Unit 3 Test Review

Which statement accurately describes power plants that use solar energy to those that use energy from burning coal to generate electricity?

• Solar power plants are more expensive to maintain than coal-fired power plants.

• Solar power plants require additional fuels to operate, but coal-fired power plants do not.

• Generating electricity is less expensive using solar energy than energy from burning coal.

• Installation of a solar power plant is more expensive than installation of a coal-fired power plant.

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-2

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

An engineering team is developing a new type of solar panel that can provide electrical energy more cheaply and efficiently than existing models. Initial tests of a prototype, however, reveal that the ceramic material used in its construction has a lower-than-expected efficiency. Which statement best describes how the researchers could optimize the design?

• Identify the end goal of what the solar panel must be able to do.

• Make adjustments to the ceramic material, and retest the design.

• Use available information, and brainstorm ideas for the solar panel design.

• Construct a different design that is expected to have higher efficiency.

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

NGSS.MS-ETS1-4

A design team is discussing how to remodel a city factory to make it as energy efficient as possible. Which statement describes a way the team constrains the project?

• They conduct a series of tests to make sure the factory does not pollute local water supplies.

• They determine the cost and the time that will be necessary to make the factory energy efficient.

• They identify various features that they want to incorporate into the design to minimize pollution.

• They analyze possible construction methods, such as which materials to use in the renovation.

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

A community is faced with the burden of rising landfill costs. An environmental consultant explains that these costs can be cut in half over a five-year period. The consultant uses the following data from a nearby town to illustrate this point. What else could the consultant do that would help demonstrate how to solve the community’s problem?

• Present a flow chart showing how to scale this problem to national and global levels.

• Form a focus group that would be able to address all problems in year one of the project timeline.

• Provide a computer model that demonstrates the advantages and efficiencies of curbside pickup.

• Read a report that highlights the need to build multiple new landfills to accommodate the number of reusable materials added.

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

Which statement describes a serious constraint of using wind to produce electrical energy?

• Turbine blades cannot be replaced once they are damaged.

• Electricity generated from wind cannot be used for domestic purposes.

• Wind speed and duration must be constant in order to generate electricity.

• Good sites for wind farms are often in areas far from where electricity is needed.

Why should petroleum and natural gas resources be carefully managed?

• They are nonrenewable resources.

• Applications for their use are limited.

• Technology for extracting them has low success rate.

• They are the only reliable sources of energy in the world.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

Tar sands extraction threatens to contaminate an underlying aquifer. Engineers believe modifying the steam injection process is one solution to this problem. Which would be a constraint to this solution?

• The amount of fresh water available for use as steam

• The amount of topsoil removed before steam injection

• The amount of rock that is shifted by the steam injection process

• The amount of oxygen used during injection to chemically change bitumen

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

An engineer wants to build a tidal power plant. To protect marine life, her solution is to make sure the plant does not decrease water salinity levels while still remaining powerful. What is a constraint to this solution?

• The type of gate opened at low tide

• The amount of water rushing into the bay

• The speed of the turbine used to generate electricity

• The number of tidal barriers functioning as storm walls

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

Determine whether each statement is a positive or negative aspect of petroleum and natural gas extraction.

• Positive aspect

• Refining petroleum can release gases into the atmosphere.

• Negative aspect

• Seismic imaging may be used to identify locations for drilling into deposits.

• Negative aspect

• Harvesting these materials can add pollutants to the atmosphere.

• Positive aspect

• Complex path drilling extracts from a single drill well.

• Positive aspect

• Horizontal drilling can exploit a particular rock layer for harvesting.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

There are various methods used to mine rocks and minerals, depending on the properties of the particular material and the location of the deposit. Each of these methods can have harmful effects on the environment. Match the potentially harmful effect to the type of mining that may cause it.

• Solution Mining

• The use of large amounts of fresh water in this type of mining impacts that the supply of this limited natural resource.

• Hydraulic Mining

• Habitat destruction is the major problem caused by this type of mining.

• Open Pit Mining

• Hot water used in this method can cause thermal pollution in the areas it is used.

• Strip Mining

• The use of explosives in the type of mining can disrupt wildlife.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-3