APES Semester 1 Practice Exam
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. Concerns that people of color and poor people are unevenly exposed to environmental pollution are
most likely to be addressed by people who believe in the
A. earth stewardship view
B. planetary manager view
C. ecofeminist point of view
D. the environmental justice movement
E. sustainability point of view
2. A large ecological region with characteristic types of climate and vegetation is called a
a. habitat. b. community. c. population. d. biome. e. niche.
3. Populations of organisms living in aquatic life zones may be limited by
a. access to light.
d. all of these answers
b. nutrient availability.
e. none of these answers
c. dissolved oxygen.
4. A change in the genetic composition of a population over successive generations is called
a. emigration.
c. natural selection.
e. genetic drift.
b. mutation.
d. evolution.
5. When purchasing appliances, consumers can make more economically and environmentally
conscious decisions by considering
a. initial cost.
c. external cost.
e. consumer cost.
b. operating cost.
d. life-cycle cost.
6. In the nitrogen cycle, what converts atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3) ?
a. bacteria.
c. the plant’s root system.
e. it converts naturally.
b. fungi.
d. a virus
7. The ecosystems with the world's highest net primary productivities per unit area are found in the
a. tundra.
c. rain forests.
e. savannas.
b. deserts.
d. oceans.
8. Which of the following would exhibit primary succession?
a. rock exposed by a retreating glacier
d. land flooded to create a reservoir
b. an abandoned farm
e. forest that has been burned
c. forest that has been clear-cut
9. Utilities make money by selling electricity. To make more money, they have often encouraged
customers to use even more electricity. This lack of incentive to improve energy efficiency creates a
a. harmful negative feedback loop. d. helpful positive feedback loop.
b. harmful positive feedback loop. e. synergistic effect.
c. helpful negative feedback loop.
10. A relationship in which one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed to any
significant degree is best labeled
a. competition.
c. commensalism.
e. mutualism.
b. predation.
d. parasitism.
11. The term demographic transition refers to
a. a requirement for a population to reach a specific size before it becomes stable.
b. the slowing down in the growth of a population as it approaches carrying capacity.
c. the decline in death rates followed by decline in birth rates when a country becomes
industrialized.
d. the decline in birth rates followed by a decline in death rates when a country
becomes industrialized.
e. none of these answers
12. In the field, you observe a lion chase, kill, and eat a gazelle. A vulture pecks away at the left over
meat scraps. Beetles attack the remaining fragments. Finally, bacteria complete the breakdown and
recycling of organic material. If you were to apply a general classification to the feeders, what would
be the correct sequence?
a. decomposer→scavenger→detritus feeder→carnivore
b. carnivore→detritus feeder→scavenger→decomposer
c. carnivore→scavenger→detritus feeder→decomposer
d. carnivore→scavenger→decomposer→detritus feeder
e. decomposer→detritus feeder→scavenger→carnivore
13. Which of the following molecules is most damaging to stratospheric ozone?
A. H20
B. C02
C. Chlorofluorocarbons
D. N20
E. S02
14. Earth is essentially a closed system for _ , and an open system for _.
a. matter, energy
c. radiation, energy.
e. radiation, matter.
b. energy, matter.
d. energy, radiation.
15. Industrialized agriculture requires large inputs of
a. fossil fuels.
c. inorganic fertilizers.
b. water.
d. pesticides.
e. all of these answers
16. Since 1950, the majority of the increase in food production is a result of the ____ revolution.
a. red
b. blue
c. green
d. yellow
e. purple
17. DDT is a chemical
a. involved in respiration
b. in the nitrogen cycle
c. used as an herbicide
d. used in photosynthesis
e. used as an insecticide
18. Carrying capacity refers to the
a. species’ reproductive rate.
d. proportion of males to females.
b. interaction of natality and mortality.
e. intrinsic rate of increase.
c. largest population size the environment will support.
19. XXXX
20. XXXX
21. A major cause of environmental problems include
a. rapid human population growth
d. prices reflecting environmental costs
b. even distribution of wealth
e. all of the above
c. sustainable use of resources
22. Ecology is the study of how
a. atoms make up the biotic and abiotic environment.
b. humans interact with the environment.
c. species interact with the biotic and abiotic environment.
d. laws affect society and the environment.
e. evolution and biodiversity impact the environment.
23. During drought years on the Galapagos, small, easily eaten seeds become rare leaving only large,
hard-cased seeds that only birds with large beaks can eat. If a drought persists for several years, then
what should one expect to result from natural selection?
a. Small birds gain larger beaks by exercising their mouth parts.
b. Small birds mutate their beak genes their offspring have larger beaks.
c. Small birds anticipate the long drought and eat more to gain weight and,
consequently, grow larger beaks.
d. More small-beaked birds die than the larger-beaked birds. The offspring produced
in subsequent generations have a higher percentage of birds with large beaks.
e. Larger birds eat less so smaller birds can survive.
24. Which best describes how the evolution of pesticide resistance occurs in a population of insects?
a. Individual members of the population slowly adapt to the presence of the chemical
by striving to meet the new challenge.
b. All insects exposed to the insecticide begin to use a formerly silent gene to make a
new enzyme that breaks down the insecticide molecules.
c. Insects observe the behavior of other insects that survive pesticide application, and
adjust their own behaviors to copy those of the survivors.
d. A number of resistant pesticide survivors reproduce. The next generation of insects
contains more genes from the survivors than it does from susceptible individuals.
e. B and D only
Questions 25-29 refer to the structure of the atmosphere.
(A) Troposphere
(B) Stratosphere
(C) Thermosphere
(D) Mesosphere
25. The layer that contains the earth's daily weather
26. Coldest layer in Earth’s atmosphere
27. The earth's ozone layer exists in this layer of the atmosphere
28. The highest layer of the atmosphere (above 80 km)
29. xxxxx
Questions 30-34 refer the following five age-structure pyramids.
30. A country that is growing slowly
31. A country at zero population growth
32. A country that is losing many of its young to diseases like
AIDS
33. A rapidly growing population
34. A country showing a population decline
35 High infant mortality rates are likely to occur in countries that have
A. a strong and stable economy
B. high levels of education for adults
C. a stable food supply
D. high levels of infectious diseases
E. safe drinking water
36. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT
A. energy can be converted from one form to another
B. energy input always equals energy output
C. energy and matter can generally be converted into each other
D. the laws of thermodynamics can be applied to living systems
E. at each step of an energy transformation, some energy is lost to heat
37. Oxygen-depleted zones of the oceans, such as the one at the mouth of the Mississippi River, are
most likely caused by
A. large numbers of fish that are using up all the oxygen in the water
B. a reduction in the plant life in rivers that empty into the ocean near the dead zone
C. excessive fertilizers carried into the ocean, which cause algal bloom that lowers the oxygen levels
D. thermal pollution in the ocean
E. acid precipitation falling on the ocean
38. One potential benefit to using genetically modified foods is
A. the improved yields of crops
B. the release of unwanted genes to other plants or animals
C. their growth in monoculture will reduce biodiversity in an area
D. unknown effects on the ecosystem into which they are released
E. the potential greater need for fertilizers
39. The highest priority of the Clean Water Act is to provide
A. funds to increase recycling participation
B. guidance to refer to toxic chemicals
C. funds to reclaim old strip mines
D. policies to lessen the amount of oil spills in the ocean
E. policies to attain fishable and swimable waters in the United States
40. Which of the following best describes changes in the genetic composition of a population over
many generations?
A. Evolution
B. Mutation
C. Natural selection
D. Emigration
E. Biomagnification
41. Women have fewer and healthier children when all of the following are true EXCEPT
A. they have little education
B. they live where their rights are not suppressed
C. they have access to medicine and health care
D. the cost of a child's education is high
E. they have access to birth control
42. The maximum number of a species that can be sustained in an ecosystem." This sentence best
defines
A. the carrying capacity
B. an ecotone
C. the upward curve of a population graph
D. natural selection
E. a community
43. An increase in the amount of UV light striking the earth as a result of ozone loss will cause
which of the following?
A. Global climate change
B. Increased skin cancer rates in humans
C. Lowering of ocean water levels
D. An increase in CO2 in the atmosphere
E. A change in the North Atlantic Current
44. Ozone in the troposphere can result in all of the following EXCEPT
A. eye irritation
B. lung cancer
C. bronchitis
D. headache
E. emphysema
45. The number of species that can live in a habitat is directly determined by which of the
following?
A. The amount of solar energy in a biome
B. The First Law of Thermodynamics
C. The Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of an area
D. The Second Law of Thermodynamics
E. The number of steps in the food web
46. The second law of thermodynamics relates to living organisms because it explains why
A. matter is never destroyed but it can change shape
B. living cells come from other living things
C. plants need sunlight in order to survive
D. all living things must have a constant supply of energy in the form of food
E. the amount of energy flowing into an ecosystem is the same as the amount flowing out of that
system
47. Which of the following sets includes the others?
A. Renewable resources
B. Natural resources
C. Economic resources
D. Manufactured capital
E. Labor
48. Biological reserves are areas that allow countries to
A. concentrate agricultural production in one area
B. set aside critical habitats to ensure the survival of species
C. control the flow of rivers and storm waters
D. provide grazing land in order to ensure economic growth
E. obtain needed minerals from underground mines
49. Which of the following countries has the largest population?
A. Japan
B. United States
C. Canada
D. China
E. Australia
50. A certain chemical has a concentration of 10 ppm in water. Which statement most accurately
describes its concentration?
A. There are 10 molecules of the chemical in one million molecules of water.
B. There are 10 million molecules of the chemical in the sample.
C. There are 10 million molecules of the chemical in a 1-liter beaker.
D. There are 10 molecules of water in one million molecules of the chemical.
E. There are 10 molecules of the chemical in 10 million molecules of water.
51. Which of the following types of birth control is predominately a chemical control?
A. Birth control pill
B. Diaphragm
C. Abstinence
D. Male sterilization
E. Condom
52. The international treaty concerning endangered species (CITES) has tried to protect
endangered species by which of the following steps?
A. Making more countries keep these species in zoos
B. Paying the debts of member countries in order to relieve the pressure to sell endangered species
C. Developing a list of endangered species and prohibiting trade in those species
D. Providing member countries with a police force to uphold the CITES treaty
E. Restoring endangered habitats
53. Country A had a birth rate of 12 per 1,000 in 2000 and a death rate of 9 per 1,000 in the same
year. Which of the following is the correct rate of growth for the year 2000?
A. 36.0 percent
B. 27.0 percent
C. 4.0 percent
D. 3.0 percent
E. 0.3 percent
54. A nation's gross domestic product describes
A. the amount of public transportation
B. the ability to provide health care
C. its recycling policies
D. the amount of its economic development
E. the quality of its environment
55. A country's total fertility rate (TFR) best expresses which of the following?
A. The life expectancy of women in the country
B. The average number of babies born to women between the ages of 14 and 45
C. The total economic value of all foreign and domestic services
D. The number of babies under one year of age who die per 1,000
E. The total use of contraceptives in the country
56. The distinct building blocks of matter are called
A. Mixtures
B. isotopes
D. Electrons
E. compounds
C. atoms
57. All of the following factors lead to the depletion of rangeland EXCEPT
A. when there are too many animals on an given area
B. prolonged dry periods
C. when animals are allowed to feed for too long a time
D. rotating animals from one area to another
E. erosion from wind and water
58. In sea water, carbon is mostly found in the form of
A. phosphoric acid
B. carbon monoxide
C. bicarbonate ions
D. methane gas
E. glucose
59. In the demographic transition model, when a population moves from the industrial to the postindustrial stage, the birth rate is expected to
A. increase rapidly
B. increase slowly
C. be equal to the death rate
D. stay the same, as in the industrial stage
E. continue a downward trend
60. In the demographic transition model, when a population moves from the industrial to the postindustrial stage, the birth rate is expected to
A. increase rapidly
B. increase slowly
C. be equal to the death rate
D. stay the same, as in the industrial stage
E. continue a downward trend
61. Which of the following philosophies would be advocated by someone with the "environmental
wisdom" point of view?
A. As the planet's dominant species, we are most important.
B. All economic growth is good.
C. Society can use resources at an uncontrolled pace.
D. We will do best when humans manage the planet.
E. All species are important and we are not in charge.
62. The form of nitrogen that plants can use directly is
A. Nitrates
B. nitrites
D. N2 gas
E. methane
C. ammonia
63. Which of the following series of numbers demonstrates exponential growth?
A. 200, 199,198, 197,196...
B. 1,3,5,7,9...
C. 2,4,8,16,32...
D. 1,3,9,27,81...
E. 2,4,6,8,10...
ANSWERS:
1. D
2. D
3. D
4. D
5. D
6. A
7. C
8. A
9. B
10. C
11. C
12. C
13. C
14. A
15. E
16. C
17. E
18. C
19. -20. -21. A
22. C
23. D
24. D
25. A
26. D
27. B
28. C
30. B
31. C
32. E
33. A
34. D
35. D
36. C
37. C
38. A
39. E
40. A
41. A
42. A
43. B
44. B
45. C
46. D
47. C
48. B
49. D
50. A
51. A
52. C
53. E
54. D
55. B
56. C
57. D
58. C
59. E
60. E
61. E
62. A
63. C