APES Study Guide – Chapters 10-12
Chapter 10 - Food, Soil, And Pest Management
1. Compare and contrast traditional and industrialized agriculture. Evaluate the green revolution. What
were its successes? Its failures? Describe four interplanting strategies.
2. Describe the trends in world food production since 1950. Summarize food distribution problems.
Define malnutrition and undernutrition. Indicate how many people on Earth suffer from these
problems.
3. Describe the problems of soil erosion and desertification. Describe both world and U.S. situations and
explain why most people are unaware of this problem. Describe the problems of salinization and
waterlogging of soils and how they can be controlled.
4. Define soil conservation. List nine ways to approach the problem of soil erosion. Be sure to
distinguish between conventional-tillage and conservation-tillage farming. Describe a plan to maintain
soil fertility. Be sure to distinguish between organic and inorganic fertilizers.
5. From what nutritional malady do people in developed countries suffer? Describe the health
implications and what steps can be taken to alleviate the problem.
6. List twelve environmental effects of food production. (Figure 10-18)
7. Describe the possibilities of increasing world food production by increasing crop yields, cultivating
more land, using unconventional foods.
8. Summarize major environmental impacts of meat production. Explain how meat can be produced
more sustainably.
9. Summarize the importance of fish to the world’s food supply. Describe trends in the world fish catch
since 1950. Assess the potential for increasing the annual fish catch.
10. Distinguish between the two types of aquaculture. In your opinion, what is the single greatest
advantage and disadvantage associated with aquaculture? Evaluate the potential of fish farming and
fish ranching for increasing fish production.
11. Define pesticide and list five types of pesticides. Distinguish between broad-spectrum and narrowspectrum agents.
11. Make a case for using pesticides. List three encouraging developments in pesticide production. List
five characteristics of the ideal pesticide. Which insect is described as the ideal pest? Why?
12. Describe the consequences of relying heavily on pesticides. Summarize threats to wildlife and the
human population.
13. List and briefly describe seven alternative pest management strategies.
CHAPTER 11 - WATER AND WATER POLLUTION
1. Briefly describe Earth’s water supply. Compare amounts of saltwater and fresh water. Compare
amounts of frozen fresh water and water available for human use. Define watershed and groundwater.
2. List four causes of water scarcity and five methods to increase water supply. State four ways to
prevent unnecessary water waste.
3. Define floodplain. Describe the significance of the problem of flooding. List four ways to reduce the
problem of flooding. Evaluate the water supply problems of your locality. Do you have too much, not
enough, or just right?
4. List nine common types of water pollutants and give one example of each. Distinguish between point
and non-point sources of pollution. Provide examples.
5. Briefly explain the differences among streams, lakes, groundwater, and oceans that vary in their
vulnerability to pollution. Draw an oxygen sag curve to illustrate what happens to dissolved oxygen
levels in streams below points where degradable oxygen-demanding wastes are added.
6. Define cultural eutrophication. List three ways to reduce cultural eutrophication. Compare the
effectiveness of pollution control and pollution prevention strategies.
7. Describe at least three strategies to reduce nonpoint-source pollution. Briefly describe the Clean Water
Act. State ways it could be strengthened.
8. Briefly describe and distinguish among primary, secondary, and advanced sewage treatment.
Summarize one natural approach to water purification. Describe how drinking water is protected and
purified.
9. List things individuals can do to maintain water supply and quality.
CHAPTER 12 - GEOLOGY AND NONRENEWABLE MINERALS
1. Briefly describe the layers of the Earth’s interior. Distinguish three different tectonic plate
boundaries and the geologic features often found at each. Explain how this knowledge is
significant for understanding mineral deposits and evolution.
2. List and define three broad classes of rock. Briefly describe the rock cycle and indicate
interrelationships among these classes.
3. Distinguish between surface and subsurface mining. Briefly describe three types of surface
mining.
4. Distinguish between mineral resources and mineral reserves. Draw a hypothetical depletion curve.
Project how this curve would be affected by the following changes in assumptions: (a) recycling
of the resource is increased, (b) discoveries of new deposits of the resource are made, (c) prices
rise sharply, (d) a substitute for the resource is found.
5. Summarize the environmental impacts of extracting, processing, and using mineral resources.
Evaluate the impact of the U.S. 1872 Mining Law.