APES Unit 5 Topic Questions
Which of the following identifies and describes the equipment needed to best determine the amount of water that infiltrated the soil?
A ruler should be used to measure the level of water above the pavers in both pallets immediately after pouring the water over the pavers and immediately after the one-hour wait time.
Which of the following would be considered an advantage of increased urban sprawl?
As individuals move out of urban areas to nearby suburbs, the population densities of cities will decrease, reducing the spread of infectious disease.
Many communities experience the tragedy of the commons. One way a local community might regulate a shared and limited resource and reduce the tragedy of the commons is to
divide the resources into parcels and assign them to individuals
One way that consumers can help prevent a decrease in the number of fish species that are experiencing population declines is to
eat fish that are caught using sustainable harvesting methods, therefore ensuring fish populations remain stable and reducing the amount bycatch harvested
Which of the following is an example of an industrial practice that contributes to the tragedy of the commons?
Burning fossil fuels for energy production
The hog-farming industry maintains production levels to satisfy the demand for pork. Which of the following methods of meat production would provide the most likely explanation for the information represented in the graph above?
Concentrated animal feeding operations
A farmer grows several crops on a farm that has mostly shallow, sandy soil. Which of the following irrigation methods would be the best suited for this farm?
Drip irrigation
Which of the following changes to the local hydrologic cycle will result if large areas of land experienced clear-cutting?
Evaporation of water from the soil will increase.
Which of the following is a negative consequence of aquaculture?
Excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus can leak from the location.
Based on the data provided, which of the following descriptions best identifies the types of farms that are being compared?
Farm A is a grass-fed pasture for beef production, whereas Farm B is a traditional concentrated animal feedlot for cattle.
Which of the following scenarios best explains the concept of the tragedy of the commons?
Fish are shared resources, and as the fishing industry competes for the fish, the resource extraction is no longer sustainable.
Aquaculture or fish farming can be used to increase the availability of species like salmon and shrimp for consumption. Although fish farming can have a number of negative environmental effects, it does offer a number of advantages. Which of the following is a valid reason for promoting the use of fish farms?
Fish production is constant, and fish farming reduces pressure on wild stocks.
Farmers use various methods of irrigation on crops. Which of the following statements correctly pairs an irrigation method with an advantage or disadvantage?
Flood irrigation is often used in agricultural fields, however, it increases surface erosion and salinization of the soil.
Which of the following is an unintended consequence associated with waterlogging caused by flood irrigation?
Higher water tables
Which of the following best describes an environmental advantage of urbanization?
Individuals living in cities usually have a lower transportation carbon footprint than individuals living in rural areas.
Industrial logging threatens many forested ecosystems. Which of the following environmental consequences will most likely result from clear-cutting deciduous forests for logging?
More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere and increase anthropogenic climate change.
Which of the following statements best identifies the author's perspective in terms of government funding for future agricultural research?
More funding is continually needed because the agricultural research programs have never been completely financially supported.
Green roofs offer many environmental advantages, including the removal of some pollutants from rainwater. The parameters in the table above were measured in water samples collected after rainfall had passed through green roofs and over traditional roofs in New York City. Mean levels of pH and pollutants in precipitation are shown in the table. Assume that the rainwater from one of the green roofs ran off directly into a nearby lake. Water quality results from which of the following parameters show that the green roof would likely improve water quality in the lake?
Nitrate
A group of farmers want to change their pest control methods to reduce the amount of pollution in a nearby river. The data on the cost and percent pest population reduction for several methods of pest control the farmers could consider are presented in the table below. Which of the following methods should the farmers choose to minimize the cost for efficient pest removal while still reaching their goal of reducing the amount of pollution in the river?
Planting genetically modified crops
Carbon dioxide equivalent ( CO2� ) is used to compare contributions to climate change of various greenhouse gases. A study at a farm calculated the carbon dioxide equivalent for different production stages for beef and chicken production. Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the graph?
Raising beef contributes more to greenhouse gases than raising chickens does, primarily as a result of fermentation in cows' digestive tracts, which releases methane gas.
Which of the following is an example of an environmental benefit of aquaculture?
Raising fish using aquaculture and feeding human populations with the harvest reduces the number of fish caught from the ocean.
Which of the following would decrease with the manufacture, application, and use of synthetic fertilizers rather than organic fertilizers?
Recycling of organic matter
Which of the following best describes legislation that could be used to address problems with overfishing?
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES ) uses trade rules to protect commercially valuable species.
Which of the following is the best example of an economic approach to reduce overfishing for a fish species with a declining population?
The federal government sets a catch limit (per person or per boat) for the species and imposes a tax on any extra fish that are caught.
An urban planner is designing a new urban housing development in a currently rural area near an existing city. The urban development will have five 10-story apartment buildings, two basketball courts, a playground with permeable foam pavers, a 10-acre green space with a small man-made pond, one 5-story parking deck, and direct access to the mass transit train line. Which of the following aspects in the design for this new urban development would most likely have the greatest negative environmental impact?
The five apartment buildings
A person's ecological footprint is the total amount of land required to offset a person's carbon emissions. The table below shows ecological footprint data for five different students. Each value is a measure of the number of hectares per land required. Which of the following is a limitation of using only the data in the table to complete an ecological footprint analysis of the different students?
The footprint is a static analysis and does not include all environmental impacts of an individual.
In a rural region of India, scientists collected data of different pesticide residue levels from closely located farming plots. Some of these plots used integrated pest management biopesticides, while others used chemical pesticides to control pests. The data below show levels of four pesticide residues found in tomato and cucumber crops in the two treatment plots. Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the table?
The greatest effect of integrated pest management was seen in lower levels of endosulfan in both tomatoes and cucumbers.
The students create two identical pallets using soil taken from the school's property and install impermeable pavers similar to those found on the school's property in one of the pallets. They install permeable pavers in the other pallet. The students pour exactly the same amount of water over both sets of pavers, leave both pallets in exactly the same environmental conditions, and after one hour measure the amount of water that infiltrated the soil. Which of the following is the dependent variable in the study?
The infiltration rate of the water
Which of the following statements best identifies the author's perspective in terms of utilizing science technology for future agricultural advances?
The only way to meet the global demand for more food is to fully utilize new science technologies to advance agriculture.
Which of the following best describes environmental damage caused by slash-and-burn farming in tropical rain forests?
The soil loses fertility after a short period of time and will be ineffective for farming use.
The students create two identical pallets using soil taken from the school's property and install impermeable pavers similar to those found on the school's property in one of the pallets. They install permeable pavers in the other pallet. The students pour exactly the same amount of water over both sets of pavers, leave both pallets in exactly the same environmental conditions, and after one hour measure the amount of water that infiltrated the soil. Which of the following is the independent variable in the study?
The type of pavers used in the pallets
Which of the following is the most likely result from clearing mature, forested land and converting it into agricultural land that would be used for cattle grazing?
There will be a reduction in the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Which of the following environmental effects would most likely result from the clear-cutting of boreal forests by industrial logging operations?
There will be an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, which will contribute to climate change.
Which of the following best describes the advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation?
This method most efficiently delivers water directly to plant roots compared with other methods, and wastes less water, but it may be too costly for farmers in developing countries to use.
Which of the following agricultural practices results in soil degradation and most contributes to erosion?
Tilling
One example of the tragedy of the commons occurs when trees are harvested from tropical rain forests without any regulations. Which of the following best describes why this is an example of the tragedy of the commons?
Timber producers remove as much timber as possible as cheaply as possible.
Green roofs offer many environmental advantages, including the removal of some pollutants from rainwater. The parameters in the table above were measured in water samples collected after rainfall had passed through green roofs and over traditional roofs in New York City. Mean levels of pH and pollutants in precipitation are shown in the table. The data in the table show mean concentrations of pollutants in rainwater leaving either green or conventional roofs. Which of the following data would be needed to calculate the total amount of a pollutant leaving the roof during and following a rainstorm?
Total volume of rainfall
Which of the following solutions would help decrease flood frequencies and flood sizes that are caused by urbanization?
Using new, more permeable materials for roads and sidewalks
An environmental agency wants to evaluate the effectiveness of rain gardens in reducing the impact of urban runoff from an impervious parking lot and from the roof of the building. The parking lot is slightly sloped so the rainwater flows toward the gardens. The runoff from the roof is collected by various downspouts and directed toward the gardens. Scientists at the agency plan to monitor the effectiveness by measuring the water quality of the storm water as it moves through the gardens during and after storm events. Which of the following would be the best control in this experimental design?
Water samples collected from the roof or parking lot before they passed through the gardens
Farmers need to make many decisions about how they grow their crops. One of these decisions is whether to use synthetic fertilizer or organic fertilizer, such as manure. An advantage of using synthetic fertilizer instead of organic fertilizer is that
synthetic fertilizer can provide more targeted macronutrients to the crops
Which of the following is a direct economic consequence that would likely occur if an area of forest was clear-cut so that a housing development can be built?
A decrease in the number of game hunting licenses purchased
An urban planner is designing a new urban housing development in a currently rural area near an existing city. The urban development will have five 10-story apartment buildings, two basketball courts, a playground with permeable foam pavers, a 10-acre green space with a small man-made pond, one 5-story parking deck, and direct access to the mass transit train line. Which of the following aspects of the design for this new urban development will best help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere?
Access to the mass transit train line will provide inhabitants an alternative to driving personal vehicles.
Which of the following statements best describes the most unsustainable method of clear-cutting forests to harvest timber?
All of the trees in a forest are cut down and removed in one operation.
Which of the following statements best describes an unintended environmental consequence of aquaculture fish-farm enclosures located in estuaries?
Aquaculture enclosures can harbor parasites that can negatively affect wild populations that breed in estuaries.
Which of the following statements best identifies the author's assumptions in terms of a new green revolution?
Current agricultural practices and strategies need to be evaluated in order to meet the demand for increased food production.
various nations have adopted policies designed to combat overfishing. Which of the following approaches is commonly used to combat the problem of overfishing?
Enforcing minimum-size requirements for the capture of some commercial species
An environmental agency wants to evaluate the effectiveness of rain gardens in reducing the impact of urban runoff from an impervious parking lot and from the roof of the building. The parking lot is slightly sloped so the rainwater flows toward the gardens. The runoff from the roof is collected by various downspouts and directed toward the gardens. Scientists at the agency plan to monitor the effectiveness by measuring the water quality of the storm water as it moves through the gardens during and after storm events. Plant selection is important for a rain garden. Which of the following best describes the types of plants that would be most effective to use in the rain garden in this experimental design to reduce the impact of urban runoff?
Flood-tolerant plant species so that the plants can withstand large pulses of water from storms
Which of the following irrigation methods is most likely to result in salinization of the soil, especially if the agricultural fields are located in a warm climate with consistent sunlight?
Furrow irrigation
The harvesting of livestock for meat consumption affects the planet in various ways. Approximately 25% of the land area on Earth is used for raising livestock. One-third of all water used in meat production goes toward producing beef, and the demand for beef is projected to increase by 95% by 2050. The graph below shows the average meat consumption per capita from 2010 to 2012 and the forecasted meat consumption for 2022 for five different countries. Which of the following claims is best supported by the data in the graph?
Global meat consumption per capita will increase in all five countries between 2012 and 2022 as the countries move through the demographic transition and become more developed.
A person's ecological footprint is the total amount of land required to offset a person's carbon emissions. The table below shows ecological footprint data for five different students. Each value is a measure of the number of hectares per land required. After reviewing personal footprint data, Student 5 decides to take action to lower his or her overall footprint by reducing money spent on shoes and clothing. Land use in which of the following categories will be most affected by this change?
Goods and services
Green roofs offer many environmental advantages, including the removal of some pollutants from rainwater. The parameters in the table above were measured in water samples collected after rainfall had passed through green roofs and over traditional roofs in New York City. Mean levels of pH and pollutants in precipitation are shown in the table. Which of the following statements is best supported by the data shown in the table?
Green roofs reduced levels of ammonium because the vegetation absorbed the pollutant.
Which of the following describes an aspect of urbanization that would most increase the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere compared to rural and suburban areas?
Increased amounts of waste per unit area in urban areas that leads to higher rates of decay and decomposition
Overfishing of stocks of fish species, like salmon and cod, in an effort to meet a growing global demand has become an international concern. A recent estimate indicates that the average annual consumption of fish globally in 2014 was about twice the consumption in 1960. Because of increased concerns about the impact of overfishing, fishery managers are looking for ways to protect wild populations while still satisfying global demand for food for human consumption. Which of the following techniques could best reduce the harmful effects of overfishing if it were to be widely adopted by the fishing industry?
Increased use of large-mesh gill nets for harvesting salmon and trout
After intensive logging, most of the trees along a stream have been removed. Which of the following water quality changes would most likely occur downstream after logging?
Increased water temperature
Which of the following best exemplifies how an action within the fishing industry could lead to a tragedy of the commons?
Overfishing of threatened fish species leading to the eventual depletion of the resource
A person's ecological footprint is the total amount of land required to offset a person's carbon emissions. The table below shows ecological footprint data for five different students. Each value is a measure of the number of hectares per land required. If Student 2 wanted to change his or her footprint to be more similar to that of Student 1, which of the following actions would he or she choose based on the data given in table 1 ?
Reducing the amount of meat in his or her diet
Which of the following best describes the concept of the tragedy of the commons?
The aim of large logging operations in tropical rain forests is economic gain, rather than sustainability. Therefore, the shared resources in the forest could become depleted.
Which of the following describes an unintended consequence that results from large-scale agricultural use of water from an aquifer?
The rate of water use likely exceeds the rate of recharge, leading to lowering the water table.
An environmental agency wants to evaluate the effectiveness of rain gardens in reducing the impact of urban runoff from an impervious parking lot and from the roof of the building. The parking lot is slightly sloped so the rainwater flows toward the gardens. The runoff from the roof is collected by various downspouts and directed toward the gardens. Scientists at the agency plan to monitor the effectiveness by measuring the water quality of the storm water as it moves through the gardens during and after storm events. Which of the following would be the best measure to use to determine the effectiveness of the rain gardens in reducing the impact of urban runoff?
The speed and volume of the water exiting the gardens
Scientists studied the effects of three different ways to control household pests. They treated one group of pests with a conventional pesticide spray. A second group was treated using Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ) techniques. A third group received no treatment method at all. The success of each treatment was measured based on the change in the number of pests in the traps over time. Fewer pests caught indicate fewer pests in the area after application of the technique. The results are shown in the graph above. Which of the following claims would be the best solution to the pest problem, based on the data in the graph?
Use of Integrated Pest Management techniques is the most successful method because the sources for food, water, and shelter for pests are disrupted, leading to a reduced number of pests in the area.
A major environmental problem caused by using the agricultural practice of tilling is
eutrophication from excessive fertilizer use
