APES VOCAB EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
environment - -the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of
organisms as well as the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual or
community
-environmental science - -the systematic, scientific study of our environment as well as
our role in it
-utilitarian conservation - -a philosophy that resources should be used for the greatest
good for the greatest number for the longest time
-biocentric preservation - -a philosophy that emphasizes the fundamental right of living
organisms to exist and to pursue their own goods
-environmentalism - -active participation in attempt to solve environmental pollution and
resource problems
-global environmentalism - -a concern for, and action to help solve, global environmental
problems
-human developement index (HDI) - -a measure of quality of life expectancy, child
survival, adult literacy, childhood education, gender equality, and access to clean water and
sanitation as well as income
-sustainable development - -a real increase in well-being and standard of life for the
average person that can be maintained over the long-term without degrading teh
environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
-stewardship - -a philosophy that holds that humans have a unique responsibility to
manage, care for, and improve nature
-ecological footprint - -a measure that computes the demands placed on nature by
individuals and nations
-environmental justice - -a recognition that access to a clean, healthy environment is a
fundamental right of all human beings
-environmental realism - -the idea that we can understand 'nature' objectively, 'as it really
is' and imposing restrictions on development out of respect for the boundaries and limits of
ecological sustainability
-conservation - -consideration of landscape, human culture, topography, and ecological
values
, -preservation - -to keep safe from harm or injury, protect or spare
-ecology - -the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between
organisms and their environment
-extreme poverty - -living on less than $1(U.S.) per day
-environmental ethics - -a search for moral values and ethical principles in human
relations with the natural world
-controlled studies - -those in which comparisons are made between experimental and
control populations that are identical in every factor except the one factor being studied
-deductive reasoning - -deriving testable predictions about specific cases from general
principles
-inductive reasoning - -inferring general principles from specific examples
-independent variable - -a variable whose value determines the value of other variables
-dependent variable - -a variable whose value is determined by the value of an
independent variable
-carbon sink - -places of carbon accumulation, causes carbon to be removed from the
carbon cycle for a long time
-cellular respiration - -the process in which a cell breaks down sugar or other organic
compounds to release energy used for cellular work
-conservation of matter - -matter changes form in a chemical reaction, but is never created
nor destroyed
-first law of thermodynamics - -the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy
of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes, energy is conserved and is
neither created nor destroyed under normal conditions
-photosynthesis - -the biochemical process by which green plants and some bacteria
capture light energy and use it to produce chemical bonds, carbon dioxide and water are
consumed while oxygen and simple sugars are produced
-second law of thermodynamics - -a law stating that mechanical work can be derived from
a body only when that body interacts with another at a lower temperature, with each
successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do
work
environment - -the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of
organisms as well as the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual or
community
-environmental science - -the systematic, scientific study of our environment as well as
our role in it
-utilitarian conservation - -a philosophy that resources should be used for the greatest
good for the greatest number for the longest time
-biocentric preservation - -a philosophy that emphasizes the fundamental right of living
organisms to exist and to pursue their own goods
-environmentalism - -active participation in attempt to solve environmental pollution and
resource problems
-global environmentalism - -a concern for, and action to help solve, global environmental
problems
-human developement index (HDI) - -a measure of quality of life expectancy, child
survival, adult literacy, childhood education, gender equality, and access to clean water and
sanitation as well as income
-sustainable development - -a real increase in well-being and standard of life for the
average person that can be maintained over the long-term without degrading teh
environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
-stewardship - -a philosophy that holds that humans have a unique responsibility to
manage, care for, and improve nature
-ecological footprint - -a measure that computes the demands placed on nature by
individuals and nations
-environmental justice - -a recognition that access to a clean, healthy environment is a
fundamental right of all human beings
-environmental realism - -the idea that we can understand 'nature' objectively, 'as it really
is' and imposing restrictions on development out of respect for the boundaries and limits of
ecological sustainability
-conservation - -consideration of landscape, human culture, topography, and ecological
values
, -preservation - -to keep safe from harm or injury, protect or spare
-ecology - -the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between
organisms and their environment
-extreme poverty - -living on less than $1(U.S.) per day
-environmental ethics - -a search for moral values and ethical principles in human
relations with the natural world
-controlled studies - -those in which comparisons are made between experimental and
control populations that are identical in every factor except the one factor being studied
-deductive reasoning - -deriving testable predictions about specific cases from general
principles
-inductive reasoning - -inferring general principles from specific examples
-independent variable - -a variable whose value determines the value of other variables
-dependent variable - -a variable whose value is determined by the value of an
independent variable
-carbon sink - -places of carbon accumulation, causes carbon to be removed from the
carbon cycle for a long time
-cellular respiration - -the process in which a cell breaks down sugar or other organic
compounds to release energy used for cellular work
-conservation of matter - -matter changes form in a chemical reaction, but is never created
nor destroyed
-first law of thermodynamics - -the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy
of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes, energy is conserved and is
neither created nor destroyed under normal conditions
-photosynthesis - -the biochemical process by which green plants and some bacteria
capture light energy and use it to produce chemical bonds, carbon dioxide and water are
consumed while oxygen and simple sugars are produced
-second law of thermodynamics - -a law stating that mechanical work can be derived from
a body only when that body interacts with another at a lower temperature, with each
successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do
work
