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 uppermost atmospheric layer. Here satellites orbit the earth.






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






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






4. Consumers which eat both plants and animals.






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






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






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






8. 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.






9. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






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






11. 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.






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






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






14. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






20. Single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus.






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






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






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






24. Consumers which eat only other animals.






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






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






27. Modern man.






28. 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.






29. 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.






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






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






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






33. Animals which eat grass and roots.






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






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






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






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






38. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






40. An act which protects certain lands as national parks.






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






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






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






44. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






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






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






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






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






49. 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.






50. The spraying of pesticides to keep produce from any injuries or damage.