Human Impact on the Environment

Wastes produced by agriculture, households, industry, mining, and other human activities can end up in ______________.

• groundwater
• streams and rivers
• oceans
• All of these choices

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Increase in which gas is primarily responsible for increased global warming?

• Carbon dioxide
• Water vapor
• Methane
• Nitric oxides

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When fertilizers run off farmland into streams and ponds, the nitrogen content of the water increases. This can lead to rapid growth of algae in a process called eutrophication. How can this process affect other organisms in the water?

• Oxygen is used up as algae is decomposed, reducing the amount available to other organisms.
• The water becomes better able to support aerobic organisms.
• The algae provide food for fishes and other organisms, leading to decreased algae populations.
• The extra nitrogen provides additional food for the other organisms, increasing their population.

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What is the most dramatic result of deforestation?

• land is no longer green and full of life
• pictures from space show deforestation
• loss of habitat for approximately 70% of the worlds species
• people can't explore rainforests

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Fossil fuels are an important natural resource used by society. Which of the following best describes fossil fuels?

• They are any liquid fuel derived from once-living matter.
  
• They are organic fuels derived from ancient plants and animals.
• They are fuels in which dinosaur fossils are commonly found.
• They are naturally occurring inorganic fuels like coal and petroleum.

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Approximately 75 percent of the Earth's surface is covered in water. So why is water considered such a precious resource?

• The greenhouse effect is causing most of the world's freshwater to be trapped in the atmosphere
• Only a small fraction of the Earth's water is freshwater available for drinking and irrigation
• Each year, more freshwater is being trapped in icecaps located at the North and South Poles
• Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions will likely cause Earth's oceans to evaporate

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Many common products, such as wooden furniture, paper, and books, are made from trees. Which of the following is a likely consequence of humans cutting down a forest in order to make use of the natural resources there? 

• the decrease of chemical runoff into the oceans
• increased acid rain
• the increase of light pollution in cities
• the destruction of habitats

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The oceans can provide a large supply of our food.  What would be the best decision to provide abundant marine food resources for the future?

• Fishing should be regulated by law.
• There should be no restrictions on fishing.
• Only one country at a time should be allowed to fish.

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A new store and a parking lot are built in what was a large field.  Which of the following is most likely to happen to the ecosystem in the field?

• There will be more food for the animals.
• More water will be available to the animals.
• There will be less food because there are fewer plants.

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Several students watched as bulldozers took down a large group of trees in their neighborhood where cardinals nest each spring.  What effect might this development have on the cardinal population in their neighborhood?

• The number of cardinals will decrease due to loss of habitat.
• The number of cardinals will be about the same; they will adapt to the new environment.
• The number of cardinals will increase with the number of new homes added.

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