Professional Documents
Culture Documents
APES FRQ by Unit
APES FRQ by Unit
Period______
many geologists estimate that current primary recovery methods could not be used to extract these new reserves. Many
people fear that using new technology to recover this oil ill raise costs in the marketplace for oil-based products.
a) Describe the method that could be used in order to recover the new reserves of oil mentioned in the article.
b) i. Currently the US consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day. At a price of $120/barrel, how much does the US spend
on oil each day?
ii. The price of a barrel of oil is expected to increase by 50% due to recovery costs within the next 5 years. How
much more per day will the US spend on oil in 5 years compared to today (assuming consumption stays the same)?
iii. Give TWO economic impacts cause by increasing oil prices in the US.
iv. Discuss the possible environmental impacts of opening new oil exploration in coastal waters or federally
protected lands.
FRQ 27 Energy Audit (Unit 6)
Chapter 15b: You are building an addition on a house. You need to decide whether to install a heating unit which uses natural
gas or one that uses electricity. Municipal electricity is purchased in kWh at a unit price of $0.11 a kWh. The heat content per
unit is 3,300 BTU. It takes one million BTU to heat the building per month.
a) Calculate the monthly cost to heat using electrical heaters.
b) Calculate the monthly cost to heat using natural gas.
c) Which choice would make the most financial sense? How much money would be saved?
d) Assuming that the town generated power using a coal burning power plant, compare the environmental impacts of
the choice for electrical verses gas heat generation. Name and discuss how either coal or natural gas is the better
environmental choice and why.
e) Discuss ONE environmental impact of the extraction of either source.
FRQ 28 Energy Use (Unit 6)
Chapter 16a: Each year due to growing population and energy demands, the US faces increasing dependency on conventional
fossil fuels. However, in the past few decades renewable energy has begun to expand in both residential and commercial
sectors of the US.
a) i. The US uses roughly 4.0 million Gigawatt-hours per year in electricity. Currently 50% of our electricity come
from coal. If every 1.0 kilowatt-hours of coal burned releases 2 lbs of carbon dioxide, how much carbon dioxide is
released from burning coal for electricity each year in the US?
ii. If coal usage can be reduced by 15% by utilizing solar energy, how much carbon dioxide will be saved from
entering the atmosphere each year?
iii. Describe several disadvantages to using wind energy.
b) Identify and describe a type of active solar heating method.
c) Give ONE advantage and ONE disadvantage to the method you described above.
FRQ 29 Ethanol Energy (Unit 6)
Chapter 16b: Freemont Times The Maize Maze. Ethanol, the fuel made from the fermentation and distillation of sugars from
plants is no longer just the high-octane fuel reserved for NASCAR racers. With instability continuing in the Middle East, and
gas prices continuing to rise at the pump. American consumers are looking for options. The Midwest of the country famous
as Americans breadbasket grows about 17% the worlds grains. Only select varieties of sweet corn go to market to be
consumed as a summer favorite, corn on the cob. The majority of the corn is frown to provide animal feed, as well as to
produce the ubiquitous ingredient high fructose corn syrup used to sweeten drinks, snacks, cereals, and almost all packaged
foods. Now with the growth of alternative fuel industry, many farmers are looking to sell their corn to produce ethanol.
However, will this change just shift our dependence on foreign oil to dependence on foreign food?
a) According to the article, what is the bulk of the current market for the corn grown in the US?
b) If farmers begin to sell their corn to ethanol producers, what will happen to the demand and therefore price of corn
on the national market?
c) i. How will your answer in question (b) affect the farmers economics?
a. How will it affect the economics of the consumer at the grocery store?
b. What types of products do you think will be most affected? Name and discuss TWO.
d) Discuss TWO environmental benefits of changing America into an ethanol verses gasoline culture?
e) Discuss TWO possible negative environmental impacts of an ethanol market?
FRQ 30 Food and Health (Unit 7)
Chapter 12a:
a) Identify and describe a human health condition that arises from food or vitamin deficiencies.
b) Describe ONE advantage and ONE disadvantage to using genetically modified organisms as crops and food sources.
c) Discuss the connection between meat production and air pollution.
d) Describe and explain ONE environmental and societal disadvantage to using conventional pesticides.
FRQ 31 Toxic Exposure (Unit 7)
Chapter 17a:
a) Describe how humans are exposed to mercury. Suggest solutions to reducing the risk of exposure to this type of
mercury.
b) Identify where human exposure to bisphenol A could be occurring. Describe a specific human health impact seen
due to exposure to this substance.
c) Give TWO chemical hazards that are known as hormonally active agents. Explain from what source they originate.
d) Discuss TWO factors that are taken into consideration when determining the toxicity of a substance.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Describe TWO man-made contributors and ONE natural contributor of non-point water pollution.
Describe FOUR strategies that can be used to control and manage water pollution from the non-point sources.
Give TWO reasons why it is harder to control water pollution from non-point sources than from point sources.
Name TWO contaminants that are more likely to come from non-point sources than from point sources.