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 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.






2. Consumers which eat only other animals.






3. The rate at which producers create organic material.






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






5. The infiltration of harmful chemicals - particles - or biological matter into the atmosphere which endanger living organisms. Pollutants include sulfur and nitrogen oxides - ammonia - and chlorofluorocarbons. Although there are natural sources for th






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






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






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






9. A greenhouse gas which also plays a key role in regulating ozone levels.






10. 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.






11. The uppermost atmospheric layer. Here satellites orbit the earth.






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






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






14. An extinct hominid species with near the same brain capacity as modern man believed to use fire and stone tools - live a hunter/gatherer lifestyle - and speak a language.






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






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






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






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






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






20. Single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus.






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






22. 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.






23. A transitional area between two different ecosystems.






24. Animals which eat grass and roots.






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






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






27. 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.






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






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






30. An American environmentalist who is famous for promoting the ideas of environmental ethics and wildlife management.






31. 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.






32. A theory that our current ecological problems are a product of deeper social problems.






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






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






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






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






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






38. 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.






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






40. The loss of water vapor from leaves.






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






42. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






43. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






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






45. Growing only one crop at a time.






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






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






48. 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.






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






50. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.