AP Environmental Science : Material Resources
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Example Questions
Example Question #5 : Rangelands
Potentially harmful runoff from grazing on rangelands continues to be a pressing issue in prairie communities. E. coli and excess nitrogen in the watershed can pose a serious risk to public health, and both of these pollutants can be traced back to grazing cattle. Which of the following is the best possible solution for this issue that considers ecosystem health, public health and economic well-being of ranchers?
Limit livestock access to rivers and tributaries, create man-made watering holes and establish healthy riparian plant communities along waterways.
Create man-made watering holes for cattle and livestock away from the naturally-occuring rivers and lakes where people get their drinking water from.
Limit the ranchers to graze their herds in areas sufficient distance from any watershed or waterway.
Ban cattle ranching in the rangelands. The grassland ecosystem is better off untouched and we don't really need to eat beef.
Provide water purifiers to the people who live in the nearby community. As long as they get clean water, the grazing of livestock can continue.
Limit livestock access to rivers and tributaries, create man-made watering holes and establish healthy riparian plant communities along waterways.
Manure from livestock containing E. coli can potentially contaminate a local watershed. Limiting access to watersheds by livestock will prevent direct contamination by feces, while establishing man-made watering holes will allow continued access to drinking water for livestock. Maintaining a healthy riparian plant community also abates water contamination, because high-density riparian plant communities can prevent leaching of contaminants into the waterway.
Example Question #1 : Mining
When discussing mining and mineral extraction, which of the following best defines "reserves"?
An unreliable figure, often inflated by governments of countries with resource-based economies to inflate prices and attract investors
The determined quantities of a mineral resource that can be economically recovered
The predicted total quantity of a mineral resource that exists in a mine or excavation site
The processed weight of the mineral resource recovered over the lifespan of the mine
The finished product, refined from extracted ore and available for purchase in the consumer market
The determined quantities of a mineral resource that can be economically recovered
"Reserves," by definition, refers to the determined quantity of a mineral resource that is economically feasible to recover. Mineral deposits consist of mineral-rich ores that are easy to extract, but there are also poorer-quality ores that are more difficult to extract that are often left behind since they are not profitable to extract.
Example Question #1 : Mining
Which of the following terms best define the traditional method of "panning" for gold, popular amongst Western settlers during the California Gold Rush?
Open-pit mining
Subsurface mining
Fracture mining
Strip mining
Placer mining
Placer mining
Placer mining is when metals and minerals are extracted from river sediments, which describes the "panning" method employed by Western settlers.
Example Question #3 : Mining
A mining company that has leased Bureau of Land Management property for mining in Northern Nevada has discovered a significant copper ore deposit on the land. The deposit lies on relatively flat geography and is projected to be rather shallow at less than 10 meters deep. Which of the following would be the most appropriate extraction method?
Contour mining
Open pit mining
Mountaintop removal
Strip mining
Subsurface mining
Strip mining
Strip mining involves removing shallow strips of dirt and rock to expose valuable ores. Since the deposit is relatively shallow in the earth and the land is relatively flat, strip mining would be the most appropriate method.
Contour mining resembles terraces for farming on a slope, and is indeed only practical on a sloped topography. Mountaintop removal is an equally moot point, seeing that the deposit is on flat land where there are no mountains. Subsurface mining would be appropriate if the deposits were only found deep underground.
Example Question #2 : Mining
What was the purpose of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977?
To make mining on public land accessible to any individual
To restore previously mined land to its former condition
To ban mining in places where it did not already exist
To regulate the methods of mining in use at the time
To restore previously mined land to its former condition
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 was meant to restore previously damaged land to its former state. The key word is reclamation, which is an effort of society to reverse harmful actions taken on the environment and return it to its former state. The act accomplished this by setting operating standards and requiring companies to obtain permits to mine.
Example Question #3 : Mining
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) mandates that companies applying for a permit to mine legally must ensure that their operation will meet SMCRA environmental and performance standards.
Company A wants to mine for copper on a 20,000 acre land parcel with shallow iron ore deposits on hill-dominated terrain. The company has submitted a permit application, claiming they will employ contour mining, construct a water-tight tailings pond and a board of company shareholders will vote on a use and reclamation method for the land after said mining operation is complete.
Would Company A get approved permitting under SMCRA? Why or why not?
Yes, because SMCRA does not address restoring the land after mining. The legislation simply exists to to prevent leaching of toxic chemicals used in surface mining, but there are no clauses to ensure environmental restoration.
Yes, because they have satisfied the SMCRA requirements by planning for responsible mining, pollution control and environmental reclamation.
No, because there is not an established reclamation plan for when the mine is defunct. A written and set plan for environmental reclamation must be included with the permit application before a mine can legally operate.
No, because contour mining puts land at an unacceptably high risk of soil erosion.
No, because tailing ponds have been declared an environmental hazard. Even when designed to prevent leaching, there is always a significant risk of toxic chemicals entering the ecosystem.
No, because there is not an established reclamation plan for when the mine is defunct. A written and set plan for environmental reclamation must be included with the permit application before a mine can legally operate.
Permitting under SMCRA requires that mines meet performance and environmental standards as well as provide a detailed excavation plan and a plan for environmental restoration after ceasing operations. Providing an undecided solution that will be voted on later is not a valid environmental reclamation plan, and the firm's application would likely be denied.
Example Question #1 : Fishing
Which of the following have been affected by overfishing?
Overfishing has affected each of the other answer choices.
Cod fishing in Newfoundland
Shark fishing across the globe
Crab fishing in the Chesapeake region
King Crab fishing in Alaska
Overfishing has affected each of the other answer choices.
Overfishing is prevalent all over the globe in almost every body of water, from the highest levels of the food chain to the lowest.
Example Question #1 : Fishing
What percent of the world's fisheries are currently overexploited or exploited to their fullest capacity?
In 2015, 80% of worldwide fisheries are either harvested at their fullest capacity or are being overexploited. This pattern will reduce sustainable fish harvests over the long run and poses a serious threat to the future of ocean ecosystems and the fishing industry.
Example Question #1 : Fishing
A coastal inlet is currently experiencing an overpopulation of phytoplankton. Which of the following is a likely culprit of this phenomenon?
Agricultural activity on the nearby shore that has declined significantly in recent years
Illegal whaling ships operating miles offshore
Overfishing of coastal herring and sardine populations
Overharvesting and "finning" of sharks to feed demand in Asia
Overfishing of tuna populations to meet demand for canned tuna
Overfishing of coastal herring and sardine populations
Herring and sardines are low trophic-level species that consume mainly phytoplankton. With a diminished local herring and sardine populations, phytoplankton blooms are a likely outcome. Sharks and tuna eat species higher on the trophic level, namely fish like herring or sardines. Whales eat krill and phytoplankton, but are usually offshore and migratory. Of the provided examples, herring and sardines have the most significant impact on phytoplankton populations.
Example Question #321 : Ap Environmental Sciences
Which of the following is NOT a destructive aspect specific to trawling?
Drag nets harvest large numbers of fish on a scale that cannot be done with sustainable pole fishing. This massive rate of harvest is responsible for declining fisheries worldwide.
Species not intended to be caught, such as dolphins, get caught in the nets and often die.
Trawling equipment is dragged along the seafloor, kicking up sediment in the process that disturb marine flora and wildlife communities.
Marine animals not intended to be caught get hooked by lines set out to catch target species.
Trawling equipment is dragged along the seafloor, damaging coral reefs and other crucial habitat.
Marine animals not intended to be caught get hooked by lines set out to catch target species.
Trawling employs the use of a large net that is dragged along the ocean floor, but typically no hooks or fishing line is used. A result of drift line fishing, a different harvest method altogether, is that dolphins, sharks and other species not intended to be caught are caught on hooks and die from it.
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