APES Unit 4 MCQs
At which of the following sites does seafloor spreading result in rifts and possible volcanoes?
A
Which of the following statements listed below is true?
A = spring in the northern hemisphere, B = winter in the northern hemisphere, C = fall in the norther hemisphere, D = summer in the northern hemisphere
The horizon of soil, also known as the topsoil layer, that contains humus, minerals, and roots, and that is rich in living organisms is known as the
A horizon
Students want to determine the impact of soil erosion from the development of new housing. They plan to measure the density of a species of algae growing along the bottom of a river that flows through their town. The town is built in a heavily forested area, but a large area of trees along the river was recently clear-cut to allow for the construction of a new housing development, which has caused exposed soil to wash into the river. The river flows north to south through the town and is still forested both up- and downstream of the town. Which of the following would be the best control sample for the study?
A sample of water collected just downstream of the northern forest
Which of the following environmental factors does not lower the pH of soil
All of these choices can possibly lower the pH of soil (acid rain, fertilizer, and weathering of minerals)
Based on the diagram, which of the following describes why the summer solstice in Australia occurs in December and not in June?
At this time of year, the tilt of Earth causes Australia to receive highly concentrated solar radiation.
At which of the following sites would activity result in volcanoes, island arcs, and mountains?
B
At which of the following sites is an earthquake most likely to occur as two plates slide sideways past each other?
C
Which of the following best identifies the reason that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were banned in 1996 by the Montreal Protocol?
CFCs led to the destruction of stratospheric ozone.
Which of the following soil particles shown above match the following description? It can be tightly packed, not allowing water to pass through easily. The particles are very heavy and thus roots of plants may break while penetrating. It is low in organic matter and thus cultivation is possible only through the addition of soil amendments. When rubbed between thumb and forefinger it feels sticky.
Clay
Which field would probably be the most productive based on the highest percentage of available soil nutrients?
D (15% clay, 15% gravel, 40 % loam, 15% sand, 15% silt)
Which of the following is a biome found at 30°30° N� and 30°30° S� as seen in the diagram?
Deserts
During an El Niño event, farmers in the southwestern United Stated often benefit from which of the following climatic changes?
During an El Niño event, farmers in the southwestern United Stated often benefit from which of the following climatic changes?
El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena associated with changing water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of these events can result in changes in global weather and ocean circulation patterns. Which of the following is a positive effect likely to result from an El Niño event?
Fewer hurricanes forming in the Central Atlantic basin
Which of the following best describes the advantage of using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in industrial processes?
HFCs and HCFCs have lower ozone-depleting potentials than CFCs do.
The global circulation pattern that dominates the tropics is called the
Hadley cell
El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena associated with changing water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of these events can result in changes in global weather and ocean circulation patterns. Which of the following changes in eastern Pacific Ocean food webs is typically associated with La Niña events?
Increased phytoplankton concentrations
Wetter and warmer weather that increases soil moisture
Increased upwelling off the coast of South America resulting in increased productivity of fisheries
Which of the following is the best explanation for the deflection of the trade winds in both hemispheres, as seen in the diagram above?
June solstice
Which of the following best describes the importance of ozone in the stratosphere to life on Earth?
Ozone absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
Which of the following is a dependent variable in the experiment?
Percent change in mass of the soil sample
Soil samples taken from different locations
Percentage of each particle size in each soil sample
Which of the following describes a negative effect of substituting hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in an effort to reduce ozone depletion?
Some type of hydrofluorocarbons are greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.
The vast majority of ozone (O3) is found in a thin layer due to a lack of circulation in which of the following atmospheric layers?
Stratosphere
Which of the following correctly describes the season and length of day at the Tropic of Cancer at the time of year shown in the diagram?
The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it is winter at the Tropic of Cancer and daylight is less than twelve hours per day.
Which of the following is the best explanation for the formation of Hadley cells in the tropics, as seen in the diagram, between 30°N and 30°S latitude?
The Sun warms the moist air at the equator and causes it to rise because of its lower density. As the warm air moves away from the equator, it cools, becomes denser, and then sinks.
If the diagram illustrates Earth's relative position on December 21 of a given year, which of the following statements would be correct?
The Tropic of Cancer has a shorter day and lower solar radiation intensity because there is a direct relationship between day length and radiation intensity.
Which of the following areas receives the most intense solar radiation at the time of year shown in the diagram, and why?
The Tropic of Capricorn, because this latitude is nearly horizontal to incoming solar radiation.
Based on the diagram, which of the following identifies a characteristic of the atmosphere between the stratopause and the tropopause?
The ozone layer is in the stratosphere.
Which of the following best explains why City B regularly receives less precipitation than City A?
The rain shadow effect causes City B to be drier because the mountain blocks precipitation from reaching the city.
An environmental engineer wants to examine the permeability of different soils to determine the best natural containment system to protect groundwater from pollutants. The engineer tests four different soil samples, places them into a wet column, and pours 50mL50mL of water over each sample. The engineer records the total amount of water that moves through the column as well as the total amount of time for the water to fully percolate through the soil. The data from the study are shown below. Which of the following best describes the independent variable in this research design?
The sample of material chosen as the potential container material is the variable being tested, so it is the independent variable.
In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, daily high and low temperatures will frequently fluctuate by 40°F40°� (33°C)(33°�) or more. Which statement below best explains the large variation in temperature?
There are no bordering oceans or large bodies of water to provide a stabilizing humidity to the air.
Based on the data in the diagrams, in which layer of the atmosphere would short wave radio signals be reflected?
Thermosphere
Which of the following layers of the atmosphere contains charged gas molecules that glow and produce light when hit by solar energy, leading to glowing gases such as the northern lights, found over 90 kilometers above Earth's surface?
Thermosphere
Which of the following causes the air to rise high into the atmosphere in the areas labeled A, B, and C on the diagram?
Warm, moist air that is less dense than the surrounding air
Which of the following is the best explanation for the deflection of the trade winds in both hemispheres, as seen in the diagram above?
Which of the following is the best explanation for the deflection of the trade winds in both hemispheres, as seen in the diagram above?
Which of the following would be most helpful to determine the soil texture of a sample?
Which of the following would be most helpful to determine the soil texture of a sample?
Stratospheric ozone (O3) is essential for life to exist on Earth because it
absorbs incoming solar UV-C radiation, preventing exposure to dangerous radiation from the Sun
Which factor is the most important in determining the characteristics of soil?
climate
Water in areas of upwelling is generally
cold and high in nutrients
On the leeward side of a mountain range, one would expect
fewer clouds and less rain than on the windward side
lines of latitude
have circumferences that become shorter as they move away from the equator and toward the poles
Characteristics or requirements of a monsoon include all of the following except
heating and cooling rates between the oceans and the continents that are equal
Jet streams follow the sun in that as the sun's elevation ______ (increases, decreases) each day in the spring, the jet stream shifts by moving _____ (north, south) during the Northern Hemisphere spring
increases, north
Regional climates are more influenced by
latitude and altitude
The three necessary ingredients for thunderstorm formation are
moisture, lifting mechanism, instability
Seasons on Earth are primarily caused by:
the tilt of Earth's axis as it revolves around the sun
At the equator
warm moist air ascends
Which of the following abiotic factors, when graphed on the x-axis, leads to the curved line in the graph due to variation in the different layers of the atmosphere?
Temperature gradients
Which of the following is the dependent variable in the study?
The density of a species of algae growing along the bottom of the river
Which of the following is the best explanation for the deflection of the trade winds in both hemispheres, as seen in the diagram above?
The season changes from summer to autumn, daylight hours decrease, and infrared radiation is the strongest during the June solstice.
Poor nutrient-holding capacity, good water infiltration capacity, and good aeration properties are examples of what type of particle found in soil?
sand
The zone of the atmosphere where weather occurs is known as the
troposphere
La Nina would produce all of the following effects EXCEPT
warmer winters in Canada and the northeastern United States
Jet streams over the United States travel primarily
west to east
The Atlantic Ocean is expanding as a result of plate tectonics. Which of the following explanations best identifies the type of plate boundary and processes occurring at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, as shown in the diagram below?
A divergent plate boundary exists at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where plates move away from one another, leading to seafloor spreading.
Which of the following descriptions best defines a watershed?
An area of land where all water under or on it drains to one place
The Chesapeake Bay is a watershed that is located in six states and the District of Columbia. Which of the following can cause an increase in water pollution in the watershed?
An increase in stormwater runoff in urban areas
Based on the map above, which of the following best explains why the Atacama Desert has a consistently arid climate?
Based on the map above, which of the following best explains why the Atacama Desert has a consistently arid climate?
Which of the following statements about sea and land breezes is FALSE?
Land breezes form mostly during the daytime hours
Which of the following correctly characterizes one of Earth's atmospheric layers?
Layer D is the thermosphere, where auroras are found.
Peru's commercial anchovy industry would most likely be harmed during an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the decline in anchovy during an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event?
Less nutrient-rich water reaches surface waters, disrupting the food web.
Which of the following best describes the effect of temperature on the chemical reactions that result in ozone layer depletion?
Low temperatures create polar stratospheric clouds that lead to the production of free radicals of chlorine, which result in the breakdown of ozone at the beginning of the antarctic spring.
Which of the following statements about El Nino is true?
Mild winter temperatures occur over western Canada and the northwestern United States
Which of the following best explains why the shaded area receives more snowfall than the other parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio?
Moisture picked up from the warmer water in the Great Lakes is deposited as snow downwind.
Ninety-nine percent of the volume of gases in the lower atmosphere, listed in the descending order of volume, are
N2, O2, H2O, CO2
The Mississippi watershed is the largest in North America, draining all or part of thirty-two states in the United States and two Canadian provinces. A new apartment complex is being built on a steep slope near the source of the Mississippi River outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Which of the following measures should be taken to best reduce erosion at the construction site to protect the Mississippi watershed?
Plant grass and shrubs on the slope.
A developer wants to develop a large tract of land near a watershed, which will require the removal of several large trees. Which of the following statements best describes the impact that the development would have on the watershed?
Removing large trees would cause an increase in temperature and keep the surrounding water and soil warmer.
Based on the data in the table above, which of the following samples would be the most prone to becoming waterlogged?
Sample D(most clay)
A group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. Several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. Each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. The next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. The results of their soil test are shown below. Which of the following describes the independent variable in this investigation?
Soil samples taken from different locations
Students want to determine how vegetation affects soil erosion. They collect four soil samples of equal starting mass with different types of vegetative cover, as seen in the table below. Each sample is placed in a three-sided plastic dish that can drain into a beaker and is exposed to the same amount of consistent, steady rainfall for ten minutes. The water and soil runoff are collected in the beaker and separated. The average values for each sample are provided below. Which of the following is the control group for this experiment?
Soil with no grass
Which of the following best describes why the engineer chose to calculate the permeability of the soil sample in the experimental design in order to evaluate a natural containment system to protect groundwater?
Soils that have low permeability would best help protect groundwater because the soil traps pollutants so that chemical and biological breakdown can occur.
Which of the following is the source of energy driving the circulation pattern labeled C in the diagram?
Solar radiation
Based on the map above, which of the following best identifies and explains the region of South America that would have a more moderate climate?
The east coast would have a more moderate climate because of the Brazil Current.
A divergent plate boundary exists at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where plates move away from one another, leading to seafloor spreading.
The enclosed area shows a hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate in the Hawaiian Islands.
Which of the following statements best describes the boundary between the two tectonic plates seen in the map?
The map illustrates a transform boundary, where tectonic plates slide past each other as the Pacific Plate moves northwest and the North American Plate moves southeast.
A student claims that soil sample � would be classified as a loam. Which of the following best describes the method used by the student to reach this conclusion?
The student used a soil triangle to determine where the lines intersect for sand, silt, and clay for the soil sample.
Which of the following explains the variable that would be the best for students to measure to determine the direct impact of soil erosion caused by the construction project on the river?
Turbidity, because a decrease in water clarity would indicate an increase in soil erosion.
Which of the following is the most likely effect of a strong El Niño event on the weather patterns in the United States?
Wetter weather and cooler than average temperatures in the southeastern states and warmer temperatures in the Pacific Northwest
The areas of the map indicating low pressure would generally be associated with
cloudy of stormy weather
Most of the Earth's deserts are at approximately 30° latitude, north and south, because these latitudes are characterized by
descending dry air currents
Based on the map, which of the following best explains the area of the Andes Mountains that would have the greatest number of rivers?
More rivers would be located on the east side of the Andes Mountains because the trade winds are coming from the east.
An APES class is doing soil studies and determined that a sample of soil contained 30% clay, 20% silt, and 50% sand. Using the soil chart above, the type of soil would be
sandy clay loam
Areas of low pressure are typically characterized by ______ (rising, sinking) air and move toward regions where the pressure is _______ (falling, rising) with time
sinking, rising
The surface with the lowest albedo is
black topsoil
An atmospheric condition in which the air temperature rises with increasing altitude, holding surface air down and preventing dispersion of pollutants is known as a/an
temperature inversion
