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. A climate variation that takes place in the tropical Pacific about every three to seven years - for a duration of about one year.






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






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






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






5. A soil horizon; the layer below the O layer is called the A layer. The A layer is formed of weathered rock - with some organic material; often referred to as topsoil.






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






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






8. The gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body - especially the one surrounding the Earth - which is retained by the celestial body's gravitational field.






9. The molten core of the Earth.






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






11. An influential theory that concerns the long - term rate of conventional oil (and other fossil fuel) extraction and depletion. It predicts that future world oil production will soon reach a peak and then rapidly decline.






12. The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct.






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






14. Energy at rest - or stored energy.






15. The process of burning.






16. A basic substance; chemically - a substance that absorbs hydrogen ions or releases hydroxyl ions; in reference to natural water - a measure of the base content of the water.






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






18. Graphical representations of populations' ages.






19. The broad category under which selective cutting and shelter-wood cutting fall; selective deforestation.






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






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






22. Gave the EPA power to set emission standards for major sources of noise - including transportation - machinery - and construction.






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






24. 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.






25. Any waste that poses a danger to human health; it must be dealt with in a different way from other types of waste.






26. When one species feeds on another.






27. Pollution that does not have a specific point of release - open -loop recycling -when materials are reused to form new products.






28. The outermost shell of the atmosphere - between the mesosphere and outer space - where temperatures increase steadily with altitude.






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






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






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






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






33. A group of modern windmills.






34. Any substance that has an LD50 - of 50 mg or less per kg of body weight.






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






36. Land that's fit to be cultivated.






37. 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.






38. A process in which cold - often nutrient-rich - waters from the ocean depths rise to the surface.






39. The result of graphing a dose-response analysis.






40. The removal of all of the trees in an area.






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






42. 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.






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






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






46. 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.






47. A hydrocarbon deposit - such as petroleum - coal - or natural gas - derived from living matter of a previous geologic time and used for fuel.






48. A severe tropical cyclone originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean - traveling north - northwest - or northeast from its point of origin - and usually involving heavy rains.






49. Ozone that exists in the trophosphere.






50. Poor nutrition that results from an insufficient or poorly balanced diet.