APES Exam Missed Questions MC

How old is the earth?

4.5 billion years old

Each trophic level in a food chain or food web contains a certain amount of organic matter, called ____. A. food B. biomass C. decomposition D. organisms E. energy

B

Who coined the phrase "tragedy of the commons"?

Garrett Hardin

What is ecology the study of?

How organisms interact with each other and the nonliving environment

What is topsoil an important component of?

Nutrient cycling

What is the aim of the safe drinking act?

Require screening of new products for safety and setting standards

What is the ecological footprint?

The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to sustain an individual within a population

Significant changes to environmental policy come from what?

grassroots levels, such as individuals and small movements

What kind of resource is solar energy known as?

inexhaustible resource

What zone is the surface area away from the shore?

limnetic

Sustainability

human methods of coping with environmental problems

What percentage of the earths surface do oceans cover?

71%

How much of the air we breath is composed of nitrogen and oxygen?

99%

A warmer world is least likely to result in ____. A. increased moderate weather B. spread of tropical diseases C. a rise in sea level D. reductions in biodiversity E. decreased food production

A

At a certain depth, the area where the spaces in soil and rock are completely filled with water. What is this called? A. the zone of saturation B. the bedrock C. an aquifer D. surface water E. the water table

A

The mass extinction event leading to the disappearance of Dinosaurs and the rise of the mammals is known as the A. K/T Extinction B. Permian Extinction C. Ordivician - Silurian Extinction D. Great Dying E. Triassic - Jurassic Extinction

A

What is one of the root causes of environmental problems? A. rapid population growth B. absorption of environmental costs in goods and services C. decreased use of nonrenewable resources in more-developed countries D. even global distribution of wealth E. increasingly sustainable use of resources

A

Which is an example of reuse? A. Using plastic butter tubs to store leftovers B. Re-melting aluminum cans C. Making compost out of kitchen scraps D. Making paper goods from previously used paper E. Using waste to heat a room

A

Which of the following BEST describes the waters in an upwelling? A. Cold and nutrient-rich.This answer is correct. B. Warm and nutrient-poor. C. Heavily polluted by coastal runoff. D. Stagnant and oxygen-rich E. Cold and nutrient-poor.

A

Which of the following is NOT a concept designed to create a sustainable city A. All are correct B. Focus on energy and resource conservation C. Designing affordable automobiles D. Conserve natural habitats E. Provide ample green space

A

What is an estuary?

An area where a river meets the sea and it has some of earths most productive wetlands

What is a function of detritivores?

Breaking down dead bodies of organisms

Major human impacts on terrestrial ecosystems are least likely to include ____. A. an increase in conversion from forest to cropland B. damage by off-road vehicles C. increased global biodiversity D. depletion of groundwater E. higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

C

Which of the following is least associated with biodiversity? A. species diversity B. genetic diversity C. geological diversity D. functional diversity E. ecological diversity

C

What do fish die from in cultural eutrophication?

Depletion of oxygen

The geological layer, consisting of underground caverns and porous layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock, where groundwater flows, is called ____. A. the water table B. the zone of saturation C. the bedrock D. surface water E. an aquifer

E

The term _____ refers to the contamination of the environment by a chemical or other agent that is harmful to organisms. A. point source B. human activity C. pesticide D. natural capital E. pollution

E

Which discipline is most associated with environmental science? A. psychology B. botany C. sociology D. political science E. ecology

E

Which of the following does not have an impact on climate? A. Varying amount of direct sunlight B. Tilt of earth's axis C. The distance from the sun D. The latitude of a given location E. The continual plate tectonic activity moving locations to new places.

E

Tragedy of the Commons refers to what?

Free-access resources

What do scientists think is most likely to cause the 6th mass extinction?

Humans

Before conservation efforts facilitated their comeback, the American alligator population was nearly completely wiped out primarily because of ____. A. land developers B. pollution C. diseases D. parasites E. hunters

Hunters

What is the most abundant gas in Earths atmosphere today?

Nitrogen

What terrestrial ecosystem or life zone produces the highest net primary productivity per year?

Swamps and marshes

What does the 'P' in IPAT stand for?

Population

The stratosphere contains what?

The ozone layer

What is interspecific competition?

When two or more species interact to gain access to the same limited resources

What is the rain shadow effect?

An increase of moisture on the windward side of mountain ranges

Agricultural runoff would be increased if farmers ____. A. planted buffer zones between cultivated lands and water B. switched from row crops to animal feedlots C. used slow-release fertilizers D. kept cropland covered with vegetation E. used no fertilizer on steeply sloped land

B

If you find a new species of algae floating on the surface of a coastal zone, you would likely consider it a type of ____. A. ultraplankton B. benthos C. zooplankton D. phytoplankton E. nekton

D

The environmental impact of a population on a given area depends on I. Population size II. Combined environmental effects of technologies III. Affluence-level or consumption patterns within the population A. I and III B. I and II C. I only D. I, II and III E. II only

D

The following are all time units of the geological time scale except A. ages B. epochs C. periods D. all of the above are used E. eras

D

The real prices of goods and services do not include the ____. A. cost of distribution B. environmental costs of resource use C. cost of raw materials D. cost of advertising E. cost of manufacturing

D

What are the priorities for more sustainable use of renewable resources, in order? A. resource, recycle, renew, and reduce B. recycle, renew, reuse, and reduce C. refuse, reduce, recycle, and renew D. refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle E. refuse, renew, reduce, and recycle

D

What is one of the three social science principles of sustainability? A. A dependence on solar energy B. The degradation of natural capital C. The ability to retain biodiversity D. A responsibility to future generations E. A focus on chemical cycling

D

What does human capital mean?

People's physical and mental talents that provide labor, organizational and management skills, and innovation

What is genetic diversity?

The diversity that enables life on earth to adapt and survive environmental changes

What is species richness?

The number of species in a given area

What is the primary aim of the Environmental Policy Act?

To require evaluation of the environmental impact of an activity proposed by a federal agency

What is a specialist species?

A species that can only tolerate a narrow range of climatic conditions

What is a generalist species?

A species with a bread niche

What is the deepest part of the ocean?

Abyssal zone

Coal deposits formed from forests during which of the following geologic periods? A. Cambrian B. Carboniferous C. Paleozoic D. Ordovician E. Devonian

B

Suppose you are walking through a forest dense with oak and hickory trees, and with a thick litter layer underfoot. What type of forest are you most likely to be in? A. tropical savanna B. temperate deciduous forest C. coniferous forest D. temperate rain forest E. tropical rain forest

B

What is the best explanation for why tropical regions normally receive more precipitation than other areas of the globe? A. The prevailing winds bring more rain. B. Increased heating increases local evaporation C. Convectional cells bring more rain. D. Warm ocean currents bring more precipitation. E. Tropical regions are surrounded by oceans.

B

What is the hydrologic cycle primarily driven by?

B

What is the land from which surface water drains into a particular lake, river, or other body of water? A. the zone of saturation B. watershed C. an aquifer D. surface water E. the bedrock

B

The "age of fishes" would refer to what time period? A. Ordovician B. Cambrian C. Jurassic D. Devonian E. Precambrian

D

What term describes groups of different species living together in a particular place with a potential for interacting with one another? A. population B. organism C. biosphere D. community E. ecosystem

D

Which of the following are the two greatest long-term threats to coral reefs? A. damage by divers and predation B. erosion and sea-level rise C. climate change and predation D. climate change and acidification E. ocean acidification and overfishing

D

Which of the following includes services and resources produced by the earth's natural processes? A. human capital B. development capital C. artificial capital D. natural capital E. manufactured capital

D

Which period in geological time describes the following: "Development of flowering plants. Large diversity in dinosaurs but ending with their sudden extinction approximately 65 million years ago. Formation of the Andes Mountains. African and South American plates begin to separate. Climate is cooling. Shallow seas are prominent."? A. Neogene B. Palocene C. Permian D. Triassic E. Jurassic

E

What is the primary Resource Conservation and Recovery Act?

Encourage resource conservation

Which part of the atmosphere do satellites orbit?

Exosphere

What terrestrial ecosystem or life zone produces the lowest net primary productivity per year?

Extreme desert

What are biomes?

Large regions characterized by a certain climate and dominant plant life

The nutrient-rich water near the shore is part of what zone?

Littoral zone

What are convection cells?

Moves large volumes of rock and heat within the mantle, like gigantic conveyor belts

What is the primary aim of the Endangered Species Act?

Set aside or protect certain species, resources and ecosystems

What is the aim of the Safe Drinking Water Act?

Sets standards for pollution levels

What is the primary aim of the Clean Air Act

Sets standards for pollution levels

What is subsidence?

Sinking of ground when water has been withdrawn

What is denitrification?

When Nitrates lose their oxygen atoms and are converted back into atmospheric nitrogen

What does life on earth depend on?

The interaction of gravity, the cycling of matter and the one-way flow of high-quality energy

What is an ecological niche?

The role a species plays in its ecosystem

What is the division of the atmospheres into spherical layers based upon?

The temperature changes from variations in absorption of solar energy

What is the solar year based on?

The time it takes for Earth to orbit the Sun

What is the degradation of commonly held resources known as?

The tragedy of the commons

Where does earths climate occur?

The troposphere

What does degrading natural capital mean?

Using normally renewable resources faster than nature can renew them

What is groundwater?

Water in the spaces between rock, soil, and gravel