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 infiltration of harmful chemicals - particles - or biological matter into the atmosphere which endanger living organisms. Pollutants include sulfur and nitrogen oxides - ammonia - and chlorofluorocarbons. Although there are natural sources for th






2. The rate at which producers create organic material.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






12. 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.






13. 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.






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






15. A variety of species living together.






16. 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.






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






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






19. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






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






21. 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.






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






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






24. Growing more than one crop at a time.






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






26. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






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






28. Organisms which eat other organisms.






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






30. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






37. Animals which eat grass and roots.






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






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






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






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






42. 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.






43. All of the water found on earth.






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






45. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






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






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






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






50. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.