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AP®Environmental ScienceCollege BoardExam QuestionsUnit 6: Energy Resources & ConsumptionHydroelectric Power

Hydroelectric Power (College Board AP® Environmental Science): Exam Questions

10 mins10 questions
11 mark

How does a hydroelectric dam generate electricity?

  • It captures solar heat to turn turbines

  • It releases steam into the atmosphere

  • It uses falling water to spin turbines connected to generators

  • It traps methane from rivers and burns it

Choose your answer

21 mark

Which of the following is a major environmental consequence of damming rivers for hydroelectricity?

  • Increased desertification

  • Disruption of fish migration and river ecosystems

  • Increased salinity of freshwater

  • Destruction of the ozone layer

Choose your answer

31 mark

Which of the following is a benefit of hydroelectric power?

  • It provides renewable, low-emission electricity

  • It emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide

  • It relies on combustion to generate energy

  • It increases evaporation and water scarcity

Choose your answer

41 mark

Which of the following factors limits the expansion of hydroelectric power in some regions?

  • Lack of sunlight

  • Inconsistent wind speeds

  • Flat terrain with few rivers

  • Excessive rainfall and river flow

Choose your answer

51 mark

What happens to sediment flow when a river is dammed?

  • Sediment builds up in the reservoir and reduces storage capacity

  • Sediment increases downstream biodiversity

  • Sediment flows freely through turbines

  • Sediment flow increases to the ocean

Choose your answer

61 mark

Which of the following types of hydroelectric power has minimal environmental impact?

  • Large dam with a deep reservoir

  • Tidal barrage in an estuary

  • Run-of-river hydroelectric system

  • Dam constructed in a desert streambed

Choose your answer

71 mark

Which of the following is not a drawback of hydroelectric dams?

  • Habitat fragmentation

  • Methane release from flooded vegetation

  • High greenhouse gas emissions during operation

  • Altered river flow and sediment transport

Choose your answer

81 mark

Why is hydroelectric power considered a renewable resource?

  • Water is continuously cycled through the Earth's system

  • It burns water instead of fossil fuels

  • It generates electricity through chemical reactions

  • It doesn’t use turbines to produce energy

Choose your answer

91 mark

Which of the following best describes impoundment in hydroelectric power generation?

  • It uses the flow of water over turbines to generate electricity, relying on natural river currents

  • It stores water in a reservoir behind a dam and releases it to generate electricity through turbines  

  • It generates electricity by converting the kinetic energy of water flowing through pipelines directly into power without the need for a dam  

  • It converts tidal energy into electricity by harnessing the rise and fall of ocean tides

Choose your answer

101 mark

Which of the following is the most significant environmental concern associated with large-scale hydroelectric power plants?

  • Emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from reservoirs

  • The disruption of local climate patterns due to the operation of turbines

  • Alterations to aquatic ecosystems, including fish migration and water quality changes

  • The depletion of water resources from overuse in power generation

Choose your answer