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. The low-rainfall region that exists on the leeward (downwind) side of a mountain range. This rain shadow is the result of the mountain range's causing precipitation on the windward side.






2. The dark - crumbly - nutrient-rich material that results from the decomposition of organic material.






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






4. In tectonic plates - the site at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate.






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






6. The gradual breakdown of rock into smaller and smaller particles - caused by natural chemical - physical - and biological factors.






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






8. Transition in species composition of a biological community - often following ecological disturbance of the community; the establishment of a biological community in any area virtually barren of life.






9. The place where two plates abut each other.






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






11. Nets that are dragged through the water and indiscriminately catch everything in their path.






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






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






14. 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






15. A stable - mature community in a successive series that has reached equilibrium after having evolved through stages and adapted to its environment.






16. The process that occurs when two different species in a region compete and the better adapted species wins.






17. The amount that the population would grow if there were unlimited resources in its environment.






18. Also known as transform faults - boundaries at which plates are moving past each other - sideways.






19. A hydrocarbon that forms as sediments are buried and pressurized.






20. The biological treatment of wastewater in order to continue to remove biodegradable waste.






21. One that has never been cut; these forests have not been seriously disturbed for several hundred years.






22. 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.






23. An organism that is capable of converting radiant energy or chemical energy into carbohydrates.






24. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides.






25. The number of children an average woman will bear during her lifetime; this information is based on an analysis of data from preceding years in the population in question.






26. Radioactive wastes that produce high levels of ionizing radiation.






27. The rocks and Earth that is removed when mining for a commercially valuable mineral resource.






28. The layer of the Earth between the crust and the core.






29. The atmospheric pressure conditions corresponding to the periodic warming of El Nino and cooling of La Nina.






30. The coarsest soil - with particles 0.05 -2.0 mm in diameter.






31. A usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river.






32. The day-to-day use of environmental resources as food - clothing - and housing.






33. A succession of organisms in an ecological community that constitutes a continuation of food energy from one organism to another as each consumes a lower member and - in turn - is preyed upon by a higher member.






34. The point at which 50 percent of the test organisms die from a toxin.






35. The fraction of solar energy that is reflected back into space.






36. An area in which a particular mineral is concentrated - mining -the excavation of the Earth for the purpose of extracting ore or minerals.






37. A high-speed - meandering wind current - generally moving from a westerly direction at speeds often exceeding 400 km (250 miles) per hour at altitudes of 15 to 25 km (10 to 15 miles).






38. A process in which cold - often nutrient-rich - waters from the ocean depths rise to the surface.






39. Urban areas that heat up more quickly and retain heat more than do nonurban areas.






40. The region draining into river system or other body of water.






41. A soil horizon; the layer below the O layer is called the A layer. The A layer is formed of weathered rock - with some organic material; often referred to as topsoil.






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






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






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






45. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds - such as ammonia - by natural agencies or various industrial processes.






46. The amount of the Earth's surface that's necessary to supply the needs of - and dispose of the waste from a particular population.






47. The movement of individuals into a population.






48. The finest soil - made up of particles that are less than 0.002 mm in diameter.






49. When water rights are given to those who have historically used the water in a certain area.






50. Biotic and abiotic natural ecosystems.