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AP Environmental Science Practice Quiz: Increases in the Greenhouse Gases

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 7 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 7

According to the provided text, which of the following is a direct environmental problem resulting from global climate change?

All Questions (7)

According to the provided text, which of the following is a direct environmental problem resulting from global climate change?

A) Increased volcanic activity

B) Rising sea levels

C) Depletion of the ozone layer

D) Decreased ocean salinity

Correct Answer: B

The text explicitly states that global climate change can lead to environmental problems including rising sea levels.

The provided text identifies two specific mechanisms that contribute to rising sea levels. What are they?

A) Increased precipitation and river runoff

B) Melting ice sheets and ocean water expansion

C) Tectonic plate shifts and coastal subsidence

D) Decreased evaporation and groundwater depletion

Correct Answer: B

The text specifies that rising sea levels are a result of "(from melting ice sheets and ocean water expansion)".

Based on the text, an increase in greenhouse gases poses a threat to human health primarily by which of the following mechanisms?

A) Causing direct respiratory illness from gas inhalation

B) Enabling disease vectors to spread from tropical to polar regions

C) Increasing the frequency of earthquakes and tsunamis

D) Contaminating freshwater sources with industrial pollutants

Correct Answer: B

The text directly identifies a threat to human health as "disease vectors spreading from the tropics toward the poles."

Which of the following describes a likely societal consequence for a low-lying coastal community, based on the information provided?

A) A rapid increase in population due to new economic opportunities.

B) A decrease in the local prevalence of tropical diseases.

C) Changes in population size and movement as residents are displaced by rising sea levels.

D) A stabilization of the local environment, leading to static population dynamics.

Correct Answer: C

The text states that environmental problems like rising sea levels "can lead to changes in population dynamics and population movements in response." A coastal community would be directly affected by rising sea levels, likely causing population movement.

According to the causal chain described in the text, what is the initial cause of environmental problems like rising sea levels and the spread of disease vectors?

A) Population movements

B) Melting ice sheets

C) Excess greenhouse gases

D) The expansion of ocean water

Correct Answer: C

The text begins by stating, "Global climate change, caused by excess greenhouse gases, can lead to environmental problems..." This identifies excess greenhouse gases as the root cause in the described sequence.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates an interconnected threat to human health and the environment as described in the text?

A) A city in a temperate zone experiences a higher incidence of a mosquito-borne illness previously found only in the tropics.

B) A polar bear population declines due to a lack of sea ice for hunting.

C) A desert community experiences a prolonged drought, leading to water shortages.

D) An inland agricultural area sees increased crop yields due to higher CO2 levels.

Correct Answer: A

This scenario directly exemplifies the concept of "disease vectors spreading from the tropics toward the poles," which is one of the key threats to human health and the environment identified in the provided content.

The text suggests that "changes in population dynamics and population movements" are a direct...

A) cause of increased greenhouse gases.

B) cause of global climate change.

C) response to environmental problems like rising sea levels.

D) mechanism for the expansion of ocean water.

Correct Answer: C

The text explicitly states that environmental problems "can lead to changes in population dynamics and population movements in response," identifying these population changes as a consequence of, or response to, the problems.