Name __________________________________
Date __________________________
Block ________
Chapter 7: Resources and the Environment – Reading Guide
Mineral Resources: Pg. 144-145
1. What do we need to know to make responsible decisions about the use of Earth’s resources?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is a renewable resource? __________________________________________________________________
Give an example: __________________________
3. What is a nonrenewable resource? _______________________________________________________________
Give an example: __________________________
4. Rock that contains enough of a metal to make separation profitable is called? __________________________
Non Renewable Energy Resources: Pg. 148-150
5. What percent of the world’s energy use comes from renewable resources? ____________________________
6. Where does the rest of the world’s energy use come from? __________________________________________
7. Why are coal, petroleum, and natural gas called fossil fuels?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Why are fossil fuels nonrenewable? ______________________________________________________________
9. In the US, what is coal primarily used to produce? __________________________________________________
10. What does peat eventually turn into after millions of years of compression? ___________________________
11. What is anthracite? ___________________________________________________________________________
12. What is petroleum also called? _________________________________________________________________
13. What metallic element is most commonly used as fuel in nuclear power? _____________________________
Renewable Energy Resources: Pg. 151-153
14. Electricity produced by water is called ____________________________________.
15. Moving air can be captured by a _____________________________ and converted into electricity.
16. How do photovoltaic cells produce electricity? ____________________________________________________
17. What is geothermal energy? ___________________________________________________________________
18. What areas have the greatest potential as geothermal energy sources? ______________________________
Environmental Issues: Pg. 154-159
19. Use of nonrenewable resources can pollute land, water, air and contribute to global warming. While
renewable resources cause less pollution, they also have __________________________________.
20. Name two negative effects of strip mining (surface mining):
a) ________________________________________________________________________________________
b) ________________________________________________________________________________________
21. Name a problem or a disadvantage of using each of the following energy resources:
Nuclear: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Fossil Fuels: _________________________________________________________________________________
Hydroelectric (water) Power: ___________________________________________________________________
Wind Power: _________________________________________________________________________________
Solar Power: _________________________________________________________________________________
Geothermal: _________________________________________________________________________________
22. Renewable energy resources have a less damaging impact on the environment than nonrenewable
energy resources. However, each type is limited in some way because…_________________________________
23-25. Describe three ways of conserving nonrenewable energy resources. Be specific.
a) __________________________________________________________________________________________
b) __________________________________________________________________________________________
c) __________________________________________________________________________________________
SOL PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
_____ 26. Some towns in the United States have had to limit the number of wood-burning stoves for environmental
reasons. What is the greatest problem caused by the use of wood-burning stoves?
a) The wood is a scarce fossil fuel.
b) The smoke from the stoves contributes to air pollution.
c) The heat from the stoves causes thermal pollution.
d) The manufacture of the stoves requires iron, which is a rare metal
_____27. Plant material that accumulates and hardens on the floor of a swamp is known as peat. If a layer of sediments
accumulates on top of the peat its weight after thousands of years can compress the peat to form coal. Which of
the following types of coal probably formed from the greatest pressure?
a) Bituminous coal (softer than anthracite)
b) Lignite (the softest coal)
c) Anthracite (the hardest coal)
d) Subbituminous coal (softer than bituminous
_____ 28. What is the greatest environmental cost of hydroelectric power?
a) Increased flooding downstream
b) Decreased species diversity in the new lake
c) Destruction of free-running rivers and their ecosystems
d) Fish kills due to the turbines
_____ 29. A major problem with depending on fossil fuels as primary energy sources is that they are a) nonrenewable
b) overabundant
c) deep underground
d) nonpolluting
_____ 30. Wind power is not typically used to generate all of the electricity needed for large cities because the a) energy produced is not in a usable form
b) energy source is inconsistent
c) waste products are unsafe
d) fuel expenses are too great