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EXAM REVIEW APES - Earth Systems
EXAM REVIEW APES - Earth Systems
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AP Environmental Science review covering Earth Systems.
Flashcards
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1
All of the following can cause tsunamis except:
When the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops
When certain types of faults in ocean floor move up or down
A landslide caused by an earthquake
All of these can cause tsunamis.
2
Which of the following is NOT true regarding nutrient cycling in tropical rain forests?
The majority of nutrients are locked up in vegetation.
Decaying matter is processed quickly b/c of many decomposers
Nutrient uptake by plants is improved by fungi.
The nutrients sit within the bedrock.
3
Volcanoes spew ash into the air, causing a volcanic winter. This is an example of what?
A positive feedback loop (more ash, weaker albedo effect)
Positive feedback (more ash, greater heating of surface).
Negative feedback (more ash, less cold penetrating surface)
Negative feedback (more ash, greater albedo effect)
4
What is mass extinction?
The extinction of many species in a relatively short period
When an existing species outcompetes another.
When a single species can no longer be found on Earth.
When global changes occur in climactic conditions.
5
What is a tributary?
Areas nearest the river's course that are often flooded.
A smaller river flowing into a smaller one.
A smaller stream flowing into a
A smaller river/stream flowing into a larger river or lake.
6
What type of irrigation is b/w 90-95% efficient and delivers water to individual plant roots?
Gravity Flow
Drip Irrigation
LEPA Center pivot
Rotary systems
7
Which of the following would conserve soil?
Monocultures
High-yield polyculture
Aquifer depletion
Soil salinization
8
What is climate? (Click all that apply).
An area's general pattern of atmospheric conditions
Weather patterns of the last week averaged together.
General patterns that occur over at least 3 decades
Short-term atmospheric conditions that change often
9
Which of the following describe La Niña?
Occurs along the tropical west coast of South America.
Usually causes cooler than normal temperatures.
Climate pattern that describes cooling of surface waters
Usually causes with warm ocean temperatures in Pacific Ocean
10
Which of the following are characteristics of atmospheric pressure? (Check all that apply)
Would be weakest at sea level.
Decreases with altitude.
It is the force, or mass, per unit area of a column of air.
It is the force caused by the bombardment of molecules
11
When does desertification occur? (Choose all that apply).
When overgrazing and deforestation reduce/degrade topsoil.
When forest fires prevent erosion from occurring.
When deforestation allows for more annual plants to grow.
When productive potential of topsoil falls by >10%
12
Please list the different concentric zones of the earth, starting from the inner-most layer.
Core, asthenosphere, mantle, crust
Crust, asthenosphere, mantle, core
Core, mantle, asthenosphere, crust
Asthenosphere, crust, mantle, core
13
All of the following are characteristics of a Love wave except:
It is a surface wave that moves like S waves.
It rolls like ocean waves, up-down and sideways
It is very damaging to the foundations of structures.
It moves the ground from side to side at right angles.
14
Which of the following is NOT a correct statement regarding water on the earth?
Interconnected oceans cover 90% of earth's ocean hemisphere
Salty oceans contain 97% of the earth's water.
Salty oceans cover 71% of the earth's surface.
Freshwater systems cover over 2.2% of the earth's surface.
15
What are inland wetlands?
Lands near coastal areas covered in salty water.
Lands located away from coastal areas covered in freshwater.
They are always seasonal wetlands.
Lands away from the coast covered in water for a short time
16
Which of the following are characteristics of the rock cycle?
It involves, in order: erosion, weathering, transportation.
Rocks are broken down, melted, fused together and heated.
It is the slowest of the earth's cyclic processes.
It plays a major role in forming concentrated deposits
17
All of the following are characteristic of floodplain zones except:
Water is never muddy, and contains low amounts of silt.
Fairly large populations are usually supported.
Water has higher temperatures and less dissolved oxygen
Streams join into wider, deeper rivers
18
Why does climate vary in different parts of the earth?
Global air circulation patterns distribution
Uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun.
Ocean currents distribute heat and precipitation unevenly.
All of the options are correct reasons.
19
What are Hadley cells? (Choose all that apply).
They involve the prevailing westerlies.
Large scale atmospheric convection cells
Where air rises at equator and sinks at medium latitudes.
Convection currents that cycle N & S of the poles.
20
Which of the following correctly lists, by (%), the present-day composition of the atmosphere?
Nitrogen, oxygen, CO2, argon, water vapor, trace gases
CO2, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, water vapor, trace gases.
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, CO2, Water vapor, trace gases
Oxygen, nitrogen, argon, CO2, water vapor, trace gases
21
Which of the following describe the characteristics of a cinder cone volcano?
Gentle lower slopes, but steep upper slopes; concave upward
Very large, approx. 1-10km in diameter.
Very gentle slopes; convex upward.
Steep conical hill with straight sides.
22
Which indirect effect directly impacts seasons?
The earth's rotation and its tilt of 23.5 degrees.
Differences in solar intensity and day length.
The angle of the moon.
The rotation of the earth around the sun.
23
Please list the layers of the atmosphere in order (starting from layer nearest to surface).
Troposp., Stratosp., Mesosphere, Thermosp., Exosphere
Stratosphere, Troposphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
Thermosphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Troposphere
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
24
What is an earthquake?
Shaking of ground caused by fracturing/displacement of rock
Shaking caused by formation of convergent plates
When energy suddenly forms and causes underground vibrations
Shaking caused by fracturing of divergent plate boundary
25
What are the most widely used nonmetallic minerals?
Sand and phosphate salts.
Sand and limestone.
Sand and gravel.
Phosphate salts and gravel.
26
What are trade winds? (Choose all that apply).
They form the Ferrel cells
In N. Hemisphere: N to E; in S. Hemisphere: S. to E
Pattern of easterly surface winds in the tropics
Surface winds that blow East to West
27
What is a watershed?
Upper surface of the zone of saturation.
Land area that delivers water & sediment to a major stream.
The saturation of soil with water, flooding the water table.
Rough measure of volume of water we use to support ourselves
28
Which of the following describe volcanic hotspots? (Click all that apply).
An example is the Hawaiian volcanoes within the Pac. Plate
They are located along the Pacific Plate boundaries
They are places within the mantle where magma is generated.
They are created by anomalous volcanism
29
Which of the following events are capable of causing mudslides? (Choose all that apply).
Volcanic eruptions
Heavy rains
Droughts
Earthquakes
30
A soil with 30% clay, 50% sand, and 20% silt is called:
Sandy Loam
Sandy Clay Loam
Loamy Sand
Sandy Clay
31
Which of the following is not an effect of El Nino?
Flooding in Bolivia, Ecuador, Northern Peru, and Cuba.
Hurricanes in Tahiti and Hawaii.
Hurricanes in Hawaii, Brazil, and Ecuador.
Droughts in southern Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia
32
All of the following describe a
transition zone
except:
The water is faster flowing, and has more DO.
More fish species with lower O2 demand are supported.
The water can be more turbid from suspended sediment.
Main streams merge to form wider, deeper, warmer streams
33
All of the following are ways in which metamorphic rock forms except:
When animal and plant remains are deposited in layers.
When chemically active fluids reform preexisting rocks.
When preexisting rock is subjected to high pressures
When rock is subjected to high temperatures
34
All of the following are characteristics of the formation of oceanic gyres except:
They bring cool air to coastline, warm air to continents
They move clockwise in the N. Hemisphere
They form when water moves direction of prevailing winds
They move cold water from the poles to the equator.
35
All of the following are characteristics of the stratosphere except:
It volume of water vapor is 1/1000 that of the troposphere.
Extends about 17 to 48 km above earth's surface.
It contains less matter than the troposphere
Its concentration of ozone is extremely low.
36
What is the Coriolis effect? (Choose all that may apply).
The effect is strongest at the poles, nonexistent at equator
The apparent curvature of global winds and ocean currents.
Occurs due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis.
It is the weakest at the poles, strongest at equator.
37
All of the following are characteristics of a stratovolcano except:
Gentle lower slopes, but steep upper slopes; concave upward
Very quiet; volcanic materials consist of cinders.
Explosive; numerous layers of lava
large, approx. 1-10 km in diameter
38
Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Ogallala Aquifer in the United States?
It lies under 8 midwestern states
It is the world's largest known aquifer.
It supplies about 1/3 of all groundwater in the USA.
It has forced the Great Plains to become a barren farmland.
39
Chemists Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina were known for their work regarding
CFCs and how they destroy "good" ozone in troposphere.
Persistent CFCs and how they destroy protective ozone.
Climate change caused excess atmospheric CO2.
Climate change caused by lingering CFC propellants.
40
All of the following are characteristics of a mineral except:
May have a regularly repeating internal atomic arrangement
Occurs naturally in the earth's crust as crystalline solid
It is an element or inorganic ompound
Contains large enough concentration of particular mineral
41
Characterize the following by plate boundary: Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Himalayas, San Andreas fault
Convergent; divergent; transform
Divergent; convergent; transform
Divergent; transform; convergent
Transform; convergent; divergent
42
What type of boundary forms when oceanic plates slide & grind past one another along fractures?
A subduction zone
A trench boundary
A transform fault
Oceanic ridges
43
All of the following describe air circulation cells except:
They are caused by the Coriolis effect.
Global air circulation patterns caused by uneven heating.
They are also known as ENSO.
They include, from equator to poles: Hadley, Ferrel, Polar.
44
Which of the following does NOT involve the iron catastrophe?
When iron flowed toward the interior because of gravity.
Silicon and oxygen were moved to form the mantle and crust.
When heavy elements such as Al and Na moved to the core.
When the melting point of iron was reached.
45
What is the atmosphere?
A blanket of gases with a homogeneous density of molecules.
Blanket of gases that increases in pressure with altitude.
A thin blanket of gases surround earth, divided into layers.
A thick blanket of gases consisting of spherical layers.
46
Describe the process that forms oceanic ridges.
When continental plates move apart, causing magma to rise.
When plates slide and grind past one another.
When oceanic plates move apart, magma flows through cracks.
When two oceanic plates collide.
47
What is sedimentary rock?
Made of dead plant and animal remains and weathered rocks.
Forms when rock undergoes high temperatures or pressures.
Examples include sandstone, shale, slate, and marble.
Forms below or on earth's surface when lava cools.
48
Describe the process in which stratospheric ozone forms.
Oxygen molecules in the stratosphere interact with UV
Oxygen reacts with UV to form photochemical smog.
Oxygen molecules interact with particulate matter
Oxygen in the troposphere interacts with UV radiation.
49
What is natural recharge?
Natural process of restoring nitrates into soil.
Natural restoration of valuable resources such as trees.
Natural replenishment of an aquifer by precipitation.
Natural replenishment of a watershed in a sensitive area.
50
All of the following are benefits of volcanic eruptions except:
They form lakes (e.g. Crater Lake)
The weathering of lava contributes to fertile soil.
They form majestic mountains
They reduce the loss of human life.
51
Which of the following describe an El Niño effect (see image below)?
I, II, IV only
I, II, III only.
I, II, III, and IV.
I and II only.
52
Briefly describe the process of subduction.
Oceanic plate rides over and pushes continental into mantle.
Continental crust rides over and pushes down oceanic plate.
When oceanic plates move apart, creating ocean ridges.
When oceanic and continental plates collide and rise up.
53
Which of the following is NOT a reason why some consider a projected extinction rate of 1% low?
Rates are likely to increase sharply in the next century.
Current rates in certain areas are already much higher.
We continue to eliminate biologically diverse environments.
Extinction rates were completely miscalculated.
54
What natural services do inland wetlands provide? (Choose all that may apply).
Maintaining biodiversity by providing habitats.
Filtering and degrading toxic wastes and pollutants.
Natural recharge of groundwater aquifers.
Reducing flooding, erosion, and overflows.
55
Which of the following describe the characteristics of a shield volcano?
Gentle lower slopes, but steep upper slopes; explosive
Very gentle slopes; convex upward; quiet; fluid lava flows
Very small; less than 300m high
Steep conical hill with straight sides; explosive
56
Which of the following is NOT a problem associated with widespread use of desalination?
All of these options are problems regarding desalination.
High cost due to expensive energy needed for removing salt.
Need for large pipes and chemicals, which kills marine life
Huge amounts of salty wastewater produced.
57
Several volcanoes have erupted in Fremont since 2010. What is a plausible prediction?
A volcanic winter.
A decrease in the amount of sulfur in the air.
A decrease in the amount of air pollution.
A volcanic summer.
58
Which of the following is NOT a true statement regarding earth's water composition?
The atmosphere contains 3% of the surface freshwater.
Glaciers and ice caps make up 68.7% of the freshwater.
Groundwater makes up 30.1% of earth's freshwater.
Ground ice & permafrost hold only 30% of surface freshwater
59
What is the major benefit of having a healthy ozone layer?
It prevents most UV-B from reaching earth's surface.
It prevents both UV-B and UV-C from reaching earth.
It blocks all harmful waves of radiation.
It prevents UV-C from reaching earth's surface.
60
What is high-grade ore?
It is not as profitable as low-grade ore.
Identified resources from which we can extract minerals
It contains a small concentration of the desired mineral.
It contains a large concentration of the desired mineral.
61
Which of the following is NOT a benefit of floods?
Create and deposit nutrient-rich silt in floodplains.
Recharge groundwater & help refill wetlands.
Kill thousands of people and cause much property damage.
Support biodiversity & aquatic ecological services.
62
What is weather? (Click all that may apply).
The general pattern of atmospheric conditions over time.
Includes several factors in a given area over a short period
A set of physical conditions of the lower atmosphere
The averaged conditions of a given area over much time.
63
Which of the following regarding tectonic plates is true?
Continental plates usually ride below oceanic plates.
Tectonic plates' boundaries are not active at the surface.
They do not cause/form mountains, volcanoes, or earthquakes.
Much geologic activity at the surface occurs at boundaries
64
What is foliation?
The texture of metamorphic rocks due to alignment & pressure
The ratio of mass of substance to mass of volume of water
Ability of a mineral to break, when struck, along directions
Scratchability, or hardness, of
65
What is the focus of an earthquake?
Place where an earthquake begins, below surface.
Located where an earthquake ends.
Located above the surface.
Located directly above epicenter
66
All of the following are characteristics of Rayleigh waves except:
Do not produce perpendicular or transverse waves
Move both vertically and horizontally in a vertical plane.
It travels faster than Love waves.
It travels like rolling ocean waves.
67
What is weathering?
The climactic changes in weather.
The different processes that break down rocks into soil.
When acid deposition quickly breaks down monuments.
Internal processes that build up the earth's surface.
68
What type of irrigation uses underground water sprayed from mobile booms with sprinklers?
Gravity Flow
Rotary System
Drip Irrigation
Center Pivot
69
Which of the following are examples of ozone-depleting chemicals (indicate all that apply).
Halons and HBFCs (used in fire extinguishers).
Methyl bromide (fumigant) and hydrogen chloride
Carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, n-propyl bromide
Hexachlorobutadiene
70
Which of the following describe the Ring of Fire?
Located at edges of Pacific Ocean, at plate boundaries.
It is where about 90% of all earthquakes occur.
String of volcanoes and seismic activity sites
All of preceding options are correct.
71
Which of the following statements regarding freshwater is NOT true?
1/6 people do not have sufficient access to clean water
Water is a well-managed & appreciated resource.
Only about 0.024% of all water is readily available to us.
It is one of the most important forms of natural capital.
72
Which soil horizon(s) contain(s) most of a soil's inorganic matter? (Choose all that may apply)
B Horizon
A Horizon
R Horizon
C Horizon
73
How is the thermohaline conveyor belt driven by changes in both temperature and salinity?
It is driven by temperature only.
It is driven by changes in air pressure.
It is driven by the resulting changes in density of water
It is driven by the amount of species capable surviving.
74
About 75-80% of the earth's air mass is found in the
Exosphere
Stratosphere
Thermosphere
Troposphere
75
What are aquatic life zones? (Choose all that apply).
They only contain oceans, bays and estuaries.
They include only lakes, rivers, streams.
They are portions that are able to support life.
Saltwater and freshwater portions of the biosphere
76
Which of the following does NOT describe the process of upwelling?
Occurs when cold water is pushed away & warm water rises.
Movement of nutrient-rich bottom water to ocean's surface.
During El Nino, it is reduced along the Peruvian coast.
Usually takes place along certain steep coastal areas.
77
What are estuaries?
Unproductive ecosystems with low nutrient levels.
When rivers meet the sea, mixing water as well as nutrients
Coastal land areas covered with water all/part of the year.
Harsh coastal ecosystems with only occasional water changes
78
Two examples of igneous rock include:
Sandstone and shale
Limestone and lignite
Lava rock and granite
Marble and slate
79
A crown fire recently broke out in Fremont, destroying many trees. What is a valid projection?
Another fire will break out soon.
It will start raining more in the area for compensation
Soil erosion will increase b/c of the lack of trees.
Soil erosion will decrease due to new plants after the fire.
80
The largest circulation of water on earth is a direct result of changes in:
Temperature and precipitation
Temperature and salinity.
Temperature and wind patterns.
Wind patterns and salinity.
81
All of the following describe a
source zone
except:
Water tumbles downward over obstacles, dissolving O2
Where headwaters are usually shallow, cold, clear, and swift
Populated by warm-water fish needing dissolved oxygen.
Most of the plants are algae and mosses attached to rocks.
82
All of the following are characteristics of P waves except:
They can travel through both solid rock and liquid material.
They are fastest type of wave
It shears rock sideways at right angles
It moves like sound waves (spreads out, compresses, dilutes)
83
What type of irrigation usually comes from an aqueduct system or a nearby river? (<80% effic.)
Center Pivot
Rotary System
Drip Irrigation
Gravity Flow
84
Which of the following is NOT true regarding perennial crops?
There is no need to till the soil.
They are better adapted to regional soil than annuals.
They can live for many years without having to be replanted.
Perennials result in more soil erosion than annuals.
85
All of the following describe internal geologic processes except:
Processes generated by heat from the earth's interior
Processes that build up the earth's surface
Processes driven directly or indirectly by solar energy.
Processes that may form mountains and volcanoes.
86
What is biological extinction?
The destruction of an entire ecosystem.
The disappearance of a population, or group of organisms.
The complete disappearance of a species from the earth.
The depletion of a commercially-valuable species.
87
What is the Tectonic Cycle?
Theory that lithosphere made up of plates that always move.
Sum of methods that build up & break down the asthenosphere
Climate change, geographic barriers, extinction, & volcanoes
Sum of processes that build up & break down the lithosphere
88
Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Colorado River?
Its water is used to produce about 1% of all US crops
Water from the river supports cities in desert-like climate.
Little from the river reaches the sea due to overuse.
It has experienced prolonged drought since 1999.
89
All of the following are characteristics of an S wave except:
Not very damaging to structures.
They are a slower type of secondary wave
It cannot propagate in the liquid parts of the earth
it shears rock sideways at right angles
90
Where do active volcanoes occur?
Only in hotspots, such as Hawaii.
Where lava reaches the earth's surface through a vent/crack.
Never along plate boundaries.
Where magma reaches the earth's surface through a vent/crack
91
What is seafloor spreading?
When lava pushes & spreads seafloor u from subsurface.
Spreading of ocean crust solely due to earthquakes.
Formation of new ocean crust as result of magma pushing up.
Movement & spreading of ocean crust above continental crust.
92
What is a rock?
A solid combination of one or more minerals found in crust.
Contains large enough concentrations of a profitable mineral
A concentration of naturally occurring material from crust.
It is made only of sediments.
93
List examples of the following, in order: sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, igneous rock.
Granite; slate; dolomite
Bituminous coal; marble; granite
Lava rock; marble; lignite
Dolomite; granite; marble
94
The roots of most plants and the majority of a soil's organic matter are concentrated in:
The A horizon and E horizon
The O horizon only.
The O horizon and A horizon
The A horizon and B horizon
95
Which of the following are true regarding the process of desalination? (Select all that apply).
It does not involve using chemicals to sterilize water.
It involves removing dissolved salts from ocean/salty water.
Methods include distillation and reverse osmosis.
Saudi Arabia gets ~70% of its drinking water from it.
96
What is salinity?
The measure of dissolved salt in water in general.
The measure of salinity and its impact on turbidity.
The measure of turbidity and salt averaged together.
The measure of dissolved salt in oceanic water.
97
What are tectonic plates?
Areas of the lithosphere that move slowly around the mantle.
The outermost and thinnest zone of the earth.
A zone of hot, melted rock that flows like plastic.
The flows of energy and heated material in convection cells.
98
Which one of the following does NOT describe characteristics of the earth's core?
It is the zone of hot, partly-melted rock that flows.
It is extremely hot and has a solid inner part.
It is surrounded by a liquid core of molten/semisolid matter
It is the earth's innermost zone.
99
What is the lithosphere?
The combination of both the crust and the outer mantle.
It is the outermost and thinnest zone of the earth.
It consists only of the layer above the asthenosphere.
It includes only the continental and oceanic crusts.
100
What are/were CFCs used for?
Cleaners for electric parts such as computer chips
All of the following are/were uses for CFCs.
Propellants in aerosol spray cans
Coolants in air conditioners and refrigerators
