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






2. 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.






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






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






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






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






7. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






8. 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.






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






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






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






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






13. 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






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






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






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






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






18. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






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






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






22. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






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






24. 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.






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






26. Consumers which eat both plants and animals.






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






28. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






29. Single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus.






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






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






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






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






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






35. 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.






36. An especially potent greenhouse gas emitted during production and transportation of fossil fuels - decomposition of organic matter - and herds of livestock.






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






38. 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.






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






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






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






42. Organisms which produce their own food.






43. Growing more than one crop at a time.






44. 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.






45. Growing only one crop at a time.






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






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






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






49. Organisms which thrive in high nutrient environments - especially those with plenty of carbon.






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