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






2. Pollutants that are released directly into the lower atmosphere.






3. In tectonic plates - the site at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate.






4. An animal that only consumes other animals.






5. 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.






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






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






8. 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.






9. In fishing - the use of long lines that have baited hooks and will be taken by numerous aquatic organisms.






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






11. The process in which plants absorb ammonium (NH3) - ammonia ions (NH4+) - and nitrate ions (NO3) through their roots.






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






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






14. The layer of the Earth between the crust and the core.






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






16. The result of a pathogen invading a body.






17. The carrier organism through which pathogens can attack.






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






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






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






21. 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.






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






23. A nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus - especially a heavy nucleus such as an isotope of uranium - splits into fragments - usually two fragments of comparable mass - releasing from 100 million to several hundred million electron volts of ener






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






25. This category includes organisms that consume producers (plants and algae).






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






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






28. A group of modern windmills.






29. A system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical and subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns.






30. Biotic and abiotic natural ecosystems.






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






32. The water from which a river rises; a source.






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






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






35. The observed effect of the Coriolis force - especially the deflection of an object moving above the Earth - rightward in the Northern Hemisphere - and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere.






36. The capacity to do work.






37. Each of the feeding levels in a food chain.






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






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






40. 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.






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






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






43. 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.






44. The process by which - according to Darwin's theory of evolution - only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics in increasing numbers to succeeding generations - while those less adap






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






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






47. Radioactive wastes that produce low levels of ionizing radiation.






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






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






50. The structure obtained if we organize the amount of energy contained in producers and consumers in an ecosystem by kilocalories per square meter - from largest to smallest.