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. Growing more than one crop at a time.






2. The UN's first major conference on environmental issues.






3. Areas with only enough rainfall for grasses to grow. As a result - most animals are grazers - such as buffalo.






4. 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






5. An act which required the EPA to set standards for drinking water.






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






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






8. 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.






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






10. Water found in estuaries. This water is a mixture of saltine ocean water and fresh water - usually from a river or stream.






11. Organisms which create their own food out of inorganic (abiotic) substances.






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






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






14. The biggest atmospheric layer. Without ozone - UV radiation causes ionization and the auroras in this layer.






15. Organisms which consume autotrophs for food.






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






17. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






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






19. A community of similar living organisms largely affected by the area's climate.






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






21. Modern man.






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






23. 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.






24. 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.






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






26. An act which set standards for the amount of pollution in water.






27. An extinct hominid species believed to have long - ape-like arms; have a brain capacity half that of modern men; and use primitive tools.






28. The process by which a new species is created. This process generally requires geographic isolation to prevent interbreeding between the newly emerging species and the parent species.






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






30. A variety of species living together.






31. An international organization designed to promote free trade between countries.






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






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






34. Biomes with less than 10 inches of rain a year. Foliage is scarce in these areas - and remaining plants and animals work hard to conserve the little water they receive.






35. Grasslands with short - widely spaced trees and no canopy - allowing for an unbroken layer of grasses beneath.






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






37. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






39. The middle atmospheric layer. Meteors burn up after entering this layer.






40. An act which established and enforced acceptable levels of air pollution.






41. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






42. Any living thing on earth.






43. Forests found in the northern regions of North America - Europe - and Asia characterized by freezing winters and warmer summers. These forests lie just below the tree line.






44. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






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






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






47. A forest characterized by clearly differentiated seasons - such as the trees loosing leaves in the fall and heavy snowfall in the winter.






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






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






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