Human Impact on Earth (7.E 6.6)

Austin lives in a community that is looking for more ways to reduce the human impact on the environment. Which of the following human activities is most likely to result in the greatest change in the vegetation of a region?

• Recording the diversity of plants

• Changing the course of a river

• Growing crops for food

• Using wind power to make electricity

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Which of the following least represents an impact on Earth caused mostly by humans?

• Erosion

• Overfishing

• Deforestation

• Urbanization

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

Gabriella and her family have recently moved onto a plot of land that previously had no human activity. What will most likely be the change to the water in that area?

• Water will be more evenly distributed in the area.

• Most of the freshwater in the area will become salty.

• The amount of available freshwater will increase.

• There will be less water available for other living things.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

In many places on Earth, humans are responsible for the removal of grasses, shrubs, trees, and other plants with roots that hold soil in place. Which of the following is the most direct result of this loss of vegetation?

• Air pollution

• Desertification

• The rise in sea level

• Urbanization

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Human activity has the greatest effect on global climate change when it results in which of the following?

• Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

• The creation of the genetically modified plant and animal species

• A decrease in the number and diversity of species in tropical rain forests

• The gradual rise in sea level reduces the available land area

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-ESS3-5

Water pollution can impact our health as well as the health of the environment. Which of the following human activities contributes most directly to the loss of water quality?

• Construction of wind turbines

• Burning of fossil fuels for energy

• Application of toxic fertilizers to crops

• Introduction of new species to a habitat

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Savannah is given data on deforestation in the Amazon and asked to determine the impacts of human influence on the loss of Amazon forests. Data tables are provided. Which of the following contributed to the loss of approximately 2,700 square kilometers of forest in the Amazon?

• Large scale agriculture in 2004

• Logging in 1995

• Cattle ranches in 1998

• Subsistence farming in 2003

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Scientists studying a region in southern Florida have noticed drastic changes in the availability of freshwater. Which of the following probably did NOT contribute to these changes?

• Several years of declining rainfall

• The decrease in the population of pond plants

• The building of new homes in the area

• Construction of a dam on the local river

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

One factor that contributes to desertification is the loss of soil. Wind can take away soil if there is nothing to hold it in place. Which of the following human activities will most likely contribute to desertification?

• Construction of wind turbines

• Burning of fossil fuels

• Introduction of new species

• Removal of vegetation

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following represents a way in which humans have positively impacted Earth's air and water?

• The land has been set aside for parks and wilderness areas that allow human use while preserving natural habitats.

• Emissions from transportation and industry have impacted the air quality in many urban areas and also affected the ozone layer.

• Overfishing and pollution endanger organisms in our oceans, lakes, and rivers.

• Unsustainable farming, mining, and clear-cutting of land, leading to desertification

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-3