RFMS Science: Hydrologic Cycle & Watersheds CFA Recap 2023

Poll

Be HONEST: did you REALLY do your best on this CFA? Choose the answer below that best applies to you:

• YES! I studied for this CFA and I used my best test-taking strategies to do my very best.

• Kinda. I did study, but I didn't use my test-taking strategies as well as I could have.

• Sorta. I did use good test-taking strategies during the CFA, but I didn't study at home.

• Honestly, no. I didn't study and I didn't do my best. I will try and do better next time.

Multiple Choice

Lake Logan was a beautiful landscape with a healthy ecosystem. Over several years, the area around Lake Logan became more urbanized. Many neighborhoods and buildings have developed. The town’s dump is beginning to fill up, and seepage is beginning to leak into the local watershed.  How will the polluted runoff affect Lake Logan and the town?

• A. Fertilizer from the town is carried by runoff to a nearby forested area. The fertilized water enriches the soil, which helps the plants grow.

• B. Nearby streams, rivers, and lakes will be contaminated by polluted runoff, which would disrupt the freshwater ecosystem.

• C. The precipitation will increase, causing nearby flooding.

• D. Due to the seepage in the local watershed, the ecosystem thrives and is successful.

Multiple Choice

The town of Smyrna recently built a lake and a dam.  This reservoir will supply the drinking water for the city. Which of the following could cause contamination of the water supply?

• A. Building a fence around the reservoir

• B. Improvements to the water treatment facility

• C. Increased use of fertilizer on the vegetation around the area

• D. Continuous running of the dam and warming of the water

Multiple Choice

In Middle Tennessee, south of Murfreesboro, there is a patch of land that measures about 100 acres.  A river flows through this land.  The land also has trees, other plants, lakes, and animals.

Which of the following statements does not accurately explain the negative impact on the environment if humans decide to build a neighborhood with new houses and businesses?

• A. Better drinking water

• B. Polluted aquifers and watersheds

• C. Disruption to the natural hydrologic cycle

• D. Droughts and floods

Multiple Choice

The diagram to the left shows small tributaries flowing into a larger creek. The arrows indicate the direction of the water movement into the creek.

Which term best categorizes the total land area shown in the diagram?

• A. Aquifer

• B. Estuary

• C. Marsh

• D. Watershed

Multiple Select

A large forest is chosen for a new housing development near a town. People who live in the town are concerned that the housing development could impact the water availability.

Which two ways could the new housing development impact the sustainability of the town’s water supply?

• A. The construction of the new housing development could increase the amount of pollution carried by water runoff into local streams.

• B. The new housing development makes hard surfaces over the ground, so less water could soak into the aquifer. 

• C.
  The new housing development could decrease the amount of surface pollution that is able to soak into the aquifer.

• D.
  The removal of trees from the forest could decrease the amount of soil that is washed into local streams.

• E. The removal of trees from the forest could increase the amount of water available in the soil for the lawns of the new housing development.

Open Ended

Regardless of your score, what can you do to help you improve your future assessment scores?