APES SEMESTER 2 FINAL

Precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or evaporate is called ____.

a. perspiration

b. condensation

c. run off

d. transpiration

e. run in

c

Developing countries use many low-tech methods for irrigation. Which of the following is not one of these?

a. using monoculture instead of polyculture farming

b. planting deep-rooted perennial crop varieties

c. rainwater harvesting

d. mulching fields

e. harvest fog with fog catcher nets

a

Satellites can be used by scientists to detect changes in ____.

a. water quality

b. irrigation efficiency

c. water demand

d. groundwater supplies

e. aquifer density

d

What is the land from which surface water drains into a particular lake, river, or other body of water?

a. the bedrock

b. watershed

c. the zone of saturation

d. an aquifer

e. surface water

b

There are four major problems associated with the use of the Colorado River's water. Which one of the following is not one of those problems?

a. The river gets most of its water from mountain snow melt.

b. The river does not have much of a flow considering its size.

c. Water seldom makes it to the mouth of the river.

d. The Colorado River basin includes some of the driest areas in the U.S.

e. Mexico and the U.S. have agreed to take more water than is in the river

a

Withdrawing too much water from an aquifer can cause several issues. Which of the following is not one of these?

a. sinkholes

b. freshwater contaminated with saltwater

c. land subsidence

d. making aquifers impossible to recharge

e. droughts

e

At a certain depth, the area where the spaces in soil and rock are completely filled with water. What is this depth called?

a. an aquifer

b. the bedrock

c. the water table

d. surface water

e. the zone of saturation

e

Tapping deep aquifers for water sources creates several concerns. Which of the following is not one of these?

a. Many cross country borders without international agreements.

b. Most are heavily polluted.

c. The costs of tapping these are unknown.

d. They are nonrenewable on a human time scale.

e. Little is known about their geological or ecological impacts.

b

By the year 2025, how many of the world's people are likely to lack access to clean water?

a. 4 billion

b. 3 billion

c. 2 billion

d. 1 billion

e. 7.9 billion

b

What is gray water?

a. used water from showers, sinks, dishwashers, and tubs

b. water that has been used for irrigation

c. water that is not needed

d. water that can never be used again

e. water that comes from the faucet

a

Which of the following is not a good solution for water waste?

a. Irrigate with treated urban waste water.

b. Avoid growing water-thirsty crops in dry areas.

c. Discourage organic farming.

d. Line canals bringing water to irrigation ditches.

e. Use night irrigation.

c

What percentage of the world's water supply is liquid freshwater that is available to living organisms?

a. 0.024%

b. 20%

c. 24%

d. 0.000024%

e. 10%

a

One of the most important and effective ways to reduce flooding is to ____.

a. build floodwalls

b. preserve and restore wetlands

c. straighten and deepen streams

d. build dams

e. encourage people to build on floodplains

b

The term. subsidence refers to ____.

a. money paid by the government to farmers

b. failure of the groundwater supply

c. intrusion of salt water into a freshwater aquifer

d. living on very little money

e. sinking of ground when water has been withdrawn

e

There are several advantages of withdrawing groundwater. Which of the following is not one of these

a. exists almost anywhere

b. can be used for drinking and irrigation

c. cheaper to extract than most surface waters

d. renewable if not overpumped

e. pollution is quickly removed

e

What percentage of the earth's surface is covered by water?

a. 67%

b. 71%

c. 58%

d. 86%

e. 52%

b

Indirectly used water, that is, water consumed to produce food and other products, is called ____

a. surface runoff

b. virtual water

c. non-renewal aquifers

d. water table

e. groundwater

b

Water in the spaces between soil, rock, and gravel is called what ____.

a. soil moisture

b. soil aquifer

c. capillary fringe water

d. groundwater

e. perched water table

d

Which of the following is not true of the disaster that befell the Aral Sea?

a. Shrinkage of the Ara1 Sea has altered local climate.

b. Surface level of the sea has dropped by 22 meters.

c. Salt and sand from the dry sea bottom spread as far as 300 kilometers.

d. The cause of the disaster was a water diversion project.

e. Populations of local animal species have remained stable.

e

Large dam and reservoir projects ____.

a. can last forever

b. keeps dirty silt from polluting rivers

c. disrupt the migration and spawning of fish

d. can create new farmland

e. have no real benefits other than water supply

c

What is the most efficient means of water delivery to crops?

a. trickle or drip irrigation

b. diagonal-pivot systems

c. low-energy precision-application (LEPA) sprinkler systems

d. center-pivot sprinkler systems

e. gravity-flow canal systems

a

One method of desalination uses high pressure to force saltwater through a membrane filter. This method is called ____.

a. active transport

b. distillation

c. passive transport

d. diffusion

e. reverse osmosis

e

Desalination has a number of problems. What is not one of these?

a. reduces soil salinization on irrigated lands

b. has a high energy cost

c. requires massive amounts of energy to pump seawater through pipes

d. requires disposal of resulting salty wastewater

e. kills marine organisms through water sterilization chemicals

a

What is not a good solution for reducing water waste in industry and homes?

a. Use gray water to irrigate lawns and nonedible plants.

b. Raise the cost of water in water-short areas.

c. Condensing water vapor from indoor air.

d. Recycle water for use in industry.

e. Use water-thrifty native plants in lawns.

c

Most of the water in the Colorado River comes from which of the following sources?

a. lakes in Montana

b. Great Salt Lake

c. snow melt in the Rocky Mountains

d. glaciers in Canada

e. aquifers in Wyoming

c

The geological layer, consisting of underground caverns and porous layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock, where groundwater flows, is called ____.

a. the zone of saturation

b. the bedrock

c. the water table

d. an aquifer

e. surface water

d

Rainwater harvesting ____.

a. involves pumping water from shallow aquifers that are recharged quickly by rain

b. collects rainwater from rooftops and stores it

c. cannot be used in urban settings

d. is only useful in areas where it rains all year round

e. is expensive and technically difficult

b

Farmers could not grow lettuce in the arid interior of California without ____.

a. El Nino southern oscillation

b. cheap prices for lettuce seeds

c. desalinization

d. government subsidies

e. winds coming off the Pacific Ocean

d

Which of the following is not a primary goal of a dam and reservoir?

a. To supply water for irrigation

b. To produce electricity

c. To clean the water supply

d. To provide recreational activities

e. To reduce downstream flooding

c

Many proposals have been put forth for improving desalinization. Which of the following is not one of these?

a. using ocean wave energy for desalination plants

b. letting natural evaporation remove the water in large shallow basins

c. building desalination plants next to coastal energy plants to use their cooling water

d. operating ships that carry desalination equipment offshore

e. operating desalination plants by solar energy

b

The delta for the Colorado River was destroyed by ____.

a. flooding

b. a hurricane

c. damming the river

d. pollution

e. overfishing

c

To address the water supply problems in the Colorado River basin, experts call for the seven states using the river water to take several actions. What is not one of these?

a. Slow growth and development of urban populations.

b. Lower the price of water taken from the river.

c. Switch water thirst crops to less arid areas.

d. Prohibit the use of water on golf courses and lawns.

e. Eliminate subsidies for agriculture in this region.

b

Because of the rising prices of many metals, there is now particular interest in pursuing mining in what location?

a. Antarctica

b. The Arctic Circle

c. China

d. Under volcanoes

e. The ocean floor

e

China has lower costs for the mining of rare earth minerals because of ____.

a. their larger deposits

b. the accessibility of their minerals without subsurface mining

c. the proximity of their deposits to the earth's surface

d. their fewer environmental regulations

e. their low labor costs

d

The rate that the tectonic plates move is comparable to ____.

a. the rate that the moon is moving away from the earth

b. the rate that fingernails grow

c. the rate erosion of a mountain

d. the rate that the earth rotates

e. how fast a snail moves

b

The majority of the earth's rare earth minerals are found in ____.

a. Russia

b. Canada

c. China

d. United States

e. Saudi Arabia

c

The U.N. International Seabed Authority began issuing seabed mining permits in what year?

a. 2011

b. 2001

c. 2010

d. 1990

e. 1999

a

There are many advantages to using microorganisms for mining. Which of the following is not one of these?

a. reduced water pollution

b. reduced land disturbance

c. reduced air pollution

d. faster removal of the mineral

e. reduced use of hazardous chemicals

d

Vibrations caused when energy accumulated over time is released are called ____.

a. tsunamis

b. drift

c. seismic waves

d. glaciations

e. fractures

c

Surface mining, when compared to subsurface mining, ____.

a. disturbs more land

b. causes subsidence

c. produces less waste material

d. is more expensive

e. is more dangerous.

a

Mining causes long-term harm to the environment in a number of ways. What is not one detrimental effect of

a. toxic chemical releases into the atmosphere

b. scarring and disruption of the land surface

c. large amounts of solid waste

d. large amounts of radioactivity

e. subsidence

d

The materials revolution ____.

a. is focused on creating new minerals in a lab setting

b. involves the use of renewable resources instead of nonrenewable resources

c. uses recycled material exclusively

d. substitutes silicon and other materials for metals

e. relies on only low-grade ores

d

The time it takes to use up 80% of the reserves of a mineral at a given rate is referred to as the ____.

a. life cycle

b. long term estimate

c. depletion time

d. strategic reserve

e. depletion curve

c

When an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate, the continental plate usually slides up and over the denser oceanic plate, pushing it down into the mantle, a process called ____.

a. subduction

b. trenching

c. convection

d. production

e. induction

a

What are a series of large waves generated in the ocean by an earthquake, landslide, or volcanic activity?

a. tsunamis

b. seismic waves

c. quake waves

d. rollers

e. pipe waves

a

What type of rock is formed from the weathered remains of other rocks?

a. sedimentary

b. metamorphic

c. organic

d. igneous

e. mineral

a

According to the USGS, each person in the United States uses an average of how many metric tons of mineral resources each year?

a. 2

b. 12

c. 32

d. 42

e. 22

e

Acid mine drainage occurs when ____.

a. mines use acid to clean equipment

b. acid is used to detect low grade mineral ores

c. naturally-occurring acids are uncovered during the mining process

d. acid is used to remove rare earth minerals from mines

e. rainwater seeps through spoils piles and produces sulfuric acid

e

Surface mining is used to extract what percentage of nonfuel resources in the U.S.?

a. 50

b. 90

c. 80

d. 70

e. 60

b

What is one breakthrough material in the materials revolution that is being used for bridges and buildings?

a. graphene

b. limestone

c. plastics

d. zinc

e. potash

a

Large sections of the earth's crust, called ____, slowly separate, collide, or grind along against each other at the earth's surface

a. low-grade ore

b. tectonic plates

c. tailings

d. mantle

e. oceanic ridges

b

The life cycle of a metal product ends with ____.

a. melting the metal

b. recycling of the product

c. separation of the ore from waste material

d. discarding of the product

e. converting the metal to a product

d

Which of the following countries has the largest proven reserves of natural gas?

a. United States

b. Iran

c. Russia

d. Qatar

e. Saudi Arabia

c

Oil shale and tar sand as energy sources have some disadvantages. What is not one of these?

a. releases carbon dioxide and other air pollutants when produced and burned

b. low potential supplies

c. low net energy yield

d. severe land disruption

e. high water use

b

In order to get high-quality energy, you must use high-quality energy. This rule is the result of which of the following?

a. the law of diminishing returns

b. the second law of thermodynamics

c. the first law of thermodynamics

d. the law of gravity

e. the universal law of energy

b

U.S. coal companies and coal-burning utilities have suggested that there is something called clean coal. Which statement is false about this product?

a. Climate scientist James Hansen calls coal the single greatest threat to civilization.

b. One type of coal is significantly cleaner than other types.

c. Stricter pollution controls will not stop the release of some carbon dioxide.

d. Air pollutants will always be released by burning coal.

e. Burning coal will always result in production of hazardous ash.

b

What is the total amount of high-quality energy available after the energy needed to make it available is subtracted?

a. total energy

b. net energy

c. gross energy

d. entropy

e. useful energy

b

Which of the following countries is a member of OPEC?

a. The United States

b. Ukraine

c. Canada

d. Russia

e. Iraq

e

Conventional natural gas is often found in deposits above what other resource?

a. coal

b. oil

c. peat

d. water

e. uranium

b

Any energy resource with a low or negative net energy yield cannot compete in the open marketplace with other energy alternatives with high net energy yields unless it is ____.

a. the only source of energy

b. subsidized by the government or some other funding source

c. advertised through the appropriate channels

d. valued by long-term customers

e. stamped for approval under federal regulations

b

The worst nuclear power accident in the United States occurred in 1979 in what state?

a. Connecticut

b. New York

c. Washington

d. California

e. Pennsylvania

e

The point at which pressure in a well begins to drop and production begins to decline is called the ____.

a. dropping point

b. reduction point

c. end point

d. peak production

e. decline point

d

Coal can be converted to liquid fuels such as methanol and synthetic gasoline through a process called ____.

a. coal synthesis

b. coal fusion

c. synfuel hydrolysis

d. coal liquefaction

e. coal gasification

d

Which of the following is true of natural gas?

a. It emits less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels.

b. It is pumped into pressurized tanks at deep sea oil rigs.

c. It is easy to transport.

d. It is found more in the U.S. than in Russia.

e. It has a high net energy ratio.

a

Nuclear power advocates contend that increased use of nuclear power decreases what type of emission that contributes to climate change?

a. nitrous oxides

b. sulfur dioxide

c. carbon dioxide

d. water vapor

e. carbon monoxide

c

The second law of thermodynamics dictates that ____.

a. low-quality energy is required to get high-quality energy

b. the amount of energy in the universe is constantly changing

c. some high-quality energy is always degraded

d. high-quality energy does not degrade

e. low-quality energy be es static

c

Using a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure to free tightly held oil and natural gas is known as ____.

a. rotary drilling

b. hacking

c. fracking

d. high density pumping

e. mud drilling

c

Burning coal, along with removing pollutants from the emissions, results in the accumulation of several substances. What is not one of these?

a. lead

b. arsenic

c. radioactive radon

d. mercury

e. uranium

e

Which of the following is the primary gas in natural gas?

a. ethane

b. butane

c. methane

d. hydrogen sulfide

e. propane

c

Which of the following is not an advantage of using conventional crude oil as an energy source?

a. efficient distribution system

b. ample supply for several decades

c. low land disruption

d. high net energy yield

e. environmental costs included in market price

e

Almost 72% of the world's reserves of oil shale are found in ____.

a. the United States

b. Russia

c. Iraq

d. Ukraine

e. Canada

a

The major accident at the nuclear power plant in 2011 in Japan was caused by

a. human error

b. a cyclone

c. a tsunami

d. coastal erosion

e. a hurricane

c

Fuel efficiency for all types of cars would nearly double if ____.

a. all cars were shared

b. all cars were made from ultrastrong, ultralight composite materials

c. all cars used wind power

d. all cars had smaller engines

e. all cars were diesels

b

What is not considered to be a hidden cost of a gallon of gasoline?

a. cost of pollution control and cleanup

b. government subsidies for oil companies

c. research and development for hybrid cars

d. tax breaks for car manufacturers and road builders

e. costs of military protection of oil supplies in the Middle East

c

Which of the following cannot (at least currently) be used to generate electricity directly?

a. flowing river water

b. ocean tides

c. heavy rains

d. water behind dams

e. ocean waves

c

Which of the following is not true of heating a house with passive or active solar energy?

a. very low carbon dioxide emissions

b. moderate to high net energy

c. low installation and maintenance costs for active systems

d. very low land disturbance

e. moderate cost for passive systems

c

What is not a viable method of producing hydrogen gas?

a. taking off the gasoline molecule

b. stripping it from methane

c. removing it from the atmosphere

d. passing electricity through water

e. initiating a chemical reaction involving coal, oxygen, and steam

c

Many energy analysts argue that one of the most important steps that governments can take to level the economic playing field for energy resources is to ____.

a. phase out subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels and nuclear power

b. keep prices low on fossil fuels until they run out

c. provide no subsidies for any energy resources

d. pass regulations making it more difficult to use fossil fuels

e. require the use of solar powered water heaters

a

Which of the following is not a means to cool a building naturally?

a. building orientation to catch the sun

b. light-colored roof

c. open windows to catch the breeze

d. awnings, window overhangs

e. a living roof

a

Which country currently gets almost half of its electricity by burning wood and agricultural waste for cogeneration?

a. Germany

b. China

c. Austria

d. Denmark

e. Brazil

d

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the wind farms in North Dakota, Kansas, and Texas could meet the electricity needs of ____

a. the population of the lower 48 states

b. the populations of their states

c. the population of the western United States

d. the population of all the United States

e. 50% of their populations

a

What is not an effective means of improving the energy efficiency of buildings?

a. use energy-efficient windows

b. use of energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs

c. use of energy-efficient appliances

d. building big windows into the northern side of new housing

e. plugging leaks

d

The chief ingredient of most solar cells is ____.

a. sodium

b. calcium

c. arsenic

d. chromium

e. silicon

e

Experts suggest in the next few decades, we will probably shift from our current model of producing electricity to which of the following?

a. de-centralized micropower system

b. a highly de-centralized macropower system

c. a highly centralized macropower system

d. a central, megasystem

e. some new, unforeseen system

a

What is the world's leading renewable energy source used to produce electricity?

a. coal

b. biomass

c. hydrogen

d. hydropower

e. ethanol

d

The best way to reduce our unnecessary waste of energy is to improve ____.

a. coal mining techniques

b. solar cells

c. hydroelectric power

d. hydrogen cells

e. energy efficiency

e

Which of the following is not considered biomass?

a. animal manure

b. crop residues

c. wood

d. coal

e. charcoal

d

A 2009 U.S. Department of the Interior study indicates that wind farms off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts could generation enough electricity to eliminate all ____.

a. solar energy

b. hydroelectric power

c. geothermal plants

d. nuclear power plants

e. coal-burning power plants

e

What percentage of the commercial energy used in the United States is wasted?

a. 64%

b. 74%

c. 94%

d. 84%

e. 54%

d

Experts have concluded that the best way to make the transition to using mostly renewable energy resources during this century is a combination of improved energy efficiency and the carefully regulated use of ____.

a. coal

b. nuclear power

c. petroleum

d. fuel oil

e. natural gas

e

What is the world's fastest growing way to produce electricity?

a. geothermal energy

b. nuclear energy

c. hydroelectric energy

d. solar cells

e. hydrogen cells

d

Waste soil and rock removed during surface mining is called ____.

a. gangue

b. hazardous waste

c. smelt

d. tailings

e. spoil

e

The interaction of physical and chemical processes that change rocks from one type to another type is known as ____.

a. petrography

b. consolidation

c. the rock cycle

d. hydrogeology

e. metamorphism

c

Which procedure would most likely be used to mine coal on hilly terrain?

a. area strip mining

b. open-pit ruining

c. mountain-top removal

d. contour mining

e. strip mining

d

What type of rock is granite?

a. mineral

b. organic

c. metamorphic

d. sedimentary

e. igneous

e

The slowest of the earth's cyclic processes is the ____.

a. phosphorus cycle

b. rock cycle

c. hydrological cycle

d. nutrient cycle

e. carbon cycle

b

Which toxic substance is often used to extract gold and results in harmful environmental effects?

a. cyanide

b. sulfur dioxide

c. carbon dioxide

d. fluoride

e. acid mine drainage

a

What moves large volumes of rock and heat within the mantle, much like gigantic conveyor belts?

a. divergent plates

b. magma chambers

c. concurrent cells

d. convergent plates

e. convection cells

e

What is the zone of hot, partly melted rock that flows and that can be deformed?

a. asthenosphere

b. core

c. lithosphere

d. mantle

e. crust

a

In China air pollution causes as many as ____ deaths per year.

a. 1,000,000

b. 200,000

c. 1,000

d. 650,000

e. 35,000

d