WMES- Science Unit 5- Pollution

What might be the BEST question to ask to determine the source of pollution in the river?

•                           Where do the storm drains come from?

•                             What kind of animals live in the river?

•                              How many cars travel the road?

•                            What does the factory make?

Krista is doing a research project to determine the effects of a new factory on the quality of the air in the city and the water in the surrounding lake.  Below are a list of questions Krista has created to ask.  Choose the TWO BEST questions Krista should ask.

•  Does the factory recycle?

• How much smoke does the factory create?

• How often does the factory get cleaned?

• Where does the factory dump their waste water?

• How many people work at the factory?

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What might be the BEST question to ask to determine the effect of pollution in the river?

• Who is responsible for cleaning up all of the trash?

• How long has the trash been building up in the river?

• Are there any animals who have lost their lives after eating plastic?

• Did this build up over time or is there a landfill nearby that is dumping plastic?

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Cameron and his sister like to go fishing with their dad on the weekends. They fish at a lake that is downstream from a factory. One Saturday they went to the lake to go fishing and they found that the lake was full of dead fish and had a sign that said “NO SWIMMING.” Using your understanding of the impact of humans on the environment, which was the most likely cause for the dead fish and the “NO SWIMMING” sign at the lake?

• Too many people fished at the lake, so the fish lost their source of food which caused the fish to die.

• People threw a lot of trash into the lake, which made the fish die and the water unsafe for swimming.

• Too many people were swimming in the water, which made the water too dirty for the fish to live in.

• Pollution from the factory upstream caused the fish to die and made the water unsafe for swimming.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

Victor has noticed that many of the roads in his town are covered with litter. Most of it is from fast food, including paper bags, and soda cups. What conclusion can Victor make about the impact the litter will have on the environment?

• The trash won’t be re-used or recycled.

• All the trash will make the town smell bad.

• Animals may think it is food and try to eat the trash.

• Wind may blow the trash in front of the cars, which could cause accidents.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Rebecca looked out the window one morning and took a picture of what she saw.

What could have caused this appearance and how could it impact animals and plants that live in the area.

• There is a lot of air pollution that could be from transportation and local factories. Plants and animals may struggle to survive with complications with breathing.

• There is a lot of air pollution that could be from chemicals spilled in the water. Plants and animals may struggle to survive with toxic chemicals.

• There is some air pollution that is from vehicles in the city. Plants and animals will be fine because air pollution is common in cities.

• There are a lot of vehicles in the city that create a smokey effect, but it is not pollution since you cannot physically touch it.

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A person driving a car throws a plastic water bottle out of the window. Will this plastic bottle affect the environment? Which answer and its explanation is the best to explain what might happen?

• It will not affect the environment because it will be washed away by the rain into the storm drain which leads underground.

• It will affect only the land because it will stay on the road until someone cleans it up.

• It will affect the river because it will roll into the storm drain which leads to the rivers and streams. It will never break down or decompose.

• It will not affect the environment because the bottle will break down or decompose.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-3

Bags of plastic trash are dumped into the ocean everyday. Which answer best explains the impact it can have on the environment?

• It will float around until it lands on a beach and it will be cleaned up.

• It will sink to the bottom of the ocean and it will not harm any living thing.

• It will be eaten by fish and will get microparticles of plastic inside of them.

• It will break down into the soil and sand and will not harm any living thing.

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The teachers at a local school all committed towards carpooling by sharing vehicles to limit the amount of cars driven each day. Which of the following effects would BEST explain what would happen if more people carpool?

• Acid rain that harms plants and animals could reduce.

• The amount of rain could increase due to less pollution.

• There will be less trash on the sides of the roads.

• Lake waters will be cleaner without oil spills.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-3

Elena noticed that her kitchen sink was dripping water all day and night. What is the BEST solution to solve this problem?

• She could collect the water, test how clean it is, and make a plan to help clean the water.

• She could fix the sink so it stops dripping water, which will help to conserve water.

• She could collect the water, measure how much water is being wasted each day, and make a plan to conserve water.

• She could collect the water and use it to water her plants so it isn’t wasted.

   

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