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 cloudiness of a liquid due to small suspended particles.






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






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






4. Any living thing on earth.






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






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






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






8. 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.






9. Consumers which eat both plants and animals.






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






11. Condensed water vapor which falls to earth. This comes in many forms - such as rain - snow - ice - and hail.






12. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






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






15. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






25. The rate at which producers create organic material.






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






27. Animals which eat leaves and shoots.






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






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






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






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






32. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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 variety of species living together.






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






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






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






43. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






44. Organisms which consume autotrophs for food.






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






46. 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.






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






48. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






49. A bloom of phytoplankton in a body of water caused by an abnormal increase in nutrients. This process depletes the water's oxygen level - killing off other aquatic organisms.






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