable Sites does not reward waste diversion strategies.
25.
What code standard provides an alternate pathway to achieve minimum energy performance?
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ASHRAE 189.1
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Montreal Protocol
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ASHRAE 90.1
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ASHRAE 62.1
Correct answer: ASHRAE 189.1
ASHRAE 189.1 provides an alternative compliance pathway for energy performance. The International Green Construction Code makes allowances via ASHRAE 189.1 to guide LEED V4 projects to successfully navigate requirements to meet minimum energy performance requirements.
The remaining answers are incorrect. The Montreal Protocol establishes guidelines for maximum ozone depletion potential (ODP) and bans chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and requires the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). ASHRAE 90.1 is a set of metrics that measure energy performance. ASHRAE 62.1 guides benchmarks for indoor air quality performance.
26.
Where can professionals go to learn about green buildings and related topics?
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The USGBC website
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LEED Online
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The EPA website
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Greenbuild.org
Correct answer: The USGBC website
The USGBC provides educational materials and resources for green building professionals who are new to the field and those who have been in the field for years. Materials, webinars, and more can be found on the USGBC website.
LEED Online and the EPA website are not educational sites. Greenbuild.org is fictitious.
27.
All of the following are strategies for reducing indoor water use except:
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Using potable water
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Installing efficient plumbing fixtures
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Using non-potable water
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Installing submeters
Correct answer: Using potable water
Potable water is water that is suitable for drinking and should not be used for toilets and other fixtures. Strategies for reducing indoor water use include installing efficient plumbing fixtures, using waterless fixtures, using water reclamation systems, installing submeters to monitor ongoing building water use, and reducing process water use.
28.
A contractor has recently worked on several green building jobs. To better understand the green building process, she decided to become LEED accredited but doesn't need to specialize in a specific LEED rating system. What accreditation should she get?
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LEED Green Associate
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LEED Certificated
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LEED O+M
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LEED Professional
Correct answer: LEED Green Associate
LEED Green Associate is an accreditation for professionals who want a foundational understanding of the LEED process and rating systems.
LEED Certificated is a reward for buildings. People are accredited, not certified. LEED O+M is a rating system. LEED Professional is fictitious.
29.
What are the benefits of utilizing daylight in the workplace for building occupants?
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Increases productivity and decreases stress
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Decreases utility bills for traditional lighting
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Increases happiness
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Decreases the number of outlets required
Correct answer: Increases productivity and decreases stress
The EQ category focuses on various daylight and interior lighting strategies to reduce the amount of energy. Strategies such as the use of tall windows, skylights, and reflective surfaces can increase the amount of daylight. Through these strategies, the design can increase occupant productivity, decrease occupant stress, and decrease the amount of energy used in interior lighting.
Another benefit of utilizing daylight is decreased utility bills; but this answer is incorrect, as the keyword here is occupants' benefits and not financial benefits. Increasing happiness is also a good answer, but it is not a benefit specific to the workplace. Daylight does not affect the number of outlets required.
30.
Which of the following is not one of the four strategies for reducing waste as defined by the EPA?
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Audit waste
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Source reduction
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Reuse
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Recycling
Correct answer: Audit waste
Auditing waste is a great strategy for keeping track of how much waste is created to find areas where waste reduction can occur, but this is not one of the EPA's four waste management strategies.
Source reduction, Reuse, Recycling, and waste-to-energy are the four waste management strategies of the EPA.
31.
After an occupant survey is conducted, what should the next steps be?
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Evaluate results and prepare a plan of correction
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Contact local municipalities to request additional funding
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Report results to building management and raise rent prices to cover changes
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Replace lighting and ventilation systems
Correct answer: Evaluate results and prepare a plan of correction
An occupant comfort survey is distributed electronically or on paper to building occupants to determine their comfort level with building temperature, airflow, acoustics, and lighting. After an occupant survey is conducted, evaluate results to identify areas of dissatisfaction and prepare a corrective action plan to make the necessary operational changes.
The remaining answer options are incorrect. Contacting local municipalities to request additional funding, reporting results to building management and raising rent prices to cover changes are all inappropriate responses to survey results. Teams might replace lighting and ventilation systems due to information obtained from a survey, but it is not the first thing that should be done after results are collected.
32.
A hotel is looking for a way to reduce energy consumption. Which of the following strategies would help achieve this goal?
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Installing digital thermostats in guestrooms
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Installing high-efficiency laundry machines
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Installing a green roof
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Installing PV systems
Correct answer: Installing digital thermostats in guestrooms
Digital thermostats are examples of negative feedback loops because they self-correct based on feedback. This also means they automatically turn off when they reach the desired temperature. This makes them more energy efficient since they can be off until a correction is needed.
Installing high-efficiency laundry machines would help with water efficiency, not energy efficiency. Installing a green roof would not help with reducing energy use. Installing PV systems would help the hotel produce their own renewable energy but wouldn't help with reducing energy consumption.
33.
A project team is researching water efficient fixtures, faucets, and other equipment. To comply with WE Prerequisite - Indoor Water Use Reduction, these appliances must reduce water use by how much?
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They should reduce indoor water use by 20%
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They should reduce indoor water use by 20 gpf
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They should reduce indoor water use by 70%
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They should reduce indoor water use by 6.0 lpf
Correct answer: They should reduce indoor water use by 20%
The goal of WE Prerequisite - Indoor Water Use Reduction is to ensure that the water-related fixtures and appliances are efficient. Water use must be reduced by 20% from the baseline.
This requirement does not use Gallons Per Flush (gpf) or Liters Per Flush (lpf) for this particular prerequisite. Seventy percent is the daily percentage of water used indoors, according to the EPA.
34.
Which two standards should LEED project teams consult first when conducting a life-cycle assessment?
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ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
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ISO 14025 and ISO 14044
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ISO 14040 and EN 15804
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ISO 21930 and ISO 14044
Correct answer: ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
Environmental product declarations (EPDs) that conform to a specific ISO standard and have at least cradle to gate scope are valued at one half to a whole product, depending on the type. A product-specific EPD has third-party certification and verification and may not necessarily reflect the practices of the rest of the industry. ISO 14040 describes the principles and framework for life-cycle assessment (LCA), and ISO 14044 specifies requirements and provides guidelines for LCA.
ISO 14025 establishes the principles and specifies the procedures for developing Type III environmental declaration programs and Type III environmental declarations. EN 15804 provides the core rules for the creation of EPDs for building products and materials. ISO 21930 provides the principles and requirements for Type III EPDs for building products.
35.
Green roofs have higher installation and maintenance costs, but they also help to insulate a building and, therefore, reduce energy use. Which of the following is not a benefit of a green roof?
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Increased storm water runoff
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Maximized open space
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New habitats for wildlife
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Reduced heat island effect
Correct answer: Increased storm water runoff
Green (vegetated) roofs are a popular choice for pervious surfaces for rooftops, which help the environment by decreasing (not increasing) storm water runoff. Beds of native and adapted plant species on a rooftop trap rainwater and prevent it from running off the roof.
Maximizing open space, creating habitats for wildlife, and reducing the heat island effect are all benefits of green roof systems.
36.
Which of the following requires buildings to install metering for uses that represent only 10% of the building's total annual consumption?
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EA Credit - Advanced Energy Metering
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EA Prerequisite- Building-Level Energy Metering
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EA Prerequisite- Fundamental Commissioning
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EA Prerequisite- Minimum Energy Performance
Correct answer: EA Credit - Advanced Energy Metering
The EA Credit - Advanced Energy Metering requires the installation of advanced metering for energy systems that represent ten percent or more of the building's total annual consumption.
Neither EA Prerequisite - Fundamental Commissioning nor EA Prerequisite - Minimum Energy Performance requires metering. EA Prerequisite - Building-Level Energy Metering requires metering, but not at this scale.
37.
Which of the following compounds would not be considered a volatile organic compound (VOC)?
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Water
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Formaldehyde in carpet
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Paint
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Composite wood
Correct answer: Water
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful substances that vaporize at room temperature. VOCs include numerous chemical compounds such as paints, adhesives, sealants and composite wood materials. Water is not an example of a VOC, as it is not a chemical contaminant.
38.
Which of the following terms refers to the spilling of light beyond the project boundary?
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Light trespass
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Glare
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Uplight
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Light leakage
Correct answer: Light trespass
Good lighting design minimizes the three main forms of light pollution: glare, uplight, and light trespass. Light trespass refers to backlight caused by misdirecting light onto adjacent sites and in the opposite direction of the area intended to be lighted. LEED project teams should implement strategies to avoid this infringement into the surrounding environment.
Glare is caused by high-angled front lighting. Uplight causes artificial sky glow. "Light leakage" is a fabricated term not used in LEED v4.
39.
Which of the following is the motion that banned the production of CFC refrigerants?
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The Montreal Protocol
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USGBC
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Council for Cleaner Refrigerants
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American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
Correct answer: The Montreal Protocol
CFCs are harmful refrigerants that deplete our ozone. The Montreal Protocol was created to ban the use and production of CFCs. Other harmful refrigerants such as HCFCs are being phased out.
The USGBC is a nonprofit organization that is in charge of releasing new versions of LEED. The Council for Cleaner Refrigerants does not exist. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization that aims to make energy efficiency as accessible as possible.
40.
Which of the following is the most helpful way for teams to achieve gains in use reduction and cost savings?
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Understanding how water is being used
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Collecting data from nearby neighborhoods
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Asking the company president about his or her water use
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Making inferences and assumptions about water use
Correct answer: Understanding how water is being used
Understanding how water is being used allows teams to identify where they should focus conservation efforts. Tools such as submeters can let teams know how much water is being used and can help them develop a comprehensive water reduction plan.
Collecting data from nearby neighborhoods, asking one individual about his or her water use, and making assumptions about water use are not the most helpful ways to achieve gains in use reduction and cost savings.