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. An act which protects certain lands as national parks.






2. 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






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






4. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






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






6. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






7. 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.






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






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






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






11. Exceptionally acidic (low pH) rain. This phenomenon is caused mainly by emissions of carbon dioxide - sulfur dioxide - and nitrogen oxide which react with water particles in the air.






12. All of the water found on earth.






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






14. The rate at which producers create organic material.






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






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






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






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






19. A law designed to locate toxic waste sites - gauge their pollution level - and ensure these sites are taken care of properly.






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






21. Animals which eat leaves and shoots.






22. Modern man.






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






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






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






26. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






28. 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.






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






30. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






31. Organisms which eat other organisms.






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






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






34. The process by which pollutants are carried by flowing water - such as a river.






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






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






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






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






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






40. 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.






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






42. Growing only one crop at a time.






43. Integrating rows of trees alongside crops to provide mulch and shade - retain water in the soil - and promote sustainable land use.






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






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






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






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






49. A rainforest in the temperate zone which receives heavy rainfall.






50. The loss of water vapor from leaves.