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 least pure coal.






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






3. Land that's fit to be cultivated.






4. Areas where cutting has occurred and a new - younger forest has arisen.






5. A long - relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland-built up by the action of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges.






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






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






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






9. 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.






10. Organisms that consume primary consumers.






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






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






13. Biotic and abiotic natural ecosystems.






14. 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.






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






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






17. The molten core of the Earth.






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






19. A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.






20. A fishing technique in which the ocean floor is literally scraped by heavy nets that smash everything in their path.






21. An intensification of the Greenhouse Effect due to the increased presence of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.






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






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






24. Any water that has been used by humans. This includes human sewage - water drained from showers - tubs - sinks - dishwashers - washing machines - water from industrial processes - and storm water runoff.






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






26. The bedrock - which lies below all of the other layers of soil - is referred to as the R horizon.






27. The energy of motion.






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






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






30. Involves the removal of the Earth's surface all the way down to the level of the mineral seam.






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






32. A complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.






33. 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.






34. Says that the entropy (disorder) of the universe is increasing. One corollary of the Second Law of thermodynamics is the concept that - in most energy transformations - a significant fraction of energy is lost to the universe as heat.






35. 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






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






37. Soil composed of a mixture of sand - clay - silt - and organic matter.






38. Graphical representations of populations' ages.






39. 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.






40. The third purest form of coal.






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






42. Power generated using water.






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






44. Bacteria or fungi that absorb nutrients from nonliving organic matter like plant material - the wastes of living organisms - and corpses. They convert these materials into inorganic forms.






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






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






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






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






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






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