APES Topics 5 and 6 Practice Problems

The soil horizon commonly known as subsoil is the

B horizon

Which of the following is the primary environmental advantage of no-till agriculture?

The undisturbed soil is less susceptible to erosion

Genetically modified (GM) organisms are best described as those that

have genes of several members of a different species

Which of the following best explains how a pest develops resistance to a chemical pesticide?

Natural selection takes place

Island biogeography theory, developed by E. O. Wilson and Robert MacArthur in 1963, has many implications for

developing national parks of adequate size and with sufficient wildlife corridors

Second-growth forests

are forests that establish themselves after virgin timber has been removed

Many types of mining, such as those used to mine coal and copper, produce a specific type of water pollution called

acid drainage

International seedbanks have been established for the primary purpose of

preserving declining crop diversity

The environmental consequence of overfertilization of agricultural lands includes

eutrophication in nearby waters

As scientists continue to study forest fragmentation concerns, an important conclusion has been that

small forest fragments lose more species than large fragments

The Green Revolution is most closely associated with which time period?

between World War II and the present

Which of the following is an important feature of integrated pest management?

it makes use of the natural enemies of pests

Wilderness areas

are off-limits to development but are open to low-impact recreation

The Healthy Forests Restoration Act

directs timber companies to remove small trees, underbrush, and dead trees to reduce fire sin national forest lands

The U.S Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires

mining companies to post bonds to cover restoration of the mined area before permits are granted

IPM is the agricultural approach involving

biocontrol and alternative tillage methods

Leaching

removes water-soluble nutrients from soil

Humus is

composed of organic compounds and increases the water-holding capacity of soils

Crops genetically engineered to fix nitrogen would have which of the following advantages?

decreased need for chemical fertilizer

Critics of the Green Revolution most often cite

the increased practice of monocropping, leading to increased risk of overall crop failure without the widespread use of pesticides

Conservation tillage is an agricultural practice that

maximizes intact ground cover to prevent soil erosion

Forests provide many ecosystem services; however, the one that is receiving the most focus for climate change scientists is

carbon sequestration

The major environmental problem arising from feedlots is

pollution of surface and groundwater, resulting in eutrophication

Sustainable forest certification involves

a chain of custody following for all harvested material

Which of the following is not an environmental benefit of smart growth?

decreased open space

An LD50 study indicates the

amount of toxicant it takes to kill half the population

In the US, approximately how much of our generated municipal solid waste ends up being recovered in composting and recycling?

about 34%

The federal legislation that imposes a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries to generate funds that pay for the cleanup of hazardous substances is

CERCLA

Which is the most critical environmental impact of urban sprawl?

increased air pollution

A resource sink is

an area that produces almost none of the things that it needs

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in ___ and has the effect of ___

plastics; endocrine disruptor

Pesticides in the United States are registered for use through the

EPA

Currently, which of the following materials comprises the largest component of municipal solid waste by weight?

paper

Currently, the average American generates approximately ____ lb of municipal solid waste per day

4.4

The role of urban zoning is to

classify areas for different types of land use

A LEED certification for an urban building indicates that

it has been built with consideration for minimum water and energy use

Which of the following are naturally occurring chemicals, potentially toxic to people?

crude oil and radon gas

Which statement about dose-response studies is false?

Dose-response studies test only for lethal effects

Which of the following best represents criteria for classifying hazardous waste?

ignitable, corrosive, reactive

From an environmental waste perspective, which approach is the most effective and desirable?

Reduce

Which of the following environmental hazards is most capable of biomagnification?

PCB

Many chemical substances are very challenging for risk assessment studies because of their

synergistic effects

E-waste is a major source of

heavy metals

Incineration is a contemporary method of handling municipal solid waste and contributes to all of the following except

decreasing the life of sanitary landfills