Professional Documents
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Correct Answer
D) all of the above
Correct Answer
D) They increase particulate matter in the air.
3) Runoff from construction sites, which can contain excess sediment, reduces the amount of
oxygen available for photosynthetic organisms.
True
False
Correct Answer
False
Correct Answer
B) a decrease in the pH of a lake
5) Which is one way for individual citizens to have a positive impact on air quality?
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
Possible answers include: taking public transportation, reducing energy use in the home,
recycling plastics, using renewable sources of energy
6) Photochemical smog is the result of nitrogen and carbon, often from car exhaust, reacting
in sunlight. Which describes something that would likely decrease the amount of smog
over time?
Correct Answer
D) an increase in cars that use gasoline efficiently
7) The use of renewable energy resources rather than burning fossil fuels helps
air pollution.
Correct Answer
reduce
8) Samantha joins a group that cleans litter out of streams. What sort of impact is this group
having on the environment?
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
9) Cleaning up polluted water is very difficult. What is a better way to reduce water pollution?
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
Correct Answer
biodiversity
decrease
11) Which best describes something that would decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere?
Correct Answer
C) increasing the size of a national forest
12) Natural resources are saved, and damage to the environment is decreased by reducing,
reusing, and .
Correct Answer
recycling
Correct Answer
A) It increases when air pollution levels are low.
14) How would a decrease in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere change
Earth's average surface temperature?
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
15) Although some pollution is caused by natural disasters, most is caused by the actions of
.
Correct Answer
humans
16) In nature, precipitation soaks into the ground, becoming groundwater, or is absorbed by
plants and returned to the atmosphere. A small amount flows to nearby rivers and lakes.
The pictures show an area of land before and after development.
a. Compare the path of precipitation before the area was developed with the path after
development. Include reasons for any changes in the path.
b. Describe two ways that development can negatively affect the water in the local area.
c. Describe a device or method that could be used to reduce these negative effects
either before development begins or after it is completed.
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
a. Before development, precipitation can easily and quickly soak into the ground. After
development, [because much of the ground has become blocked with concrete and
cement] much less water is able to soak into the ground. Also, removing trees to make room
for buildings results in less water being absorbed and transpired by plants. The result is that
much more water runs across the surface and into lakes and rivers.
b. One negative effect is that the groundwater levels are reduced because less water is
soaking into the ground and adding to it. Another negative effect is that surface runoff picks
up chemicals, pesticides, and other pollutants as it flows across the land, which pollutes
lakes and rivers.
c. One way to reduce the negative effects of development is to build a channel that
prevents precipitation from flowing across the land and directs it so it has the chance to
soak into the ground to replenish groundwater supplies. This method could be used with a
device like a small dam, which holds back water temporarily until it has the opportunity to
seep in.
[Teacher’s note: There are several viable methods students can describe. The focus should
be on a device or method that either reduces the amount of surface runoff (and/or increases
infiltration) or helps to reduce the pollutants that are often found in surface runoff. For an
extensive resource, see the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. They note seven
categories of management control to control urban runoff. These categories include:
Infiltration practices;
Vegetated open channel practices;
Filtering practices;
Detention ponds or vaults;
Retention ponds;
Wetlands; and
Other practices such as water quality inlets.]
17) Deforestation happens when all or part of a forest is permanently cleared to make room
for another purpose. Some local government zoning laws require actions be taken to
reduce how much a local river ecosystem is affected when an area near the river is
deforested for agriculture.
a. Describe two methods that could reduce the impact of deforestation and explain the
scientific reasoning for each method.
b. Describe two methods that could reduce the impact of agriculture on the river
ecosystem and explain the scientific reasoning for each method.
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
b. Methods that reduce the impact of agriculture on the river ecosystem include:
Install a silt fence along the river to trap sediment in the runoff from cleared
land, so the sediment does not pollute or fill up the river.
Install a retention pond to catch runoff before it enters the river, so any
pollutants or sediments do not enter into the river.
Use a wastewater management system or store animal waste to prevent it from
entering into the river and polluting it.
Monitor the amount of water used during irrigation to prevent excess water from
flowing across land and into rivers causing erosion and carrying pollutants, such
as pesticides and heavy metals.
18) Isaac is conducting research for an essay to defend the claim that humans have caused
an increase of global temperature over time.
a. Identify a scientific question Isaac can research to gather evidence of ways that
humans can affect global temperature.
b. Describe evidence that would answer the scientific question you gave in part (a). The
evidence should be able to:
show that the global temperature is increasing and
clearly connect human activity to the temperature change.
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
19) Computers help climate scientists create models of what climates might be in the future.
The graph makes three different predictions about how Earth's surface might warm over
time. Each prediction is based on how much the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 )
emissions might grow from 20 0 0 to 2100: low, moderate, or high growth.
The second graph shows total carbon dioxide emissions from human activities from 1830
to 2010.
Based on this data, a student claims that humans will cause temperatures to increase in
the future.
a. Write a scientific question that can be researched to provide evidence to support the
student’s claim. Explain why the answer to the question supports the claim.
b. Identify evidence from the graphs that supports the student’s claim.
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
What are the nonhuman sources of CO 2 emissions in the world? This supports
the claim because if the answer shows that there are not many nonhuman
sources of CO 2 it would support the idea that most of the CO 2 in the
atmosphere is generated by humans. Or, if there are nonhuman sources, then
the amount of CO 2 generated by these sources can be compared to the amount
of CO 2 generated by humans.
How much CO 2 do other emission sources produce? This supports the claim
because the amount of CO 2 generated by these sources can be compared to the
amount of CO2 generated by humans.
Did the amount of CO 2 change before there was a temperature increase? This
supports the claim because if the evidence shows that the amount of human-
produced CO 2 changed before there was an increase in temperature, it would
suggest that the temperature changed because of the change in CO 2 .
b. The evidence should be indicate that, based on the emissions scenarios, high growth in
CO 2 emissions will lead to a significant increase in temperature and that, in the second
2 0) Computers help climate scientists create models of what climates might be in the future.
The graph makes three different predictions about how Earth's surface might warm over
time. Each prediction is based on how much the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 )
emissions might grow from 20 0 0 to 2100: low, moderate, or high growth.
Identify a question scientists could ask based on this data that would help them
investigate factors in the rise of global temperature.
Correct Answer
Answers may vary.
Explanation
Beginning
Student response is incomplete or provides minimal evidence of using the
1 to Develop
dimensions* to make sense of scientific phenomena and/or to design
Understanding
solutions to problems.
Student does not respond or student response is inaccurate, irrelevant,
Not Showing
0 or contains insufficient evidence of using the dimensions* to make sense
Understanding
of scientific phenomena and/or to design solutions to problems.
*As outlined in the Performance Expectations (PE) of the NGSS, the three dimensions are the disciplinary core ideas (DCI), scien
ce and engineering practices (SEP), and crosscutting concepts (CCC). Note that due to
the complexity of the PEs, individual assessment items may not address all three dimensions.
Scoring Notes:
Possible answers include:
a. Before development, precipitation can easily and quickly soak into the ground. After development,
[because much of the ground has become blocked with concrete and cement] much less water is able
to
soak into the ground. Also, removing trees to make room for buildings results in less water being
absorbed and transpired by plants. The result is that much more water runs across the surface and
into lakes and rivers.
b. One negative effect is that the groundwater levels are reduced because less water is soaking into
the ground and adding to it.
Another negative effect is that surface runoff picks up chemicals, pesticides, and other pollutants as it
flows across the land, which pollutes lakes and rivers.
c. One way to reduce the negative effects of development is to build a channel that prevents
precipitation from flowing across the land and directs it so it has the chance to soak into the
ground to replenish groundwater supplies. This method could be used with a device like a small dam,
which holds back water temporarily until it has the opportunity to seep in.
[Teacher’s note: There are several viable methods students can describe. The focus should be on a
device or method that either reduces the amount of surface runoff (and/or increases infiltration) or helps
to reduce the pollutants that are often found in surface runoff. For an extensive resource, see the
Environmental Protection Agency’s website. They note seven categories of management control to control
urban runoff. These categories include:
• Infiltration practices;
• Vegetated open channel
practices; • Filtering practices;
• Detention ponds or vaults;
• Retention ponds;
• Wetlands; and
• Other practices such as water quality inlets.]
Scoring Notes:
Possible answers include:
a. Questions should be related to how human activity is connected to a global temperature change, such
as: ꆤ Does the burning of fossil fuels by humans cause an increase in global temperature over time?
ꆤ Does the burning of fossil fuels by humans cause an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) in the
atmosphere over time?
ꆤ Does an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere as a result of the burning of fossil fuels trap heat and lead
to an increase in global temperature over time?
ꆤ Does deforestation caused by humans lead to an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere over time?
b. Possible evidence of a global temperature increase caused by humans includes: ꆤ
temperature data gathered over many years compared to data about rates of deforestation.
ꆤ data showing rates of deforestation compared to data about increasing levels of CO2.
ꆤ data showing increasing levels of CO2 compared to data showing an increase in global temperature.
ꆤ data of glaciers melting, increased precipitation, greater cloud cover, ocean water level increase, etc.
Note: The evidence does not need to directly match the scientific question, just address the general question.
Scoring Notes:
Possible answers include:
a. Questions should connect human activity to changes in global temperature. Questions might include: ꆤ
What are the nonhuman sources of CO2 emissions in the world? This supports the claim because if the
answer shows that there are not many nonhuman sources of CO2 it would support the idea that most
of the CO2 in the atmosphere is generated by humans. Or, if there are nonhuman sources, then the
amount
of 22generate d by these sources can be compared to the amount of CO generated by
ꆤ CO
How muchhumans.
CO2 do other emission sources produce? This supports the claim because the amount of
CO2 generated by
these sources can be compared to the amount of CO 2 generated by humans.
ꆤ Did the amount of CO2 change before there was a temperature increase? This supports the claim
because if the evidence shows that the amount of human-produced CO2 changed before there was
an increase in temperature, it would suggest that the temperature changed because of the change in
CO2.
b. The evidence should be indicate that, based on the emissions scenarios, high growth in CO2 emissions will
lead to a significant increase in temperature and that, in the second graph, there was a significant increase in
CO2 emissions as humans engaged in more activities that utilized CO2 [e.g., manufacturing or factory work].
Beginning to
1 Develop Student response is incomplete or provides minimal evidence of using
Understanding the dimensions* to make sense of scientific phenomena and/or to design
solutions to problems.
Not Showing
0 Student does not respond or student response is inaccurate, irrelevant, or
Understanding
contains insufficient evidence of using the dimensions* to make sense of scientific
phenomena and/or to design solutions to problems.
*As outlined in the Performance Expectations (PE) of the NGSS, the three dimensions are the disciplinary core ideas (DCI), scien
ce and engineering practices (SEP), and crosscutting concepts (CCC). Note that due to
the complexity of the PEs, individual assessment items may not address all three dimensions.
Scoring Notes:
Possible answers include:
ꆤ What is the relationship between the use of fossil fuels and the increase in carbon dioxide emissions?
ꆤ Are there different sources of carbon dioxide emissions that would change these
models? What
ꆤ emissions andischange
the time
in difference between the change in CO2
temperature?