APES

Exam Review

1. Which of the following is used to reduce SO2 emissions from coal-burning power plants?

a) Catalytic convertersb) Ultrafine mechanical filtersc) Electrostatic precipitatorsd) Wet scrubberse) AfterburnersAnswer: d

2. As a country goes through the demographic transition, the greatest rate of population growth takes place during which phase?

a) Preindustrialb) Pretransitionalc) Transitionald) Industriale) PostindustrialAnswer: C

3. Which of the following elements is most likely to limit primary production in freshwater lakes?

a) Oxygenb) Calciumc) Phosphorusd) Carbone) IronAnswer: c

4. Use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in the Midwestern US is a major contributing factor to which of the following?

a) Spread of the West Nile Virusb) Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexicoc) Water shortages in communities near the Great Lakesd) Soil erosion in Texase) The increase in severe storms in the Southeastern USAnswer: b

5. Which of the following is true of the Clean Air Act?a) It was passed by Congress during the early 1950’sb) It regulates the amount of CO2 emitted by power

plantsc) It has remained largely unmodified since it was

originally signed into law.d) It established cap-and-trade program for SO2 in 1990

e) It is set to expire in 2050Answer: d

6. The process of extracting and separating gold in remote regions often results in environmental contamination with which of the following?

a) Ozoneb) Cyanidec) CFC’sd) Asbestose) SeleniumAnswer: b

7. Which of the following laws deals specifically with cleanup of abandoned hazardous waste sites?

a) Clean Air Actb) Clean Water Actc) Safe Drinking Water Actd) Resource Conservation and Recovery Acte) Comprehensive Environmental Responsibility,

Compensation and Liability ActAnswer: e

8. Which of the following is true of farm-raised salmon?a) Theya re more genetically diverse than their wild

counterpartsb) They seldom escape from their containment areasc) They have no impact on the quality of water in which

they are raisedd) They are often infected with parasites and sea licee) They are maintained at lower population densities than

are wild salmonAnswer: d

9. Which of the following best illustrates the pesticide treadmill?a) Sequence of several pesticides used by farmers to maximize

effectivenessb) Increased use of pesticides to eradicate genetically resistant

pestsc) Biomagnification of pesticides in the fatty tissue of primary

consumersd) Movement of pesticides following percolation into

groundwatere) Process that is used to manufacture pesticidesAnswer: b

10. After 200 million years, only 1/16 of the original amount of a particular radioactive waste will remain. What is the half-life in millions of years?

a) 12.5b) 25c) 50d) 75e) 100Answer: c

11. Which of the following is the correct order of soil particles in order of increasing size?

a) clay-sand-siltb) Clay-silt-sandc) Sand-clay-siltd) Sand-silt-claye) Silt-clay-sandAnswer: b

12. Which of the following regions of the ocean is LEAST likely to contain photosynthetic organisms?

a) Intertidalb) Zone of coastal upwellingc) Pelagic zoned) Euphotic zonee) Abyssal zoneAnswer: e

13. The separating of the various components of crude oil in refineries is accomplished primarily by taking advantage of differences in which of the following?

a) Densities of the componentsb) Boiling points of the componentsc) Solubility of the componentsd) Sulfur content of the componentse) Viscosities of the componentsAnswer: b

14. Some toxic compounds are ingested and retained in the tissues. These pollutants pose special risks to humans and other organisms high on the food chain because of which process?

a) Synergismb) Compound contaminationc) Biomagnificationd) Threshold effecte) CarcinogenesisAnswer: c

15. Which of the following is an appropriate remediation strategy for removing radon gas from the home

a) Use filtered water for drinking and bathingb) Do not occupy the basement of the homec) Place monitors in suspect areas of the homed) Remove and replace soil in crawl spaces under the

homee) Seal or ventilate the places where radon enters the

living spaceAnswer: e

16. Which of the following is the greatest component (by weight) of municipal waste in the US?

a) Paperb) Yard wastec) Plasticsd) Glasse) FoodAnswer: a

17. Which of the following is generally true of K-strategists species as compared to r-strategist species?

a) They reach sexual maturity earlierb) They have more youngc) They are more likely to be invasive speciesd) They have longer life spanse) Their population cycles are more rapidAnswer: d

18. Which of the following best illustrates the Tragedy of the Commons?

a) Depletion of fishing stocks in the North Atlanticb) Collective farming of wine grapes in communities in

Francec) Using national forests for wood production and harvestingd) Allocation of all nuclear wastes to one site in Nevadae) Agreements among western ranchers to jointly manage a

common grazing landAnswer: a

19. Which of the following is the zone of a pond or lake in which rooted, emergent plants such as cattails and rushes are located?

a) Benthicb) Limneticc) Littorald) Profundale) RiparianAnswer: c

20. Waste from which of the following would be an example of nonpoint source of pollution?

a) Overflow from a sewage treatment plantb) Outgassing from a municipal landfillc) Dumping at a food-processing plantd) Drainage from an abandoned minee) Runoff from agricultural fieldsAnswer: e

21. Which of the following laws gave the EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from “cradle-to-grave”, including the generation, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste?

a) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-RCRAb) Endangered Species Act-ESAc) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation

and Liability Act-CERCLAd) National Environmental Policy Act-NEPAe) Pollution Prevention Act-PPAAnswer: a

22. A measure of how much stress is placed on the available dissolved oxygen in a river system.

a) DOb) BODc) Acidityd) Temperaturee) TurbidityAnswer: B

23. Which gas is most responsible for maintaining the “thermostat” of our planet?

a) NO3-

b) CH4

c) CO2

d) HCO3-

e) O2

Answer: c

24. NH3/NH4+ is converted to NO2

-/NO3-

a) Nitrogen fixationb) Assimilationc) Nitrificationd) Respiratione) EutrophicationAnswer: C

25. The maximum reproductive capacity of a population under ideal environmental conditions is known asA) environmental resistanceB) carrying capacityC) biotic potential D) logistic potentialE) fluid capacity

Answer: C

26. A plant nutrient that, when present in excess amounts in drinking water can lead to “blue baby syndrome” which prevents the normal transport of oxygen by the hemoglobin molecule

a) NO3-

b) PO43-

c) NH4+

d) CO32-

e) Mg2+

Answer: a

27. Which of the following is a part of a positive feedback mechanism associated with global warming?

a) Increase gas mileage in carsb) Increased cloudiness by more moisture in the

atmospherec) Melting of arctic sea iced) Increased acidity of seawatere) Increased growth of CO2 absorbing trees and grasses

Answer: c

28. The greatest amount of freshwater is found in

a) The atmosphereb) Estuariesc) Lakesd) Rivers and streamse) Polar ice caps and glaciersAnswer: e

29. Of the following countries, which has the largest proven reserves of metals such as manganese, chromium and platinum?

a) South Africab) Japanc) Saudi Arabiad) The United Statese) FranceAnswer: a

30. Thermal pollution can result inI. Increased metabolic rates of aquatic organismsII. Decreased ability to dissolve oxygenIII. Increased susceptibility to heat shocka) I onlyb) II onlyc) III onlyd) I and IIe) I, II and IIIAnswer: e

31. Which of the following best illustrates an abiotic component of the environment affecting a biotic component of the environment?

a) Composted manure is added to agricultural soil during spring tilling

b) Coral reefs modify the direction of ocean currentc) Plants release O2 into the atmosphere during photosynthesis.

d) Low phosphorus content in soil limits the growth of vegetatione) A thick planting of ground cover reduces soil erosion on a

hillside.Answer: D

32. Which of the following cities regularly experiences the worst levels of photochemical smog that is enhanced by thermal inversion?

a) New York City, New Yorkb) Los Angeles, Californiac) Portland, Oregond) Atlanta, Georgiae) Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAnswer: b

33. When a rain forest is slashed and burned, the local concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases due to

a) Changes in local climateb) Oxidation of carbon compoundsc) Cellular respiration of rain-forest plantsd) Erosion of exposed soile) Carbon dioxide being release by anaerobic organismsAnswer: b

34. What two main factors would best indicate the quality of life of a county’s population?

a) The total fertility rate and the death rateb) The crude birth rate and the crude death ratec) The birth rate and the infant mortality rated) The replacement level fertility rate and the total

fertility ratee) The life expectancy and the infant mortality rateAnswer: e

35. Pollution is considered an external cost when a) It has harmful effects borne only by the people who purchase

the products that cause the pollutionb) The cost to the environment is not reflected in the price of the

products that produce the pollutionc) It has a significant impact on the consumer’s decision to buy a

product that pollutesd) It is a hidden cost that would result in a greater demand for the

product if the consumer were aware of the hidden coste) It is produces in the external environment by a malfunction in

the operation of the productAnswer: b

36. A large forest is fragmented into small forest tracts separated by agricultural areas. This change will most likely lead to

a) An increase in the population of top carnivoresb) An improvement in the dispersal mechanisms of forest

speciesc) A more stable regional climated) A decrease in the amount of edge effecte) A decrease in the gene flow within the species of the

original forestAnswer: E

37. Which of the following options would reduce global greenhouse emissions?

a) Increasing the use of automobilesb) Decreasing the number of nuclear power plantsc) Replacing coal-burning power plants with wind farmsd) Converting tropical forests to rice paddies e) Switching from hydroelectric power generation to

power generation using natural gas as a primary fuelAnswer: C

38. Loss of usable energy between successive trophic levels in an ecosystem are best accounted for by which of the following?

a) The first law of thermodynamicsb) The second law of thermodynamicsc) The law of conservation of matterd) The process of ecological successione) Limiting factors in the ecosystemAnswer: b

39. Two major effects of overgrazing area) Erosion and desertificationb) Higher fire potential and increased productivityc) Eutrophication and increased methane

productiond) Higher primary productivity and ammonificatione) Soil compaction and subsidenceAnswer: a

40. Which of the following describes what is happening at the location shown on the mapa) Plates are converging, making new Crustb) Plates are diverging, making newCrustc) A triple junctiond) Plates are converging, destroying cruste) Plates are diverging, destroying crust Answer: b

41. Which of the following describes the heat-island effect?a) Urban areas trap more heat than rural areas dob) Tropical islands reflect heat back into the atmospherec) Warm water in the Pacific causes excessive evaporation

into the atmosphered) Lakes retain heat and provide warmth for landmasses

nearbye) Rapid decomposition in swamps releases a large

amount of heatAnswer: a

42. Which of the following statements are true about ozone?I. it is a pollutant in the troposphereII. It filters out most of the UVC radiation in the atmosphereIII. Most of it is formed in the stratosphere by reaction between carbon dioxide and free oxygen atoms.

a) I onlyb) II onlyc) III onlyd) I and IIe) I, II and IIIAnswer: d

43. Fish in a New York river polluted by high levels of dioxins had low testosterone levels and failed to reproduce. Scientists came to the conclusion that the dioxins were acting as which of the following?

a) Endocrine disruptersb) Growth hormonesc) Carcinogensd) Immune-system suppressorse) MutagensAnswer: A

44. Which of the following describes what is occuring at the location

Shown in the image?a) Ring of fireb) One plate is being forcedunderneath the other creatinga volcanic arc.c) Intra-plate hot-spot volcanoesd) Transform fault boundarye) Triple junctionAnswer: c

45. Lakes that have low concentrations of nutrients and low turbidity are classified as

a) Bufferedb) Climaxc) Eutrophicd) Oligotrophice) StratfiedAnswer: d

46. A country has a population growth rate of 2%-what is the doubling time?

a) .5 yearsb) 20 yearsc) 25 yearsd) 35 yearse) 35 yearsAnswer: d

47. An area that has experienced rainfall at a pH of 4.3 would most likely see which of the following results?

a) The release of aluminum ions from soilb) An increase in population of mollusksc) The death of low pH tolerant speciesd) An increase in buffering of lake water e) Increased concentration of CO in the atmosphereAnswer: a