Test your basic knowledge |

AP Environmental Science

Subjects : science, ap
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. A region of the ocean near the equator - characterized by calms - light winds - or squalls.






2. The part of the Earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms exist or that is capable of supporting life.






3. Fish farming in which fish are caught in the wild and not raised in captivity for consumption.






4. A place where a large quantity of a resource sits for a long period of time.






5. An organism that must obtain food energy from secondary sources - for example - by eating plant or animal matter.






6. Drilling a hole in the ground that's below the water table to hold waste.






7. The process in which soil bacteria convert ammonium (NH4+) to a form that can be used by plants; nitrate - or NO3.






8. Devices containing alkaline substances that precipitate out much of the sulfur dioxide from industrial plants.






9. The solids that remain after the secondary treatment of sewage.






10. When mature trees are cut over a period of time (usually10 -20 years); this leaves mature trees - which can reseed the forest - in place.






11. Refers to resources - such as plants and animals - which can be regenerated if harvested at sustainable yields.






12. The process in which soil becomes saltier and saltier until - finally - the salt prevents the growth of plants. Salinization is caused by irrigation because salts brought in with the water remain in the soil as water evaporates.






13. A plate boundary where two plates are moving toward each other.






14. The process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain.






15. The uppermost horizon of soil. It is primarily made up of organic material - including waste from organisms - the bodies of decomposing organisms - and live organisms.






16. The raising of fish and other aquatic species in captivity for harvest.






17. The practice of alternating the crops grown on a piece of land - for example - corn one year - legumes for two years - and then back to corn.






18. The thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica (and to some extent - over the Arctic).






19. The process in which plants absorb ammonium (NH3) - ammonia ions (NH4+) - and nitrate ions (NO3) through their roots.






20. Any substance than is inhaled - ingested - or absorbed at dosages sufficient to damage a living organism.






21. The process by which - according to Darwin's theory of evolution - only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics in increasing numbers to succeeding generations - while those less adap






22. Resources that are often formed by very slow geologic processes - so we consider them incapable of being regenerated within the realm of human existence.






23. The accumulation of a substance - such as a toxic chemical - in various tissues of a living organism.






24. Pollutants that are released directly into the lower atmosphere.






25. The structure obtained if we organize the amount of energy contained in producers and consumers in an ecosystem by kilocalories per square meter - from largest to smallest.






26. Non-moving sources of pollution - such as factories.






27. Involves the sinking of shafts to reach underground deposits. In this type of mining - networks of tunnels are dug or blasted and humans enter these tunnels in order to manually retrieve the coal.






28. The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources in a region.






29. Organisms that are capable of interbreeding with one another and incapable of breeding with other species.






30. The A layer of soil is often referred to as topsoil and is most important for plant growth.






31. A basic substance; chemically - a substance that absorbs hydrogen ions or releases hydroxyl ions; in reference to natural water - a measure of the base content of the water.






32. Any weathering that's caused by the activities of living organisms.






33. Fires that typically burn only the forest's underbrush and do little damage to mature trees. Surface fires actually serve to protect the forest from more harmful fires by removing underbrush and dead materials that would burn quickly and at high temp






34. The energy of motion.






35. When a species occupies a smaller niche than it would in the absence of competition.






36. The phenomenon whereby the Earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation - caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide - water vapor - and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through - but absorb heat radiated back fr






37. A program funded by the federal government and a trust that's funded by taxes on chemicals; identifies pollutants and cleans up hazardous waste sites.






38. The amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem.






39. The value of natural resources.






40. Is the practice of planting bands of different crops across a hillside.






41. Organisms that reproduce early in life and often and have a high capacity for reproductive growth.






42. Sunlight.






43. The process by which specialized bacteria (mostly anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia to NOy NO2 - and N2 and release it back to the atmosphere.






44. A plate boundary at which plates are moving away from each other. This causes an upwelling of magma from the mantle to cool and form new crust.






45. Any other species of fish - mammals - or birds that are caught that are not the target organism.






46. In a sewage treatment plant - the initial filtration that is done to remove debris such as stones - sticks - rags - toys - and other objects that were flushed down the toilet.






47. Calculating risk - or the degree of likelihood that a person will become ill upon exposure to a toxin or pathogen.






48. Pollution that does not have a specific point of release - open -loop recycling -when materials are reused to form new products.






49. When the size of an organism's natural habitat is reduced - or when development occurs that isolates a habitat.






50. A layer of soil.