Learn Extracted exam questions AP Environmental Science 2018 Free Response
2018 Free Response
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Read the following article from the Fremont Daily Times and answer the questions that follow.
[Newspaper article, masthead "Fremont Daily Times", dated May 1, 2018, headline "GREEN IS THE NEW SCHOOL COLOR AT FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL!"]
A group of students from Fremont High School addressed the city council last night and proposed that one of the existing buildings at Fremont High School, which was built in 1970, be renovated to take advantage of recent advances in green technology. Currently the heat for the school is provided by fossil fuel combustion. The students said that the redesigned building would reduce the school's carbon footprint, which is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds released by various human activities. Incorporating specific features that conserve energy and utilize renewable energy sources can help reduce the carbon footprint.
Councilperson Gail Fassler praised the idea, saying that the project could conserve local water resources, reduce the need for consuming new resources, and act as a "shining beacon" of sustainability for the greater Fremont community. Fassler suggested the project could even incorporate a living green roof as an additional sustainable feature. The council approved the initial site planning request and urged students to report back when the project was under way.
Define carbon footprint.
Identify one way the school's heating system is likely adding to the school's carbon footprint.
Describe one realistic way to reduce the contribution of the heating system to the school's carbon footprint.
Identify TWO environmental benefits of a living green roof, such as that suggested by Councilperson Fassler.
Describe TWO practices the cafeteria's food service could use to decrease the environmental impacts of Fremont High School.
Discuss TWO benefits of using native plants for landscaping at Fremont High School.
During the renovation, the carpeting must be replaced. Discuss one environmental benefit of using flooring made of plant material, such as cork or bamboo, instead of carpet made of synthetic fibers.
An offshore wind farm project using turbines to generate electricity is to be built along the Atlantic coast of the United States. It will be located about 13 km from the coast in water with an average depth of 10 m.
Describe one environmental benefit associated with an offshore wind project.
Identify and describe one potential economic effect of an offshore wind project.
Describe one additional way, other than wind power, that oceans can provide renewable energy for the generation of electricity.
The project will consist of 200 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 4 megawatts (MW). Each turbine costs $1.2 million to build. Electrical demand in the area to be served by the project is expected to be $2.0 \times 10^{6}$ MWh per year.
Calculate how much electricity (in MWh) the wind project needs to generate per year in order to provide 80% of the annual electrical demand in the service area. Show all work.
Customers in the service area pay $0.20/kWh for electricity. Calculate how much revenue will be produced if the wind turbines provide 80% of the annual electrical demand in the service area. Show all work.
Assuming all turbines are operating, calculate how many hours the wind turbines must operate to provide 80% of the annual electrical demand in the service area. Show all work.
An Arctic food web includes the following organisms.
[Food-web diagram showing organisms connected by arrows pointing from prey to predator (from what is eaten to what eats it), labeled: "Orca", "Polar Bear", "Arctic Cod", "Ringed Seal", "Krill (zooplankton)", "Diatom (phytoplankton)". Arrows: Diatom (phytoplankton) → Krill (zooplankton); Diatom (phytoplankton) → Ringed Seal; Krill (zooplankton) → Arctic Cod; Arctic Cod → Orca; Arctic Cod → Polar Bear; Ringed Seal → Polar Bear; Ringed Seal → Orca; Polar Bear → Orca. Note: Figures not drawn to scale.]
Refer to the food web above to complete the following table.
| Organism from Arctic food web | |
|---|---|
| (i) Identify a primary producer | |
| (ii) Identify a primary consumer | |
| (iii) Identify a secondary consumer |
Identify a primary producer.
Identify a primary consumer.
Identify a secondary consumer.
Other than showing which organisms are consumed by other organisms, describe what is indicated by the direction of the arrows in the diagram.
As the amount of sea ice has decreased, larger expanses of the Arctic Ocean are now completely free of sea ice for several weeks each summer. Ringed seals, the preferred prey of polar bears, come to holes in the sea ice to breathe.
Describe how the change in sea ice habitat is affecting polar bears' ability to hunt and feed.
Explain how melting sea ice leads to a feedback loop that increases Arctic warming.
Many species, including some whales and birds, will travel thousands of kilometers during annual migrations.
Provide one reason a species may migrate a long distance.
The North Atlantic right whale migrates between subtropical and polar waters annually. Nearly 50 percent of right whale deaths are due to human activities. Describe one commercial activity, other than whaling, that may result in the death of right whales.
Describe one strategy that could reasonably be implemented to decrease right whale deaths caused by the commercial activity you described in part (ii).
In many parts of the world, biomass like peat, wood, and animal waste is burned indoors for cooking and home heating. Combustion of these fuels releases harmful household air pollutants that pose a health threat to billions of people, mostly in less developed countries.
Air pollutants are released during the burning of biomass indoors for cooking and heating.
Identify TWO air pollutants released during the burning of biomass indoors for cooking and heating.
Identify a specific human respiratory illness that one of the pollutants you identified may cause.
Identify one realistic approach, other than banning the practice of burning biomass indoors, that could be used to reduce the impact of biomass combustion indoors on human respiratory health. Describe how this approach could reduce the incidence of respiratory illness.
In 2016 approximately four million people died from illnesses attributed to household air pollutants from burning biomass indoors. More than 10 percent of these deaths occurred in children under the age of five in less developed countries.
Discuss one reason children under the age of five are at a greater risk than adults for illnesses linked to household air pollutants.
In more developed countries, indoor air pollution is also a problem. Common indoor air pollutants in developed countries include:
- asbestos
- radon
- mold
Choose TWO of the three common indoor air pollutants (asbestos, radon, mold) listed above and complete the following table.
| Indoor Air Pollutant | Source | Method for Reducing Exposure |
|---|---|---|
(i) Identify a source for each indoor air pollutant.
(ii) Describe a method for reducing exposure to each of the two pollutants you chose.