AP Spanish Science and Technology Vocabulary: Practice Test & Review
Science and Technology is one of the six AP Spanish themes, and it appears in reading passages, audio clips, and free-response prompts more often than most students expect. Articles about climate change, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and social media. Audio clips about scientific discoveries. Prompts asking you to argue for or against a technological development. The vocabulary is technical but predictable — the same words appear again and again.
This page has a five-set quiz that drills the vocabulary for this theme, plus a full vocabulary guide below it. The quiz covers the words and expressions that appear most often in reading passages and audio prompts. The guide organizes them by sub-category — science and research, technology and innovation, environment, and health — with example sentences.
Start with the evaluation set to see where you stand. You need 80% on a set to unlock the next. Progress is saved in your browser.
Vocabulary Guide
This guide organizes the vocabulary for the Science and Technology theme by sub-category. The quiz above drills the words. The guide is for review and reference.
The Theme
Science and Technology is the AP theme that covers how science and technology shape daily life, society, and the environment. The vocabulary for this theme is technical but predictable — the same words appear again and again in reading passages about climate change, healthcare, and innovation. The most common sub-categories on the exam are science and research (scientific method, data, discoveries), technology and innovation (devices, internet, artificial intelligence), environment (climate, pollution, sustainability), and health (disease, treatment, prevention).
Science and Research
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| la ciencia | science | |
| el científico / la científica | scientist | |
| la investigación | research | |
| el experimento | experiment | |
| la hipótesis | hypothesis | |
| la teoría | theory | |
| el descubrimiento | discovery | |
| la conclusión | conclusion | |
| la recopilación de datos | data collection | |
| el laboratorio | laboratory |
Technology and Innovation
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| la tecnología | technology | |
| el avance tecnológico | technological advance | |
| internet | internet | Lowercase, masculine in Spanish |
| las redes sociales | social media | Fixed expression |
| la inteligencia artificial | artificial intelligence | |
| la digitalización | digitalization | |
| la privacidad | privacy | |
| el usuario / la usuaria | user | |
| la aplicación | application, app | Often shortened to app |
| la innovación | innovation |
Environment
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| el medio ambiente | environment | |
| el cambio climático | climate change | Fixed expression |
| el calentamiento global | global warming | Fixed expression |
| la contaminación | pollution | |
| la biodiversidad | biodiversity | |
| las energías renovables | renewable energy | Fixed expression |
| los residuos | waste | |
| el desarrollo sostenible | sustainable development | Fixed expression |
| la conservación | conservation | |
| el ecosistema | ecosystem |
Health
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| la salud | health | |
| la enfermedad | disease, illness | |
| el tratamiento | treatment | |
| el diagnóstico | diagnosis | |
| el síntoma | symptom | |
| la prevención | prevention | |
| el antibiótico | antibiotic | |
| la vacuna | vaccine | |
| la epidemia | epidemic | |
| el bienestar | well-being |
Fixed Expressions
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| llevar a cabo un estudio | to carry out a study | Los investigadores llevaron a cabo un estudio sobre el sueño. |
| estar a la vanguardia | to be at the forefront | El país está a la vanguardia de la investigación médica. |
| plantear una hipótesis | to propose a hypothesis | El científico planteó una nueva hipótesis. |
| tomar medidas | to take measures | El gobierno debe tomar medidas contra la contaminación. |
| hacer un descubrimiento | to make a discovery | El equipo hizo un descubrimiento importante. |
| tener acceso a | to have access to | Muchas personas no tienen acceso al agua potable. |
| estar en peligro de extinción | to be in danger of extinction | Muchas especies están en peligro de extinción. |
| sufrir de | to suffer from | Millones de personas sufren de diabetes. |
Common Mistakes
Confusing “el medio ambiente” with “el ambiente.”
✗ Debemos proteger el ambiente. (less common in this sense)
✓ Debemos proteger el medio ambiente.
Medio ambiente is the standard term for the natural environment. Ambiente alone can mean “atmosphere” or “ambience” in other contexts.
Using “la tecnología” as masculine.
✗ El tecnología ha avanzado mucho.
✓ La tecnología ha avanzado mucho.
Tecnología is feminine, even though many English speakers assume it is masculine because of the -o ending on similar words.
Confusing “investigación” with “investigación policial.”
✗ La investigación de la enfermedad fue policial.
✓ La investigación de la enfermedad fue científica.
Investigación in a scientific context means research. In a criminal context it means investigation. Context makes the meaning clear.
Writing “internet” with a capital I.
✗ Uso Internet todos los días.
✓ Uso internet todos los días.
In Spanish, internet is written lowercase and is masculine: “el internet” or just “internet.”
Quick Reference Chart
| If you want to say… | Use |
|---|---|
| A proposed explanation that has not been proven | hipótesis |
| A broad framework explaining natural phenomena | teoría |
| The result of testing a hypothesis | conclusión |
| Social media platforms | redes sociales |
| The increase in global temperature | calentamiento global |
| Energy from renewable sources | energías renovables |
| A disease affecting millions worldwide | epidemia |
| Water safe to drink | agua potable |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
El cambio climático es un fenómeno global que afecta a todos los países.
Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects all countries.
Cambio climático refers to the broad phenomenon — temperature shifts, extreme weather, sea level rise, all together.
El calentamiento global es el aumento de la temperatura media del planeta.
Global warming is the increase in the planet’s average temperature.
Calentamiento global is a more specific term — the temperature rise itself. It is one component of climate change.
La investigación científica requiere años de trabajo sistemático.
Scientific research requires years of systematic work.
Investigación in a scientific context is research — a systematic process.
El descubrimiento de la penicilina cambió la historia de la medicina.
The discovery of penicillin changed the history of medicine.
A descubrimiento is the result — the moment something is found. It is the endpoint of investigación, not the process.
