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






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






3. Organisms which produce their own food.






4. An extinct hominid species believed to be the last common ancestor between man and apes.






5. Single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus.






6. An agency created to establish regulations concerning pollutants to protect humans and the environment.






7. A situation where a layer of warmer air traps lower - cooler air - causing pollution to collect near the ground.






8. The cycling and reusing of elements and molecules (such as water - nitrogen - and phosphorus) that are essential to life.






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






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






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






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






13. A type of symbiosis where each species will benefit from interacting with the other.






14. 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






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






16. The process by which certain kinds of bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia - a form accessible to living creatures.






17. Also called that water cycle - this process describes the cycling of water throughout the environment. The stages of this cycle are evaporation - condensation - transportation - precipitation - infiltration and percolation - and run off.






18. 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.






19. The oxification of ammonia by certain bacterium into nitrite and later into nitrates - which can then be used by plants.






20. Organisms which consume autotrophs for food.






21. The flow of water in the water table.






22. All of the water found on earth.






23. A variety of species living together.






24. The area between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Here the temperature reverses from decreasing to increasing with altitude.






25. An extinct hominid species believed to have the same brain capacity as modern man and use many different weapons.






26. A UN conference that addressed the growing population problem.






27. A community of species interacting with their nonliving (abiotic) environment.






28. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






29. A principle that states that two species competing for a single resource cannot coexist. One species will inevitably gain an advantage over the other - causing the looser either to migrate or to become extinct.






30. The process of surface water entering the soil. This ensures that plants have adequate access to water.






31. Modern man.






32. Organisms which thrive in low nutrient environments and usually have slow growth rates.






33. Average expected birth rate for 1 -000 women.






34. Organisms which eat other organisms.






35. A forest found in temperate regions with warm summers - cool winters - and plenty of rainfall. These kinds of forests are characterized by evergreens and deciduous trees.






36. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






37. 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.






38. The combination of evaporation from the ocean - lakes - and other bodies of water and transpiration - the loss of water from plants.






39. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






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






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






42. Exceptionally acidic (low pH) rain. This phenomenon is caused mainly by emissions of carbon dioxide - sulfur dioxide - and nitrogen oxide which react with water particles in the air.






43. The spraying of pesticides to prevent a pest problem before it happens.






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






45. Animals which eat grass and roots.






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






47. An act requiring federal agencies to detail the impact of proposed environmental policies.






48. Animals which eat leaves and shoots.






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






50. An international protocol designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of CFCs and other harmful chemicals.