Pollution & Climate Change
AP Human Geography · Learn by Concept
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AP Human Geography › Pollution & Climate Change
Hydroelectric power is generated by __________.
water
wind
fossil fuels
natural gas
nuclear reactors
Explanation
The movement of flowing water generates electricity in hydroelectric power plants. Although it was long-practiced on a small scale, hydroelectricity emerged in the twentieth century as an important alternative to the consumption of fossil fuels as a viable source of large quantities of energy.
In urban cities, sometimes a pollution cloud can be noticed hovering in the air. What is this urban pollution "haze" called?
Photochemical smog
Greenhouse gases
Nitrogen deposition
Ozone
Chlorofluorocarbons
Explanation
Photochemical smog is the air pollution that occurs when sunlight reacts with other pollutants in the air. Greenhouse gases and ozone are not necessarily pollutants and do not produce hazy clouds. Chlorofluorocarbons are said to make holes in the ozone, and nitrogen deposition describes atmospheric nitrogen entering the biosphere.
Which of these statements is not true about nonpoint-source pollution?
Pollutants from nonpoint sources are usually smaller in quantity
Nonpoint sources are generally harder to control than point sources
Agriculture is the main contributor of nonpoint-source pollution
Nonpoint-source pollution can generally spread over a much wider area than point-source pollution
Nonpoint sources are sometimes very difficult to trace back
Explanation
Pollutants from nonpoint sources are usually greater in quantity.
What is called the land off the shores of Netherlands that had been invaded by water but has been reclaimed by creative means?
Polder
Proder
Hills
Mounts
Explanation
In the Netherlands, the water had taken over much of the land that had been used by inhabitants. However, through the use of polders, they were able to construct anyways through the use of dikes.
All of the following are major oil-producing areas EXCEPT __________.
the Atlantic Ocean
the Gulf of Mexico
the Arctic Circle
the Persian Gulf
the Caspian Sea
Explanation
The Atlantic Ocean is not a major oil-producing zone. Oil production is found in much higher quantities in the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic Circle, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea.
Why are chlorofluorocarbons so controversial?
They contribute heavily to global warming.
They are poisonous to human beings.
They are poisonous to many animals.
They destroy plant life.
They affect people of different ethnicities in different ways.
Explanation
“Chlorofluorocarbons,” or CFCs as they are often (mercifully) called, are extremely controversial because they contribute heavily to global warming. They are used in refrigeration, packaging, aerosol sprays, and fire extinguishers. When they reach the Earth’s atmosphere they react extremely detrimentally causing (by some estimates) as much if not more damage than the massive amounts of methane and carbon dioxide that we also release into the atmosphere.