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. A type of farming where the farmer will fell and burn down trees to grow crops. After a few years - he will move on and continue the process.






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






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






4. 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.






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






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






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






8. Evolution in one organism due to change in a related organism.






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






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






11. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






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






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






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






15. The study of the interaction between organisms and their environment.






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






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






18. A forest near the equator with heavy rainfall and a great diversity of plant and animal life. Although a mere 2% of the earth is covered with these forests - they contain 50-80% of earth's land species.






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






20. Growing only one crop at a time.






21. A form of management which attempts to satisfy both the needs of humans and those of wildlife in the best way possible for both parties.






22. The loss of water vapor from leaves.






23. Animals which eat grass and roots.






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






25. A transitional area between two different ecosystems.






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






27. The process of a gas transforming into a liquid.






28. Organisms which thrive in high nutrient environments - especially those with plenty of carbon.






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






30. 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.






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






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






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






34. The first atmospheric layer. Most weather and pollution occurs here - and the temperature decreases with altitude.






35. Political organizations not affiliated with the government which try to bring about social change.






36. 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.






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






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






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






40. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






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






42. Organisms which eat other organisms.






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






44. 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.






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






46. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






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






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






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