AP Environmental Science : AP Environmental Sciences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Environmental Science

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Agriculture

Which is used to allow farmers to utilize hillsides?

Possible Answers:

Rangeland

Monoculture

Polyculture

Terracing

Correct answer:

Terracing

Explanation:

Terracing creates level shelves on hillsides to hold water and soil for growing crops. This method can be very expensive. Rangelands are the areas of land that are grazed on by animals. A monoculture refers to the cultivation of a single crop or animal, while a polyculture involves the cultivation of multiple different types of crops and/or animals in a given area.

Example Question #5 : Agriculture

Green manure is incorporated into soils by plowing to increase available organic matter. Which is the source of green manure?

Possible Answers:

Cattle

Chickens

Vegetation

Pigs

Correct answer:

Vegetation

Explanation:

Vegetation used for green material is typically still-growing or freshly cut. 

Example Question #291 : Ap Environmental Sciences

Traditional subsistence agriculture produces enough crops/livestock to provide for which of the following choices?

Possible Answers:

One family, plus a great amount of surplus to sell

One individual

One small community

One family, plus some surplus

Correct answer:

One family, plus some surplus

Explanation:

Traditional subsistence agriculture provides enough food to support one family and occasionally a surplus to sell, trade, or store.

Example Question #1 : Material Resources

Which of the following is a projected disadvantage of using genetically modified crops and foods?

Possible Answers:

Plants are able to grow in harsher climates

Production of harmful toxins resulting from gene mutation

None of these

Higher crop yields

Crops need less water

Correct answer:

Production of harmful toxins resulting from gene mutation

Explanation:

GMO stands for "genetically modified organisms.” Scientists have manipulated the genetic material of the organism to create more productive crops.   GMO's combine traits from significantly different species, creating an organism that has never occurred in nature. The resultant organism is less stable and likely to be modified, creating toxins or other negative mutations. The benefits of using GMO's include higher crop yields, as well as cultivating crops needing less water that are able to grow in harsher climates.

Example Question #3 : Agriculture

There are many different types of pesticides and herbicides that help agricultural producers control for different types of nuisances outbreaks that can destroy crops. If a farm experiences an outbreak of weeds from multiple plant species, then which of the following remedies should the farmer use?

Possible Answers:

Broad-Spectrum insecticide

Narrow-spectrum insecticide

Nonselective herbicide

Selective herbicide 

 

None of these

Correct answer:

Nonselective herbicide

Explanation:

The farmer should use a nonselective herbicide. We can narrow down the answer choices to herbicides because they are used to control plants and weeds. The question also states that there are multiple species of weeds that the farmer needs to control. This means the farmer should use a nonselective herbicide, which kills multiple species—rather than a selective herbicide that will only kill a certain plant species. Insecticides are the wrong answer choice because they control for insects, not plants. 

Example Question #4 : Agriculture

IPM is a tool a farmers use to minimize insect damage to their crops. Farmers can do this by maintaining a healthy ecosystem that naturally controls insect outbreaks, but still allows some predation on crops. Which of the following best defines the acronym: IPM?

Possible Answers:

Invertebrate preventative methods

Interpretive pathogen management

Integrated pest management 

None of these

Insect population monitoring

Correct answer:

Integrated pest management 

Explanation:

IPM stands for "integrated pest management." IPM is a process that minimizes the impact of pests upon agricultural or natural areas that pose minimal risks to people or the environment. In this process farmers may shield disease prone species from pests by planting a barrier of healthy pest resistant crops in front of them.

Example Question #5 : Agriculture

One of the most pressing issues in the field of agriculture is how to feed a growing planet. Between the 1930s and 1960s, the __________ transformed and modernized the agricultural system in the United States. This transformation caused farmers to mechanize their production and increase their crop yields. What is this period of transformation/transition called?

Possible Answers:

The Agricultural Revolution

The Green Revolution

The Environmental Revoultion

The Production Revolution

Correct answer:

The Green Revolution

Explanation:

The correct response is The Green Revolution. The father of this revolution was Norman Borlaug. He received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1970s for his working in the Green Revolution, credited as saving a billion lives because of his involvement in the agricultural enhancements. 

Example Question #11 : Material Resources

The Green Revolution was a period of modernization and mechanization in the agricultural industry that occurred between the 1930s and 1960s. The Green Revolution increased yield and helped farmers feed a growing human population. The man who fathered the Green Revolution won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work in helping saving a billion people from starvation. What was his name?

Possible Answers:

Robert Fraley

John Deere

Norman Borlaug

Cyprus McCormick

Correct answer:

Norman Borlaug

Explanation:

The correct response is Norman Borlaug. He is regarded as the "Father of the Green Revolution" and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. His work specialized in creating high-yielding varieties of crops, such as wheat, to increase the global food supply.

Example Question #292 : Ap Environmental Sciences

Greg is a farmer in Ohio who has grown either corn or soybeans separately on his large 1000-acre farm field for the past 10 years. Recently, he has heard that growing multiple crops at the same time can decrease his pest problems. If he decides to grow corn, soybeans, and squash simultaneously on his farm field, what type of agriculture would he be utilizing?

Possible Answers:

Polyculture

None of these

Subsistence

Monoculture

Correct answer:

Polyculture

Explanation:

The correct response is polyculture. A polyculture describes a farm that grows more than one crop together on the same field. This is also referred to as diversified farming and intercropping. Subsistence farming is incorrect because this describes a farming who grows food for just his family. Since Greg has 1000 acres, this answer choice doesn't make sense. Monoculture describes a farmer who grows only one crop.

Example Question #293 : Ap Environmental Sciences

Nutrition can impact the quality of life for any given nation. Each region has different nutritional issues based on diet. A child from the upper class is likely to suffer from which nutritional deficiency?

Possible Answers:

Zinc deficiency

Under-nutrition

Malnutrition

Over-nutrition

Hunger

Correct answer:

Over-nutrition

Explanation:

The correct response is over-nutrition. Children that face over-nutrition eat more daily calories than are necessary for health. There is not enough evidence to suggest any specific nutritional deficiency, especially in an upper class child.

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