APES unit 8 test study guide + AP classroom questions

Which of the following would be the strongest evidence in support of a scientist's contention that a local area was experiencing acid deposition?

An increase in the concentrations of soluble heavy metals in a local pond

Acid deposition would most likely result in which of the following?

The release of aluminum ions from soil

Which of the following would be the strongest evidence in support of a scientist's contention that a local area was experiencing acid deposition?

An increase in the concentrations of soluble heavy metals in a local pond

Acid deposition would most likely result in which of the following?

The release of aluminum ions from soil

Acid rain is associated with which of the following?

The burning of fossil fuels

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be an effect of global warming?

Decreased rate of photosynthesis in vegetation

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following air pollutants.

(A) Sulfur dioxide

(B) Lead

(C) Ozone

(D) Hydrocarbons

(E) Particulates

Implicated in human neurological damage

lead

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following air pollutants.

(A) Sulfur dioxide

(B) Lead

(C) Ozone

(D) Hydrocarbons

(E) Particulates

Is the major pollutant that electrostatic precipitators are designed to remove from power-plant smokestack emissions

particulates

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following air pollutants.

(A) Sulfur dioxide

(B) Lead

(C) Ozone

(D) Hydrocarbons

(E) Particulates

Considered harmful in the troposphere but beneficial in the stratosphere

ozone

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following air pollutants.

(A) Sulfur dioxide

(B) Lead

(C) Ozone

(D) Hydrocarbons

(E) Particulates

Most often cited as the causative factor for acid deposition

sulfur dioxide

The three main anthropogenic sources of gaseous air pollutants in the United States are

industry, transportation, and energy production

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the substances listed.

(A) Asbestos

(B) Radon

(C) Lead

(D) Carbon monoxide

(E) Formaldehyde

Composed of fibers known to cause lung disease

asbestos

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the substances listed.

(A) Asbestos

(B) Radon

(C) Lead

(D) Carbon monoxide

(E) Formaldehyde

Emitted from most manufactured building materials and furniture

formaldehyde

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the substances listed.

(A) Asbestos

(B) Radon

(C) Lead

(D) Carbon monoxide

(E) Formaldehyde

Found in old plumbing pipes and fixtures and some ceramic glazes

lead

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the substances listed.

(A) Asbestos

(B) Radon

(C) Lead

(D) Carbon monoxide

(E) Formaldehyde

Colorless, odorless gas that is a naturally occurring decay product of uranium

radon

Smoke from forest fires is most likely to affect air quality over larger areas for many days when

a persistent atmospheric inversion exists in the region

Which type of electricity-generating power plant releases radioactive materials as well as toxic metals such as lead and arsenic under normal operating conditions?

coal burning

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following gases.

Carbon dioxide

Carbon monoxide

Methane

Radon

Sulfur dioxide

Has a stronger affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen has

carbon monoxide

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following gases.

Carbon dioxide

Carbon monoxide

Methane

Radon

Sulfur dioxide

Has been implicated as the cause of as much as 15 percent of lung cancer cases

radon

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following gases.

Carbon dioxide

Carbon monoxide

Methane

Radon

Sulfur dioxide

Is an important precursor to acid rain

sulfur dioxide

Which of the following is an important contributor to both global warming and ozone depletion?

A release of chlorofluorocarbons to the atmosphere

Which of the following substances is released by CFC's and catalyzes a chain reaction that breaks down ozone in the upper atmosphere?

chlorine

Which of the following best explains why DDT has been found in penguin eggs in the Antarctic?

Chemicals used in one region of Earth can circulate in the biosphere and affect organisms in a distant region.

Which of the following human activities is most closely associated with depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer?

Disposal of refrigerators and air conditioners

Alligators in a Florida lake polluted by high levels of dioxins (chlorinated hydrocarbons) had low testosterone levels and failed to reproduce. Scientists came to the conclusion that the dioxins were acting as which of the following?

Endocrine disrupters

Which of the following best exemplifies global collaboration for a sustainable environment?

the Montreal Protocol

The main environmental effects of ozone depletion could include all of the following EXCEPT

decreased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere

Which of the following is the best example of environmental remediation?

PCB-consuming bacteria are sprayed on an area that has soil contaminated with PCBs.

Many scientists maintain that a rise in sea level has occurred in the last hundred years as a result of global warming. If this is true, which of the following factors best explains such a rise?

thermal expansion of the ocean

Of the following, which is the best example of a point source of water pollution?

Factory effluent

Most data indicate that, during the past 100 years, mean global annual temperature has

increased by 0.5°C

In models of global warming, the most important factor contributing ot an increase in sea level is

thermal expansion of the oceans

Global warming is most likely to directly cause which of the following?

Coastal flooding and submersion of low-lying areas

Which of the following will occur if the trend of global temperature increase continues?

The troposphere will contain more water vapor.

If mean global temperature keeps on increasing as predicted by contemporary scientists, which of the following is most likely?

Specialist species living in fragile ecosystems will risk extinction.

Which of the following best describes the mechanism of the greenhouse effect in Earth's atmosphere?

Infrared radiation from Earth's surface is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere.

If Earth had no atmosphere, the mean surface temperature would be approximately -15°C. With our present atmosphere, Earth's mean surface temperature is approximately +15°C. Which of the following is the best explanation for this difference?

Absorption of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases

Which of the following greenhouse gases has the greatest heat-trapping ability per molecule?

Chlorofluorocarbon

Ground-level ozone in most major United States cities results primarily from

motor vehicle exhaust

The polar regions radiate away more heat energy than they receive from the Sun in the course of a year. However, they are prevented from becoming progressively colder each year primarily by the

transport of heat through the atmosphere and oceans

All of the following gases have been implicated in contributing to the increase in global temperature via the greenhouse effect EXCEPT

O2

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the figure below, which depicts the observed relation between dietary fat intake and rate of death from breast cancer in different countries.

Which of the following statements is best supported by the data?

There is a positive correlation between breast cancer and dietary fate intake.

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the figure below, which depicts the observed relation between dietary fat intake and rate of death from breast cancer in different countries.

United States residents are how many times more likely to die from breast cancer than residents of Hungary?

1.5

When scientists discover the existence of an emerging infectious disease such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), they must take immediate steps to determine the cause of the disease and the method of transmission. These initial steps would include which of the following?

Acquiring recent medical and travel histories of the disease victims

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following graph.

The data in the graph can be useful in explaining the greenhouse effects when they are compared with

mean global temperatures

For a certain insecticide, the LD-50 dosage level for rats is determined to be 250 milligrams per kilograms of body mass. On the basis of this information, which of the following is the best prediction regarding the consequences of receiving this dosage of the insecticide?

Five hundred out of every one thousand rats would die.

Which of the following is a greenhouse gas that is also a by-product of anaerobic respiration?

Methane, CH4

Ozone in the stratosphere is important to organisms at Earth's surface because ozone molecules are very strong absorbers of

ultraviolet rays

Which of the following best explains why it is predicted that ozone depletion over the poles will be at its worst between 2010 and 2019?

Ozone-depleting chemicals produced before their use was banned will take that long to reach peak concentrations in the stratosphere.

Which of the following not only results from greenhouse warming but also contributes to additional warming of Earth (i.e., is a positive feedback process)?

Decreased size of snowpack

Possible effects of a warmer atmosphere include which of the following?

Expanded ranges of tropical diseases

More intense hurricanes and typhoons

Increased crop damage from pests and diseases

I, II, and III

True statements about ozone include which of the following?

It is a pollutant in the troposphere.

It filters out most of the UVC radiation in the stratosphere.

Most of it is formed in the stratosphere by reaction between carbon dioxide and free oxygen atoms.

I and II only

Rachel Carson's contributions to the environmental movement include which of the following?

Increasing public awareness of the risks of using pesticides

The major source of radon in houses in the United States is

the underlying bedrock

The major human health problem related to radon accumulation is

lung cancer

Which of the following actions would be the most effective in decreasing acid rain and acid deposition problems?

Reducing use of fossil fuels

Which of the following best illustrates point-source pollution?

Smokestack emissions from a large smelting company

Ozone in the stratosphere is most important to life at Earth's surface because it absorbs

ultraviolet light

Of the following cities, which regularly experiences the worst levels of photochemical smog that is enhanced by thermal inversions?

Los Angeles, CA

Although ozone in the stratosphere has been decreasing in recent years, ozone near Earth's surface is on the increase. The ozone near the surface is undesirable because it

is a strong oxidant and a respiratory irritant

Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the locations marked by letters in the world map below.

The location where the greatest number of people would be directly affected by a rise in ocean level

B

next to India

risk

the probability of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, death, economic loss, or damage

risk assessment

the process of using statistical methods to estimate how much harm a particular hazard can cause to human health or to the environment

risk management

deciding whether and how to reduce a particular risk to a certain level and at what cost

biological hazards examples

hazards from more than 1,400 pathogens including bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa, and fungi

chemical hazards examples

hazards from harmful chemicals in our air, water, soil, food, and human-made products

natural hazards examples

hazards such as fire, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and storms

(natural disasters)

cultural hazards examples

hazards such as unsafe working conditions, unsafe highways, criminal assault, and poverty

lifestyle choice hazards examples

choices such as smoking, making poor food choices, drinking, and having unsafe sex

pathogen

an organism that can cause disease in another organism such as a virus or bacteria

infectious disease

a disease caused by a pathogen such as a bacterium, virus, or parasite invading the body and multiplying in its cells and tissues

bacteria

single-cell organisms that are found everywhere and can multiply very rapidly on their own.

ex: tuberculosis or strep throat

virus

smaller than bacteria and work by invading a cell and taking over its genetic machinery to copy themselves and then spreading throughout a body.

ex: AIDS and coronavirus

parasite

organisms that live on or inside other organisms and feed on them, causing serious infectious diseases.

ex: tapeworm and malaria

transmissible disease

contagious/communicable disease; an infectious disease than can be transmitted from one person to another; can be viral or bacterial

non-transmissible disease

a disease caused by something other than a living organism that cannot spread from one person to another; like cancer or diabetes

ways infectious organisms can enter the body

air, water, food, and body fluids

epidemic vs pandemic

epidemic: a large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease in an area or a country

pandemic: a global epidemic

In term of death rates, what are the world's four most serious infectious diseases?

pneumonia and flu

HIV/AIDS

diarrheal diseases

tuberculosis

five factors that have contributed to genetic resistance in bacteria to commonly used antibiotics.

the spread of bacteria around the globe by human travel and international trade

overuse of pesticides

overuse of antibiotics for colds, flu, and sore throats

reproductive rate of bacteria is quick

some drug-resistant bacteria can quickly transfer their resistance to non-resistant bacteria by exchanging genetic material

Describe the global threat from tuberculosis and list three factors that have helped it to spread.

about 1/3 of the people in the world have TB but it is inactive and so they spread it around

tew few TB screening and control programs

most strains of TB have developed genetic resistance to antibiotics

population growth, urbanization, and air travel

What is the biggest viral killer and how does it spread?

the flu

by body fluids or airborne emissions (spit)

What is malaria and how does it spread?

caused by a parasite that is spread through the bites of certain mosquito species

List six major ways to reduce the global threat from infectious diseases.

increase research on tropical diseases and vaccines

reduce poverty and malnutrition

improve drinking water quality

reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics

sharply reduce use of antibiotics on livestock

immunize children against viral diseases

provide oral rehydration for diarrhea victims

conduct global campaign to reduce HIV/AIDS

carcinogens

chemicals, some types of radiation, and certain viruses that can cause or promote cancer

mutagens

chemicals or forms of radiation that cause or increase the frequency of mutations in the DNA molecules found in cells

teratogens

chemicals that harm or cause birth defects in a fetus or embryo

PCB's

a class of over 200 chlorine-containing organic compounds that are very stable and non flammable

can cause liver cancer and other cancers, caused harm to babies

What is a neurotoxin and why is methylmercury an especially dangerous one?

neurotoxin: natural and synthetic chemicals in the environment that can harm the human nervous system including behavioral changes, learning disabilities, add, paralysis, and death

methylmercury is persistent in the environment and can be biologically magnified in food chains and food webs

What are six ways to prevent or control environmental inputs of mercury?

phase out waste incineration

remove mercury from coal before it is burned

switch from coal to natural gas and renewable energy resources

sharply reduce mercury emissions from coal-burning plants and incinerators

label all products containing mercury

collect and recycle batteries and other products containing mercury

HAA's

molecules of certain pesticides and other synthetic chemicals that have shapes similar to those of natural hormones, allowing them to attach to molecules of natural hormones and disrupt the endocrine systems in humans and some other animals

phthalates

drops in male sperm counts

rising rates of testicular cancer

genital birth defects in men

rising breast cancer rates in women

estrogen mimics and hormone blockers can cause males to become more feminized

thyroid disruptors can cause growth, weight, brain, and behavioral disorders

List six ways to reduce your exposure to hormone disruptors.

eat certified organic produce and meats

avoid processed, prepackaged, and canned foods

use glass and ceramic cookware

store food and drinks in glass containers

use only natural cleaning and personal care products

use natural fabric shower curtains instead of vinyl

avoid artificial air fresheners, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets

use only glass baby bottles and BPA-free, phthalate-free, sipping cups, pacifiers, and toys

toxicology

the study of the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and other organisms

toxicity

a measure of the harmfulness of a substance - its ability to cause injury, illness, or death to a living organism

dose

the amount of harmful chemical that a person has ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin at any one time

response

the health damage resulting from exposure to a chemical

What are three factors that affect the level of harm caused by a chemical?

age

solubility (water or oil)

persistence of the substance/resistance to breakdown

three reasons why children are especially vulnerable to harm from toxic chemicals.

breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food per unit of body weight than do adults

exposed to toxins in dust and soil when they put their fingers, toys, and other objects in their mouths

have less well-developed immune systems and body detoxification processes than adults have

dose-response curve

a graph that illustrates how scientists can estimate the toxicity of a chemical by determining the effects of various doses of the chemical on test organisms and plotting the results

risk analysis

identifying hazards and evaluating their associated risks, determining options and making decisions about reducing or eliminating risks, and informing decision makers and the public about risks

In terms of premature deaths, what are the three greatest threats people face?

poverty/malnutrition/disease cycle

tobacco

pneumonia and flu