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. 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






2. 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.






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






4. The water from which a river rises; a source.






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






6. An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition.






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






8. Land that's fit to be cultivated.






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






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






11. An animal that only consumes other animals.






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






13. 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






14. The place where two plates abut each other.






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






16. A long - relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland-built up by the action of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges.






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






18. 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.






19. Graphical representations of populations' ages.






20. A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.






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






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. An organism such as a bacterium or protozoan - that obtains its nourishment through the oxidation of inorganic chemical compounds - as opposed to photosynthesis.






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






25. Nets that are dragged through the water and indiscriminately catch everything in their path.






26. An intensification of the Greenhouse Effect due to the increased presence of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.






27. 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.






28. When an area of vegetation is cut down and burned before being planted with crops.






29. A method of supplying irrigation water through tubes that literally drip water onto the soil at the base of each plant.






30. 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.






31. A platinum - coated device that oxidizes most of the VOCs and some of the CO that would otherwise be emitted in exhaust - converting them to CO2.






32. The process of burning.






33. The result of a pathogen invading a body.






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






35. 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.






36. 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.






37. 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.






38. Soil with particles 0.002 -0.05 mm in diameter.






39. When mature trees are cut over a period of time (usually10 -20 years); this leaves mature trees - which can reseed the forest - in place.






40. 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.






41. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds - such as ammonia - by natural agencies or various industrial processes.






42. 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.






43. The more or less constant winds blowing in horizontal directions over the Earth's surface - as part of Hadley cells.






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






45. Organisms that derive energy from consuming nonliving organic matter.






46. Organisms that consume both producers and primary consumers.






47. The third purest form of coal.






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






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






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