Science 8 Quiz: Anthropogenic Changes

What activity does NOT release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?

• driving a car
• riding a bicycle
• burning logs in a fire
• cutting down a tree

What is most likely to cause a decrease in salinity of ocean water?

• The sun is warming the ocean water, causing it to expand.
• The sun is warming the ocean water, causing more of it to evaporate and then fall back as rain.
• Glaciers and ice sheets are melting and adding fresh water to the oceans.
• The plant and animal life living in the oceans give off fresh water as part of respiration.

What will most likely happen if global warming continues at the current rate?

• An increase in temperatures will cause the melting of glaciers, and coastal cities will experience flooding.
• A decrease in temperatures will cause glaciers to become larger, and coastal marshes will dry up.
• An increase in temperatures will cause most areas of the world to experience milder weather.
• A decrease in temperatures will cause ocean currents to change direction, and global rainfall will decrease.

Which of the following statements below about climate change is NOT true?

• Volcanoes can affect the climate when they emit gases during eruptions.
• Plants and animals are affected by climate change.
• Sea levels can rise when the climate changes.
• Humans cannot reverse climate changes caused by pollution.

What are greenhouse gases?

• gases that are pumped into greenhouses to help keep plants alive
• gases in the atmosphere that trap heat energy
• gases that are highly poisonous when inhaled
• gases that break apart ozone molecules

Which organism is most likely to experience the early negative effects of global warming?

• a tree frog living in the Amazon jungle
• a snake living in the desert in Africa
• phytoplankton drifting in ocean currents
• a polar bear living on ice in the Arctic

Which molecule is most responsible for the adverse effects of pollution and deforestation in Earth's climate?

• hydrogen gas
• carbon dioxide
• methane
• ammonia

Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the past century is causing

• acid rain
• ozone depletion
• global warming
• smog

Scientists believe that Earth's average temperature is increasing at an accelerated rate because

• rising sea levels are causing more solar energy to be absorbed by the oceans.
• the Earth's axis is tilting more in the direction of the Sun.
• an increase in volcanic activity is increasing the amount of dust in the atmosphere.
• the burning of fossil fuels is increasing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Which of the following is expected to be an impact of global warming in the future?

• less frequent and extreme storms such as hurricanes
• spread of diseases previously only known in the tropics
• global temperatures are expected to decrease by as much as 1.5 to 6 degrees in the next century
• sea levels are expected to fall