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






2. The molten core of the Earth.






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






4. 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.






5. 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.






6. The form petroleum takes when in the ground.






7. 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.






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






9. The place where two plates abut each other.






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






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






12. 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).






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






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






15. The area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs.






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






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






18. A group of modern windmills.






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






20. A plate boundary at which plates are moving away from each other. This causes an upwelling of magma from the mantle to cool and form new crust.






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






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






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






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






25. Refers to when farmers plant seeds without using a plow to turn the soil.






26. 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.






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






28. 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.






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






30. 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.






31. A soil horizon; B receives the minerals and organic materials that are leached out of the A horizon.






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






33. When each family in a community grows crops for themselves and rely on animal and human labor to plant and harvest crops.






34. Pollutants that are formed by the combination of primary pollutants in the atmosphere.






35. A process in which an organism is exposed to a toxin at different concentrations - and the dosage that causes the death of the organism is recorded.






36. The second-purest form of coal.






37. An organism such as a bacterium or protozoan - that obtains its nourishment through the oxidation of inorganic chemical compounds - as opposed to photosynthesis.






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 movement of individuals into a population.






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






41. The act or process of transpiring - or releasing water vapor - especially through the stomata of plant tissue or the pores of the skin.






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






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






44. Any noise that causes stress or has the potential to damage human health.






45. A process in which rows of crops are plowed across the hillside; this prevents the erosion that can occur when rows are cut up and down on a slope. ...






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






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






48. When grass is consumed by animals at a faster rate than it can regrow.






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






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