Name: ________________________________ Class: ________________________ Date: _________

Unit 7: Environmental ScienceSection I: Understanding

1. The Tragedy of the Commons is…a. When groups of people act in a selfish manner.

.

b. When the short-term, positive effects go to the individual,while the long-term, negative effects are spread out to the group..

c. When the long-term, negative effects go to the individual,while the short-term, positive effects are spread out to the group..

d. When the reproduction of organisms exceeds the amount ofavailable resources.

2. Global Warming is the concept that…a. Natural changes in weather are resulting in longer summers.b. Humans are rapidly changing Earth’s climate.c. The sun’s radiation is intensifying.d. Earth is soon headed to another ice age.

3. What is one of the most dangerous effects of Global Warming?a. Toxic waste. c. Sea-level rise.b. Greenhouse gases. d. Endangered species.

4. What is deforestation?a. When a forest grows old and dies.b. When humans chop down a forest faster than it can regrow.c. When a desert starts to encroach upon forest land.d. When trees fail to provide oxygen for the atmosphere.

5. Which of the following is the best solution to the problem of deforestation?a. Use hydroelectric power. b. Cut down the forest in small areas only.c. Ban the use of paper and wood.d. All of the above.

Page 719

Answer Key:(4 points each)

1. ____2. ____3. ____4. ____5. ____6. ____7. ____8. ____9. ____10. ____11. ____12. ____13. ____14. ____15. ____16. ____17. ____18. ____19. ____20. ____

6. Why isn’t the environment able to breakdown materials like plastic?a. Because it’s a new material, so nothing evolved to be able to digest it.b. Because it’s just too strong.c. Because it contains toxins like sulfur dioxide.d. Because it is less dense than water.

7. How long would it take a typical plastic bottle to decompose?a. A few months. c. 10-20 years.b. A few years. d. Hundreds of years.

8. Roughly what percentage of the world’s energy is produced by dirty, polluting sources?a. About 25% c. About 65%b. About 47% d. About 88%

9. Which of the following energy sources are both pollution-free?a. Solar and Oil c. Wind and Solarb. Hydroelectric and Coal d. Hydroelectric and Natural Gas

10. A famous scientists named Dr. Charles Hall once said, “It’s not one of the problems… it’s the only problem.” Which environmental issue was he referring to?

a. Global Warming. b. Waste & litter c. Deforestation. d. Dirty Energy. e. Overpopulation.

Section II: Applying11. Which of the following issues is caused by the Tragedy of the Commons?

a. Overfishing. b. Deforestation. c. Overpopulation. d. All of the above. e. None of the above.

12. Back in August, Mr. A buried five items outside behind his classroom. When we dug them up, which two of the items were most fully decomposed?

a. The paper and the Styrofoam cup. c. The plastic bottle and the apple core.b. The apple core and the paper. d. The plastic bag and the Styrofoam cup.

13. Which of the following types of air would have the highest CO2 content?a. Indoor air. c. Car exhaust.b. Outdoor air. d. Air from burning wood.

14. Which environmental issue is beinganalyzed in the chart to the right?

a. Global Warming.

b. Deforestation.

c. Waste & Litter.

d. Dirty Energy.

e. Overpopulation.

15. How is wind power a solution to the problem of dirty energy? a. Windmills generate electricity without pollution. c. Windmills are an inexpensive source of power. b. Windmills will force everyone to use less electricity. d. Windmills filter pollution from the air.

16. Which item below is not recyclable?

(d)

(c)

(b)

(a)

17. The text below was adapted from an article in National Geographic. Fill in the blanks by choosing the best answer choice below.

“If your family is like many in the United States, unloading the week’s groceries includes hauling a case or two of ____________ into your home. But all that plastic can pollute the environment. In fact, Americans buy more of it than any other nation in the world.

So why don’t more people drink water straight from the kitchen faucet? Some people think bottled water tastes better, but that’s not always true. ABC News recently did a taste test comparing five different types of water. The winner of the taste test? New York City tap water!

Of course, recycling the bottles can help. Instead of going out with the trash, plastic bottles can be turned into new items. Unfortunately, most water bottles are sent to ____________. Or even worse, they end up as litter on the ground or in the ocean. Water is good for you, so keep drinking it. But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change!”

a. Bottled water… power plants. c. Light bulbs… power plants. b. Bottled water… landfills. d. Light bulbs… landfills.

18. The problem with fossil fuels is…a. Burning them creates large quantities of carbon dioxide.b. They release toxins (like SO2) that can cause cancer. d. All of the above.c. We’re going to run out of them eventually. e. None of the above.

19. Windmills operate according to which of Newton’s Laws of Motion?a. Newton’s 1st Law. c. Newton’s 3rd Law.b. Newton’s 2nd Law. d. None of the above.

20. Which of the following graphs best shows how human population has grown over time?

(c)(b)(a)

Section III: The Real World (7 points each)

Read the article from ABC News below, then answer the following question.

21. Unfortunately, windmill protests are fairly common. Explain how these protests are an example of The Tragedy of the Commons.

A plan to anchor 170 towering wind turbines five miles off the coast of Cape Cod has created some intense protests. They're clashing over a power source that defenders say will offer bountiful clean energy to the region, but opponents say will ruin the view off the Massachusetts cape.

The project proposed by Cape Wind Associates would entail anchoring turbines about five miles south of Cape Cod. Each windmill would rise about 400 feet above the water line. The company chose the location because of the powerful breeze that consistently blows over the area. Mark Rodgers of Cape Wind Associates says the company expects the turbines to be able to power over 400,000 homes on a windy day.

"It would be a major renewable project in New England," says Rodgers. "It would put the region toward the top of the list in the entire country as getting most of its power from a non-polluting renewable resource."

22. Global Warming is one of the most important issues of our time. And yet, many adults don’t fully understand it. Explain how Global Warming works, below.

23. Enough about the problems, let's talk about the solutions! Choose one of the five environmental issues that we studied during Unit 7, and discuss your favorite solution below.