APES FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS BY YEAR
Year / ? # / Topic / Subtopic1998 / 1 / Energy (Dishwasher) / Water
2 / Nuclear Power
3 / Water Pollution / Toxicity
4 / Land Use / Endangered Species
1999 / 1 / Water Quality / 3 Tests, Sci Method, Indicator Species
2 / Energy Resources / Energy, Sustainability
3 / Air Pollution / Health Effects
4 / Pesticide / Agriculture, Health Effects
2000 / 1 / Energy / Conversions & Air Pollution
2 / Recycling / Smart economics?
3 / Endangered Species / Biodiversity
4 / Population / Age structure diagrams, dem.trans
2001 / 1 / Energy Efficiency (Home) / Natural gas conversions, efficiency
2 / Food Web, Animal Population / Sci Method, Pest Management
3 / Indoor Air Pollution / 2 poll, sick building syndrome
4 / Water Quality / Animal waste, other tests, chain rxn, 2 prov. of CWA
2002 / 1 / Energy Efficiency (Electric Cars) / Point Source, Air Pollution
2 / Water Diversion / Env. probs, arg. for div. to urban vs. natural areas, other div. proj.
3 / Toxicity LD50 / Brine shrimp, graph
4 / El Nino / Disease
2003 / 1 / Leaf Litter, Exotic Species / Sci Method
2 / Population / CBR/CDR graph
3 / Water / Estuary, Wetlands
4 / Ecology / Endangered Species
2004 / 1 / Toxicity, Risk / Mercury
2 / Energy / Coal Plant Energy conv. and wind power
3 / Radioactivity / Nuclear Waste, Health
4 / Soils / Fertilizers, chem. test, phys. test
2005 / 1 / Disease
2 / Meat Production / Agriculture
3 / Mining / Coal, AMD
4 / Oil / ANWR
Year / ? # / Topic / Subtopic
2006 / 1 / Energy / Solar Power
2 / Global Warming / CO2 concentr. calcs.
3 / Hazardous Waste / Brownfields
4 / Fisheries / Graph, rate of decline, fishing methods
1 / Water / Sewage Tx – use as fertilizer
2007 / 2 / Energy / Water & Energy Usage
3 / Air / Strat./Trop. Ozone
4 / Urban Heat Island / Air Poll/ Water Use/Energy Use
1 / Biofuels / From Algae, DBQ
2008 / 2 / Landfills / Leachate volume calc’s
3 / Forest mgmt. & Fires / Fire suppression consequences
4 / TFR / Pop. Growth and TFR in LDCs
1 / Air – Smog / PC smog, how it forms, impacts
2009 / 2 / Energy / Methane digester - math
3 / Water diversion / Dams
4 / GM Crops / Math, pros/cons
1 / Water/Soil Pollution / PCB Mercury Lead Pollutants in soil & water (DBQ), why children
2010 / 2 / Termites, Methane math
3 / Invasive Species / Zebra Mussels introduction, effects
4 / Climate Change & Sea Level / Impact people/ecology coastal areas
1 / Ecology (pine beetle and CCD) / Fire suppression, death of mature trees, econ. Efx of CCD, ecos. services
2011 / 2 / Coral Reefs / C-storage, ocean pH, math on incr. in volume & mass of corals, other marine probs
3 / Energy / Geothermal, Air poll. In china, tar sands or biofuel
4 / Soil & Agriculture / Graph land area, phys/chem. Prop. Of soil, sustainability in agriculutre
1 / Energy / Fracking – env cons/econ ben, ben. Of NG, cons of nuclear
2012 / 2 / Energy / Alt energy source pros/cons, math
3 / Pesticides – Expt Design
4 / Water – Wetlands / Define, food web, natural waste tx
1 / Water – Gulf of MX / Sed. Runoff (causes/efx), fert runoff
2013 / 2 / Energy / Electric cars
3 / Air / Strat. Ozone, ozone depletion, trop. Ozone/smog
4 / Ecology / Biodiversity – char of, causes of decrease, solutions
APES FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS BY TOPIC
WATER POLLUTION & MANAGMENT
2013 1 Gulf of MX – sediment runoff (causes, impact of decrease in sed. Deposits in wetlands), fertilizer runoff and cultural eutrophication
2012 4 ID two char. That define a wetland, draw arrows on food web/why so much land for one pair of eagles, econ ben of wetlands, act that degrades, how nat waste tx
2010 1 Water/Soil Toxins - PCB Mercury Lead Pollutants in soil & water (DBQ), why children more susceptible
2009 3 Water Diversion – dams, pros/cons, how to reduce water consumption, 2 conseq. of climate change on Colorado River system, and 2 impacts on coastal ecosys.
2007 1 Sewage Treatment and using sludge as a fertilizer, method of disinfection, law associated (CWA, NEPA, SDWA)
2007 4E Urban areas – how is hydrologic cycle different? (decr. Transpiration, increased runoff, increased flooding and river flow rates during storms)
2004 4B Effects of inorganic fertilizers used on soil – (eutrophication)
2003 3 Estuaries – 2 causes for temp. and/or salinity variations, 2 econ. and 2 ecol. roles of coastal wetlands, how have we degraded coastal wetlands, law to prevent?
2002 2 Water Diversion - Env. probs, arg. for div. to urban vs. natural areas, other div. proj.
2001 4 Water Quality Tests – how can DO, NO3- & PO43- tell you if animal waste has contaminated water, 2 other tests for water quality, effects of waste in water,CWA
1999 1 Water Quality Tests (3), design expt (pond A, pond B), what is an indicator species
1998 3 Acidification of lakes – In what range in the diagram do trout thrive, what organism is an indicator of acidification, how does pH affect biodiversity, causeation
ENDANGERED SPECIES
2000 3 ID one End. Sp. and give a characteristic that makes them vulnerable, 3 arguments for Biodiversity, describe a law
2003 4 Condor & whooping crane – what has led to endangerment, 2 measures to protect the species, characteristics of an end. species that make them slow to recover, 1
econ. or ecol. argument for protecting and one against.
1998 4 Bird species in decline – use the land for homes or preserve?, describe a law associated with this decision
ECOLOGY / FOOD CHAIN / INVASIVE SPECIES
2013 4 Biodiversity – characteristics of high BD, causes of decrease, benefits of BD, solutions
2012 3B Draw arrows on wetland food chain, why does it take so much land to support one pair of eagles
2011 1 Pine Beetle/Colony Colapse Disorder, Fire suppression, death of mature trees, econ. Efx of CCD, ecos. services
2010 3 Zebra Mussels – Why in the East? How are they introd. Into isolated lakes? Method of prevent? ID another inv. Sp., 2 char. of invasives that allow them to thrive.
2004 1C Bioaccumulation of Mercury in aquatic food chains – why is health risk greater with eating larger pred. fish, one other metal in env., source & health imp.
2003 1 Give 3 abiotic changes from invasive worm consuming all leaf litter, how this could promote other invasive plants taking over, design an expt.
2001 2 Gypsy Moths DBQ – draw a food web based on description, design an expt. to test relationship betw. acorn prod. and gypsy moth pop., how would you use IPM?
AIR & CLIMATE
2013 3 Stratospheric ozone – creation, depletion, CFCs, Trop. Ozone – creation, impacts
2010 4 Climate Change & Sea Level increase – calc. sea level rise in 50 yrs., 2 things caused by incr. temp. that lead to sea level rise, impacts of sea level rise on estuaries, econ. impacts of sea level rise, 2 ways govt. could discourage people from moving to coastal areas.
2009 3C&D Two conseq. of climate change on Colorado River system, and 2 impacts on coastal ecosystems
2009 1 PC Smog – how it forms, impacts of the smog, etc.
2007 3 Tropospheric & Stratospheric Ozone – chem resp. for thinning ozone & 2 major uses for it, HOW do they destroy ozone, maj. Env./health Consequences
2007 4 Urban heat island & outdoor air pollution – how does temp. in urban areas differ from rural, what causes this,
2006 2 CO2/Temp correlation, net change in CO2, ratio of change in temp:CO2, predict temp change, assumption necessary, 2 reasons for CO2 increase, 2 other anthr. GHGs
2001 3 Indoor air pollution – ID 2 IAPs, type of building affected, source, effect on health, what is “sick building”, criteria used to determine if building is sick?
2000 1C& D Sulfur emissions – ways to reduce and env. impacts
1999 3 Four of the six criteria air pollutants shown in graphs (lead, particulates, CO, ozone), sources, ways to reduce, % change
MINING
2005 3 Coal strip mines, steps of restoration, what env. effect does S in tailings have (AMD), 2 impacts of coal for energy, why will per capita coal cons. in U.S. go up?
2007 Gold mining, vol., price, % calculations, 2 ways to use mine waste, negative env. Impacts of abandoned mine
ENERGY
2013 2 Electric vehicles – govt. incentives to encourage sales, fuel efficiency/battery charging/CO2 prod. Math, econ. Impacts of more EV’s
2012 1 Fracking – 2 water related problems, 2 env benefits of NG, 2 env cons of fracking, one econ benefit, 2 env cons of nuclear
2012 2 Alt energy – ID one, give pros/cons, 2 ecol benefits of forests, math – carbon storage, emissions, offsets
2011 3 Geothermal, Air poll. In china, tar sands or biofuel
2009 2 Methane Digester – math prob., how does it make electricity, health benefits,
2008 1 Biofuels – acres required to produce 1000 gal oil, adv. Of biodiesel from algae vs. crops, adv. Other than air of relying on biofuel, why diff. impact on CO2 than ff’s
2007 2 Cost of Shower (reducing water use & energy), energy calculations, 2 ways to reduce water use at home, 2 conserv. Measures to decr. Energy use at home
2006 1 Solar Power – env. cost/benefit of using PV solar, stand-alone vs. grid-connected solar, how could govt. promote solar, ways to use passive solar at home?
2005 4 Oil& ANWR – calc. how long the oil supply in ANWR would last us, 2 char. that make arctic fragile, 2 activities assoc. with developing area for
oil and env. impact, end uses of oil and alternatives
2005 3D&E Coal Mining – 2 impacts of using coal for energy, why per capita coal consumption in U.S. is likely to increase.
2004 2 Coal Plant & Wind Power – calc. the kWh produced by coal plant, community energy consumption, cost per kWh of using wind power & benefits
2002 3 Electric Cars – benefits, calc. reduction in oil consumption given certain variables, does it only shift pollution from dispersed to point sources?
2001 1 Natural Gas & Efficiency – calculations (# of ft3 to heat house, cost), identify 3 ways to conserve heat in your house, 2 impacts of wood-burning stove
2000 1 Coal Plant & Air Poll. – energy conversions, 2 ways the plant can reduce sulfur emissions, problems with sulfur emissions
1999 2 Energy & Sustainability – what makes a resource renewable/nonrenewable, give examples of each, describe resource use per capita in developed and
developing countries, what is sustainable resource use, policy that supports sustainable resource use
1998 1 Dishwasher vs. Handwashing – energy calculations, env. costs/benefits of i) washing w/ dishwasher, ii) washing dishes by hand
FORESTS/LAND USE
2010 2 Termites/CH4 prod. – data analysis (temp. humidity), math for CH4 emissions, reason termite pop. Increases when forest is cleared, df and climate change
2008 3 Why does fire suppression incr. intensity of for. Fires, pros/cons of HFI ’03, 2 ecosyst. Serv provided by forests, another biome maintained by fire, how?
NUCLEAR
2012 1D Cons of nuclear
2004 3 Low/High-level radioactive waste, what isotope is in waste, how is waste generated, char. of ideal underground storage site, two other
options for long-term mgmt. of radioactive waste, human health impacts from exposure, how?
1998 2 Nuclear Power plant – label parts of plant, 2 env. probs. associated with nuclear power, based on article what options do you foresee for nuclear power
SUSTAINABILITY / renewable / nonrenewable / recycling
1999 Energy & Sustainability – what makes a resource renewable/nonrenewable, give examples of each, describe resource use per capita in developed and
developing countries, what is sustainable resource use, policy that supports sustainable resource use
2000 2 Is recycling smart economics? - DBQ
POPULATION
2008 4 Graph the TFR over time, 2 causes for decr. In global TFR, why diff. in TFR betw. Kenya & U.S.(give econ. / societal factors), 2 hum. act. that impact biodiver.
2007 3 Social reasons for higher pop. Gr in LDCs, % change, 2 reasons why % change in LDCs is so diff. than in MDCs, how do ff’s make energy, 2 Alt. energy S’s
2003 2 Plot crude b/d rate, calc. growth rate, explain demographic transition (from pre-industrial to post-industrial)
2000 4 Age Structure Diagram (histogram), explain demographic transition
FOOD & ENERGY
2009 4 GM Crops – graph w/ % increase, rate increase, projected land area use given the rate of increase, why might projections be off from actual land use. 2006 4 Fishing methods – calc. rate of decline over 5 yrs from graph, describe 2 fishing methods and role in fish depletion, law related to marine species, 1 other
example of a commons
2005 2 Global meat prod. calculations, % change in per capita production, efficiency of producing grain over meat, human health adv/dis. of eating meat
SOILS
2011 4 Graph land area, phys/chem. Prop. Of soil, sustainability in agriculture
2004 4 Chem/Phys. soil test, adv./dis. to using inorg. fertilizers, 2 soil conserv. practices, 1 biome rich in humus – how did soil orig., how do we improve soil conditions?
2003 1A Leaf Litter – importance to survival of native forest plants
PEST MANAGEMENT
2012 3 ID parts of expt., describe IPM, 2 examples of approaches, env benefits of IPM, 2 other practices that increase crop yields.
2003 1 Worm Invasion – design an expt. to see if they affect the forest ecosystem