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






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






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






4. Organisms which produce their own food.






5. 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.






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






7. 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






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






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






10. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






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






12. 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.






13. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






14. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






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






16. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






26. 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.






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






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






29. Growing only one crop at a time.






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






31. 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.






32. The rate at which producers create organic material.






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






34. A transitional area between two different ecosystems.






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






36. 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.






37. Organisms which eat other organisms.






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






39. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






40. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






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






42. Any living thing on earth.






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






44. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






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






47. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






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






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






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