APES 2020 Practice Exam 1 MCQ 1. This type of energy is considered a nonrenewable energy source.: Nuclear Energy 2. This type of energy utilizes heat that is stored beneath Earth's surface to heat water and produce steam.: Geothermal Energy 3. This energy source is used to generate electricity with photovoltaic (PVPV) cells.: Solar Energy 4. Which curve in the graph best represents a K-selected species?: A 5. Dandelions grow quickly and produce many seeds, ensuring that at least some plants will survive and produce seeds themselves. Which curve best represents the survivorship of dandelions?: D 6. Certain lizards display a survivorship curve where the chance of survival is independent of age. Which line on the graph best depicts the survivorship of these lizards?: C 7. This is the location of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, with a generating capacity of 22,500MW: C 8. At this site a 9.09.0 magnitude earthquake, which occurred at a nearby subduction zone, triggered one of the largest nuclear reactor disasters in history.: D 9. Geothermal energy is the main energy source at this location because it is located on a large divergent boundary.: B 10. This type of irrigation is often used by small-scale farming operations, and it requires extensive labor to set up individual irrigation lines.: Drip Irrigation 11. This type of irrigation uses a large system of sprinklers that must be manually moved from field to field and has very large evaporative losses.: Spray Irrigation 12. This type of irrigation, often used in orchards growing tree crops, distributes water to plants through small parallel channels between crop rows but often leads to increased soil erosion in the field.: Furrow Irrigation 13. Which of the following is the best example of a tragedy of the commons?: Accumulation of plastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 14. Which of the following correctly pairs a greenhouse gas with its primary anthropogenic source?: Nitrous oxide and agricultural practices 15. Which of the following best describes a disadvantage of using genetically engineered crops over crops that are not genetically modified?: Genetically engineered plants can decrease the genetic diversity of the crop 16. At which of the following locations in the stream was there most likely a discharge of excess organic matter into the water?: B 17. Based on the article, which of the following best identifies the author's claim?: Increased tax breaks and other financial incentives have been an important 1/7 factor for increasing the number of installations of solar panels on New York City rooftops. 18. Which of the following best describes the author's perspective on the use of solar energy in New York City?: New York City is behind other major cities in its use of solar energy in electricity generation and should continue efforts to increase its solar capacity. 19. Which of the following pieces of evidence does the author use to support the claim that the solar panel installation on the StuyTown complex is the largest in Manhattan?: The installation added 9,000 solar panels to 56 rooftops, effectively doubling the total solar capacity of the surrounding area 20. Currently, the rooftop solar panels produce only a fraction of the electricity used in the buildings on which they are installed. Which of following strategies would best combat the problem of insufficient electricity generation from the rooftop solar panels?: Installing active solar energy systems on all available, unshaded rooftop space and positioning them to face south 21. Based on the diagram, this country is likely experiencing: Rapid Pollation Growth 22. Which of the following is a measure of the biodiversity of an ecosystem?: The total number of different plant species 23. Which of the following is the most abundant gas by volume in the atmosphere?: N2 24. Which of the following best describes a natural process that adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?: Carbon dioxide is released from the interior of Earth during volcanic eruptions. 25. An ecologist examining several different ponds discovers that in one pond all the frogs are female. Which of the following most likely led to the all-female population of frogs?: An endocrine disruptor 26. Which of the following correctly identifies the type of habitat change(s) shown within each potential scenario in the diagram?: All scenarios experienced habitat loss, but only Scenario 3 experienced habitat fragmentation. 27. Which of the following would be most likely to occur in the scenarios that have experienced habitat loss and/or fragmentation in the diagram?: Decrease in the number of specialist species 28. Which of the following would be the most likely explanation for the changes shown in Scenario 3 ?: Roads and electric power lines subdivided the landscape into smaller pieces and decreased the amount of available habitat. 29. Which of the following is a possible effect of global climate change as illustrated in Scenario 1 ?: Increased sea level would reduce the size of the habitat patches. 2/7 30. Which of the following best describes the frog species' range of tolerance to acidic conditions?: The frogs can tolerate a pHpH between 4.5and 6. 31. Which of the following best describes a supporting ecological service provided by wetlands?: Wetlands provide a habitat for a wide variety of organisms. 32. In which of the following atmospheric layers does most weather occur?: Troposphere 33. Buildings designed to partially heat rooms by passive solar heating rely on: materials that absorb and store solar energy to warm the room 34. Based upon the data presented in the graph, which of the following best identifies the highest wolf population size?: 170 35. Which of the following best describes the change in the elk population since the introduction of wolves into Yellowstone in 1995?: The elk population steadily decreased in numbers. 36. Which of the following is a potential disadvantage of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone?: Wolves leaving the park may prey on livestock in grazing land outside the park. 37. Based on the diagrams above, what is the percent change in the amount of runoff in urban areas compared to forested areas?: 450 38. Based on the diagrams above, which of the following best explains how urban runoff could be decreased?: Replace traditional pavement with more porous pavement to increase ground infiltration 39. Which of the following processes shown in the diagram leads to precipitation?: Evaporation rate 40. Which of the following best describes the spotted lanternfly in the United States?: The spotted lanternfly is an rr-selected and invasive species 41. Which of the following best describes the energy resource used most often for heating and cooking in less developed countries?: Biomass is the predominant fuel source because it is easily obtained locally. 42. Which of the following correctly explains a positive climate feedback loop found in the Arctic?: Increased global temperatures lead to decreased sea ice coverage and decreased albedo, which further increases global temperatures. 43. Which of the following is the best method for preventing soil erosion in an agricultural area?: Terrace farming 44. Using the data from the table, which of the following is the growth rate for China in 2019 ?: 0.38% 45. Which of the following was the doubling time for China's population in 2014 if the growth rate was 0.490.49 percent?: 142.9 years 3/7 46. Which of the following calculation methods would determine the percent change in the crude birth rate from 1994 to 2019 ?: 11.917.617.6 × 10011.917.617.6 × 100 47. Earth currently rotates on an axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees. If that axis changed to 20 degrees, so that the axis was closer to vertical, which of the following would be expected to occur?: Earth would experience a change in seasonal timing and length. 48. Which of the following accurately describes a benefit of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)?: Concentrated animal feeding operations are efficient and relatively low-cost facilities that help keep consumer costs low. 49. In addition to volatile organic compounds (VOCsVOCs), which of the following components must be present in the atmosphere to create photochemical smog?: NOx and UV light 50. Which of the following best identifies and describes the process that is illustrated in the diagram above?: Primary succession, because the process in the diagram begins with bare rock. 51. Based on the diagram above, in which stage are most species present considered pioneer species?: II 52. Which of the following best describes the role of moss in the transition to stage III of the process?: It breaks down rock and adds organic nutrients to the soil. 53. Which of the following statements best identifies the author's claim about modern species?: Reduction in range size is an indicator that populations of many species are declining. 54. Based on the passage, which of the following describes the author's perspective on why historical extinction rates were lower than present-day rates?: Previous research focused only on complete extinctions and did not collect data on imminent extinctions. 55. Which of the following pieces of evidence presented in the article suggests that extinction rates may continue to increase?: Climate change will exacerbate the primary causes of population decline. 56. Which of the following would most likely neutralize the effect of acid rain on bodies of water, based on the composition of soils and bedrock in the region?: A forest underlain by limestone 57. Which of the following best describes a density-independent factor that controls population size?: Occurrences of droughts and flooding 58. Scientists want to investigate whether the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the ocean affects fish survival. Scientists suspect immature fish larvae may be most affected by increased carbon dioxide concentrations. 4/7 Which of the following best identifies a testable hypothesis for the investigation?: The decreasing pHpH of the ocean water will decrease the survivorship of fish. 59. Which of the following best interprets the results in the graph in relation to the given hypothesis?: The results support the researchers' hypothesis because there is a greater biodiversity at sites without cane toads. 60. Based on the LD50LD50 values, which of the following best describes the toxicity level of the household substances shown in the table?: Antifreeze is more toxic than aspirin. 61. Silver carp were introduced in the southeastern United States in the 1970s from their native habitat of China to control algal blooms that were occurring at aquaculture facilities and sewage lagoons. Silver carp escaped from captivity shortly after their introduction and are currently found as far north as North Dakota and Minnesota. Which of the following describes an unintended, negative consequence of the introduction of silver carp into the United States?: Silver carp became an invasive species in the United States because their numbers were not being controlled by natural predators. 62. A farm is experiencing extensive crop loss due to high rains causing overly saturated soils. Which of the following approaches would best help the farmer alleviate the problem?: Amending the soil with sand to increase the permeability of the soil 63. Which of the following best describes a potential unintended negative consequence of implementing measures to control acid deposition?: A reduction in sulfur for crops as a result of less acidic rainfall, leading to an increased need for sulfur supplements 64. Scientists are interested in measuring the effect of pollution on the water quality of a stream. They will use observations of various bottom-dwelling insects, or macroinvertebrates, collected in the stream as indicators of the physical, chemical, and biological conditions within the stream. Which of the following best describes why macroinvertebrate sampling can be used to assess the overall health of a stream?: Macroinvertebrates live in an aquatic ecosystem for a long enough time to show the chronic effects of pollutants, and many tend to remain in the same area throughout their life span. 65. Based on the graph, which of the following can be concluded about the latitudes of the two locations?: Location 1 is close to the equator, and Location 2 is in the Northern Hemisphere. 66. Assuming all other variables are constant, which of the following is the most likely conclusion about the greatest potential for gross primary produc5/7 tivity that can be supported by data in the graph?: Gross primary productivity in Location 1 is greater than that in Location 2 in March. 67. Location 1 is most likely located in which of the following terrestrial biomes?: Tropical rain forest 68. Fish landings are defined as the total catch of marine fish that are brought into ports for sale. Bycatch refers to the unwanted fish and other marine organisms that are caught during commercial fishing operations, but are not harvested or sold. Which of the following methods would you use to calculate the percent of the total catch of all fish in 2012 that was bycatch: (6.017×108/6×109+6.017×108)×100 69. Which of the following techniques is a mechanical IPMIPM method for reducing pests?: The use of screens or traps to prevent pests from entering the crop area 70. Which of the following best describes one way the Clean Air Act helped reduce air pollution?: Introduced regulatory measures to control the amount of lead in fuels 71. Which of the following best explains why the lower portion of the troposphere is warmer than the upper portion?: The surface of Earth absorbs sunlight, heating the lower portion of the troposphere more than the upper part. 72. Based on the data in the graph, which of the following fishing practice solutions would best promote the sustainability of the orange roughy population?: Establishment of quotas on the number of orange roughy caught 73. How might this modification to the sampling procedure affect the results?: Water sampled later in the day may be warmer and therefore have lower dissolved oxygen levels. 74. Which of the following would be the best way to mitigate deforestation?: Replant and protect trees in areas that have been previously cleared. 75. Replant and protect trees in areas that have been previously cleared.: Increased atmospheric CO2CO2 concentrations from burning of fossil fuels and vehicle emissions are contributing to ocean acidification. 76. Industrial scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators collect enormous amounts of particulate matter (coal ash) at coal-burning power plants. Which of the following best describes an environmental disadvantage of using industrial scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators for pollution abatement?: Coal ash contains toxic levels of several different pollutants, so when it is collected and stored long-term in coal ash ponds, there is increased risk of exposure to toxic metals. 77. Assuming consistent yearly rainfall amounts, what is the volume of leachate, in m3m3, that the landfill will be able to treat per year?: 1,296m3 6/7 78. In 1978, the United States banned the use of CFCs in aerosols. Based on the data in the graph, which of the following best explains the effect of this ban as a solution to decrease global CFC production?: The ban on CFCs led to a decrease of CFC-11 and CFC-12 production by more than 15% between 1978 and 1980, which supports the ban as an effective solution to reduce global CFC production. 79. Which of the following statements best uses the data to support the claim that the Montreal Protocol was an effective solution for a global problem?: The Montreal Protocol led to a dramatic reduction in CFC production globally after 1987, which greatly reduced the concentration of chlorinated hydrocarbons present in the stratosphere and decreased the breakdown of stratospheric ozone. Based on the graph, the annual production of CFCs decreased significantly in the late 1980s to almost 0 tons by 2000. 80. Bats use echolocation to find prey by emitting high-pitched bursts of sound and analyzing the reflection. Scientists studying a population of bats in a forest observed that their population size had declined in the years following the completion of a nearby highway.: The highway noise is interfering with bats' echolocation, preventing them from successfully locating and catching prey as they fly. 7/7