Practice Test 8 - AP Environmental Science
20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.
- A health curriculum lists: increased UV-B exposure, increased asthma attacks, increased acid rain, increased cataracts. Which pair is most directly associated with stratospheric ozone depletion rather than ground-level ozone pollution?
- A listed endangered bird is threatened by collisions with power lines near its nesting and feeding grounds. Which conservation strategy most directly reduces mortality?
- A species experiences a constant per-capita mortality rate due to random predation and accidents that affect juveniles and adults similarly. Which survivorship curve type best matches?
- Which stage is most likely to include an aeration basin or trickling filter to reduce BOD and convert ammonia to nitrate (nitrification) under aerobic conditions?
- A small crustacean in temporary pools produces many eggs that hatch quickly, and adults die soon after reproduction. Pools often dry up. Which option best predicts how its population responds to pool drying?
- A farmer abandons a field that had been cultivated for decades. The field initially fills with annual weeds and grasses, then perennial grasses and shrubs, and eventually becomes a mixed deciduous forest. Which factor most strongly indicates this is secondary rather than primary succession?
- A school cafeteria aims for sustainable food systems; which change most likely reduces greenhouse gas emissions?
- A student claims that chlorination is part of primary treatment because it happens at the plant. Which choice correctly identifies chlorination's usual stage in municipal wastewater treatment?
- A home has an old window AC unit; which decision best reduces ozone depletion potential from the unit?
- A biodiversity hotspot is defined as an area with unusually high endemism and high threat. A mountainous island has 1,200 plant species, 45% endemic, and has lost 75% of its original forest to agriculture. Based on this information, why might this island be prioritized for conservation?
- A country's population pyramid has a wide base and a very narrow top, but there is also a sudden narrowing specifically in the 0–4 cohort compared with 5–9. Which recent change best explains this?
- A country's population pyramid is very wide at the base, and the country recently reduced infant mortality through basic public health measures. Birth rates remain high. Which DTM stage best fits, and what will likely happen to total population size over the next few decades?
- A student is asked to identify a misconception: "The ozone hole forms because Earth is closer to the Sun over Antarctica." Which correction is best?
- During a lake survey, scientists find that top predator fish have higher concentrations of an older pesticide than smaller fish, even though water concentrations are low. The same lake has reports of reduced fertility in fish-eating birds. What process best explains the increasing concentrations up the food chain that can amplify endocrine disruption?
- A city builds new storm drains that rapidly move water off streets into a small stream. Peak flows after storms become much higher, the stream channel erodes, and spawning gravel for fish is buried by sediment. Which human impact best describes this change?
- A country considering new nuclear reactors asks where the fuel typically comes from. Which fuel source is most commonly used in today's commercial nuclear fission reactors?
- Country F's population pyramid shows females substantially outnumbering males in the 75+ cohorts, while younger cohorts are roughly balanced. Which factor best explains this pattern?
- A population of seals is limited primarily by the number of available breeding beaches. If sea level rise reduces beach area, what is the most likely effect?
- After the Montreal Protocol, global production of many CFCs declined sharply. However, the ozone hole did not disappear immediately, and recovery is still ongoing. Which statement best predicts why recovery takes decades even after emissions are reduced?
- A neighborhood debates sustainability; which statement best reflects the "triple bottom line" approach?