AP Environmental Science : AP Environmental Sciences
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Example Questions
Example Question #21 : Ap Environmental Sciences
Which of the following does not impact an area's climate?
Gases in the atmosphere
The population dynamics of the keystone species
The Earth's rotation
The Earth's surface features
Patterns of air and water movement
The population dynamics of the keystone species
Climate may impact the population dynamics of a keystone species, but not the other way around.
Example Question #22 : Ap Environmental Sciences
The weather event known as La Niña results in which of the following?
Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico
Warming of the Indian Ocean
Dry season in Southern Africa
Drought in Western South America
Drastic rise in sea level on the coast of Japan
Drought in Western South America
La Niña usually results in a warming of the water along the equator, which changes weather patterns across the world. South America experiences a severe drought, while precipitation is pushed South towards Africa.
Example Question #12 : Atmosphere
The Smokey Mountains are known for the fog that hovers over the mountains. Fog is created when water vapor condenses and suspends. What measurement of atmosphere moisture is used to predict fog?
Climate
Convection currents
Precipitation
Dew point
Dew point
The correct response is dew point. This is a measurement of the temperature at which water vapor will condense. If the dew point temperature and air temperature are within a few degrees of each other, then fog is likely.
Example Question #13 : Atmosphere
It is difficult to predict the meteorological conditions of our world on a day to day basic. Meteorologists sometimes miss a snowstorm or underestimate a powerful rainstorm on any given day. However, we do understand the general trends in temperature and rainfall for any given year. The trends in temperature and rainfall for a given region are referred to as __________.
weather
precipitation
climate
season
climate
The correct response is climate. The word climate refers to constant weather patterns over many years. The word weather refers to the day-to-day conditions.
Example Question #23 : Ap Environmental Sciences
When talking about atmospheric circulation, what latitude range do the trade winds occupy?
Trade Winds are a result of hot air from the equator rising, cooling and then sinking and dispersing within the 30 N to 30 S range, with a range of 30 degrees on both sides of the equator.
Example Question #2 : Atmospheric Movement And Patterns
Which terms best fits the following definition?
"The cyclical pattern of rising hot air, cooling of air, and sinking of colder air, resulting from exposure to sunlight (heat energy)."
La Niña
El Niño
Solar Wind
Atmospheric Circulation
The Greenhouse Effect
Atmospheric Circulation
Atmospheric circulation is the process in which air heated at a lower altitude rises because it is less dense than cold air, and the resulting cooling and dispersal/fall of the chilled air results in a natural circulation of air in the atmosphere.
Example Question #3 : Atmospheric Movement And Patterns
Where in the atmosphere does weather occur?
Thermosphere
Troposphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
Troposphere
An easy way to know where the weather occurs in the atmosphere is to think of clouds. Since clouds are where precipitation originates and another form of a cloud can be low dwelling fog, you know that weather must appear close to the earths surface, and the lowest part of the atmosphere is the Troposphere.
Example Question #1 : Atmospheric Movement And Patterns
In 1735, a scientist named George __________ hypothesized how air currents circulate and the mechanism that he discovered was named after him. His subsequent theory helps to describe the mechanics that cause air currents to rise at the equator and fall at the thirty degree latitudes?
McLeod Cells
Janzen-Connell cells
Mason cells
Hardy-Weinberg cells
Hadley cells
Hadley cells
The correct response is "Hadley." George Hadley developed the theory of the Hadley Cell. This is the only answer choice that referred to a scientist that studied atmospheric movements. Two of the answer choices have nothing to do with the atmosphere and they are general theories of ecology such as the Janzen-Connell hypothesis regarding biodiversity and the Hardy-Weinberg principle that is associated with genotype frequencies. Last, Mason and McLeod were fabricated for the sake of the question.
Example Question #3 : Atmospheric Movement And Patterns
What is the Coriolis effect?
The effect of ocean currents on air movement
The effect of shifting air due to heating and then cooling as the air rises
The effect the Earth's rotation has on the movement of air and water in the atmosphere and oceans
The global circulation of air due to patterns of heating and cooling of the air
The effect latitude has on global air movement
The effect the Earth's rotation has on the movement of air and water in the atmosphere and oceans
The Coriolis effect is the interaction between an object traveling on Earth and the rotation of the Earth. Objects appear to be moving in straight lines, but are actually moving in curves in space.
Example Question #22 : Ap Environmental Sciences
Which of the following products are NOT exchanged between the ocean and the atmosphere?
Heat
All of the products are exchanged except for nitrogen dioxide; most nitrates are exchanged between the soil and the atmosphere. Oxygen is readily exchanged between air masses and water masses during the water cycle. Carbon dioxide is also absorbed by the oceans from air masses through gas exchange. Lastly, heat is also exchanged mainly due to the differences in specific heat content of water and the surrounding air.
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