APES
Based on the data in the graph, which of the following represents the approximate rate of change in Arctic sea level from 1995 to 2015 ?
3 mm per year
Which of the following would be the best control sample for the study?
A sample of water collected just downstream of the northern forest
A farm is experiencing extensive crop loss due to high rains causing overly saturated soils. Which of the following approaches would best help the farmer alleviate the problem?
Amending the soil with sand to increase the permeability of the soil
Based on the data in the graph, which location showed an annual average grain yield in 1991-1993 that was approximately 2.3 times the yield in 1961-1963 ?
Asia
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the investigation?
Carbon monoxide impairs the transport of oxygen in the bloodstream.
Which of the following is the correct order of soil particles in order of increasing size?
Clay—silt—sand
Earth currently rotates on an axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees. If that axis changed to 20 degrees, so that the axis was closer to vertical, which of the following would be expected to occur?
Earth would experience a change in seasonal timing and length.
Which of the following statements correctly explains the tectonic plate activity on the West Coast of the United States?
Earthquakes occur at the San Andreas Fault when stored energy is released from locked plates.
The high sea surface temperature in 1998 was most likely due to
El nino
The beneficial ozone layer is in this region of the atmosphere.
Exosphere
Which of the following correctly characterizes one of Earth's atmospheric layers?
In layer DD , the thermosphere, auroras are found.
Based on the graph, which of the following can be concluded about the latitudes of the two locations?
Location 1 is close to the equator, and Location 2 is in the Northern Hemisphere.
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.
The most abundant element in Earth's atmosphere
Nitrogen
Which of the following statements best explains why the average temperature of London is warmer than that of Calgary in December?
Oceanic currents warm the atmosphere in London.
Directions: The following question(s) refer to the diagram below, which shows 100 ml of water being poured through a soil sample. After the water has passed through the soil, 98 ml of water is measured in the collection tray below the sample.
Permeability
The water-holding capacity of soil is LEAST likely to be affected by the addition of which of the following?
Pesticide
Which of the following strategies could be used to reduce soil erosion during surface mining of coal?
Replanting vegetation.
The excessive pumping of groundwater from wells can influence the water levels below ground. Which of the following is more likely to occur in aquifers in coastal areas than in aquifers in other regions?
Saltwater intrusion into the aquifers
Based on the soil texture triangle, which of the following would describe soil that was 25% clay, 25% silt, and 50% sand?
Sandy clay loam
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
This layer of Earth's atmosphere contains the ozone layer that absorbs the sun's ultraviolet rays.
Stratosphere
Which of the following is the best method for preventing soil erosion in an agricultural area?
Terrace farming
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.
Based on the diagram, which of the following describes the most likely effect that glaciers melting in Greenland and the Arctic would have on the surface currents of the North Atlantic?
The Norwegian current will become cooler and less salty.
Based on the diagram, which of the following changes are most likely to occur in the central and eastern tropical Pacific during El Niño?
The Peruvian current weakens, leading to warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures.
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.
Hoover Dam is the largest dam in the United States, built on the Colorado River to supply hydroelectric power and flood control. Which of the following best describes a downstream environmental effect of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River watershed?
The damming of the Colorado River led to a change in stream flow, preventing river water and sediments from reaching the delta area.
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 is the dependent variable in the study?
The density of a species of algae growing along the bottom of the river
Based on the diagram, which of the following best describes the most likely direct effect of a decline of the small fish population on the marine food web?
The jellyfish population will increase because of decreased predation.
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.
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 50mL 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.
The sample of material chosen as the potential container material is the variable being tested, so it is the independent variable.
Which of the following does NOT exert a major influence on Earth's overall climate?
The seasonal development of temperature inversions in geographical basins
Which of the following best explains why the lower portion of the troposphere is warmer than the upper portion?
The surface of Earth absorbs sunlight, heating the lower portion of the troposphere more than the upper part.
In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, daily high and low temperatures will frequently fluctuate by 40°F (33°C) 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
This layer of Earth's atmosphere contains the fewest molecules of the layers shown, and the low density of gas leads to very few molecules transferring heat to an object. In this layer, ultraviolet radiation causes photodissociation of molecules, creating ions.
Thermosphere
El Niño, a periodic warming of ocean surface waters, occurs in which of the following regions?
Tropical East Pacific
Most oxygen is found in this layer of the atmosphere.
Troposphere
The phenomenon causing global warming occurs primarily in this region of the atmosphere.
Troposphere
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.
A student group is involved in a restoration study of a nearby disturbed area. They decide to collect six soil samples and analyze them for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Two of the samples are found to be very high in C and N, but the other four samples are low in both. The students also notice that the color of the two soil samples that are high in C and N is very dark. Which of the following is the most likely explanation of the data?
Two of the samples were collected from an A horizon, and the others were collected from a B horizon.
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
At which of the following sites does seafloor spreading result in rifts and possible volcanoes?
a
Which of the lettered choices in the soil profile above represents the region with the greatest concentration of organic material?
a
Which soil horizon is best developed in areas with dense vegetation, such as forests and grasslands, since the horizon consists of decomposing leaves and other plant material?
a
At which of the following sites would activity result in volcanoes, island arcs, and mountains?
b
Area that exhibits a growing nonvolcanic mountain chain due to uplift
c
Of the following, which is the most likely composition of the soil sample?
clay 10 silt 10 sand 80
The primary cause of Earth's seasons is the
constant tilt of Earth's rotational axis with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun
Which soil horizon is the least weathered horizon and contains rock that is starting to break down into soil?
d
Most of the Earth's deserts are at approximately 30° latitude, north and south, because these latitudes are characterized by
descending dry air currents
Area where new crust is being created at a divergent plate boundary
e
Which latitude shown on the diagram above experiences 24 hours of daylight on December 21?
e
During an El Niño-Southern Oscillation event, which of the following best describes conditions in the eastern part of the tropical Pacific Ocean (e.g., near Peru and Ecuador)?
high and high
Which of the following is the most abundant gas by volume in the atmosphere?
n2
The Sun's radiation provides the energy for all of the following EXCEPT
plate tectonics
The low anchovy catch in 1998 was most likely the result of
reduced ocean upwelling along the coast
Based on the data in the table above, which of the following samples would be the most prone to becoming waterlogged?
sample d
Of the following, which has the greatest permeability?
sand
What are the proportions of sand, silt, and clay for the soil at point T?
sand 60 silt 30 clay 10
Which soil indicated on the soil triangle above would most likely have the highest water-holding capacity?
soil c
Which soil composition would be the best choice for lining a landfill?
w
