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. Smog resulting from emissions from industry and other sources of gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels.






2. Smog resulting from emissions from industry and other sources of gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels - especially coal.






3. Energy at rest - or stored energy.






4. 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






5. 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.






6. 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.






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






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






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






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






11. The maintenance of a species or ecosystem in order to ensure their perpetuation - with no concern as to their potential monetary value






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






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






14. A symbiotic relationship in which one member is helped by the association and the other is harmed.






15. A group of modern windmills.






16. The number of individuals of a population that inhabit a certain unit of land or water area.






17. 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.






18. When physically treated sewage water is passed into a settling tank - where suspended solids settle out as sludge; chemically treated polymers may be added to help the suspended solids separate and settle out.






19. 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).






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






21. 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.






22. The removal of all of the trees in an area.






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






24. A soil horizon - horizon C is made up of larger pieces of rock that have not undergone much weathering.






25. When the energy released from waste incineration is used to generate electricity.






26. The least pure coal.






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






28. The right - as to fishing or to the use of a riverbed - of one who owns riparian land (the land adjacent to a river or stream).






29. Any waste that poses a danger to human health; it must be dealt with in a different way from other types of waste.






30. When populations are well below the size dictated by the carrying capacity of the region they live in - they will grow exponentially - but as they approach the carrying capacity - their growth rate will decrease and the size of the population will ev






31. Pertaining to factors or things that are separate and independent from living things; nonliving.






32. The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct.






33. When the signs and symptoms of an illness can be attributed to a specific infectious organism that resides in the building.






34. The broad category under which selective cutting and shelter-wood cutting fall; selective deforestation.






35. Biotic and abiotic natural ecosystems.






36. A bloom of dinoflagellates that causes reddish discoloration of coastal ocean waters. Certain dinoflagellates of the genus Gonyamfox produce toxins that kill fish and contaminate shellfish.






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






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






39. A process that allows the organic material in solid waste to be decomposed and reintroduced into the soil - often as fertilizer.






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






41. The carrier organism through which pathogens can attack.






42. 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.






43. When photochemical smog - NOx compounds - VOCs - and ozone combine to form smog with a brownish hue.






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






45. A tank filled with aerobic bacteria that's used to treat sewage.






46. 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.






47. 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.






48. An effect that results from long -term exposure to low levels of toxin.






49. A climate variation that takes place in the tropical Pacific about every three to seven years - for a duration of about one year.






50. An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition.