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






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






3. A hydrocarbon that forms as sediments are buried and pressurized.






4. 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.






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






6. Species that originate and live - or occur naturally - in an area or environment.






7. A group of modern windmills.






8. 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.






9. The least pure coal.






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






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






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






13. Bacteria - virus - or other microorganisms that can cause disease.






14. 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






15. 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.






16. The effect caused by a short exposure to a high level of toxin.






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






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






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






21. States that matter can neither be created nor destroyed.






22. A fiscal policy that lowers taxes on income - including wages and profit - and raises taxes on consumption - particularly the unsustainable consumption of non-renewable resources.






23. The random fluctuations in the frequency of the appearance of a gene in a small isolated population - presumably owing to chance - rather than natural selection.






24. When populations are well below the size dictated by the carrying capacity of the region they live in - they will grow exponentially - but as they approach the carrying capacity - their growth rate will decrease and the size of the population will ev






25. Pollutants that are formed by the combination of primary pollutants in the atmosphere.






26. The rocks and Earth that is removed when mining for a commercially valuable mineral resource.






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






28. 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.






29. A succession of organisms in an ecological community that constitutes a continuation of food energy from one organism to another as each consumes a lower member and - in turn - is preyed upon by a higher member.






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






31. Fish farming in which fish are caught in the wild and not raised in captivity for consumption.






32. The place where two plates abut each other.






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






34. The unit used to describe the volume of fossil fuels.






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






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






37. An estimate of the amount of fossil fuel that can be obtained from reserve.






38. Organisms that consume both producers and primary consumers.






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






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






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






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






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






44. Bacteria or fungi that absorb nutrients from nonliving organic matter like plant material - the wastes of living organisms - and corpses. They convert these materials into inorganic forms.






45. Soil composed of a mixture of sand - clay - silt - and organic matter.






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






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






48. Organisms that are capable of interbreeding with one another and incapable of breeding with other species.






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






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