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Here are sample questions from the Hudson Valley Regional Envirothon, a test of high school students’ knowledge of all things environmental: Aquatics 1. Certain aquatic insects are useful to us as indicators of water quality, in that they live in certain conditions. Under what conditions would you expect to find a caddisfly larva? a) Clean, warm, shallow ponded water b) Polluted, warm, shallow ponded water c) Clean, cold, running stream water d) Polluted, cold, running stream water 2. What does the acronym CFU stand for when related to water quality testing? a) Clean Floatable Use b) Colony-Forming Unit c) Cesium, Fluorine and Uranium d) Chloride Flow Underwater Forestry 1. Which harvesting method is considered most detrimental to long range timber management? a) Clearcutting b) Selection harvesting c) High-grading d) Shelterwood cutting 2. If a nail hammered into a tree 4 (four) feet above the ground in 1960, given that the tree grows 1 (one) foot in height each year, how far above the ground is the nail in 1972? a) 16 feet b) 15 feet c) 4 feet d). 6 feet Soils 1. Considering the type of electrical charge that most soils have, which of the following ions would you expect to be most strongly retained by soil particles? a) NO3- b) K+ c) Ca++ d) Al+++ 2. Which of the following sentences make the most sense? a) The hydric soil’s matrix is gray. b) The hydric soil’s texture is friable. c) The hydric soil’s consistence is blocky. d) The hydric soil’s hue is gradual. Wildlife 1. All of the following represent primary consumers feeding on first-trophic-level organisms EXCEPT: a) paramecia feeding on green algae b) mice feeding on dead grass c) deer feeding on branches of trees d) slugs feeding on mushrooms 2. What has the greatest negative impact on trout spawning? a) Water temperature less than 16° C b) Sanding roads in winter c) Fast-moving water d) Dissolved oxygen above 7 ppm Current issue (salt and freshwater estuaries) 1. During their spawning migration from the sea into fresh water, herring adjust to the change in salinity in which of the following ways? a) The volume of urine excreted by the fish’s kidneys greatly increases. b) The volume of urine excreted by the fish’s kidneys greatly decreases. c) Herring drink more. d) Herring “breathe” - pass water into their mouths and over their gills - more frequently because the water’s density changes. 2. What is the most likely explanation for the fact that average water levels in the Hudson River estuary at the George Washington Bridge in New York City are lower in winter than in summer? a) Ice forms on the Hudson. b) Less water flows off the Hudson’s frozen watershed in the cold months of the year. c) Colder water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean cause the water to contract and sea level to drop. d) Prevailing north winds keep the water level lower. The answers: Aquatics 1. c 2. b Forestry 1. c 2. c Soils 1. d 2. a Wildlife 1. d 2. b Current Events 1. a 2. c