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 solids that remain after the secondary treatment of sewage.






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






3. Graphical representations of populations' ages.






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






5. An introduced - normative species.






6. The unit used to describe the volume of fossil fuels.






7. Species that originate and live - or occur naturally - in an area or environment.






8. A fiscal policy that lowers taxes on income - including wages and profit - and raises taxes on consumption - particularly the unsustainable consumption of non-renewable resources.






9. Air currents caused by the vertical movement of air due to atmospheric heating and cooling.






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






11. The use of building materials - building placement - and design to passively collect solar energy that can be used to keep a building warm or cool.






12. A species whose very presence contributes to an ecosystem's diversity and whose extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other forms of life.






13. The movement of individuals out of a population.






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






15. The second-purest form of coal.






16. Organisms that reproduce later in life - produce fewer offspring - and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring.






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






18. Any compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Also - a water solution that contains a surplus of hydrogen ions.






19. Poor nutrition that results from an insufficient or poorly balanced diet.






20. Soil with particles 0.002 -0.05 mm in diameter.






21. The more or less constant winds blowing in horizontal directions over the Earth's surface - as part of Hadley cells.






22. The number of live births per 1 -000 members of the population in a year.






23. When materials - such as plastic or aluminum - are used to rebuild the same product. An example of this is the use of the aluminum from aluminum cans to produce more aluminum cans.






24. The removal of select trees in an area; this leaves the majority of the habitat in place and has less of an impact on the ecosystem.






25. An erosion-resistant marine ridge or mound consisting chiefly of compacted coral together with algal material and biochemically deposited magnesium and calcium carbonates.






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






27. The development and introduction of new varieties of (mainly) wheat and rice that has increased yields per acre dramatically in countries since the 1960s.






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






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






30. The amount of time it takes for half of a radioactive sample to disappear.






31. Open or forested areas built at the outer edge of a city.






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






33. Using strategies to reduce the amount of risk (the degree of likelihood that a person will become ill upon exposure to a toxin or pathogen).






34. 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.






35. Any substance that has an LD50 - of 50 mg or less per kg of body weight.






36. Bacteria - virus - or other microorganisms that can cause disease.






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






38. 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).






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






40. Any process that breaks rock down into smaller pieces without changing the chemistry of the rock; typically wind and water.






41. A lowland area - such as a marsh or swamp - that is saturated with moisture - especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife.






42. A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America - occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns.






43. Biotic and abiotic natural ecosystems.






44. Close - prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different species that may - but do not necessarily benefit the members.






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






46. States that matter can neither be created nor destroyed.






47. An underground layer of porous rock - sand - or other material that allows the movement of water between layers of nonporous rock or clay. Aquifers are frequently tapped for wells.






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






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






50. When trees and crops are planted together - creating a mutualistic symbiotic relationship between them.