Quiz on the Carbon Cycle

Which human activity has the greatest impact on the carbon cycle?

• Deforestation

• Use of fertilizers

• Fishing

• Recycling

What happens to carbon when plants or animals die?

• It is stored permanently in their bodies

• It is released into the atmosphere as CO2

• It is absorbed into the soil immediately

• It remains locked in fossil fuels

How do marine organisms like plankton contribute to the carbon cycle?

• By absorbing carbon dioxide during photosynthesis

• By releasing carbon dioxide through respiration

• By forming limestone after death

• All of the above

What is the process by which carbon moves from living organisms to the atmosphere?

• Respiration

• Photosynthesis

• Sedimentation

• Precipitation

Fossil fuels are formed from the remains of which organisms?

• Dinosaurs

• Plants and marine organisms

• Insects and fungi

• Large mammals

What is the long-term storage of carbon beneath the Earth’s surface known as?

• The short-term carbon cycle

• Carbon sequestration

• Carbon decay

• Carbon transformation

Which of the following is an example of carbon being released into the atmosphere?

• Volcano eruptions

• Ocean acidification

• Plant growth

• Formation of sedimentary rocks

How does deforestation impact the carbon cycle?

• Increases carbon stored in plants

• Decreases the amount of CO2 absorbed

• Has no significant impact

• Increases oxygen levels in the atmosphere

Carbon can enter the ocean in the form of dissolved CO2. What happens to most of this carbon?

• It is released back into the atmosphere

• It is used by marine organisms to build shells

• It remains as CO2 gas in the ocean

• It is turned into fossil fuels

What type of carbon compound is primarily used by plants during photosynthesis?

• Carbon monoxide

• Carbon dioxide

• Methane

• Glucose