AP Environmental Science : Introductory Concepts and Earth Science

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Environmental Science

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Example Questions

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Example Question #3 :Types Of Soil

__________soil is considered ideal for food production, usually nutrient-rich, and holds both air and water well.

Possible Answers:

Sandy

Loamy

Clay-rich

Alkaline

Silty

Correct answer:

Loamy

Explanation:

Loamy soil is a mixture between sand, silt, and clay. It is rich in organic matter, and the properties of sand and clay combined allow it to hold air and water well.

Example Question #4 :Types Of Soil

Soil horizons 01

List the soil horizons in order.

Possible Answers:

Unweathered sediment, organic material, plough zone, zone of accumulation, weathered sediment

Organic material, plough zone, weathered sediment, zone of accumulation, unweathered sediment

Organic material, zone of accumulation, plough zone, weathered sediment, unweathered sediment

Plough zone, zone of accumulation, weathered sediment, unweathered sediment, organic material

Organic material, plough zone, zone of accumulation, weathered sediment, unweathered sediment

Correct answer:

Organic material, plough zone, zone of accumulation, weathered sediment, unweathered sediment

Explanation:

Soil horizons labeled with brief descriptions:

土壤地平线答案01

Example Question #5 :Types Of Soil

Brett has been collecting soil samples from various city parks for his chemistry class. The chemistry class will measure the amount of nutrients, such as potassium and nitrogen, in each soil sample. The park with the best quality soil will be the location of a community garden. By measuring the soil nutrients, what soil property is Brett trying to quantify?

Possible Answers:

Soil infilitration

Soil compressibility

Soil strength

Soil fertility

Soil porosity

Correct answer:

Soil fertility

Explanation:

The correct response issoil fertility.土壤中的养分的数量是一个measurement of soil fertility. Soils with high nutrient content (especially with respect to nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium) are considered fertile soils. Soils with low nutrient content are considered infertile soils. Soil porosity refers to the amount of air space between soil particles. Soil infiltration refers to its infiltration (absorption of water) capacity. Soil compressibility, as the name suggests, is the ability for a soil to be compressed. Soil strength involves the capacity of a soil to withstand sheer stress forces, which is influenced by many parameters including those mentioned above.

Example Question #1 :Soil Problems And Solutions

Soil with insufficient nitrogen is generally easier to fix than soil insufficient in phosphorus. Why might this be?

Possible Answers:

Many plants are incapable of taking up available phosphorus, making it very difficult to have compost that is rich in phosphorus.

Nitrogen is abundant in the soil and the atmosphere, while phosphorus is only available in the soil and in bedrock.

Atmospheric phosphorus disperses in the form of precipitation, and irrigating crops from a well source will be insufficient in replenishing phosphorus to the soil.

Phosphorus is generally scarce in the natural world.

There are significantly more steps in the phosphorus cycle to make phosphorus usable for plants, limiting availability.

Correct answer:

Nitrogen is abundant in the soil and the atmosphere, while phosphorus is only available in the soil and in bedrock.

Explanation:

There is a sizable bank of nitrogen in the atmosphere that can be fixed by certain bacteria (and plants that harbor this bacteria in their roots), while phosphorus originates largely from bedrock and is released into the soil in limited quantities. Nitrogen can be fixed from a collective atmosphere that is three-quarters nitrogen, while phosphorus is more region-specific and can be harder to replace than nitrogen once it's depleted. Farms located in phosphorus-poor regions often have to rely on mined phosphates.

Example Question #111 :Introductory Concepts And Earth Science

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for all plants, including the ones we grow to eat. If a farmer faces the challenge of phosphorus-poor soil, what can they do to remedy the problem.

Possible Answers:

Move the farm elsewhere. Once phosphorus is gone, it's gone.

Apply a substantial layer of chemical nitrates to the soil.

Deep-till the soil, bringing up phosphorus-rich soil and rock fragments from the subsoil layers.

Plant phosphorus-fixing cover crops to increase phosphorus presence in soil.

Spread manure and then mulch to prevent leaching or erosion of nutrients.

Correct answer:

Spread manure and then mulch to prevent leaching or erosion of nutrients.

Explanation:

Phosphorus defficiency is a challenge to resolve because phosphorus stores are almost exclusively in bedrock and sediment, and there is only as much as the bedrock weathers over time. Manure is very rich in phosphorus, and since plants do not fix phosphorus directly into the soil, applying manure and then covering with mulch is the best option.

Example Question #3 :Soil Problems And Solutions

Which of the following would be the most accurate example of sheet erosion?

Possible Answers:

Narrow channels develop in a farmer's field from running irrigation lines over exposed soil.

Wide channels develop in the soil where a stormwater discharge site has been established.

Soil is lost from irrigation ditches, causing the ditch to become wider and deeper.

Light rain falls on a farmer's field that is mostly bare soil.

A farmer employs flood irrigation on a field with a slope, causing thin layers of soil to wash away over time.

Correct answer:

A farmer employs flood irrigation on a field with a slope, causing thin layers of soil to wash away over time.

Explanation:

Sheet erosion occurs when either wind or widespread shallow water with a slow current degrades the soil in thin layers. A flooded and uneven field that is mostly bare soil will likely experience sheet erosion because the erosion is shallow and uniform.

Example Question #4 :Soil Problems And Solutions

Climate change has increased the variability in weather patterns. Unpredictable weather patterns are hard to manage. In 2015, heavy rainfall events caused farm field soils in Ohio to become saturated with water. This killed off many farmers' crops because the plants couldn't receive carbon dioxide/oxygen due to all the water. What is this phenomenon called?

Possible Answers:

Rill erosion

Salinization

Sheet erosion

Gully erosion

Waterlogging

Correct answer:

Waterlogging

Explanation:

The correct response iswaterlogging. In waterlogging, water covers plant roots and soils with water - preventing soils from absorbing oxygen from the air. If the water covers the soil surface for too long, plants begin to die because their roots can't absorb oxygen and/or carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to undergo respiration. Salinization involves the increase in salt content of soil. Sheet erosion is the process by which thin layers of soil are moved due to the force of rain drops and overland flow. Gully erosion involves the formation of gullies (small valleys) due to intensive erosion by water. Rill erosion involves water creating rills, small channels through which water flows.

Example Question #5 :Soil Problems And Solutions

Farmers use a variety of techniques to conserve soil nutrient quality. Which of the following is not a soil conservation technique?

Possible Answers:

Cover crops

Add legumes

Contour plowing

Intensification

Correct answer:

Intensification

Explanation:

The correct response isintensification. The term intensification refers to farmers working the fields more heavily and intensely. All the other responses are techniques used by farmers to conserve soil.

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