APES Exam Study Guide With Correct
Questions And Answers 2024
Ecological .Footprint .- .correct .answer.Amount .of .biologically .productive .land .and .water
.needed .to .supply .a .population .with .the .renewable .resources .it .uses .and .to .absorb .or
.dispose .of .the .wastes .from .such .resource .use. .It .is .a .measure .of .the .average
.environmental .impact .of .populations .in .different .countries .and .areas
Ecological .Tipping .Point .- .correct .answer.Threshold .level .at .which .an .environmental
.problem .causes .a .fundamental .and .irreversible .shift .in .the .behavior .of .a .system.
Ecology .- .correct .answer.Biological .science .that .studies .the .relationships .between .living
.organisms .and .their .environment; .study .of .the .structure .and .functions .of .nature.
Natural .Capital .- .correct .answer.Natural .resources .and .natural .services .that .keep .us .and
.other .species .alive .and .support .our .economies.
Per .Capita .- .correct .answer.Annual .gross .domestic .product .(GDP) .of .a .country .divided .by
.its .total .population .at .midyear. .It .gives .the .average .slice .of .the .economic .(or
.environmental) .pie .per .person.
Ecosystem .Services .- .correct .answer.Natural .services .or .natural .capital .that .support .life
.on .the .earth .and .are .essential .to .the .quality .of .human .life .and .the .functioning .of .the
.world's .economies.
Perpetual .Resource .- .correct .answer.has .a .never-ending .supply. .Some .examples .of
.perpetual .resources .include .solar .energy, .tidal .energy, .and .wind .energy
Environmental .Wisdom .Worldview .- .correct .answer.Set .of .assumptions .and .beliefs .about
.how .people .think .the .world .works, .what .they .think .their .role .in .the .world .should .be, .and
.what .they .believe .is .right .and .wrong .environmental .behavior .(environmental .ethics).
Planetary .Management .Worldview .- .correct .answer.Worldview .holding .that .humans .are
.separate .from .nature, .that .nature .exists .mainly .to .meet .our .needs .and .increasing .wants,
,.and .that .we .can .use .our .ingenuity .and .technology .to .manage .the .earth's .life-support
.systems, .mostly .for .our .benefit. .It .assumes .that .economic .growth .is .unlimited.
Stewardship .Worldview .- .correct .answer.Worldview .holding .that .we .can .manage .the
.earth .for .our .benefit .but .that .we .have .an .ethical .responsibility .to .be .caring .and
.responsible .managers, .or .stewards, .of .the .earth. .It .calls .for .encouraging .environmentally
.beneficial .forms .of .economic .growth .and .discouraging .environmentally .harmful .forms.
Sustainability .- .correct .answer.Ability .of .earth's .various .systems, .including .human .cultural
.systems .and .economies, .to .survive .and .adapt .to .changing .environmental .conditions
.indefinitely.
scientific .principles .of .sustainability .- .correct .answer.To .live .more .sustainably .we .need .to
.rely .on .solar .energy, .preserve .biodiversity, .and .recycle .the .chemicals .that .we .use. .These
.three .principles .of .sustainability .are .scientific .lessons .from .nature .based .on .observing
.how .life .on .the .earth .has .survived .and .thrived .for .3.5 .billion .years
First .Law .of .Thermodynamics .- .correct .answer.Whenever .energy .is .converted .from .one
.form .to .another .in .a .physical .or .chemical .change, .no .energy .is .created .or .destroyed, .but
.energy .can .be .changed .from .one .form .to .another; .you .cannot .get .more .energy .out .of
.something .than .you .put .in; .in .terms .of .energy .quantity, .you .cannot .get .something .for
.nothing. .This .law .does .not .apply .to .nuclear .changes, .in .which .large .amounts .of .energy
.can .be .produced .from .small .amounts .of .matter.
Second .Law .of .Thermodynamics .- .correct .answer.Whenever .energy .is .converted .from
.one .form .to .another .in .a .physical .or .chemical .change, .no .energy .is .created .or .destroyed,
.but .energy .can .be .changed .from .one .form .to .another; .you .cannot .get .more .energy .out .of
.something .than .you .put .in; .in .terms .of .energy .quantity, .you .cannot .get .something .for
.nothing. .This .law .does .not .apply .to .nuclear .changes, .in .which .large .amounts .of .energy
.can .be .produced .from .small .amounts .of .matter. .It .asserts .that .a .natural .process .runs .only
.in .one .sense, .and .is .not .reversible.
Negative .Feedback .Loop .- .correct .answer.Feedback .loop .that .causes .a .system .to
.change .in .the .opposite .direction .from .which .is .it .moving.
Positive .Feedback .Loop .- .correct .answer.Feedback .loop .that .causes .a .system .to .change
.further .in .the .same .direction
Law .of .Conservation .of .Matter .- .correct .answer.In .any .physical .or .chemical .change,
.matter .is .neither .created .nor .destroyed .but .merely .changed .from .one .form .to .another; .in
.physical .and .chemical .changes, .existing .atoms .are .rearranged .into .different .spatial
.patterns .(physical .changes) .or .different .combinations .(chemical .changes).
Electromagnetic .Radiation .- .correct .answer.Forms .of .kinetic .energy .traveling .as
.electromagnetic .waves. .Examples .include .radio .waves, .TV .waves, .microwaves, .infrared
.radiation, .visible .light, .ultraviolet .radiation, .X-rays, .and .gamma .rays.
, Ph .- .correct .answer.Numeric .value .that .indicates .the .relative .acidity .or .alkalinity .of .a
.substance .on .a .scale .of .0 .to .14, .with .the .neutral .point .at .7. .Acid .solutions .have .pH .values
.lower .than .7; .basic .or .alkaline .solutions .have .pH .values .greater .than .7.
High-Quality .energy .- .correct .answer.energy .that .is .concentrated .and .has .great .ability .to
.perform .useful .work; .e.g. .heat .and .energy .in .electricity, .coal, .oil, .gasoline, .sunlight, .nuclei
.of .uranium-235
low .quality .energy .- .correct .answer.energy .that .is .dispersed .and .has .little .ability .to .do
.useful .work; .e.g. .low-temperature .heat
Ions .- .correct .answer.Atom .or .group .of .atoms .with .one .or .more .positive .(+) .or .negative .(−)
.electrical .charges. .Examples .are .Na+ .and .Cl-.
Isotopes .- .correct .answer.Two .or .more .forms .of .a .chemical .element .that .have .the .same
.number .of .protons .but .different .mass .numbers .because .they .have .different .numbers .of
.neutrons .in .their .nuclei.
Species .- .correct .answer.Group .of .similar .organisms, .and .for .sexually .reproducing
.organisms, .they .are .a .set .of .individuals .that .can .mate .and .produce .fertile .offspring. .Every
.organism .is .a .member .of .a .certain .species.
Population .- .correct .answer.Group .of .individual .organisms .of .the .same .species .living .in .a
.particular .area.
Community .- .correct .answer.Populations .of .all .species .living .and .interacting .in .an .area .at
.a .particular .time.
Ecosystems .- .correct .answer.One .or .more .communities .of .different .species .interacting
.with .one .another .and .with .the .chemical .and .physical .factors .making .up .their .nonliving
.environment.
Biosphere .- .correct .answer.Zone .of .the .earth .where .life .is .found. .It .consists .of .parts .of .the
.atmosphere .(the .troposphere), .hydrosphere .(mostly .surface .water .and .groundwater),
.and .lithosphere .(mostly .soil .and .surface .rocks .and .sediments .on .the .bottoms .of .oceans
.and .other .bodies .of .water) .where .life .is .found.
Atmosphere .- .correct .answer.Whole .mass .of .air .surrounding .the .earth.
Troposphere .- .correct .answer.Innermost .layer .of .the .atmosphere. .It .contains .about .75%
.of .the .mass .of .earth's .air .and .extends .about .17 .kilometers .(11 .miles) .above .sea .level.
Stratosphere .- .correct .answer.Second .layer .of .the .atmosphere, .extending .about .17-48
.kilometers .(11-30 .miles) .above .the .earth's .surface. .It .contains .small .amounts .of .gaseous