Name: _________________________
PRACTICE TEST – Unit 3: Population Ecology and the Human Population
AP Environmental Science – November 29, 2012
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer and darken its bubble.
1. The total number of babies born or hatched in a
population is called its ______________.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
population lag
fecundity
biotic potential
mortality
zero population growth (ZPG)
7. The simplest and maybe least controversial means of
slowing population growth is…
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
abortion
birth control pill
in vitro fertilization
vasectomy
delay the birth of the first child
2. What happens when the birth rate equals the death rate in
a population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
population lag
fecundity
biotic potential
mortality
zero population growth (ZPG)
3. A herd of caribou on Edwardan Island contained 20
animals in 1959 and was growing steadily at 14%
annually. What was the doubling time for the herd?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
2 years
5 years
7 years
20 years
70 years
4. The previous question assumes that the herd of caribou
was reproducing at a maximum rate, that there was an
endless supply of food and no predators. Of course that
can’t happen. But what do biologists call the concept?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
eutrophication
a biogradient
total fertility
biomagnifications
biotic potential
5. In California in 2003 the beginning population was 34
million and there were 540,000 births. What was the
birth rate?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
1.6%
0.016%
6.3%
0.6%
16%
6. The tendency for a population to grow even after the
TFR is below replacement levels is called…
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
population boom
population bust
population transition
population momentum
lag phase
8. Which survivorship curve is associated with the
tarantula? She will put 50 eggs into a sack and guard
them until they hatch. Then all the babies wander away
and mostly get eaten or smashed. A few reach
adulthood.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Type I – late loss
Type II – constant loss
Type III – early loss
Type I or Type II
None of the above
9. Factors that have a greater effect on limiting population
growth as the population becomes larger include all of
the following except:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Infectious disease
Competition for resources
Natural disasters
Predation
Parasitism
10. About 400 years ago, the global human population
began to increase very rapidly. What happened to
cause this huge increase?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
The hunter-gatherer revolution
The Industrial Revolution
The invention of fire
The Agricultural Revolution
The Stone Age
11. Today 60% of humans live in ___________ while the
fastest population growth rate is in ________.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Asia; Africa
Africa; Indonesia
Asia; Europe
South America; China
North America; South America
12. As of the year 2010 the population of Earth was about
______ and the annual rate of population growth was
_____.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
1.2 billion; 3.7%
6.8 billion; 1.5%
6.6 billion; 3.5%
12.0 billion; 2.5%
7.0 billion; 0.5%
13. Which of these statements about TFR is FALSE?
(A) The TFR was 3.8 in the USA during the “baby
boom” years, just after World War II.
(B) The replacement fertility rate of TFR is 2.1.
(C) In 2000, the TFR in the USA was about 2.0, the
highest of all the industrialized nations.
(D) Even though USA has reached replacement TFR,
the population will continue to grow over the
next 50 to 100 years due to migration and the
Baby Boom generation.
(E) TFRs in China are nearly 3.5
14. Which factors influence the TFR of a nation?
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Education level of the mothers
Infant mortality
Nutritional value of commodity foods
Religious and cultural beliefs
Age at time of marriage
I & II
I, III, and IV
II and IV
I, IV, and V
All of the above
15. In order, which are the 5 most populous nations in the
world?
(A) China, United European Nations, India,
Australia, Indonesia
(B) USA, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Spain
(C) India, China, Brazil, Sri Lanka, USA
(D) China, India, USA, Indonesia, Brazil
(E) China, USA, India, Brazil, Indonesia
16. Which of the following is the correct sequence of
events for the demographic transition?
I. increasing birth rate
II. increasing death rate
III. high population growth
IV. decreasing birth rate
V. decreasing death rate
VI. low or zero population growth
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
V, VI, IV, VI
V, I, III, IV
V, III, I, VI
V, III, IV, VI
I, III, IV, VI
17. A group of individuals of the same species in a
particular area at a specific time is called a…
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Community
Niche
Ecosystem
Population
Organism
18. _______________ is the spatial pattern assumed by
individuals of a population on a landscape.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Limiting factor
Distribution or range
Dispersal
Niche
Ecotone
19. Abiotic factors in an environment include all of the
following except:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Animals
Sunlight
Water resources
Rocks
Soil
20. What type of distribution occurs when resources are
concentrated in certain areas within a population’s
habitat?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Uniform
Random
Clumped
Dispersed
Disaggregated
21. What type of distribution occurs when resources are
abundant and spread evenly over a population’s
habitat?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Uniform
Random
Clumped
Dispersed
Disaggregated
22.What type of distribution usually occurs when resources
are spread evenly and thinly?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Uniform
Random
Clumped
Dispersed
Disaggregated
23. Population density is the …
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Number of individuals per unit area.
Total number of individuals in a population.
Movement of individuals into an area.
Number of births minus the number of deaths in a
population.
(E) Highest in rural areas
24. Which of the following would be the best way to
determine the number of termites in the Amazon
rainforest?
(A) Direct count of all live termites in the Amazon
(B) Direct count of all termite eggs in the Amazon
(C) Counting the number of termites in a marked-off
section of the Amazon and then estimating
(D) Count the number of termites in a section of the
United States then multiply by ten to compensate
for biodiversity.
(E) None of the above
30. Which of the following had the greatest impact on
reducing population in the U.S?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Demographic transition
The Great Depression
Post-World War II era
The flu of 1918
Post-World War I era
25. Which of the following is responsible for increasing the
size of a particular population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Death rate
Immigration
Emigration
Infant mortality
Access to birth control and abortion
26. Easter Island is an island on which human
overpopulation depleted the island’s resources and
converted it from a forested paradise to a barren island
that could barely support a small population. It appears
that the population exceeded the
island’s________________.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Doubling time
Stationary phase
Environmental resistance
Biotic potential
Carrying capacity
27. The crude birth rate for a population is 32 births per
1,000 people, and the crude death rate is 14 deaths per
1,000 people. Calculate the annual percent growth of
the population.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
3.2%
18%
1.8%
2.8%
14%
28. Which of the following would NOT be considered a
strategy used by a population that demonstrated logistic
growth?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Provides substantial care to the young
Evolve into a relatively large organism
Take more time to reach sexual maturity
Produce a large number of offspring
Long pre-reproductive life history period
29. Approximately, how many years will it take for a
population to quadruple in size if it demonstrates an 8%
annual rate of growth?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
A
3 years
4.5 years
9 years
18 years
36 years
31. The curve above is a population growth curve. What
type of population would this depict?
(A) A population that has undergone overshoot and
die-back.
(B) A population that demonstrates a Malthusian
growth strategy.
(C) A population that demonstrates a logistic growth
strategy
(D) A population with extrinsic regulation of growth
(E) A population that tends to produce many
offspring and not invest many resources in each
individual
32. If the curve above represents a population growth
curve, which of the following principles is NOT
demonstrated by this particular curve?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Overshoot
Lag phase
The effect of environmental resistance
Carrying capacity
Growth phase
33. In the population growth curve above, what phase is
represented by the area marked with an ‘A’?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Growth phase
Lag phase
Stationary phase
Death phase
Steady State phase
34. Which of the following species is a critical link in an
ecosystem, upon which the survival of many other
species depends.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Indicator species
Keystone species
Critical factor
Symbiont
Batesian mimic
40. Approximately what percentage of the world’s human
population lives in developing countries?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
35. Which of the following countries is most likely
represented by the population age structure diagram
above?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
United States
China
Mozambique
Mexico
Russia
36. Exponential growth…
(A) remains constant.
(B) starts out slowly and remains slow.
(C) starts out slowly then becomes very rapid.
(D) starts rapidly and remains rapid.
(E) starts rapidly and then slows.
37. If the world’s population grew by 2% in 1998 and
continued at that rate, how long would it take Earth’s
population to double?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
20 years
25 years
30 years
35 years
45 years
38. Which of the following generalizations about
developing countries is true?
(A) They make up about one-tenth of the world’s
population.
(B) They have high average GNPs per person.
(C) They include USA, Canada, Japan, and European
countries.
(D) They use about 12% of the world’s resources.
(E) They are highly industrialized.
39. Which of the following statements about developed
countries is true?
(A) They make up about one-fifth of the world’s
population.
(B) They have low to moderate GNPs per capita.
(C) They are primarily in Africa, Asia, and Latin
American.
(D) They tend to be highly agricultural.
(E) They use about fifty percent of the world’s
resources.
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
41. You are visiting a developing country. Compared to a
developed country, which of the following would you
expect to find?
(A) Higher percentage of the population with safe
drinking water.
(B) Higher percentage of the population under age 15
(C) Higher average life expectancy
(D) More urban population
(E) Higher percentage of the population over 60
42. The net increase or decrease of individuals in a
population over time is __________________.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Immigration
Emigration
Crude birth rate
Population growth rate
Population density
43. In a population growth curve, the lag phase represents
the period when a population is _________________.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
In dynamic equilibrium
Adjusting to a new environment
Growing exponentially
Experiencing environmental resistance
All of the above
44. In a population growth curve, the steepest part of the
growth phase represents the period when a population is
_______________.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
In dynamic equilibrium
Adjusting to a new environment
Growing exponentially
Experiencing environmental resistance
All of the above
45. In the stationary phase of a population growth rate
curve, the population is _________________.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
In dynamic equilibrium
Adjusting to a new environment
Growing exponentially
Experiencing high natality and high mortality
Achieving its biotic potential
46. What is the term for the maximum population size that
can be sustained by the available resources in an area?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Carrying capacity
r-selective population
K-selective population
Closed population
Geometric population
47. Why does the population growth rate change during
demographic transition?
(A) One-third of the population is under 15 years of
age.
(B) The birth rate drops below the death rate.
(C) The economic development of a country changes
the population growth pattern.
(D) Either immigration or emigration changes the
population growth pattern.
(E) A lack of education and poor access to medical
care keep death rates high.
48. Which of the following patterns would you expect to
find for rabbits and coyotes in an undisturbed habitat?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Explosive
Stable
Cyclic
Irruptive
Clustered
49. Which of the following factors leads to an increase in
biotic potential?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Too much or too little light
Low reproductive rate
Too many competitors
Optimal level of critical nutrients
Outbreak of disease against which organisms
have little immunity
50. Which of the following would determine the carrying
capacity of a population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Climatic changes
Predation
Interspecific competition
Available resources
All of the above
51. You are an ecologist studying the population dynamics
of an ecosystem. You observe that resources are not
evenly distributed. Which of the following population
dispersion patterns might be predicted?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Uniform
Random
Clumped
Dispersed
Incidental
52. Which of the following connections among population
cycle, survival strategies, and survivorship curves
would you most expect to encounter?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Boom-and-bust; K-strategist; early-loss
Boom-and-bust; r-strategist; early-loss
Stable; r-strategist; early-loss
Stable; K-strategist; early-loss
Explosive; K-strategist; late-loss
53. Which of the following describes a K-strategist?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Population follows an S-shaped growth curve.
Exhibits “boom-and’bust” cycles.
Populations rise quickly and then crash.
Generally lives in a rapidly changing
environment.
(E) Produce many small or immature offspring
54. Which of the following will make a population
increase?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Birth rate decreases.
Mortality increases.
The biotic potential increases.
The environmental resistance increases.
Emigration increases.
55. Which of the following is an r-strategist?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Human
Insect
Rhinoceros
Pine tree
Canadian lynx
56. What two things must happen to achieve sustainability
in world populations?
(A) Decrease in total human population and increase
in natural resources.
(B) Decrease in population growth rates and decrease
in consumption rates.
(C) Decrease in developed countries and increase in
developing countries.
(D) Decrease in medical care and an increase in
genetic engineering.
(E) Decrease in consumption rates and increase in
pre-reproductive population.
57. Since 1900, populations of white-tailed deer have
increased dramatically in the eastern United States.
Which of the following is a likely consequence of this
occurrence?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Increase in the wolf population.
Increase in the black bear population.
Increase in biodiversity of plants and insects.
Increase in erosion and waterway sedimentation.
Increase in the rate of ecological succession of
forests.
58. Which of the following terms best describes the type of
population change you would expect to find for a
muskrat population in a state that has just outlawed
trapping?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Irregular
Stable
Cyclic
Irruptive
Boom and bust
59. Sea otters were hunted to near extinction in the Pacific
Northwest. In this region, sea otters are a keystone
species in coastal rocky shore communities. Which of
the following would have been a likely consequence of
the near eradication of the otters?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Increase in overall biodiversity
Increase in other keystone species
Decrease in sea otter prey
Decrease in sea otter predators
Increase in species richness of this community
60. Generally, a species with a high intrinsic rate of
increase will…
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
reproduce late in life
be a K-selected species
be a specialist.
protect their offspring and provide parental care.
produce many small offspring.
61. What type of survivorship curves do annual plants and
most invertebrates tend to have?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Constant loss
Late loss
Early loss
No loss
Variable loss
62. Which of the following would generate the least
accurate results in a mark and recapture population
study?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
sampling at various intervals throughout the year
sampling over a wide area
using the same sampling technique
a marking technique that impacts a prey species
visibility
(E) all of the above
63. A population of hares has its carrying capacity
determined in part by the rates of predation by lynx.
Based on this knowledge, which of the following
factors are most at work to limit this population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Genetic isolation
Allopatric speciation
Density dependent control factors
Density independent control factors
High biotic potential
64. What is the current approximate global human
population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
6.6 million
7.0 billion
6.0 billion
10 billion
312 million
65. According to the age structure diagram above, how
would you characterize this population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Rapidly growing
Stable
Shrinking
Rapidly shrinking
Slowly growing
66. Which of the following is an advantage of sexual
reproduction?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Rapid reproductive rate
Offspring are genetically diverse
A single organism can reproduce by itself.
Increased incidence of genetic errors and defects
Courtship and mating rituals consume energy
67. Which of the following is the single biggest indicator of
the well-being of a human population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Life expectancy
Highest educational level attained
Number of women in the workforce
Gross domestic product
Infant mortality rate
68. In developed countries, like the United States, which of
the following is most likely replacement level fertility?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
2
2.4
2.1
1.9
2.5
69. In the demographic transition model, death rates fall
while birth rates remain high during which stage?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Pre-industrial stage
Industrial stage
Post-industrial stage
Transitional stage
Never
70. Which of the following conditions would lead to the
greatest success of a family planning program?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Apathetic leadership
Implementation is left to central planners
Contraceptives are widely available
The majority of people live in the countryside
Economic disincentives are disproportionate with
family income
71. Infant mortality rate refers to the number of children
out of 1,000 that die…
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
before birth.
in their first month.
by their first birthday.
because of abortion
by age five.
72. Which of the following is often associated with high
infant mortality rate?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
A high standard of living
Malnutrition
Balanced diets
Civil unrest
A low incidence of infectious disease
73. Which of the following implies the greatest built-in
momentum for population growth?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
A large population size
A large number of people age 29 to 44
A large number of people under age 34
A large number of people under age 15
A large number of people over age 45
74. During which stages of demographic transitions are
birth rates of a population high?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Preindustrial and industrial stages
Postindustrial and transitional stages
Industrial and postindustrial stages
Transitional and industrial stages
Preindustrial and transitional stages
75. Which of the following has the greatest potential to
affect global population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Curing of chronic diseases
Curing of acute diseases
Prolonging life for older people
Speeding climate change
Genetic engineering
76. Which of the following best describes the shape of an
exponentially growing population plotted on a graph?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
S
J
K
R
L
77. For the Chinese, which of the following is a likely
consequence of their nation’s One Child Policy?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Declining reproductive services for women
Decreasing access to sterilization, contraception,
and abortion
An increase in the number of rural families
engaging in agriculture and food production
An increase in funds to support economic growth
and militarization
A rapidly growing gender imbalance favoring
males
78. Which of the following factors is NOT an explanation
for the higher than expected infant mortality rate in the
United States?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
inadequate health care for poor women
drug addiction among pregnant women
universal access to abortion
greater overall educational level of women
high birth rate among teenagers
79. The current U.S. population is about 312 million people
and is growing at an annual rate of 0.9 percent. If the
U.S. population were to grow at this rate for the next
year, approximately how many people would be added?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
3 x 105
3 x 106
3 x 107
3 x 108
3 x 109
Country
Population
(millions)
Australia
Bangladesh
China
Ethiopia
India
United States
22
159
1336
91
1189
313
Approximate
Total Land Area
(million km2)
8.2
0.14
9.6
1.12
3.29
9.63
80. According to the data in the table above, what country
has the highest population density?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Australia
Bangladesh
China
Ethiopia
India
81. Which of the following are non-controversial yet
effective methods of decreasing birth rate?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Increasing the age of first child-bearing
Increasing spacing between children
Increase education level of women
Increasing pensions and social security programs
All of the above
82. Which of the following is the expected world
population trend by 2050?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
World population will decline.
Twenty-five percent of the world’s population
will be age 60 or over
The majority of the world’s population will be in
the pre-reproductive age category
World population will be stable.
The human population will reach its carrying
capacity.
Name: _________________________
ANSWER KEY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
B
E
B
E
B
D
E
C
C
D
A
B
E
E
D
D
D
B
A
C
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
B
A
A
C
B
E
C
D
D
D
C
A
A
B
A
C
D
D
A
D
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
B
D
B
C
A
A
C
C
D
E
C
B
A
C
B
B
D
D
D
E
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
C
D
C
B
A
B
E
C
D
C
C
B
D
E
B
B
E
D
B
B
E
B