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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

USGBC LEED Green Associate Exam Questions

Page 9 of 50

161.

A small office team is working on a high-rise project that would focus on creating exterior open spaces that encourage interaction with the environment, social interaction, passive recreation, and physical activities. They are aiming for credit in open space. What percentage should they allot to open space, in order to meet the credit requirement?

  • Provide outdoor space greater than or equal to 30% of the total site area

  • Provide outdoor space greater than or equal to 40% of the total site area

  • Provide outdoor space equal to 20% of the total site area

  • Provide indoor and outdoor space greater than or equal to 30% of the total site area

Correct answer: Provide outdoor space greater than or equal to 30% of the total site area

Open space credit requires project teams to provide outdoor space greater than or equal to 30% of the total site area. The goal of this credit is to create an exterior open space that encourages interaction with the environment, social interaction, passive recreation, and physical activities. Additionally, open space aids in biodiversity, managing rainwater, and reducing the heat island effect. 

162.

Which of the following is the best solution to responding to the increased demand for energy usage?

  • Reduce the peak amount of energy used

  • Build more infrastructure

  • Respond to demand

  • Increase a building's footprint

Correct answer: Reduce the peak amount of energy used

The intent of reducing energy demand is to reduce the peak amount of energy used in the operation and maintenance of a building and the energy use of the occupants. A significant energy reduction can be achieved by altering the size or layout of a building, the way a building is used, or how the building systems are implemented and monitored.

The goal of the EA category is to conserve energy, so LEED project teams should not build more infrastructure, increase a building's footprint, or simply respond to demand to increase energy production.

163.

Your project team has designed entryway systems that are 10 feet long each that will be permanently installed. Which of the following are they pursuing? 

  • EQ Credit - Enhanced Indoor Air Quality

  • EQ Prerequisite - Minimun Indoor Air Quality Performance 

  • EQ Credit - Construction Indoor Air Quality Management 

  • EQ Credit - Indoor Air Quality Assessment 

Correct answer: EQ Credit - Enhanced Indoor Air Quality

A strategy for EQ Credit - Enhanced Indoor Air Quality is to install permanent entryway systems that are at least 10 feet long. These entryway systems help to limit the amount of dirt and particulates entering the building. 

Permanently installed entryway systems that are at least 10 feet long would not be a strategy for EQ Prerequisite - Minimun Indoor Air Quality Performance, EQ Credit - Construction Indoor Air Quality Management, or EQ Credit - Indoor Air Quality Assessment. 

164.

What is the benefit of native and non-invasive plantings?

  • They decrease the need for irrigation or fertilizers

  • They do not require water

  • They do not require sunlight

  • They do not need to be replaced

Correct answer: They decrease the need for irrigation or fertilizers

One strategy LEED project teams can use to reduce outdoor water use is to choose native and locally adapted species of plants. Species that are native to a region typically require little to no irrigation due to their adaptation to the climate.

Some native plants do not require water, but most do; the hope is simply that the amount of rainfall in an area will be sufficient. All plants require some sunlight. Annuals are plants that need to be replaced after a growing season, and most areas have native annuals and perennials (plants that do not need to be replaced).

165.

Which of the following decides on the regional priorities for the Regional Priority Category? 

  • The USGBC regional councils 

  • The GBCI regional councils 

  • The LEED regional councils 

  • The Greenbuild regional councils 

Correct answer: The USGBC regional councils 

The regional priorities are decided on by the USGBC regional councils around the U.S. International regional priorities are decided on by the LEED International Roundtable. 

The GBCI regional councils, the LEED regional councils, and the Greenbuild regional councils are fictitious. 

166.

A project team is using life-cycle costing of products and materials, whole systems thinking, and collaborative team members. What design process is this project using?

  • An integrative design process 

  • A conventional design process 

  • An implementation design process 

  • A cradle-to-cradle design process 

Correct answer: An integrative design process  

The integrative design process has many differences from a conventional design process. It includes as many related professionals as early on in the process as possible to encourage collaboration. It uses whole systems thinking so that no one part is thought of by itself but as something that can affect the larger surrounding system. It uses life-cycle costing to see not just the economic price of a product but the price it has on the environment and people. 

This is not a conventional design process because the aspects discussed above would not be in a conventional design process. There are no such design processes as an implementation design process or a cradle-to-cradle design process. 

167.

In order to receive points in the Water Efficiency category, LEED project teams must calculate the project's water usage:

  • Baseline

  • Consumption rate

  • Flow rate

  • Cost of reduction

Correct answer: Baseline

In the Water Efficiency category, daily water use is calculated using the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992. The EPAct of 1992 sets the maximum flush and flow rates in buildings and specifies baseline water consumption information required to make the calculations for a project's baseline water usage. All LEED projects are required to achieve reductions in water use from this baseline.

Though the other options may be good practices, LEED project teams are not required to calculate the consumption rate of building occupants, the flow rate of water in the building, or the cost of water use reduction in order to achieve points.

168.

Which of the following is one of the driving forces of the LEED rating systems?

  • Climate change

  • Harmful refrigerants

  • Transportation

  • The heat island effect

Correct answer: Climate change

Climate change is one of the driving forces of the LEED rating systems and the LEED impact categories. After years of research, USGBC has presented climate change as the most significant environmental impact in society today, with the built environment as its single largest contributor.

Harmful refrigerants, greenhouse gas emissions from harmful transportation methods, and the heat island effect are all contributors to climate change, but none of these is a single driving force of the LEED rating systems.

169.

In LEED-certified buildings, what percent of all parking spaces must be designated as preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles?

  • 5%

  • 2%

  • 10%

  • 7%

Correct answer: 5%

Low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles, such as hybrid electric vehicles and hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles, are less harmful to the environment than conventionally fueled vehicles. In LEED-certified buildings, 5% of all parking spaces must be designated as preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles.

170.

What is required from projects to achieve SS Prerequisite - Construction Activity Pollution Prevention? 

  • Create a plan for sediment and erosion control

  • Test soil for contaminants 

  • Use silt fencing 

  • Water down the site 

Correct answer: Create a plan for sediment and erosion control

Having a plan in place can help minimize pollution and erosion that happens during construction, including airborne contaminants like dust and debris as well as the erosion of the soil on the site. 

Using silt fencing and watering down the site are strategies that can be used in the sediment and erosion control plan but are not requirements. Testing the soil contaminants is a part of SS Credit - Site Assessment. 

171.

A home owner is making sustainable changes to the house. To that end, his contractor is replacing the old exterior siding with material that is fire resistance and durable and doesn't negatively impact the environment. What has she replaced the vinyl siding with? 

  • Fiber cement 

  • Vegetation 

  • VOCs

  • Vinyl siding 

Correct answer: Fiber cement 

Fiber cement is a better alternative to vinyl siding, which is harmful to the environment. Not only is fiber cement environmentally better but also fire-resistant and more durable than vinyl. 

Vinyl siding is harmful to the environment, so a homeowner who wants to make their house more sustainable and green wouldn't replace their exterior siding with vinyl. Vegetation can be used on roofs but is not usually a replacement for exterior siding. VOCs are chemicals released at normal interior temperatures. 

172.

A project team is looking for an interconnection between energy-use decisions and the realities of energy generation and distribution capacity. What does LEED emphasize participation in to find out that data?

  • A demand response program

  • Commissioning

  • Energy Star Portfolio Manager

  • Energy use intensity 

Correct answer: A demand response program

When project teams engage in demand response, they consider how much and when is used by the building between energy-use decisions and the realities of energy distribution capacity. A demand response program is offered by participating utilities nationwide to encourage large energy users to reduce energy loads during peak energy usage times in exchange for lower rates. 

Commissioning is a verification process after construction that ensures a structure, its systems, and subsystems meet project requirements as intended and designed.

Energy Star Portfolio Manager is an EPA-provided building benchmarking system that is widely used in the U.S. 

Energy use intensity is a metric that expresses a building’s energy use as a function of its size.

173.

Why should LEED project teams choose materials that are bio-based?

  • They have a less harmful impact on the environment than synthetic products

  • They are less expensive than synthetic products

  • They are more reliable than petroleum-based products

  • Most occupants prefer bio-based materials

Correct answer: They have a less harmful impact on the environment than synthetic products

LEED project teams should explore environmentally preferable materials and products that have certain sustainable characteristics. The characteristics of environmentally preferable materials include reduced energy use from material transportation; sustainably grown and harvested; intended end-of-life uses that divert waste from landfills; recycled content; made of bio-based (not chemically-based) material; known ingredients; long-lasting and durable; and made in socially responsible factories. Teams should choose bio-based materials because they have a less harmful impact on the environment than synthetic products, such as plastics.

Depending on what materials are used, bio-based materials may be more or less expensive and more or less reliable than synthetic materials. In general, there is no evidence that supports the claim that occupants prefer bio-based materials.

174.

To improve occupants' comfort and control, project teams should provide windows that can be what?

  • Opened to the outside

  • Opened to the inside

  • Slid in place

  • Removed

Correct answer: Opened to the outside

Increasing the comfort of building occupants increases an organization's bottom line. To improve occupants' comfort and control, project teams should provide windows that can be opened to the outside. The feeling of fresh air indoors can bring a sense of vitality and connection to the outdoors that improves health, production, and happiness.

The remaining answer options are incorrect. Windows in a LEED building should open to the outside, not the inside. Operable windows might slide open, but this is not essential. Windows should be operable, but not removed.

175.

In which of the following is the heat island effect the least pronounced?

  • Parks

  • Downtown

  • Urban residential areas

  • Suburban residential areas

Correct answer: Parks

When roofing materials have lighter colors, the energy demand is reduced. The mechanical systems do not need to compensate for heat gains that would occur if roofing materials were of a dark color. The same principle holds true when lighter colored materials are used for walkways, rooftops and surface paving. Sunlight collects as heat in surfaces with darker colors. When this effect is consolidated in an urban area, it is known as the heat island effect. Green building projects seek to use materials with high solar reflectance (SR) and solar reflectivity index (SRI). Materials with lighter colors create conditions where less heat is absorbed and the heat island effect is mitigated. 

The heat island effect is the most pronounced in downtown areas due to the abundance of constructed surfaces, followed by urban residential areas, suburban residential areas, parks, then rural farmland.

176.

Which of the following is the definition of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?

  • A standardized, internationally recognized, comprehensive tool for providing information on a product’s environmental impact

  • A compilation and evaluation that determines the total environmental impact of a product, from the extraction of raw materials all the way through its end of life

  • A set of specific rules, requirements, and guidelines based on ISO specifications for developing environmental declarations for one or more product categories

  • A product certification program for assessing products by requiring product ingredients to be disclosed to an independent, accredited C2C assessor

Correct answer: A standardized, internationally recognized, comprehensive tool for providing information on a product’s environmental impact

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) outline the results of the LCA and contain criteria defined in the PCR. An EPD that has been independently verified by a third party, according to ISO 14025 standards, is a Type III EPD.

A compilation and evaluation that determines the total environmental impact of a product, from the extraction of raw materials all the way through its end of life, is Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA).

A set of specific rules, requirements, and guidelines based on ISO specifications for developing environmental declarations for one or more product categories is called Product Category Rules (PCRs).

A product certification program for assessing products by requiring product ingredients to be disclosed to an independent, accredited C2C assessor is a Cradle to Cradle certificate. (C2C)

177.

Whose responsibility is it to establish and implement the design and energy goals for commissioning?

  • Owner and building designer to establish the goals; commissioner to implement

  • Owner and building designer to establish and implement the goals

  • Building commissioner to establish and implement the goals

  • The LEED design team to establish and implement the goals

Correct answer: Owner and building designer to establish the goals; commissioner to implement them

Establishing design and energy goals is the first step of many to reducing energy demand. It is the full responsibility of the owner and building designer to establish those goals; but it is the job of the commissioner to ensure they are implemented and followed throughout the design, construction, and operation post-construction. A LEED design team would not establish or implement these goals.

178.

A designer working on a restaurant project proposes that they send all food compost to a nearby project requesting it. What benefit does food compost have for a building project?

  • Generating mulch to use for landscaping

  • Cutting down the amount sent to the landfill

  • Acting as a start for a compostable program

  • Converting food compost into gas

Correct answer: Generating mulch to use for landscaping

Using a compost bin to dispose of food and landscaping debris helps to generate mulch to use onsite for landscaping. Cutting down the amount sent to the landfill is also a good answer, but it would not be a reason for a nearby project to request it. 

The other answers are incorrect, as you don't need existing compost to start a compostable program and converting food compost into a gas can emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

179.

Your project team is looking at the energy use connected to the product, including what was used to extract the materials to make the product, what was used to make the product, and what was used to deliver the product. What is your project team researching? 

  • The product's embodied energy 

  • The product's energy usage

  • The product's surrounding energy 

  • The product's energy efficiency 

Correct answer: The product's embodied energy 

Embodied energy is the total amount of energy used throughout a product's life cycle, including its extraction. This information is usually found out during an LCA and can help customers understand how energy-efficient a product is. 

Energy usage, surrounding energy, and energy efficiency are not the terms being defined in the scenario above. 

180.

A developer has bought previously developed land for a 90-unit multi-family project. The team has chosen to pursue the credit for surrounding density and diverse uses. What is the minimum distance requirement for main entrances to be from diverse uses in order to achieve two points?

  • ½-mile walking distance from the main entrance of eight or more diverse uses

  • 1-mile walking distance from the main entrance of seven or more diverse uses

  • 1/4-mile walking distance from the main entrance of four or more diverse uses

  • ½-mile walking distance from the main entrance of four or more diverse uses

Correct answer: ½-mile walking distance from the main entrance of eight or more diverse uses

In order to achieve two points under the credit for surrounding density and diverse uses, it requires a minimum of eight or more diverse uses. Four or more diverse uses are also correct if you're looking to achieve one point.

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