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






2. 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.






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






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






5. The rate at which producers create organic material.






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






7. Animals which eat leaves and shoots.






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






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






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






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






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






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






14. 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.






15. Biomes far north in North America - Europe - and Asia which - due to very low temperatures - cannot support tree growth.






16. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






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






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






19. Populations characterized by large size - long lifespan - and few offspring.






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






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






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






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






24. Animals which eat grass and roots.






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






26. Organisms which eat other organisms.






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






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






29. 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.






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 conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






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






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






35. All of the ecosystems on earth.






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






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






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






39. 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.






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






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






42. The flow of water in the water table.






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






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






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






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






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






48. 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.






49. 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.






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