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






2. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






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






4. 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.






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






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






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






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






9. 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.






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






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






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






13. 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.






14. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






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






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






17. 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






18. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






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






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






21. Growing only one crop at a time.






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






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






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






25. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






26. A forest found in temperate regions with warm summers - cool winters - and plenty of rainfall. These kinds of forests are characterized by evergreens and deciduous trees.






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






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






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






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






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






32. The biggest atmospheric layer. Without ozone - UV radiation causes ionization and the auroras in this layer.






33. 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.






34. 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.






35. 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.






36. 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.






37. A variety of species living together.






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






39. Condensed water vapor which falls to earth. This comes in many forms - such as rain - snow - ice - and hail.






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






41. All of the ecosystems on earth.






42. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






43. All of the water found on earth.






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






45. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






47. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






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






50. 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.