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






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






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






4. 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.






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






6. 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.






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






8. Consumers which eat both plants and animals.






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






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






11. Consumers which eat only other animals.






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






13. Single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus.






14. 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.






15. The coexistence of two species using the same resource where the two will use the resource in different ways.






16. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






22. 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.






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






24. Organisms which consume autotrophs for food.






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






26. The rate at which producers create organic material.






27. The first atmospheric layer. Most weather and pollution occurs here - and the temperature decreases with altitude.






28. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






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






31. 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.






32. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






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






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






35. Exceptionally acidic (low pH) rain. This phenomenon is caused mainly by emissions of carbon dioxide - sulfur dioxide - and nitrogen oxide which react with water particles in the air.






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






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






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






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






40. Growing more than one crop at a time.






41. 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.






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






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






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






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






46. The flow of water in the water table.






47. 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.






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






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






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