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 community of similar living organisms largely affected by the area's climate.






2. 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






3. Organisms which eat other organisms.






4. 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.






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






6. 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.






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






8. Consumers which eat both plants and animals.






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






10. A rainforest in the temperate zone which receives heavy rainfall.






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






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






13. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






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






16. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






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






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






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






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






21. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






22. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






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






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






25. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






33. Consumers which eat only other animals.






34. Any living thing on earth.






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






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






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






38. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






39. A philosophy that extends ethics to non-humans. Under this system - animals - plants - and other aspects of the environment are seen as being deserving of justice and consideration.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






47. 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.






48. A transitional area between two different ecosystems.






49. Animals which eat grass and roots.






50. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.