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






2. 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.






3. 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.






4. The process by which the sun's energy converts liquid water to water vapor in the atmosphere.






5. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






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






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






8. A transitional area between two different ecosystems.






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






10. 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.






11. The flow of water in the water table.






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






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






14. An extinct hominid species believed to have the same brain capacity as modern man and use many different weapons.






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






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






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






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






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






20. 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.






21. A type of farming where the farmer will grow crops both to fulfill his family's needs for the next year and to sell on the market.






22. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






23. Growing more than one crop at a time.






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






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






26. A variety of species living together.






27. Organisms which eat other organisms.






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






29. Animals which eat leaves and shoots.






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






31. Organisms which consume autotrophs for food.






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






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






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






35. All of the ecosystems on earth.






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






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






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






39. The process of planting different plant species right next to each other to maximize one's yield.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






47. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






48. 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.






49. A theory that our current ecological problems are a product of deeper social problems.






50. A type of farming where the farmer will fell and burn down trees to grow crops. After a few years - he will move on and continue the process.