School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Science, Grade 5

Skills and Processes | Earth/Space | Life | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental

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Standard 6.0 Environmental Science

Topic B. Environmental Issues

Indicator 2. Recognize and describe that consequences may occur when Earth's natural resources are used.

Objective b. Explain how human activities may have a negative consequence on the natural environment.

Selected Response Item

Students are learning about the natural resources in Maryland. One group of students researches information about renewable natural resources in the state. The other group researches information about nonrenewable natural resources in the state. The resources the students investigate include plants, animals, soil, minerals, water, coal, and oil.

Which of the following human activities negatively affects a natural resource?

  1. fishing in a lake
  2. using water to produce electricity
  3. planting native plants along a lakeshore
  4. directing runoff from cropland into a lake
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_031.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item

Large populations of sea nettles have been observed during the summer in parts of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is a mixture of salt water and fresh water. During the summer, the bay has a moderately high salt content. The amount of salt in the water, the salinity, depends on the amount of fresh water that flows into the bay. Additionally, some studies suggest that human activities have caused an increase in the sea nettle population.

Question Image

The salinity level of the bay is changed when pollutants enter the bay. Salinity is also affected by extreme temperatures, drought conditions, and floods.

Which of these events would have the most negative effect on the sea nettle population in the bay?

  1. fossil fuel burning cars drive across the bay on a bridge
  2. farmland fertilizers enter a river that flows into a nearby bay
  3. a thunderstorm dumps rain along a shoreline of a nearby bay
  4. overflow from a waste water treatment plant empties directly into the bay
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_050.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item

Large populations of sea nettles have been observed during the summer in parts of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is a mixture of salt water and fresh water. During the summer, the bay has a moderately high salt content. The amount of salt in the water, the salinity, depends on the amount of fresh water that flows into the bay. Additionally, some studies suggest that human activities have caused an increase in the sea nettle population.

Question Image

Sea nettles need small amounts of nutrients to survive and reproduce. Sea nettle populations increase quickly when excess nitrogen pollutes the water in which the sea nettles live. A sea nettle reproduces by laying thousands of eggs.

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How would excess nitrogen most likely affect the other organisms in this food web?

  1. The striped bass (fish) population would increase immediately.
  2. The menhaden (fish) population would decrease slowly.
  3. The copepod population would increase quickly.
  4. The algae population would decrease slowly.
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_051.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item

The piping plover is a bird that builds its nest on sand dunes along the Atlantic Ocean.

Which of these actions most likely damages the nests of the piping plover?

  1. people fishing from a boat
  2. children playing in the ocean waves
  3. children digging holes along the sand dunes
  4. people walking on a sidewalk along the sand dunes
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_040.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item

The snowshoe hare was once common in Maryland. In 1986, researchers in the state noted that the snowshoe hare was no longer found in Maryland.

Which statement best explains why the snowshoe hare is no longer found in Maryland?

  1. Water quality has improved.
  2. There are too many trees.
  3. The temperature is too cold.
  4. Housing developments have replaced fields.
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_088.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item

Use the passage 'Hazy Summer Days and Air Pollution' to answer the following question.

Particle air pollution most likely increases when

  1. heavy rainfall occurs
  2. more factories are making products
  3. the number of green plants increases
  4. the number of small cars on roads decreases
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_060.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item

Use the information below to answer the following.

Many natural resources are found in Maryland and the surrounding area. Some of these natural resources are renewable and some are nonrenewable. People use both kinds of resources in daily activities. Using natural resources often produces waste products.

Burning fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and gasoline produces pollution.

Which type of pollution is most often produced by burning fossil fuels?

  1. air pollution
  2. land pollution
  3. noise pollution
  4. water pollution
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_076.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item

Use the information below to answer the following question.

The maps below show information about the air quality for one day in June, as reported from different air quality stations.

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Which of these activities is the most likely source of poor air quality?

  1. grazing cattle
  2. planting crops
  3. burning tires
  4. recycling aluminum
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_142.xml

Correct Answer:
C