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 layer of the Earth between the crust and the core.






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






3. 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.






4. 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.






5. A group of modern windmills.






6. The process of burning.






7. An underground layer of porous rock - sand - or other material that allows the movement of water between layers of nonporous rock or clay. Aquifers are frequently tapped for wells.






8. Graphical representations of populations' ages.






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






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






11. 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.






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






13. The amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis and subtracting from it the amount of energy the plants need for growth maintenance - repair - and reproduction.






14. A complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.






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






16. Urban areas that heat up more quickly and retain heat more than do nonurban areas.






17. 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.






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






19. Occurs when infection causes a change in the state of health.






20. The phenomenon whereby the Earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation - caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide - water vapor - and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through - but absorb heat radiated back fr






21. The total sum of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment.






22. A usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river.






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






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






25. 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.






26. A region of the ocean near the equator - characterized by calms - light winds - or squalls.






27. Fires that typically burn only the forest's underbrush and do little damage to mature trees. Surface fires actually serve to protect the forest from more harmful fires by removing underbrush and dead materials that would burn quickly and at high temp






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






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






31. Organisms that consume primary consumers.






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






33. When the majority of a building's occupants experience certain symptoms that vary with the amount of time spent in the building.






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






35. 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.






36. An organism that is capable of converting radiant energy or chemical energy into carbohydrates.






37. The use of devices - such as solar panels - to collect - focus - transport - or store solar energy.






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






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






41. 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.






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






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






44. When soil becomes water-logged and then dries out - and salt forms a layer on its surface.






45. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals and resulting in the development of new species.






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






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






48. Refers to resources - such as plants and animals - which can be regenerated if harvested at sustainable yields.






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






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