Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Skills Worksheet
Active Reading
Section: Pollution and Human Health
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
We are exposed to small amounts of chemicals every day, in food,
in the air we breathe, and sometimes in the water we drink. Almost
any chemical can be harmful if taken in, or ingested, in large
enough amounts. The question is whether the concentration of any
particular chemical in the environment is high enough to be
harmful.
To determine the effect of a pollutant on health, we need to
know several things. We need to know how much of the pollutant
is in the environment and how much gets into the body. Then we
need to determine what concentration of the toxin damages the
body. The amount of a harmful chemical to which a person is
exposed is called the dose of that chemical. The damage to health
that results is called the response.
Whether a chemical has a toxic effect depends in part on the
dose. The response also depends on the number of times a person
is exposed, the person’s size, and how well the person’s body
breaks down the chemical.
IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS
One reading skill is the ability to identify the main idea of a passage. The main
idea is the main focus or key idea. Frequently, a main idea is accompanied by
supporting information that offers detailed facts about main ideas.
In the space provided, write the letter of the term or phrase that best completes
each statement or best answers each question.
____ 1. How are people exposed to chemicals on a daily basis?
a. in the food they eat
b. in the air they breathe
c. in the water they drink
d. all of the above
____ 2. The amount of a harmful chemical to which a person is exposed
is the
a. dose.
b. response.
c. pollutant.
d. toxin.
____ 3. Almost any chemical can be harmful if
a. it is present in the environment.
b. a person is exposed to it repeatedly.
c. it is ingested in large enough amounts.
d. a person has never been exposed to it before.
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Holt Environmental Science
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The Environmental and Human Health
Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Active Reading continued
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
Read each question and write the answer in the space provided.
4. The verb concentrate means “gather” or “collect.” The suffix -ion, used to
form nouns, means “state” or “condition.” Use this information to define the
noun concentration.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. Pollute means “to make impure.” Pollution is “the act of polluting.” If the
suffix -ant means “something that performs an action,” what is a pollutant?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
6. A response is a “reply” or a “reaction.” Use this information to explain why
the health damage that results after exposure to a harmful chemical is called a
response.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
RECOGNIZING CAUSE AND EFFECT
One reading skill is the ability to recognize cause and effect.
In the space provided, write the letter of the phrase that best answers each
question.
____ 7. What information is not necessary for determining the effects of a
pollutant on individual health?
a. how much of the pollutant gets into the body
b. how many people have been exposed to the pollutant
c. what concentration of the pollutant damages the body
d. how much of the pollutant is in the environment
____ 8. Which factors determine whether exposure to a chemical will
have a toxic effect?
a. concentration and dose
c. concentration and response
b. dose and exposure
d. exposure and response
Read the following question and write the answer in the space provided.
9.What factors determine the response to a chemical?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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Holt Environmental Science
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The Environmental and Human Health
TEACHER RESOURCE PAGE
Active Reading
blocked the plague’s spread into certain
areas.
SECTION: POLLUTION AND
HUMAN HEALTH
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
d
a
c
Concentration is the amount of a
substance gathered together at a specific
place.
A pollutant is something that makes
something else impure.
The health damage is called a response
because it refers to the body’s reaction to
a harmful substance.
b
a
Whether a chemical has a toxic effect
depends on how many times a person is
exposed to the chemical and the amount
of exposure, the person’s size, and how
well the person’s body breaks down the
chemical.
Quiz
SECTION: POLLUTION AND
HUMAN HEALTH
Matching
1. b
2. d
3. c
Multiple Choice
6. a
7. d
8. d
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Matching
1. b
2. d
3. c
Multiple Choice
6. c
7. a
8. d
They have become resistant to antibiotics.
b
d
An antibiotic is a substance used to kill
bacteria.
A pathogen is a substance (or organism)
that causes disease.
c
d
People in the U.S. are exposed through
contaminated meat that has been
improperly refrigerated or undercooked.
First, large amounts of antibiotics have
been given to livestock to increase
growth. Second, large amounts of
antibiotics have been used to treat human
illnesses.
4. a
5. e
9. c
10. b
Chapter Test General
Matching
1. c
2. a
3. e
Multiple Choice
6. a
7. b
8. a
9. d
10. c
11. a
12. d
13. b
4. b
5. d
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
c
d
b
d
c
a
c
Chapter Test Advanced
Map Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
9. c
10. a
SECTION: BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
SECTION: BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
1.
2.
3.
4.
4. a
5. e
Matching
1. a
2. c
3. d
Multiple Choice
6. d
7. c
8. b
Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Marseilles
a year and a half
3 years
more than 1,000 miles
Answers may vary. Accept all logical
responses. For example, geographic
features such as mountains might have
4. e
5. b
9. d
10. d
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Holt Environmental Science
86
The Environmental and Human Health