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 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.






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






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






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






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






6. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






7. A form of management which attempts to satisfy both the needs of humans and those of wildlife in the best way possible for both parties.






8. Average expected birth rate for 1 -000 women.






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






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






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






12. Modern man.






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






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






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






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






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






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






19. A transitional area between two different ecosystems.






20. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






27. 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






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






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






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






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






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






34. Consumers which eat only other animals.






35. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






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






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






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






40. 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.






41. 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.






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






43. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






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. A variety of species living together.






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






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






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






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