1. An article in the newspaper suggested human activity was responsible for a recent mudslide in your
community. What kind of human activity is most likely to cause a mudslide?
a. humans planted grass seed there and watered it 15 minutes every day
b. humans took many trees off a slope to put in a ski run
c. humans found 8 attractive rocks there and removed them to decorate their yards
d. many humans walked on a trail that wound through the slope
2. How could local scientists gather useful evidence to determine the actual cause of the mudslide?
a. they could interview residents of the area and ask for specific events that happened before
the slide
b. they could investigate other nearby mudslides to see what caused them
c. they could determine the pH of the soil on the slope and see how the pH affected wild life
there
d. they could calculate the volume of mud that was displaced in the mudslide
3. During very cold winters, deer often come down into the yards of homes built in the foothill areas of
Utah. The deer can seriously damage trees there by eating the bark.
What could be done to solve this problem?
a. build 6 foot fences around the homes’ yards
b. put up life size pictures of people in the yards to scare deer away
c. limit deer hunting in the area to preserve the herd
d. allow more deer hunting in the area to reduce herd size
4. A hypothesis can be written as an “if-then” statement. Many scientific investigations begin with a
hypothesis. Suppose rural farmers in your community are having problems with wolves killing their
sheep. The wolves normally eat rabbits, and rabbits eat wild grasses and shrubs. When there arenÕt
enough rabbits, wolves move closer to ranches and take sheep. Which of these is the best hypothesis
for finding a solution to this problem?
a. if the wolf population were increased, then the number of rabbits would decrease
b. if there were more sheep, then the wolf kills would increase
c. if there were fewer rabbits, then there would be fewer wolves around
d. if there were more rabbit food, then there would be more rabbits
5. It is not necessarily the best answer, but assume hypothesis “b” above is what you have decided to
test. What is the independent variable?
a. number of sheep
b. number of wolves
c. number of sheep killed by wolves
d. number of plants for rabbit food
6. Again assume hypothesis “b” above is what you decided to test. What is the dependent variable?
a. number of sheep
b. number of wolves
c. number of sheep killed by wolves
d. number of plants for rabbit food
7. Various environmental and governmental groups work hard to prevent certain animal and plant
species from becoming extinct. What might be the most serious concern about allowing a species to
become extinct?
a. other species may become fearful that they, too, may become extinct
b. we will miss seeing that particular species
c. it will disrupt the food web
d. we will regret not helping that species
Read the following article:
Just by breathing, you add to the greenhouse effect!
As people burn wood, coal, oil and gasoline, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
Like glass panes of a greenhouse, carbon dioxide molecules are transparent to sunlight, allowing it
through to warm the Earth's surface. But when the Earth's surface is warmed, it gives off its heat,
which the carbon dioxide will not let escape. As a result the Earth has average surface temperatures
around 18 degrees C. If we did not have carbon dioxide, these temperatures would be between 5 and
even 0 degrees (freezing!).
Other gases contribute to the “greenhouse effect.” Methane emitted by decay, ozone, and
nitrogen oxides from automobiles are also important contributors to the effect. Another is the
accelerating destruction of trees (logging) and other green ground cover (overgrazing). Green plants
absorb carbon dioxide, which would reduce the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect contributes to the planetary-wide phenomenon known as Global
Warming. The major groups of scientist organized to study Global Warming, composed of scientists
from many nations, have concluded that Global Warming (an increased average temperature of the
planet) is real. The precise causes of the warming are not fully resolved.
In 1996, atmospheric scientists at a large meeting discussed the problem and agreed to adopt a
policy statement warning the countries of the world that they needed to seriously consider taking steps
to meet this challenge.
They warned that if steps are not taken, fertile farmland in the U.S. and Ukraine will become
too dry to farm. Parts of Canada and the northern Soviet Union will become farmable. The Antarctic
ice cap will melt. That would raise ocean levels worldwide as much as 5 feet. Florida and Louisiana
will lose coastland and wetlands vital to ocean food chains.
As marginal lands are rendered uninhabitable because of diminishing water supplies, political
conflicts will intensify. Poverty will spur further depletion of forests and topsoil hastening the effect,
hordes of refugees will be forced to flee their homes. And yet, China plans to double its coal
production and emissions in the next 15 years to spur economic development! Another concern is that
as temperature and humidity climb, such parasitic and infectious tropical diseases as yellow fever,
dengue fever, and malaria will migrate northward.
Answer the following questions in complete sentences:
8. How would you describe the attitudes of the writer of this article concerning the problem of Global
Warming? Give an example to support your position.
9. From the article, what are three facts scientists have learned that support the theory of Global
Warming?
10. What do scientists disagree on?
11. What evidence will be necessary to resolve the issue involved with Global Warming?
12. Would a scientist working for the Canadian Agriculture Department view Global Warming
differently from a scientist in the U.S.? How?
13. What is the role of scientists in the Global Warming debate?
14. Name two other groups that will play a role in determining what steps countries will take to deal
with Global Warming. What values will they use to determine their positions?
15. How are scientific data and interpretations determined to be accurate or reliable?
The United States, with 4.5 percent of the world’s population consumes:
26% of all oil
24 % of all aluminum
20% of all copper
19% of all nickel
13% of all steel
16. Forecast what will happen if the consumption patterns do not change.
17. What alternatives does society have in order to help prevent what you just forecast?
Farmer Joe raises corn. One of his fields produces a lot less corn than the others. He has tested the
soil conditions and finds them the same as in his other fields. Tests also indicate that the plants are
getting adequate water. He suspects that there may be some sort of pest damaging the crop. He
believes in organic farming and does not want to start using poisons to control for pests.
18. Which of the following might be the best answer to his problem? An understanding of
a. how producers get their energy from the sun.
b. which predators/parasites might be used to kill the pests.
c. how chemical energy can be converted to mechanical energy.
d. how to get by on smaller crops in that one field.
19. The real problem that farmer Joe faces is that his crop is being destroyed by pests. What should
be the first thing he does about it?
a. Get predators and turn them loose in his field.
b. Get parasites and turn them loose in his field.
c. Research predator/prey relationships.
d. Investigate the field more closely, watching for evidence of specific pests.
20. Upon investigating further, farmer Joe found an infestation of aphids in his field. Use your
understanding of symbiotic relationships to help farmer Joe choose the best treatment for his field.
a. Add more water, which will drown the aphids in the field.
b. Get a bunch of lady bugs to eat the aphids in his field.
c. Hire a bunch of high school students to go into the field and squish all of the aphids.
d. Be satisfied with a lower yield (smaller crop) in that one field.
21.How can captive breeding programs help an endangered species?
22. What effect does clear cutting have on the soil temperature of a forest?
23. What would happen to the number of wood ducks living at a certain pond if nesting boxes were
used?
24. How does acid rain affect frog populations?
25. How does clear cutting affect squirrel populations?
26. How does suburban sprawl affect mule deer populations?
27. What is the difference between extinction and poaching?
28. How does an increase in population affect competition?
29. How can a population of frogs indicate the amount of pollution in a body of water?
30. Which is warmer, concrete or grass?
31. Using your knowledge of amphibians, pollution, and indicator species, describe how acid rain
would affect frog populations.
32. Describe how clear cutting would affect the populations of squirrels.
33. True or False An endangered species is a species that was once present on earth but has died out.
34. True or False Acid rain washes calcium and other nutrients from the soil, making it less fertile.
Carefully review the table and answer the following questions:
Common
Name
Appeared
Years ago
Extinct
Years
Ago
Saber-Toothed Cat
2,500,000 11,000
Mastadon
20,000,000 10,000
Columbian Mammoth 1,000,000 11,000
Steppe Mammoth
1,600,000 11,000
Order
Species
Carnivora
Proboscidea
Proboscidea
Proboscidea
Smilodon fatalis
Mammut americanum
Mammuthus columbi
Mammuthus trogontherii
35- According to the table, which of these mammals disappeared most recently?
36- According to this table, which of these mammal species existed for the longest period of time?
37- According to this table, which mammal was the last Proboscidea to appear?
Part of recycling involves the decomposition of waste products. We can help this process by placing
our biodegradable materials in a compost pile, where bacteria can break them down into smaller,
reusable nutrients.
The following table shows the number of bacteria colonies growing on a certain leaf in a compost pile.
Day
Number of
Bacteria
Colonies
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3
6
12
24
48
96
192
38- Form a hypothesis that describes this data.
39- How many bacteria colonies would you expect on the 8th day? ________________