100.1 Unit 1 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam

Section 1: Multiple-Choice Questions

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Choose the best answer for questions 1–20.

Question 100.1

1. Which best describes how humans have altered natural systems?

  1. Overhunted many large mammals to extinction.

  2. Created habitat for species to thrive.

  3. Emitted greenhouse gases.

  1. I only

  2. I and II only

  3. II and III only

  4. I and III only

  5. I, II, and III

Question 100.2

2. Which does NOT describe a benefit of biodiversity?

  1. Genetic biodiversity improves the ability of a population to cope with environmental change.

  2. Ecosystems with higher species diversity are more productive.

  3. Species serve as environmental indicators of global-scale problems.

  4. Speciation reduces natural rates of species extinction.

  5. Humans rely on ecological interactions among species to produce ecosystem services.

Question 100.3

3. Which of the following is NOT a consequence of human population growth?

  1. Depletion of natural resources

  2. Background extinction

  3. Emission of greenhouse gases

  4. Rise in sea level

  5. Reduction in per capita food supply

Question 100.4

4. An example of sustainable development is

  1. harvesting enough crops to provide the basic needs of all humans.

  2. increasing the price of vegetables.

  3. reducing the use of all major modes of transportation.

  4. creating renewable sources of construction material.

  5. enforcing laws that stop future development of cities.

Question 100.5

5. The ecological footprint of a human is

  1. a measure of how much a human consumes, expressed in joules.

  2. a measure of human consumption, expressed in area of land.

  3. a measure of biodiversity loss stemming from industrial processes.

  4. a measure of plant biomass removed by a farmer.

  5. a measurement calculated through statistical methods.

Question 100.6

6. The greatest value of the scientific method is best stated as:

  1. The scientific method permits researchers a rapid method of disseminating findings.

  2. The scientific method removes bias from observation of natural phenomenon.

  3. The scientific method allows findings to be reproduced and tested.

  4. The scientific method promotes sustainable development.

  5. The scientific method reduces the complexity of experimental results.

Question 100.7

7. Researchers conducted an experiment to test the hypothesis that the use of fertilizer near wetlands is associated with increased growth of algae. An appropriate null hypothesis would be:

  1. The use of fertilizer near wetlands is associated with an increase in fish biomass.

  2. Growth of algae in wetlands is never associated with increased fertilizer use.

  3. Application of fertilizers near wetlands is always associated with increased growth of algae.

  4. Fertilizer use near wetlands has no association with growth of algae.

  5. Fertilizer use near wetlands leads to increased growth of algae as a result of elevated nutrient concentrations.

Questions 8 and 9 refer to the following experiment:

Researchers designed an experiment to test the hypothesis that air pollution positively correlates with the number of asthma-related problems among humans. To test this hypothesis, they compared medical records obtained from large hospitals in 10 major U. S. cities.

Question 100.8

8. This experiment is an example of a

  1. controlled study.

  2. manipulative experiment.

  3. laboratory experiment.

  4. replication.

  5. natural experiment.

Question 100.9

9. Results of the study indicated that cities with more air pollution had a higher number of patients with asthma. The most appropriate conclusion from this study is that

  1. air pollution causes asthma in humans.

  2. air pollution is a cause of asthma in humans.

  3. air pollution is associated with asthma in humans.

  4. there is no association between air pollution and asthma in humans.

  5. confounding variables make the results difficult to interpret.

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Question 100.10

10.Which of the following constitutes baseline data on the effects of humans on natural ecosystems?

  1. Concentrations of atmospheric CO2 before humans existed

  2. Current rates of species extinction

  3. Global rate of freshwater consumption from 1900 to 2010

  4. Current rate of human population growth

  5. Average plant productivity on a remote island uninhabited by humans

Question 100.11

11.During radioactive decay

  1. there is a release of material from the nucleus of unstable isotopes.

  2. there is a change in the half-life of an element.

  3. an element is changed into a different element.

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. I and II only

  4. I and III only

  5. I, II, and III

Question 100.12

12.Which of the following statements about hydrogen bonding of water is NOT correct?

  1. The positive charge of the hydrogen atom results from a covalent bond of hydrogen with oxygen.

  2. Hydrogen atoms are strongly bonded to other hydrogen atoms.

  3. Hydrogen atoms in one molecule are weakly bonded to oxygen atoms in other molecules.

  4. Polarity causes weak attraction between molecules.

  5. Hydrogen bonding causes atoms to align in a crystal structure at cold temperatures.

Question 100.13

13.The upward movement of water through soil is an example of

  1. capillary action.

  2. ionic bonding.

  3. covalent bonding.

  4. surface tension.

  5. evapotranspiration.

Question 100.14

14.Which list contains only organic material?

  1. Proteins, lipids, salts

  2. Dead trees, decomposing leaves, earthworms

  3. Water, ash, CO2 gas

  4. Cellulose, ethanol, calcium chloride

  5. NH3, NaOH, NO2−

Question 100.15

15.A grasshopper can extract energy from ingested food at an efficiency of 10 percent. If the insect consumes 10 Calories of food and uses the food’s energy during 1 minute, how much energy did it exert per second?

  1. 70 J

  2. 700 J

  3. 7,000 J

  4. 10,000 calories

  5. 10 kWh

Question 100.16

16.Temperature may be best described as

  1. a measure of the average potential energy of a substance.

  2. a measure of the average chemical energy of a substance.

  3. a measure of the average energy efficiency of a chemical reaction.

  4. a measure of the capacity for potential energy to be converted into kinetic energy.

  5. a measure of the average kinetic energy of a substance.

Question 100.17

17.When the seed pods of a pea plant dry in the sun, the skin of the pods exert inward pressure on the encased seeds. This provides the seeds with potential energy that is converted to kinetic energy when the pod is ruptured and the seeds shoot far distances. A researcher claims that the seed’s potential energy is converted to kinetic energy with 100 percent efficiency. This result would violate

  1. the law of conservation of matter.

  2. the law of conservation of energy.

  3. the first law of thermodynamics.

  4. the second law of thermodynamics.

  5. the law of energy quality.

For questions 18 and 19, refer to the following table that documents the material inputs and outputs to a 100-m section of forest stream

Type of matter Headwater inputs Downstream outputs
Leaf litter 250 g/m2 100 g/m2
Woody debris 100 g/m2 90 g/m2
Dead insects 1 g/m2 0.5 g /m2
Stream sediment 10 g/m2 3.5 g/m2
Fish 30 g/m2 150 g/m2
Insects 5 g/m2 52 g/m2

Question 100.18

18.Which of the following terms apply to the overall flow of organic material in this stream?

  1. A system with open boundaries

  2. Steady-state system

  3. Closed ecosystem

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. III only

  4. I and II

  5. II and III

Question 100.19

19.When leaf litter inputs to the stream decrease, the amount of fish and insect biomass leaving the downstream section decreases by a similar amount. This represents

  1. a negative feedback loop.

  2. conservation of potential energy.

  3. a positive feedback loop.

  4. a decrease in entropy.

  5. a positive feedback loop and an increase in entropy.

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Question 100.20

20.The reaction of sodium hydroxide, NaOH, and hydrochloric acid, HCl, results in the following reaction: NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H2O. This product represents

  1. an acidic product.

  2. a basic product.

  3. a pH-neutral product.

  4. the formation of both an inorganic and organic compound.

  5. the loss of matter.

Section 2: Free-Response Questions

Write your answer to each part clearly. Support your answers with relevant information and examples. Where calculations are required, show your work.

Question 100.21

1. The planned development site of a residential neighborhood includes 4 km2 of forest habitat and 5,000 m2 of stream habitat. Engineers plan to clear-cut the forest and construct a culvert that will bury the stream underground. To mitigate the loss of natural habitat, the developers will construct a 0.75 km2 wetland at the outlet of the culvert.

  1. Calculate the hectares of natural habitat that will be lost as result of this development. (3 points)

  2. Describe two ecosystem services that will be lost as a result of burying the stream and two ecosystem services that will be gained by construction of the wetland. (3 points)

  3. Using water quality as an environmental indicator, design a natural experiment that could test the impacts of this residential development. In your answer, include and label:

    1. A testable hypothesis. (1 point)

    2. The data to be collected. (1 point)

    3. A description of the experimental procedure. (1 point)

    4. A description of the results that would validate your hypothesis. (1 point)

Question 100.22

2. Approximately 72 billion liters of milk are produced each year in the United States, from 8 million cows. On average, a single cow consumes 13,500 kg of corn feed each year. It requires 40 MJ to produce a kilogram of corn feed, which contains 20 MJ of energy. There are 15 MJ of energy in a single liter of milk.

  1. Calculate the energy efficiency of growing corn and converting it into milk. (4 points)

  2. Describe two processes that reduce efficiency of milk production. Consider the entire process of milk production from the growth of cattle feed to the collection of milk. (2 points)

  3. To increase the energy efficiency of milk production farmers can harvest the fecal waste (manure) from cows and use the gas it produces as a source of energy.

    1. What is the main chemical in gas produced by cow manure that can be used as a source of energy? (1 point)

    2. At the molecular level, how is energy derived from this compound? (1 point)

    3. If 10 percent of the food energy not used by cows could be captured as chemical energy from gas released by manure, what would be the energy efficiency of converting corn into milk? (2 points)