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Reading a Graph KEY STANDARD

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Up in Flames RH.6-8.7
In “Should This Fire Be Left to Burn?” (pp. 14-17), you learned that some scientists are
encouraging officials to leave certain wildfires alone—as long as they’re not in areas that
threaten people’s lives or property. This graph shows how many acres have been burned
by U.S. wildfires in the past 11 years. Study the graph, then answer the questions.

Acres Burned in U.S. Wildfires

11

10

9
MILLIONS OF ACRES BURNED

0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
YEAR
SOURCE: National Interagency Fire Center

Questions
1. About how many acres burned in 2017? 4. In 1967, wildfires burned about 4.7 million acres.
A 10 million C 6 million About how many times more acres did wildfires
B 8 million D 10 burn 50 years later, in 2017?
A more than four times more
2. About how many more acres burned in 2015 than B almost four times more
in 2009? C more than two times more
A 8 million C 8 D almost two times more
B 4 million D 4
5. Which of these statements about wildfires is true?
3. Between which two years did the number of acres A The number of acres burned in wildfires has
burned by wildfires increase the most? sharply increased in the past decade.
A 2007 and 2008 C 2012 and 2013 B About the same number of acres burned in
B 2010 and 2011 D 2014 and 2015 2007 and in 2012.
C Half as many acres burned in 2011 than in 2013.
D all of the above
JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC • OCTOBER 8, 2018