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






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






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






4. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






5. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






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






8. 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.






9. Animals which eat grass and roots.






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






11. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






12. An act requiring federal agencies to detail the impact of proposed environmental policies.






13. An agency created to establish regulations concerning pollutants to protect humans and the environment.






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






15. Modern man.






16. 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.






17. A forest found in temperate regions with warm summers - cool winters - and plenty of rainfall. These kinds of forests are characterized by evergreens and deciduous trees.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






29. An international protocol designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of CFCs and other harmful chemicals.






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






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






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






33. 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.






34. A variety of species living together.






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






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






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






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






39. 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






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






41. Consumers which eat only other animals.






42. 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.






43. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






44. 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.






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






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






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






48. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






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






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