Earth SystemsStandard 5, Objective 1
Multiple Choice.
a1. We enjoy the taste of an apple because it is sweet. From where did the apple tree get the carbon to make sugar?
A. air
B. water
C. soil
D. nitrate fertilizer
a2. Where do animals get the carbon found in their bodies?
A. from the air
B. from eating food
C. from the soil
D. from vitamins and minerals
a3. For millions of years the carbon cycle has been in balance. Climatologists are concerned because data indicates the amount of carbon in the air is increasing. Which theory best explains this loss of atmospheric balance?
A. CFAs have created a hole in the ozone.
B. Society has increased the burning of fossil fuels.
C. Environmentalists have increased the size of rain forests.
D. Our society has recognized the danger of nuclear fission.
a4. If the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases due to human activities, what do scientists predict will be the result?
A. increased cases of sunburn
B. warmer temperatures
C. increased incidence of earthquakes
D. more snowfall in the winter
a5. The most abundant element in a wooden stick is carbon. Where did the carbon come from?
A. water
B. air
C. soil
D. fertilizer
b6. How do plants get the nitrogen they require for growth?
A. the process of photosynthesis creates nitrogen from sugar
B. by absorbing it from holes in their leaves and combining it with oxygen
C. a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that “fixes” nitrogen in the roots
D. nitrogen from the air attaches itself to the stem and leaves of plants.
b7. Which of the following best explains why animal manure can be used as a fertilizer for crops and gardens? The plant uses the
A. carbon from the dead plant matter to make sugar
B. nitrogen to make proteins and DNA
C. oxygen for cellular respiration
D. hydrogen to form sugars
Use this picture of the nitrogen cycle to
answer the next two questions:
b8. Which letters on the cycle shows
where nitrogen is being “fixed” into a
useable form for plants?
A. A, D
B. B, C
C. C, D
D. A, B
b9. Which place on the nitrogen cycle shows nitrogen in its LEAST useable form?
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
In 1958, a geochemist began measuring the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The data collected are organized in the graph below. Use this graph to answer the next two questions.
c10. What has happened in the last 50 years that would make the carbon dioxide levels change?
A. increased burning of fossil fuels by people
B. continents have moved and altered the air
C. decreased levels of ozone are found in the upper atmosphere
D. people have planted millions of trees to replace ones lost to farms.
c11. What conclusion can best be developed from the data on this graph?
A. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing.
B. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is decreasing.
C. The air is balanced because when the CO2 increases, it also decreases.
D. Because the line has so many variations no conclusion can be made.
c12. Each year on the graph results in a peak and a trough in the data. What theory would best explain these variations?
A. The wind blows harder each winter driving the CO2 away.
B. The intensity of the suns ray is greater during the summer, increasing CO2
C. The cold winters produce less CO2 because people stay inside
D. Plants photosynthesis in summer and reduce CO2 , in winter they do not.
Examine the scene below. Use the information in the scene to answer the next three questions.
c13. What two things contribute to atmospheric CO2?
A. deer and factory exhaust
B. deer and trees
C. fish and aquatic plants
D. trees and aquatic plants
a14. What are two ways that carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere in this community?
A. pond water and fish
B. grass and deer
C. sun and factory
D. pond plants and trees
c15. How could the level of CO2 be reduced most quickly in this environment?
A. reduce the number of deer and size of the lake.
B. remove the fish and increase the size of the lake
C. reduce the factory emissions
D. plant more trees and aquatic plants
d16. Which is an example of a way the atmosphere interacts with the lithosphere?
A. rain washes loose sand into a lake
B. clouds block light from the forests.
C. animals add carbon dioxide to the air
D. plants provide oxygen for animals to breathe
d17. A volcano erupts and spread ash into the sky. Which of the following questions could be answered by scientists concerning the affects of the volcano on the atmosphere?
A. How many cubic tons of rock were involved in the eruption?
B. How has the ash affected the light passing through the air?
C. Were any living things hurt by the volcanic eruption?
D. Will the eruption happen again any time soon?
d18. Which of the following is an example of the biosphere interacting with the atmosphere?
A. humans burning coal in a power plant
B. a volcano adding ash to the air
C. a rainstorm filling a stream beyond it’s banks
D. plant roots cracking a rock in two.
Essay
1. As a future voter, you may be faced with two candidates for public office that disagree on the global warming issue. One candidate says there is no need to do anything about it and the scientists are wrong. The other candidate says it is time to take action and listen to the scientists. Which will you vote for? Give two factual statements from class discussions why you will vote that way.
2. Data indicates that the carbon cycle currently is not in balance. Explain what is meant by equilibrium in the carbon cycle.
Answers :
1. A
2. B
3. B
4. B
5. B
6. C
7. B
8. A
9. B
10. A
11. A
12. D
13. A
14. D
15. C
16. A
17. B
18. A
Sample answers:
1. It doesn’t matter how the student votes but their statements should contain facts that have been discussed in class.
2. The four reservoirs for the carbon cycle include the crust, the ocean the atmosphere and biomes. Processes that move this carbon include geothermal activity, photosynthesis, respiration and oxidation. The process should balance so that the reservoirs remain constant. Due to mans increase use of fossil fuel, much of the carbon in the earth is being moved to the atmosphere. The natural process photosynthesis cannot keep up with burning of fossil fuels so the atmospheric reservoir of carbon is increasing.