Chapter 1: Environmental Science: Studying the State of Our Earth

Vocabulary

7. 19. 25.
1. Fracking 13. Species
Environmentalist Development Hypothesis
8. Environmental 14. Species 20.Sustainabilit 26.
2. Environment
Indicator Diversity y Replication
3.Environmental 9. Ecosystem 21. Sustainable 27. Sample
15. Speciation
Science Services Development Size (n)
10.
16. Background
4. Ecosystem Environmental 22. Biophilia 28. Theory
Extinction Rate
Indicator
17. Greenhouse 23. Ecological 29. Control
5. Biotic 11. Biodiversity
Gases Footprint Group
12. Genetic 18.Anthropogeni 24. Scientific 30. Natural
6. Abiotic
Diversity c Method Experiment

Opening Story: To Frack, or Not to Frack

1. What environmental problems are fossil fuels responsible for?

2. Why is natural gas better than traditional fossil fuels?

3. Explain why initially natural gas appeared to be beneficial to the natural

environment.

4. Name and explain the negative environmental effects of fracking.

5. How does fracking provide a good introduction to the study of environmental

science?

Module 1: Environmental Science offers important insights into our world

1. Give an example of something biotic and something abiotic within an

ecosystem. Explain how these two interact.
2. Explain how fracking is part of a larger system.

3. Using the fisheries of the North Atlantic as an example, come up with a list of
four systems.

4. What role do humans play in environmental systems? Give an example of 2

negative impacts humans have had on these systems.

5. How does new technology generally impact resource use?

6. Who uses more resources per capita: a child born in Los Angeles or a child
born in rural India? Why?

Module 1 AP Review Questions (pg 6)

1. 2. 3. 4.

Module 2: Scientists monitor natural systems for signs of stress

1. Fill out the following chart about five global environmental indicators outlined
in Table 2.2 and pages 8-14.

Indicator Increasing, To achieve Why should How does

decreasing or sustainability, you this
staying the does it need to (personally) indicator
same right increase, care about this connect to
now? decrease or stay indicator? ONE other
the same? indicator?
Biological
Diversity
Food
production
Average Global
Temperature
and [CO2]
Human
Population
Resource
depletion
2. List and explain the 3 levels in which biodiversity occurs.

3. How many new species evolve (new species) worldwide per year? What should
the extinction rate be (per million every year)? Currently how many species are
going extinct?

4. Why are greenhouse gases important?

5. What are the two major sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide?

6. What is the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources?

7. What happened on Easter Island and what should we learn from their mistakes?

8. What does an ecological footprint represent?

9. Explain how iron can be used sustainably.

Do the Math (pg. 11)

A particular forest is 10,000 acres. Determine its size in hectares. (1 hectare = 2.47
acres). Show all work and units.
Module 2 AP Review Questions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Module 3: Scientific Method

1. Explain the scientific method and its application to the study of

environmental problems.

2. Explain how environmental science presents unique challenges (4 reasons).

3. What is required for an idea to be considered a theory, in a scientific sense?

Consider “the theory of evolution”.

4. What is the purpose of a control group in an experiment?

5. What are the goals of the environmental justice movement, and why are they
relevant to achieving sustainability?

Module 3 AP Review Questions (pg 25)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Chapter 1 Practice Exam

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.