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 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.






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






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






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






5. The cleanest-burning coal; almost pure carbon.






6. The place where two plates abut each other.






7. An organism that obtains organic food molecules without eating other organisms or substances derived from other organisms. autotrophs use energy from the sun or from the oxidation of inorganic substances to make organic molecules from inorganic ones.






8. The part of the mantle that lies just below the lithosphere.






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






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






11. 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.






12. Devices containing alkaline substances that precipitate out much of the sulfur dioxide from industrial plants.






13. A model that's used to predict population trends based on the birth and death rates as well as economic status of a population.






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






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






16. Also known as plantations - these are planted and managed tracts of trees of the same age that are harvested for commercial use.






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






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






19. Piles of gangue - which is the waste material that results from mining.






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






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






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






23. The degree to which a substance is biologically harmful.






24. The number of children a couple must have in order to replace themselves in a population.






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






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






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






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






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






30. Organisms that reproduce later in life - produce fewer offspring - and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring.






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






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






33. 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.






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






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






36. 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






37. 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.






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






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






40. When the energy released from waste incineration is used to generate electricity.






41. 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.






42. The process of burning.






43. Being extinct or the process of becoming extinct.






44. The day-to-day variations in temperature - air pressure - wind - humidity - and precipitation mediated by the atmosphere in a given region.






45. The value of natural resources.






46. 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.






47. The least pure coal.






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






49. A symbiotic relationship in which one member is helped by the association and the other is harmed.






50. The use of building materials - building placement - and design to passively collect solar energy that can be used to keep a building warm or cool.