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






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






3. 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.






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






5. The process of fusing two nuclei.






6. The removal of trees for agricultural purposes or purposes of exportation.






7. The management or regulation of a resource so that its use does not exceed the capacity of the resource to regenerate itself.






8. 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.






9. An area in which a particular mineral is concentrated - mining -the excavation of the Earth for the purpose of extracting ore or minerals.






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






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






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






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






14. The process by which specialized bacteria (mostly anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia to NOy NO2 - and N2 and release it back to the atmosphere.






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






16. 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.






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






18. 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.






19. Ozone that exists in the trophosphere.






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






21. Resources that are often formed by very slow geologic processes - so we consider them incapable of being regenerated within the realm of human existence.






22. 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.






23. The edges of tectonic plates.






24. 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






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






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






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






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






29. Living or derived from living things.






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






31. Any other species of fish - mammals - or birds that are caught that are not the target organism.






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






33. The amount that the population would grow if there were unlimited resources in its environment.






34. 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






35. The process in which soil bacteria convert ammonium (NH4+) to a form that can be used by plants; nitrate - or NO3.






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






37. A specific location from which pollution is released; an example of a point source location is a factory where wood is being burned.






38. In tectonic plates - the site at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate.






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






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






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






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






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






44. Being extinct or the process of becoming extinct.






45. The raising of fish and other aquatic species in captivity for harvest.






46. When trees and crops are planted together - creating a mutualistic symbiotic relationship between them.






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






48. The point at which 50 percent of the test organisms show a negative effect from a toxin.






49. The value of natural resources.






50. When companies are allowed to buy permits that allow them a certain amount of discharge of substances into certain environmental outlets. If they can reduce their amount of discharge - they are allowed to sell the remaining portion of their permit to