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






2. An opening in the Earth's crust through which molten lava - ash - and gases are ejected.






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






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






5. A semiconductor device that converts the energy of sunlight into electric energy.






6. 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.






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






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






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






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






11. The dosage level of a toxin at which a negative effect occurs.






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






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






14. 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.






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






16. The condition in which - at ecosystem boundaries - there is greater species diversity and biological density than there is in the heart of ecological communities.






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






18. A cyclonic storm having winds ranging from approximately 48 to 121 km (30 to 75 miles) per hour.






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






20. 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).






21. The industry or occupation devoted to the catching - processing - or selling of fish - shellfish - or other aquatic animals.






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






23. Biotic and abiotic natural ecosystems.






24. The use of devices - such as solar panels - to collect - focus - transport - or store solar energy.






25. 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






26. Creating flat platforms in the hillside that provide a level planting surface - which reduces soil runoff from the slope.






27. Organisms that consume secondary consumers or other tertiary consumers.






28. When one species feeds on another.






29. A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.






30. Formed from populations of different species occupying the same geographic area.






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






32. The least pure coal.






33. The outer part of the Earth - consisting of the crust and upper mantle - approximately 100 km (62 miles) thick.






34. 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).






35. The result of a pathogen invading a body.






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






37. The process in which animals (and plants!) breathe and give off carbon dioxide from cellular metabolism.






38. 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.






39. 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.






40. Acid rain - acid hail - acid snow; all of which occur as a result of pollution in the atmosphere.






41. 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.






42. 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






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






44. A waste product produced by the burning of coal.






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






46. A layer in a large body of water - such as a lake - that sharply separates regions differing in temperature - so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt.






47. Living or derived from living things.






48. When the majority of a building's occupants experience certain symptoms that vary with the amount of time spent in the building.






49. The point at which 50 percent of the test organisms show a negative effect from a toxin.






50. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals and resulting in the development of new species.