104.1 Unit 5 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam

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Section 1: Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the best answer for questions 1–20.

Question 104.1

1. Which is an example of a positive externality?

  1. Individual farmers exploit a common grazing area.

  2. Deforestation causes the loss of valuable ecosystem services.

  3. A change in local zoning causes a rise in property value.

  4. Selective logging occurs in a nationally managed forest.

  5. Industrial activities cause an increase in air pollution.

Question 104.2

2. Which of the following are possible methods to prevent the tragedy of the commons?

  1. Private ownership of land

  2. Government regulation of public land

  3. Self-regulation by communities and stakeholders

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. III only

  4. II and III

  5. I, II, and III

Question 104.3

3. Determination of a maximum sustainable yield of plant harvest is most likely to be useful for which classification of land?

  1. National park

  2. Protected seascape

  3. Nature reserve

  4. Habitat management area

  5. National monument

Question 104.4

4. Which of the following is NOT a consideration that guides the regulation of public land use in the United States?

  1. Revenue from tourism

  2. Profits to private companies

  3. Resource conservation ethic

  4. Value of ecosystem services

  5. Economic benefits resulting from land use by private companies

Question 104.5

5. The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934

  1. has resulted in a positive net revenue for the federal government.

  2. has prevented a tragedy of the commons situation for rangelands.

  3. converted federal rangelands from a permit-based to common-use grazing system.

  4. subsidizes grazing activities with federal funds.

  5. requires the development of an environmental mitigation plan.

Question 104.6

6. For several decades, managers of a forest in West Virginia have selectively logged oak trees. After logging, they reseeded cleared areas with shade-tolerant tree species. However, recently the survival of seedlings in cleared areas has been greatly reduced. Which of the following activities is likely to increase seedling survival?

  1. Prescribed burns around logged areas

  2. Clear-cutting the forest

  3. Planting shade-intolerant seeds

  4. Attracting a greater diversity of bird species to the forest

  5. Stopping all logging practices

Question 104.7

7. Which of the following is NOT required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969?

  1. An environmental impact statement that analyzes the impact of the project and all possible alternatives

  2. A plan for construction that has as little environmental impact as possible

  3. Protection of all endangered species

  4. An environmental assessment of all projects involving federal money

  5. Response to public concerns and comments on development plans

Question 104.8

8. Which of the following is likely to have the greatest environmental impact?

  1. Population movement into suburbs

  2. Condensation of a population into cities

  3. Population movement into exurbs

  4. Development of rapid transit between cities and suburbs

  5. Zoning an urban park for business development

Question 104.9

9. What would be one method to reduce the rate of urban blight in a city?

  1. Increase the taxes of individuals living in cities

  2. Subsidize failing businesses within the city

  3. Reduce police resources in low-income areas

  4. Increase public transportation within the city

  5. Reduce funding for highway construction

Question 104.10

10.The Environmental Protection Agency’s principles of smart growth are designed to alleviate the problems associated with

  1. urban blight.

  2. urban sprawl.

  3. improper zoning.

  4. city planning.

  5. “Main Street” development.

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Question 104.11

11.Which of the following factors does NOT increase the rate of malnutrition in a country?

  1. Increased use of grain used to produce ethanol

  2. The number of people with anemia

  3. Political and economic factors

  4. Increased availability of inexpensive food

  5. Drought and other natural disasters

Question 104.12

12.On average, 1 kg of corn contains 3,000 kilocalories, and a single hectare can produce 8,000 kg of corn per year. Approximately how many humans eating 2,000 calories per day can a single hectare of corn feed in a year?

  1. 5

  2. 12

  3. 21

  4. 25

  5. 33

Question 104.13

13.A single ear of corn contains 80 kilocalories. To produce a single ear of corn requires 40 kilocalories of fuel. What is the energy subsidy of corn production?

  1. 0.05

  2. 0.1

  3. 0.5

  4. 1.0

  5. 5.0

Question 104.14

14.Due to the economies of scale, it is economically beneficial for

  1. an owner of a small farm to purchase industrial farming equipment.

  2. farm owners to seek the best purchasing price for their produce.

  3. an owner of a large farm to lease sections of his farm to neighbors.

  4. an owner of a small farm to share farming machinery with neighboring farms.

  5. farmers to switch from the production of small crops (e.g., peas) to large crops (e.g., corn).

Question 104.15

15.Monocropping generally requires more _________ than intercropping.

  1. Fertilization

  2. Irrigation

  3. Pesticide application

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. III only

  4. I and II

  5. I and III

Question 104.16

16.Which of the following is NOT true regarding the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for use as crop species?

  1. Use of GMO crops has reduced pesticide use.

  2. Use of GMO crops has eliminated the pesticide treadmill.

  3. Use of GMO crops has increased livestock production.

  4. Use of GMO crops can be combined with the practices of intercropping.

  5. Use of GMO crops has reduced the prices of produce.

Question 104.17

17.Which of the following factors has NOT contributed to the collapse of ocean fisheries?

  1. Tragedy of the commons in open waters

  2. Increase in offshore aquaculture development

  3. Use of large dragnets

  4. Bycatch harvest

  5. Use of international transferable quotas

Question 104.18

18.No-till agriculture and contour plowing are methods that typically result in a decrease in

  1. pesticide use.

  2. energy subsidies.

  3. loss of topsoil.

  4. ecological footprints.

  5. pest outbreaks.

Question 104.19

19.For produce to be labeled as organic in the United States, the food must have been grown

  1. without the use of any pesticide.

  2. without the use of synthetic fertilizer.

  3. on small, sustainable farms.

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. III only

  4. I and II

  5. I, II, and III

Question 104.20

20.Which of the following parameters are most likely to determine the ecological footprint of a concentrated free-range livestock ranch?

  1. Number of cattle, method of waste disposal, amount of land allocated for cattle

  2. Number of cattle, method of tilling crop lands, amount of land allocated for cattle

  3. Diversity of livestock, type of grain fed to cattle, method of waste disposal

  4. Diversity of livestock, public interest in the ranch, amount of land allocated for cattle

  5. Diversity of livestock, number of cattle, amount of land allocated for cattle

Section 2: Free-Response Questions

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

Question 104.21

1. Detroit, once a bustling U.S. city, now has many fewer residents. For over 3 decades, the city has experienced the departure of many Caucasian residents, along with socio-economic turmoil. In 2009, two of the city’s major employers, Chrysler and General Motors, filed for bankruptcy and eliminated a large number of jobs. The population of the city has declined by 60 percent from what it once was. Many residential areas contain abandoned housing, and urban businesses have declined.

  1. Describe two principles related to the strategy of smart growth that might be applied to reinvigorate the city of Detroit. (4 points)

  2. Describe the positive feedback loop of urban blight. (2 points)

  3. There has been a recent proposal to convert several abandoned residential neighborhoods into urban parks. Describe one positive externality and one negative externality of this proposal. (2 points )

  4. Detroit is located halfway between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Some officials have suggested that allowing increased fishing activities could attract people to the area. What are four parameters that state officials would need to measure in order to determine the maximum sustainable yield of Great Lakes fisheries? (2 points)

Question 104.22

2. Bt-corn, a genetically modified plant, is now widely used in the United States because it greatly reduces the need to spray insecticides on croplands. More recently, scientists have begun inserting Bt genes into other plant types, such as rice, canola, and cotton. Consumers are wary of the potential effects these genetically modified organisms may have on human health. However, many environmental scientists are more concerned with the potential effects of the plants on the ecology of land surrounding farms. Consider this recent report from a study examining the Bt-crops:

We observed slower decomposition of leaf litter and stems from Bt-positive transgenic strains of rice, tobacco, canola, cotton, and potato relative to decomposition of litter from Bt-negative strains. The amount of carbon dioxide released by soil bacteria and fungi surrounding Bt-positive litter was also less, indicating less microbial activity and slower microbial growth. These results may be caused by the production of toxic enzymes by the foliage of Bt-positive crops that deters herbivory while the plant is living, but leaches into the soil as the plant decomposes.

  1. Why is the decomposition of plant litter important on farmlands? (2 points)

  2. Discuss how and why the use of Bt-positive crop strains might influence future crop production on a farm. (2 points)

  3. How might the use of Bt-positive crops influence the evolution of pest species? (2 points)

  4. On average, one kilogram of potato contains 850 kilocalories. Suppose that growing a kilogram of nontransgenic potatoes on a conventional farm requires 1,100 kilocalories of fuel to plant the potatoes, 700 kilocalories of fuel to spray pesticides on the potatoes, and 200 kilocalories to harvest the potatoes. If a farmer switches to planting Bt-potatoes, then the energy investment in spraying pesticides is no longer needed. What is the difference in energy subsidies between nontransgenic and transgenic potatoes? (4 points)