Chapter 2 APES practice test

The amount of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river system is likely to be increased by the presence upstream of which of the following? I. Artificial levees and embankments II. Dams III. Extensive natural wetlands

(A) I only

Which of the following elements constitutes the highest percentage of mass in Earth's crust?

(A) Oxygen

Which method is used most frequently in the United States today?

(A) Sanitary landfill

According to the information in the graph above, which of the following would most effectively slow the loss of arable land?

(B) Reducing urban development

Which of the following actions would be the most effective in decreasing acid rain and acid deposition problems?

(B) Reducing use of fossil fuels

Which of the following is an inorganic compound?

(C) Table salt

The rate of population growth starts to slow down at which point?

(C) The beginning of phase III

All of the following substances are derived from petroleum EXCEPT

(C) cellulose

Environmentalists oppose the mining of Antarctic mineral resources because

(C) the Antarctic environment is fragile and extremely vulnerable to the disturbance that would accompany development

If an incandescent light bulb used for lighting has an efficiency rating of 5 percent, then for every 1.00 joule of electrical energy consumed by the bulb, which of the following is produced?

(D) 0.05 joule of light energy

Approximately what percent of the population in Country II is under age 15?

(D) 25 %

The major reservoirs of nitrogen and sulfur in the biosphere are correctly identified by which of the following?

(D) Atmosphere Rocks

Which method would be best suited for neutralizing the acidic components of waste?

(D) Chemical treatment

Which of the following is most likely a significant cause of the general trend indicated by the graph?

(E) Increase in consumption of fossil fuels

An energy transformation occurs and results in increased disorder.

(E) Second law of thermodynamics

Which of the following would most likely have the greatest positive impact on the quality of the natural environment worldwide?

(E) Stabilization or reduction of the size of the human population

Measured on the pH scale

(A) Acidity

The source whose use is a direct cause of deforestation

(A) Biomass

Which of the following best explains why DDT has been found in penguin eggs in the Antarctic?

(A) Chemicals used in one region of Earth can circulate in the biosphere and affect organisms in a distant region.

Exemplified by moss growing on a tree trunk in a forest

(A) Commensalism

Of the following, which is the best example of a point source of water pollution?

(A) Factory effluent

Of the following, which constitutes the greatest percent of domestic use of water in the United States?

(A) Flushing toilets

Energy is transferred from one object to another as the result of a temperature difference.

(A) Heat flow

Countries undergoing rapid population growth include which of the following?

(A) I only

All of the following gases have been implicated in contributing to the increase in global temperatures via the greenhouse effect EXCEPT

(A) O2

Is a flammable gas produced by landfills

(C) Methane

Is an important precursor to acid rain

(E) Sulfur dioxide

Fragmenting one large park or preserve into many small parks with human habitation in between them is most likely to lead to which of the following?

(A) Reduction in species diversity

Which of the following is most likely to occur in a forested region that has been recently clear-cut?

(A) The concentration of nitrates in streams running through the region will increase.

El Niño, a periodic warming of ocean surface waters, occurs in which of the following regions?

(A) Tropical East Pacific

Which of the following metals is considered an energy resource?

(A) Uranium

The primary cause of Earth's seasons is the

(A) constant tilt of Earth's rotational axis with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun

The most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere is

(A) nitrogen

Most volcanism in the world is associated with

(A) plate boundaries

In models of global warming, the most important factor contributing to an increase in sea level is

(A) thermal expansion of the oceans

Overgrazing of public land by privately owned livestock is an example of the

(A) tragedy of the commons

According to the graph, the increase in CO2 concentration, in parts per million, between 1970 and 1990 is closest to

(B) 30 ppm

Has a stronger affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen has

(B) Carbon monoxide

Which of the following countries has the largest coal reserves?

(B) China

In a human population undergoing the demographic transition, which of the following generally decreases first?

(B) Death rate

Of the following organisms, which occupies the lowest trophic level?

(B) Deer

Which method reduces the volume of waste but could release toxic emissions into the atmosphere?

(B) Incineration

Matter in motion has energy.

(B) Kinetic energy

Of the following, which is the most serious immediate problem associated with sanitary landfills?

(B) Leachate contamination of groundwater

Exemplified by ticks feeding on a deer

(B) Parasitism

In general, which of the following is the best long-term method of preventing extinctions?

(B) Protecting the habitats of endangered species

Which of the following best describes soils in many tropical rain forests?

(B) They are quickly depleted of nutrients when the forest is removed.

Caused by suspended particulates

(B) Turbidity

Compared with people in developing countries, people in industrialized countries are more likely to eat

(B) beef

The main environmental effects of ozone depletion could include all of the following EXCEPT

(B) decreased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere

In the United States, the largest single component of municipal solid waste is

(B) paper

There are various stages in the formation of coal as heat and pressure are increased and moisture content is decreased. These stages, in order, are

(B) peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite

The two major processes involved in the carbon cycle are

(B) photosynthesis and respiration

Ozone in the stratosphere is important to organisms at Earth's surface because ozone molecules are very strong absorbers of

(B) ultraviolet rays

Approximately what percentage of the water on Earth is freshwater (liquid and solid)?

(C) 2.5%

A sample of radioactive waste has a half-life of 10 years and an activity level of2 curies. After how many years will the activity level of this sample be 0.25 curie?

(C) 30 years

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 required all agencies responsible for a major federal project that could significantly affect the quality of the environment to file which of the following?

(C) An environmental impact statement

Which of the following substances is released by CFCs and catalyzes a chain reaction that breaks down ozone in the upper atmosphere?

(C) Chlorine

Measured by the amount of Ca2+ and Mg2+

(C) Hardness

Living organisms must acquire energy from their environment. Examples of adaptations that help organisms acquire this energy include which of the following? I. The dark, heat-absorbing coloration of a reptile. II. The fangs and claws of a lion III. The light coloration of a peppered moth

(C) I and II only

High rates of species extinction caused by human activities have taken place at which of the following times in Earth's history? I. At the end of the Permian period II. At the end of the Cretaceous period III. During recent times

(C) III only

Which of the following best describes the mechanism of the greenhouse effect in Earth's atmosphere?

(C) Infrared radiation from Earth's surface is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere.

In the removal of a pollutant from wastewater, which of the following is true of the cost per unit of pollutant removed?

(C) It increases as the concentration of the pollutant decreases.

Exemplified by bees consuming nectar and carrying pollen from one flower to another

(C) Mutualism

Which of the following most directly explains the periodic fluctuations of the curve?

(C) Seasonal variations in photosynthetic activity

The current world population is closest to which of the following?

(D) 5 billion

Which of the following best shows the process of evolution?

(D) A population of mosquitoes develops resistance to a pesticide.

Which of the following procedures would be best for remediating the effects of soil salinization?

(D) Addition of large amounts of water to leach out salts

Decreased by the breakdown of organic waste

(D) Dissolved oxygen

The amount of energy in an isolated system stays constant.

(D) First law of thermodynamics

The graph above shows how seed production in a plant species varied with population density in an unfragmented habitat (site A) and in a fragmented habitat (site B). Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the data?

(D) Habitat fragmentation has more effect on seed production than does population density.

Elements that cycle in the environment and that also have a gaseous phase at some point in their cycle include which of the following? I. Carbon II. Phosphorus III. Sulfur

(D) I and III only

Which of the following is most likely to be the direct result of lack of genetic diversity in a food crop such as corn?

(D) Increased susceptibility to plant disease

Which of the following is most likely the primary cause of high death rates in phase I?

(D) Infant and childhood mortality

Road construction, logging, and. mining are banned in which of the following federal lands?

(D) National wilderness preservation areas

The source that is not renewable

(D) Nuclear fission

The source that produces long-lived hazardous wastes

(D) Nuclear fission

Which of the following will result in accelerated eutrophication when introduced into streams, lakes, and bays?

(D) Phosphates

Has been implicated as the cause of as much as 15 percent of lung cancer cases

(D) Radon

Which of the following correctly orders the methods of solid-waste management in terms of energy required? Least Energy → Most Energy

(D) Reduce Reuse Recycle

Most data indicate that, during the past 100 years, mean global annual temperature has

(D) increased by O. 5°C

Although ozone in the stratosphere has been decreasing in recent years, ozone near Earth's surface is on the increase. This ozone near the surface is undesirable because it

(D) is a strong oxidant and a respiratory irritant

The major biological source of dissolved oxygen in the ocean comes from

(D) photosynthesis by phytoplankton

The land on a 100-acre farm is equally suited for grazing cattle and growing com. Of the following ways of distributing land use, which would produce the greatest number of calories for human consumption? Acres for Acres for Grazing Cattle Growing Corn

(E) 0 100

Which of the following is most likely to result from destruction of wetlands surrounding a river?

(E) An increased frequency of flooding of the river valley

Which method introduces microorganisms to break down hazardous organic compounds?

(E) Biological treatment

Exemplified by starlings displacing bluebirds from nesting sites

(E) Competition

Which of the following not only results from greenhouse warming but also contributes to additional warming of Earth (i.e., is a positive feedback process)?

(E) Decreased size of snowpack

The diagram above illustrates how the number of individuals in a population changed with time as a result of external stresses and resource limitations. Which lettered portion of the curve most likely corresponds to the carrying capacity of the ecosystem?

(E) E

Reasons that human populations historically have settled in floodplains include which of the following? I. The soil in floodplains is usually fertile. II. The terrain in floodplains tends to be flat. III. Floodplains are close to rivers for transportation.

(E) I, II, and III

The source that is converted directly into electrical energy by photovoltaic cells

(E) Sunlight

The presence of high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in a water source indicates that the water

(E) has been contaminated by untreated human or animal waste

Zero population growth is associated with

(E) phases I and IV

All of the following are considered toxic metal pollutants EXCEPT

(E) potassium

In contrast to low-level radioactive waste, most high-level radioactive waste is currently

(E) stored at reactor sites

The ultimate source of energy for terrestrial ecosystems is

(E) the Sun