Test your basic knowledge |

DSST Environment And Humanity

Subjects : dsst, science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. An act which established and enforced acceptable levels of air pollution.






2. The amount of pests needed before spraying pesticides is economical.






3. Organisms which produce their own food.






4. Excess water which cannot be infiltrated into the soil and instead flows along the ground.






5. An influential book by Rachel Carson which helped begin the environmental movement.






6. The southern-most continent - of which 98% is ice. This continent includes 70% of the world's fresh water - and 90% of the world's ice. Although the average temperature is -49






7. A UN conference held in Rio de Janeiro. The conference decided to protect biodiversity - reduce pollution emissions and greenhouse gasses - and promote sustainable development.






8. An unstable form of oxygen which protects the earth from UV radiation. Although naturally occurring in the stratosphere (upper atmosphere) - in the lower atmosphere this gas acts as a pollutant.






9. An international convention which created the framework for protecting the ozone layer.






10. A type of farming where the farmer will grow crops both to fulfill his family's needs for the next year and to sell on the market.






11. A shubland found primarily in the South-Western United States and Mexico. Fire plays a predominant role in the life-cycle of the plants in this area - the seeds of which will sprout only after a fire.






12. An especially potent greenhouse gas emitted during production and transportation of fossil fuels - decomposition of organic matter - and herds of livestock.






13. All members of a species which live in the same area.






14. Single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus.






15. The amount of variation among organisms living in a particular ecosystem. The loss of this key characteristic leads to a reduction in ecosystem efficiency and the ability of species to adapt to new situations.






16. Species which react quickly to an environmental change and therefore can be used to diagnose a particular ecosystem.






17. The process of a substance passing directly from the solid phase to the gaseous phase - and vice versa.






18. Any living thing on earth.






19. A type of symbiosis where one species will benefit while the other will be neither benefit or be harmed.






20. The place of an organism in an ecosystem - such as what it eats and how it interacts with other organisms.






21. The loss of water vapor from leaves.






22. A greenhouse gas. Although it is a natural part of the carbon cycle - the atmospheric concentration of this gas has increased due to the burning of fossil fuels.






23. Species which serve key roles in an ecosystem. The absence of these important organisms is detrimental to the surrounding area.






24. The coexistence of two species using the same resource where the two will use the resource in different ways.






25. The decomposition of organic nitrogen into inorganic ammonium. This process is also called mineralization.






26. Growing more than one crop at a time.






27. The process of planting trees in between other crops.






28. Populations characterized by small size - short lifespan - and lots of offspring.






29. The rapid increase of harmful algae in a body of water.






30. Precipitation which does not reach the soil but is instead collected by plants.






31. An act created to protect endangered and threatened species.






32. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






33. A type of farming where the farmer will grow just enough crops to satisfy his family's needs for the next year.






34. Consumers which eat both plants and animals.






35. The position of an organism on the food chain.






36. The process of planting different plant species right next to each other to maximize one's yield.






37. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






38. Different species living in close contact with each other.






39. A philosophy that extends ethics to non-humans. Under this system - animals - plants - and other aspects of the environment are seen as being deserving of justice and consideration.






40. The cloudiness of a liquid due to small suspended particles.






41. An act which called for the careful examination of new chemicals to ensure they are safe for their intended uses.






42. A partially enclosed part of the ocean with rivers or streams flowing into it.






43. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






44. The spraying of pesticides to keep produce from any injuries or damage.






45. The process by which the sun's energy converts liquid water to water vapor in the atmosphere.






46. An extinct hominid species believed to exhibit the first example of full-time bipedalism.






47. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






48. A type of symbiosis where one species benefit at the expense of the other.






49. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






50. The second atmospheric layer. The ozone layer is found here - increasing the temperature with altitude.