Apes

Final Exam Review 2025

This test has 50 mc questions and 1 frq (connecting all topics) that relate to energy, pollution, solid waste, human health and global climate change.  There are many graphs, charts and tables that provide content and context for the questions but be sure to know your vocabulary and connections which can be found in the learning targets and essential knowledge statements found attached to this document in Canvas. This exam is 15% of your final grade in APES.

TOPICS AND TEXT

• Pollution - Chapters 14, 15 and 16 

• Human Health and LD-50 math (as related to pollution) - Chapter 17, Module 57 

• Global Change - Chapter 19

Think graphs, charts and tables that relate to the impacts of pollution

• Past Content - Energy Resources as related to air pollution, Kilowatt Hour math,  Eutrophication, Biomagnification and human health, Endocrine disruptors as related to water pollution, LD-50 graphs and unit conversion math.

AP CLASSROOM UNITS - Progress checks are open but you will have to look at each unit to see available videos.

6 Energy Resources

7 Air Pollution

8 Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution and Human Health

9 Global Change (some of these questions are focused on biodiversity (I do not have those on the exam)

MAP LOCATIONS 

• Love Canal - First superfund site.  Toxic waste was buried and abandoned.  The site was then used for a school and homes causing cancer and other illnesses.

• Iceland - Geothermal energy provides electricity to the capital, Reykjavik.

• Minamata Bay, Japan - Wastewater that was mixed with mercury was dumped into this bay.  The persistent mercury biomagnified into the large fish and accumulated in the shell fish used by residents as food causing Minamata disease.

• Great Pacific Garbage Patch - This enormous  collection of plastic pollution swirls in the North Pacific Gyre.

• Alberta, Canada - Boreal forests are being clear cut here so that tar sand can be mined.

• Three Gorges Dam - The largest dam in the world.

• Paris, France - site where climate talks occurred in 2015.

• Bangladesh - This low lying country is losing land to sea level rise causing many residents to move inland and emigrate to other countries.

Learning Targets For Each AP Classroom Unit

AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL POLLUTION AND HUMAN HEALTH

1.     Sources of Pollution - Chap 14, Module 41

Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.

• Identify differences between point and nonpoint sources of pollution.

• Describe environmental concepts and processes

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• A point source refers to a single, identifiable source of a pollutant, such as a smokestack or waste discharge pipe. 

• Nonpoint sources of pollution are diffused and can therefore be difficult to identify, such as pesticide spraying or urban runoff.

2.     Human Impacts on Ecosystems - Chapter 14

Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.

• Describe the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.

• Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with work shown (e.g., dimensional analysis).

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Organisms have a range of tolerance for various pollutants. Organisms have an optimum range for each factor where they can maintain homeostasis. Outside of this range, organisms may experience physiological stress, limited growth, reduced reproduction, and in extreme cases, death. 

• Coral reefs have been suffering damage due to a variety of factors, including increasing ocean temperature, sediment runoff, and destructive fishing practices. 

• Oil spills in marine waters cause organisms to die from the hydrocarbons in oil. Oil that floats on the surface of water can coat the feathers of birds and fur of marine mammals. Some components of oil sink to the ocean floor, killing some bottom-dwelling organisms. 

• Oil that washes up on the beach can have economic consequences on the fishing and tourism industries.

• Oceanic dead zones are areas of low oxygen in the world’s oceans caused by increased nutrient pollution. 

• An oxygen sag curve is a plot of dissolved oxygen levels versus the distance from a source of pollution, usually excess nutrients and biological refuse.

• Heavy metals used for industry, especially mining and burning of fossil fuels, can reach the groundwater, impacting the drinking water supply. 

• Litter that reaches aquatic ecosystems, besides being unsightly, can create intestinal blockage and choking hazards for wildlife and introduce toxic substances to the food chain. 

• Increased sediment in waterways can reduce light infiltration, which can affect primary producers and visual predators. Sediment can also settle, disrupting habitats. 

• When elemental sources of mercury enter aquatic environments, bacteria in the water convert it to highly toxic methylmercury.

3.     Endocrine Disruptors - Chap 17, Module 57

Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.

• Describe endocrine disruptors. 

• Describe the effects of endocrine disruptors on ecosystems.

• Describe environmental concepts and processes

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the endocrine system of animals. 

• Endocrine disruptors can lead to birth defects, developmental disorders, and gender imbalances in fish and other species.

4.     Solid Waste Disposal - Chap 14, Module 44

Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.

• Describe solid waste disposal methods.

• Describe the effects of solid waste disposal methods.

• Use data and evidence to support a potential solution

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Solid waste is any discarded material that is not a liquid or gas. It is generated in domestic, industrial, business, and agricultural sectors. 

• Solid waste is most often disposed of in landfills. Landfills can contaminate groundwater and release harmful gases. 

• Electronic waste, or e-waste, is composed of discarded electronic devices including televisions, cell phones, and computers.

•  A sanitary municipal landfill consists of a bottom liner (plastic or clay), a storm water collection system, a leachate collection system, a cap, and a methane collection system. 

• Factors in landfill decomposition include the composition of the trash and conditions needed for microbial decomposition of the waste. 

• Solid waste can also be disposed of through incineration, where waste is burned at high temperatures. This method significantly reduces the volume of solid waste but releases air pollutants. 

• Some items are not accepted in sanitary landfills and may be disposed of illegally, leading to environmental problems. One example is used rubber tires, which when left in piles can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes that can spread disease. 

• Some countries dispose of their waste by dumping it in the ocean. This practice, along with other sources of plastic, has led to large floating islands of trash in the oceans. Additionally, wildlife can become entangled in the waste, as well as ingest it.

5.     Waste Reduction Methods - Chap 16, Module 55

Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.

• Describe changes to current practices that could reduce the amount of generated waste and their associated benefits and drawbacks.

• Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with work shown (e.g., dimensional analysis).

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Recycling is a process by which certain solid waste materials are processed and converted into new products. 

• Recycling is one way to reduce the current global demand on minerals, but this process is energy-intensive and can be costly. 

• Composting is the process of organic matter such as food scraps, paper, and yard waste decomposing. The product of this decomposition can be used as fertilizer. Drawbacks to composting include odor and rodents. 

• E-waste can be reduced by recycling and reuse. E-wastes may contain hazardous chemicals, including heavy metals such as lead and mercury, which can leach from landfills into groundwater if they are not disposed of properly. 

• Landfill mitigation strategies range from burning waste for energy to restoring habitat on former landfills for use as parks.

• The combustion of gases produced from decomposition of organic material in landfills can be used to turn turbines and generate electricity. This process reduces landfill volume.

6.     Lethal Dose 50% (LD50) - Chap 17, Module 57

Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms, including humans.

• Define lethal dose 50% (LD50)

• Determine an approach or method aligned with the problem to be solved

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Lethal dose 50% (LD50) is the dose of a chemical that is lethal to 50% of the population of a particular species

7.     Dose Response Curve - Chap 17, Module 57

Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms, including humans.

• Evaluate dose response curves

• Explain what the data implies or illustrates about environmental issues

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• A dose response curve describes the effect on an organism or mortality rate in a population based on the dose of a particular toxin or drug.

8.     Pollution and Human Health - Chapter 17

Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms, including humans.

• Identify sources of human health issues that are linked to pollution.

• Describe an aspect of a research method, design, and/or measure used

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

• It can be difficult to establish a cause and effect between pollutants and human health issues because humans experience exposure to a variety of chemicals and pollutants. 

• Dysentery is caused by untreated sewage in streams and rivers.

• Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused mainly by exposure to asbestos. 

• Respiratory problems and overall lung function can be impacted by elevated levels of tropospheric ozone.

AIR POLLUTION

1.     Introduction to Air Pollution - Chap 15, Module 46

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Identify the sources and effects of air pollutants.

• Explain modifications to an experimental procedure that will alter results.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Coal combustion releases air pollutants including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, toxic metals, and particulates. 

• The combustion of fossil fuels releases nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. They lead to the production of ozone, formation of photochemical smog, and convert to nitric acid in the atmosphere, causing acid rain. Other pollutants produced by fossil fuel combustion include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter. 

• Air quality can be affected through the release of sulfur dioxide during the burning of fossil fuels, mainly diesel fuels. 

• Through the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulated the use of lead, particularly in fuels, which dramatically decreased the amount of lead in the atmosphere. 

• Air pollutants can be primary or secondary pollutants.

2.     Photochemical Smog - Chap 15, Module 46 and 47

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Explain the causes and effects of photochemical smog and methods to reduce it.

• Describe relationships among variables in data represented

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Photochemical smog is formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic hydrocarbons react with heat and sunlight to produce a variety of pollutants. 

• Many environmental factors affect the formation of photochemical smog. 

• Nitrogen oxide is produced early in the day. Ozone concentrations peak in the afternoon and are higher in the summer because ozone is produced by chemical reactions between oxygen and sunlight. 

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), such as formaldehyde and gasoline, evaporate or sublimate at room temperature. Trees are a natural source of VOCs. 

• Photochemical smog often forms in urban areas because of the large number of motor vehicles there.

• Photochemical smog can be reduced through the reduction of nitrogen oxide and VOCs. 

• Photochemical smog can harm human health in several ways, including causing respiratory problems and eye irritation.

  3.     Thermal Inversion - Chap 15, Module 47

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Describe thermal inversion and its relationship with pollution.

• Explain how environmental concepts and processes represented visually relate to broader environmental issues.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• During a thermal inversion, the normal temperature gradient in the atmosphere is altered as the air temperature at the Earth’s surface is cooler than the air at higher altitudes. 

• Thermal inversion traps pollution close to the ground, especially smog and particulates.

4.     Atmospheric CO2 and Particulates - Chap 15, Module 46

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Describe natural sources of CO2 and particulates.

• Describe an aspect of a research method, design, and/or measure used.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• CO2 appears naturally in the atmosphere from sources such as respiration, decomposition, and volcanic eruptions.

• There are a variety of natural sources of particulate matter.

5.     Indoor Air Pollutants - Chap 15, Module 50

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Identify indoor air pollutants.

• Describe the effects of indoor air pollutants.

• Explain patterns and trends in data to draw conclusions

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Carbon monoxide is an indoor air pollutant that is classified as an asphyxiant. 

• Indoor air pollutants that are classified as particulates include asbestos, dust, and smoke. Indoor air pollutants can come from natural sources, human-made sources, and combustion. Common natural source indoor air pollutants include radon, mold, and dust. 

• Common human-made indoor air pollutants include insulation, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from furniture, paneling and carpets; formaldehyde from building materials, furniture, upholstery, and carpeting; and lead from paints.

•  Common combustion air pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulates, and tobacco smoke.

• Radon-222 is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is produced by the decay of uranium found in some rocks and soils.

• Radon gas can infiltrate homes as it moves up through the soil and enters homes via the basement or cracks in the walls or foundation. It is also dissolved in groundwater that enters homes through a well. 

• Exposure to radon gas can lead to radon induced lung cancer, which is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America.

6.     Reduction of Air Pollutants - Chap 15, Module 48

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Explain how air pollutants can be reduced at the source.

• Use data and evidence to support a potential solution.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

•  Methods to reduce air pollutants include regulatory practices, conservation practices, and alternative fuels. 

• A vapor recovery nozzle is an air pollution control device on a gasoline pump that prevents fumes from escaping into the atmosphere when fueling a motor vehicle. 

• A catalytic converter is an air pollution control device for internal combustion engines that converts pollutants (CO, NOx, and hydrocarbons) in exhaust into less harmful molecules (CO2, N2, O2, and H2O). 

• Wet and dry scrubbers are air pollution control devices that remove particulates and/or gases from industrial exhaust streams. 

• Methods to reduce air pollution from coalburning power plants include scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators.

7.     Acid Rain - Chap 15, Module 47

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Describe acid deposition.

• Describe the effects of acid deposition on the environment

  • Identify a research method, design, and/or measure used.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Acid rain and deposition is due to nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides from anthropogenic and natural sources in the atmosphere. 

• Nitric oxides that cause acid deposition come from motor vehicles and coal-burning power plants. Sulfur dioxides that cause acid deposition come from coal-burning power plants.

• Acid deposition mainly affects communities that are downwind from coal-burning power plants. 

• Acid rain and deposition can lead to the acidification of soils and bodies of water and corrosion of human-made structures. 

• Regional differences in soils and bedrock affect the impact that acid deposition has on the region—such as limestone bedrock’s ability to neutralize the effect of acid rain on lakes and ponds.

8.     Noise Pollution - Chap 14, Module 44

Human activities have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Describe human activities that result in noise pollution and its effects.

  • Describe the author’s reasoning (use of evidence to support a claim)

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Noise pollution is sound at levels high enough to cause physiological stress and hearing loss.

• Sources of noise pollution in urban areas include transportation, construction, and domestic and industrial activity. 

• Some effects of noise pollution on animals in ecological systems include stress, the masking of sounds used to communicate or hunt, damaged hearing, and causing changes to migratory routes

Global Change

1.     Stratospheric Ozone Depletion - Chap 15, Module 49

Local and regional human activities can have impacts at the global level.

• Explain the importance of stratospheric ozone to life on Earth.

  • Describe environmental concepts and processes

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• The stratospheric ozone layer is important to the evolution of life on Earth and the continued health and survival of life on Earth. 

• Stratospheric ozone depletion is caused by anthropogenic factors, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and natural factors, such as the melting of ice crystals in the atmosphere at the beginning of the Antarctic spring. 

• A decrease in stratospheric ozone increases the UV rays that reach the Earth’s surface. Exposure to UV rays can lead to skin cancer and cataracts in humans.

2.     Reducing Ozone Depletion - Chap 15, Module 49

Local and regional human activities can have impacts at the global level

• Describe chemicals used to substitute for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

• Describe potential responses or approaches to environmental problems 

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Ozone depletion can be mitigated by replacing ozone-depleting chemicals with substitutes that do not deplete the ozone layer. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are one such replacement, but some are strong greenhouse gases.

3.     The Greenhouse Effect - Chap 19, Module 62

Local and regional human activities can have impacts at the global level.

• Identify the greenhouse gases.

• Identify the sources and potency of the greenhouse gases.

• Explain environmental concepts and processes

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• The principal greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). 

• While water vapor is a greenhouse gas, it doesn’t contribute significantly to global climate change because it has a short residence time in the atmosphere. 

• The greenhouse effect results in the surface temperature necessary for life on Earth to exist.

• Carbon dioxide, which has a global warming potential (GWP) of 1, is used as a reference point for the comparison of different greenhouse gases and their impacts on global climate change. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have the highest GWP, followed by nitrous oxide, then methane.

4.     Increases in the Greenhouse Gases - Chap 19, Module 62

Local and regional human activities can have impacts at the global level.

• Identify the threats to human health and the environment posed by an increase in greenhouse gases.

• Explain how environmental concepts and processes represented visually relate to broader environmental issues

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Global climate change, caused by excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, can lead to a variety of environmental problems including rising sea levels resulting from melting ice sheets and ocean water expansion, and disease vectors spreading from the tropics toward the poles. These problems can lead to changes in population dynamics and population movements in response.

5.     Global Climate Change - Chap 19, Module 62-64

Local and regional human activities can have impacts at the global level.

• Explain how changes in climate, both short- and long term, impact ecosystems.

• Interpret experimental data and results in relation to a given hypothesis

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• The Earth has undergone climate change throughout geologic time, with major shifts in global temperatures causing periods of warming and cooling as recorded with CO2 data and ice cores. 

• Effects of climate change include rising temperatures, melting permafrost and sea ice, rising sea levels, and displacement of coastal populations. 

• Marine ecosystems are affected by changes in sea level, some positively, such as in newly created habitats on now-flooded continental shelves, and some negatively, such as deeper communities that may no longer be in the photic zone of seawater. 

• Winds generated by atmospheric circulation help transport heat throughout the Earth. Climate change may change circulation patterns, as temperature changes may impact Hadley cells and the jet stream.

• Oceanic currents, or the ocean conveyor belt, carry heat throughout the world. When these currents change, it can have a big impact on global climate, especially in coastal regions. 

• Climate change can affect soil through changes in temperature and rainfall, which can impact soil’s viability and potentially increase erosion. 

• Earth’s polar regions are showing faster response times to global climate change because ice and snow in these regions reflect the most energy back out to space, leading to a positive feedback loop.

•  As the Earth warms, this ice and snow melts, meaning less solar energy is radiated back into space and instead is absorbed by the Earth’s surface. This in turn causes more warming of the polar regions. 

• Global climate change response time in the Arctic is due to positive feedback loops involving melting sea ice and thawing tundra, and the subsequent release of greenhouse gases like methane. 

• One consequence of the loss of ice and snow in polar regions is the effect on species that depend on the ice for habitat and food.

6.     Ocean Warming - Chap 19, Module 64

Local and regional human activities can have impacts at the global level.

• Explain the causes and effects of ocean warming.

• Describe environmental problems

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Ocean warming is caused by the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 

• Ocean warming can affect marine species in a variety of ways, including loss of habitat, and metabolic and reproductive changes. 

• Ocean warming is causing coral bleaching, which occurs when the loss of algae within corals cause the corals to bleach white. Some corals recover and some die.

7.     Ocean Acidification - Chapter 2, Module 4

Local and regional human activities can have impacts at the global level.

• Explain the causes and effects of ocean acidification.

• Explain environmental concepts, processes, or models in applied contexts

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Ocean acidification is the decrease in pH of the oceans, primarily due to increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, and can be expressed as chemical equations. 

• As more CO2 is released into the atmosphere, the oceans, which absorb a large part of that CO2, become more acidic. 

• Anthropogenic activities that contribute to ocean acidification are those that lead to increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere: burning of fossil fuels, vehicle emissions, and deforestation. 

• Ocean acidification damages coral because acidification makes it difficult for them to form shells, due to the loss of calcium carbonate.

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