AP Environmental Science Review

1. AP Environmental Science Review • Which of the following is a nonrenewable resource? • a. Fish • b. Aluminum • c. Hardwood trees • d. Grasses • e. Agricultural crops • ANS: B

2. Which tree harvesting method is the worst ecologically/ • a. Selective cutting • b. Shelterwood cutting • c. Clear-cutting • d. Seed-tree cutting • e. Slash and burn • ANS: C

3. What type of fishing uses a funnel-shaped net with doors to catch bottom-dwelling fish? • a. Trawling • b. Hook and line • c. Drift net • d. Purse-seine • e. Dredging • ANS: A (dragging net along bottom to pick up desmersal, or bottom dwelling fish.)

4. What is a conservation easement? • A purchase of land by a private organization for conservation purposes • A purchase of land by a government for conservation purposes • A legal agreement exchanging public debt for land for conservation purposes • A legal agreement where the landowner gives up development right on his land in exchange for money or tax breaks • A legal agreement where a landowner agrees to let the government only develop the land in exchange for tax breaks • ANS: D

5. Scientists make a genetically engineered form of tobacco plant that can take up mercury and incorporate it into the leaves. They then plant these tobacco crops on a mercury-contaminated waste site, allow the plants to grow, and harvest them. Which of the following techniques fits this description? • a. Landfill or brownfield cap • b. Phytoremediation • c. Bioventing • d. Chemical oxidation/reduction • e. Biodegradation • ANS: E

6. Which of the following would NOT be a principle for sustainable land use? • a. Consider all aspects of land use (economic, ecologic, social, political) • b. Take all the resources possible from a given area of land • c. Preserve biodiversity • d. Conserve resources through reduce, reuse, and recycle practices • e. Rehabitate the land after use • ANS: B

7. Which of the following is not affected by deforestation? • a. Soil erosion • b. Water cycle • c. Global temperature • d. Biodiversity • e. Ozone layer hole • ANS: E

8. Energy usually results in the release of which of the following? • Heat • Light • Work • Wastes • Water • ANS: A

9. Explosions and collapses are dangers in the mining of which fossil fuel? • a. Natural gas • b. Coal • c. Petroleum • d. Geothermal energy • e. Uranium • ANS: B

10. Which of the following forms of coal is a metamorphic rock? • Peat • Lignite • Bituminous Coal • Anthracite • Petroleum • ANS: D

11. Synfuels are produced from the alteration of which energy source? • a. Natural gas • b. Petroleum • c. Hydroelectric power • d. Geothermal • e. Coal • ANS: E

12. Which of the following is an advantage of nuclear energy? • Emits one-sixth the amount of CO2 as does coal • Open to the threat of terrorist attacks • Possibility of accidents • low net energy yield • High costs to set up and maintain • ANS: A

13. 13. Which type of alternative energy source has the potential for visual and noise pollution? a. Geothermal energy b. Hydroelectric energy c. Wind power d. Tidal power e. Ocean-wave power ANS: C

14. 14. What environmental impact can a dam have? a. The land is flooded, destroying homes and crops b. Large amounts of water is lost through evaporation c. Flooding is reduced d. Sediment builds up e. An area is created for fishing and recreation ANS: C

15. Which is the most feasible solution to storing high-level radioactive waste? • a. Burying it under the ice sheets in Antarctica • b. Dumping it into a subduction zone • c. Burying it deep underground • d. Sending it off into space • e. Altering the radioactive elements • ANS: C

16. Which fuel is wasted because it is too expensive and difficult to transport long distances? • a. Petroleum • b. Nuclear • c. Gasoline • d. Natural gas • e. Coal • ANS: D

17. Dust from construction sites, strip mines, or soil erosion is an example of which type of air pollution? • a. Primary pollutant • b. Secondary pollutant • c. Fugitive emissions • d. Natural pollutants • e. Conventional pollutant • ANS: D

18. Which of the following is an extremely hazardous gas produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels? • a. Ozone • b. Carbon dioxide • c. Lead • d. Nitrous oxide • e. Carbon monoxide • ANS: E

19. What is the chemical formula for ozone? • a. O • b. O2 • c. O3 • d. CO2 • e. NH4 • ANS: C

20. Which statement most accurately describes a temperature inversion? • a. A stable layer of warmer air over cooler air • b. An unstable layer of warm air over cooler air • c. A layer of cooler air over warmer air • d. A mixing of all the layers of the atmosphere • e. A layer of ozone concentrated in the stratosphere • ANS: A

21. Which of the following is an indoor air pollutant found in particle board, furniture, wallpaper, and carpeting? • a. Ozone • b. Nitrous oxide • c. Radon • d. Formaldehyde • e. MBTE • ANS: D

22. Which of the following kills pathogens and removes most organic material through aeration? • a. Septic systems • b. Primary sewage treatment • c. Secondary sewage treatment • d. Tertiary sewage treatment • e. Municipal septic system • ANS: C

23. Runoff from construction sites is an example of which of the following? • a. Primary pollution • b. Secondary pollution • c. Fugitive emissions • d. Heat island • e. Tertiary sewage • ANS: B

24. What is the natural enrichment of a lake environment called? • Primary treatment • secondary treatment • tertiary treatment • eutrophication • algal bloom • ANS: D

25. Phasing out the use of CFCs and reducing smog is covered under which of the following? • a. Clean Water Act • b. Safe Drinking Water Act • c. Clean Air Act • d. Fugitive Emissions Act • e. Environmental Protection Agency • ANS: C

26. Which of the following is a point source of water pollution? • Smoke stack • outflow pipe • runoff from streams • melt water • soil erosion • ANS: B

27. Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas? • a. Water vapor • b. Carbon dioxide • c. Oxygen • d. Methane • e. Chlorofluorocarbons • ANS; C

28. Which of the following statements is most accurate? • a. Ozone near the surface of Earth protects us from ultraviolet radiation. • b. Ozone in the stratosphere protects us from harmful radiation from the Sun. • c. Exposure to ozone increases one’s risk of skin cancer. • d. Ozone is added to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels • e. Ozone can form in the deep ocean. • ANS: B

29. What did the Kyoto Protocol propose to regulate? • a. The emissions of greenhouse gases • b. Ozone depletion • c. Loss of biological habitats • d. Aid to developing nations • e. Use of natural resources • ANS: A

30. Which term describes a species in imminent danger of disappearing forever? • a. Extinct • b. Endangered • c. Threatened • d. Invasive • e. Exotic • ANS: B

31. What role do chlorofluorocarbons play in the environment? • a. They add ozone to the troposphere • b. The add ozone to the stratosphere • c. The lead to the depletion of stratospheric ozone • d. The lead to the depletion of ground-level ozone • e. They no longer pose a threat to the environment • ANS: C

32. Why will melting the ice sheets and glaciers on Earth raise temperatures even more? • a. The melt water will raise global sea levels • b. Less albedo effect • c. Snow and ice absorb heat that leads to higher temperatures • d. The air will warm because there is less snow and ice • e. Climates will change • ANS: B

33. What is the greatest threat to terrestrial species? • a. Introduced species • b. Climate change • c. Pollution • d. Overharvesting • e. Habitat destruction • ANS: E

34. A species that is introduced to a new environment and thrives is called a(n) • a. Endangered species • b. Extinct species • c. Threatened species • d. Invasive species • e. Keystone species • ANS: D

35. Which statement BEST summarizes the Tragedy of the Commons? • a. Self-interests outweigh public interests • b. Public interests outweigh self-interests • c. It is all right ot be selfish as long as you think of the big picture • d. It is a tragedy when biodiversity disappears • e. It is the responsibility of developed nations to help developing nations. • ANS: A

36. Which of the following provides development aid to developing nations? • a. The US Congress • b. The Kyoto Protocol • c. The World Bank • d. The Environmental Protection Agency • e. The Endangered Species Act • ANS: C

37. Which of the following terms describes the ability of lava to flow? • a. Viscosity • b. Permeability • c. Porosity • d. Texture • e. Composition • ANS: A

38. A rock that has been changed due to heat and pressure is an example of_______ rock. • a. Igneous • b. Metamorphic • c. Sedimentary • d. Intrusive • e. Extrusive • ANS: B

39. 39. Which of the following terms describes the addition of water to the atmosphere by plants? a. Evaporation b. Precipitation c. Transpiration d. Infiltration e. Condensation ANS: C

40. Which of the following is the force responsible for driving the hydrologic cycle? • a. Gravity • b. The Sun • c. Earth’s rotation • d. Earth’s revolution • e. Temperature differences • ANS: B

41. Why is the carbon cycle important to humans? • a. It helps restore the fertility of the soil • b. Carbon is responsible for metabolic processes within cells • c. It is a major factor in distributing heat and energy around the Earth • d. It is a major factor in climate regulation • e. The cycle stimulates the growth of algae. • ANS: C

42. Which of the following describes the impact of human sources on the carbon cycle? • Net increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere • net decrease of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere • net increase of carbon in the atmosphere • net decrease of carbon in the atmosphere • no impact • ANS: A

43. Which of the following best describes the role played by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the nitrogen cycle? • a. They create organic nitrogen • b. They convert nitrates to ammonia • c. They convert N2 to nitrate • d. They convert nitrogen to molecular nitrogen • e. They alter the organic nitrogen • ANS: C

44. Which biome produces the most biomass? • a. Desert • b. Savanna • c. Tundra • d. Tropical Rain Forest • e. Temperate Deciduous Forest • ANS: D

45. Which of the following are consumers that feed at all trophic levels? • a. Carnivores • b. Parasites • c. Herbivores • d. Omnivores • e. Tracheophytes • ANS: B

46. 46. A jack rabbit is well suited for a desert environment because of which of the following adaptations? a. Strong hind legs b. Long whiskers c. Sense of smell d. Long ears e. Speed ANS: D

47. Which of the following is NOT an environmental factor that can influence fertility or survivability? • a. Physiological stress • b. Predation • c. Competition • d. Genetics • e. Chance • ANS: D

48. Which of the following is NOT true of particulate matter pollution? • a. Particulate matter includes dust, ash, soot, lint, smoke, pollen, and spores • b. Particulate matter is solid or liquid particles suspended in a gas • c. Particulate matter can directly enter the lungs, damaging lung tissue • d. Particulate matter is one of the least obvious forms of air pollution • e. Particulate matter can cause or promote cancer. • ANS: D

49. Water that has been polluted by excess nutrients may have what type of problems? • a. Decrease in photosynthesis for aquatic plants • b. Increase in photosynthesis for aquatic plants • c. Too much oxygen for fish • d. Reduction in water’s ability to hold dissolved oxygen • e. Increase in aerobic bacteria • ANS: A

50. Which of the following accounts for the greatest percentage of waste generated in homes in the US? • a. Metal • b. Plastic • c. Paper • d. Food • e. Glass • ANS: C