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 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






2. Also known as transform faults - boundaries at which plates are moving past each other - sideways.






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






4. Land that's fit to be cultivated.






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






6. Is the practice of planting bands of different crops across a hillside.






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






8. Any noise that causes stress or has the potential to damage human health.






9. A group of modern windmills.






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






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






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






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






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






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






16. A fishing technique in which the ocean floor is literally scraped by heavy nets that smash everything in their path.






17. 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.






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






19. Power generated using water.






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






21. Can consist of hazardous waste - industrial solid waste - or municipal waste. Many types of solid waste provide a threat to human health and the environment.






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






23. 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






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






25. The right - as to fishing or to the use of a riverbed - of one who owns riparian land (the land adjacent to a river or stream).






26. The outer part of the Earth - consisting of the crust and upper mantle - approximately 100 km (62 miles) thick.






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






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






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






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






31. The number of children an average woman will bear during her lifetime; this information is based on an analysis of data from preceding years in the population in question.






32. 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.






33. Using strategies to reduce the amount of risk (the degree of likelihood that a person will become ill upon exposure to a toxin or pathogen).






34. The movement of individuals into a population.






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






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






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






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






39. The value of natural resources.






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






41. 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.






42. 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.






43. In a sewage treatment plant - the initial filtration that is done to remove debris such as stones - sticks - rags - toys - and other objects that were flushed down the toilet.






44. Organisms that reproduce early in life and often and have a high capacity for reproductive growth.






45. Involves the sinking of shafts to reach underground deposits. In this type of mining - networks of tunnels are dug or blasted and humans enter these tunnels in order to manually retrieve the coal.






46. 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.






47. When grass is consumed by animals at a faster rate than it can regrow.






48. An effect that results from long -term exposure to low levels of toxin.






49. A layer in a large body of water - such as a lake - that sharply separates regions differing in temperature - so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt.






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