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 low-rainfall region that exists on the leeward (downwind) side of a mountain range. This rain shadow is the result of the mountain range's causing precipitation on the windward side.






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






3. To convert or change into a vapor.






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






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






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






7. 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






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






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






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






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






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






13. The edges of tectonic plates.






14. 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.






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






16. When materials - such as plastic or aluminum - are used to rebuild the same product. An example of this is the use of the aluminum from aluminum cans to produce more aluminum cans.






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






18. 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.






19. Says that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred and transformed.






20. Countries that have a renewable annual water supply of about 1 -000 -2 -000 m3 per person.






21. The capacity to do work.






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






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






24. 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).






25. A platinum - coated device that oxidizes most of the VOCs and some of the CO that would otherwise be emitted in exhaust - converting them to CO2.






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






27. 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.






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






30. The practice of alternating the crops grown on a piece of land - for example - corn one year - legumes for two years - and then back to corn.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






38. An animal that only consumes other animals.






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






40. The process of soil particles being carried away by wind or water. Erosion moves the smaller particles first and hence degrades the soil to a coarser - sandier - stonier texture.






41. The day-to-day use of environmental resources as food - clothing - and housing.






42. The region draining into river system or other body of water.






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






44. When one species feeds on another.






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






46. The amount of the Earth's surface that's necessary to supply the needs of - and dispose of the waste from a particular population.






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






48. The management of forest plantations for the purpose of harvesting timber.






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






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