Human Population and Resource Consumption

Question 1

Claim: rising use per person, not population growth alone, drives a country's freshwater demand. Which evidence best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

Population rose 15 percent in 40 years while water use per person tripled and total withdrawals rose 250 percent

Answer

Total withdrawals and population both fell by about 5 percent over the same 40 years, while use per person stayed level

Answer

Population and total withdrawals both rose about 40 percent over 40 years while use per person stayed level

Answer

The country's population grew faster than any neighbor's while its total withdrawals also rose

Question 2

A scientist claims that burning fossil fuels is warming Earth's atmosphere. Which evidence best supports that claim?

Accepted Answer

Atmospheric carbon dioxide rose from about 315 ppm in 1958 to over 420 ppm today, and global average temperature rose about 1 degree Celsius

Answer

Carbon dioxide is a colorless gas that plants take in during photosynthesis and that animals release when they breathe out

Answer

Some years since 1958 have been cooler than the year before them

Answer

Volcanoes also release carbon dioxide when they erupt

Question 3

Claim: clearing forest for cropland reduces how much carbon dioxide the land removes from the air. Which evidence best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

A tract absorbed about 6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per hectare each year as forest and about 1 metric ton per year after it became cropland

Answer

The cropland's harvest grew larger each year after the forest was cleared

Answer

Crops on the cleared land take in carbon dioxide by photosynthesis during the growing season

Answer

Wood from the cleared trees was burned as fuel in nearby towns

Question 4

Claim: recycling aluminum cans lowers demand on Earth's mineral and energy resources. Which evidence best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

Making aluminum from recycled cans uses about 95 percent less energy than making the same aluminum from bauxite ore

Answer

Many towns collect aluminum cans for recycling every week

Answer

Aluminum is the most common metal in Earth's crust, so there is far more bauxite ore left than people could ever dig up

Answer

Bauxite ore is mined in open pits in several countries

Question 5

A city planner claims that spreading pavement across a growing city worsens downstream flooding. Which evidence best supports that claim?

Accepted Answer

After paved area in the watershed rose from 5 to 40 percent, storms of the same size produced peak stream flows three times higher

Answer

The city's population grew faster over those years than any other city in the state, and new neighborhoods reached the watershed edge

Answer

Several large storms flooded the stream after the city began to grow

Answer

New pavement heats up more in summer sun than the grass it replaced

Question 6

Claim: fishing pressure has pushed a fish population below the level it can quickly rebuild. Which evidence best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

Catch per hour of fishing fell from 90 kilograms in 1980 to 8 kilograms in 2020 even though boats fished longer with better gear

Answer

The fleet landed more total fish in 2020 than in 1980, because more boats were at sea and each one stayed out for longer

Answer

Boats in 2020 fished longer hours and used better gear than boats in 1980

Answer

Fishing companies earned more money from this fish in 2020 than in 1980

Question 7

Claim: replacing coal power with wind lowers a region's greenhouse gas emissions. Which evidence best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

A region that replaced 30 percent of its coal electricity with wind cut power sector carbon dioxide emissions 28 percent in ten years

Answer

The region built more wind turbines than any neighboring region over those ten years

Answer

The region's total electricity use grew slightly over the same ten years as more homes and businesses joined the grid

Answer

Wind farms in the region produced more electricity in windy months than in calm ones

Question 8

Claim: population size alone does not predict how much of Earth's resources a country uses. Which evidence best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

Country A has four times Country B's population but uses less total energy, because energy use per person in B is six times higher

Answer

Country A has more people than Country B and also uses more total energy

Answer

Country B's population is growing faster than Country A's, so B will soon need much more energy than it uses today

Answer

Country A's population doubled over 50 years, and its energy use doubled too

Question 9

In one lake basin, fertilizer use rose steadily for 20 years while summer algal blooms grew from 2 to 14 days per year and fish kills became common. Which claim does this data best support?

Accepted Answer

Nutrient runoff from rising fertilizer use is disrupting the lake ecosystem

Answer

Fish in the lake are being caught faster than they can reproduce

Answer

A disease spreading among the fish is causing the fish kills

Answer

The algal blooms provide extra food that will soon let fish numbers grow

Question 10

In one farming region, irrigated area doubled since 1970 and the water table beneath it has dropped about 30 meters. Which claim does this data best support?

Accepted Answer

The region is withdrawing groundwater faster than rain and rivers replace it

Answer

Rainfall in the region has increased steadily since 1970

Answer

The region's crops now need less water per hectare than in 1970

Answer

The water table dropped because of a long drought, not because of pumping

Question 11

A city of 2 million sends 1.2 kg of waste per person to landfill daily. A neighboring city of 2 million sends 0.4 kg after starting composting and recycling. Which claim does this data best support?

Accepted Answer

How a city handles its waste, not just its population, sets how much material reaches the landfill

Answer

Waste per person is set mainly by how many people live in a city

Answer

People in the first city buy more goods than people in the second city

Answer

The second city will soon send nothing at all to landfill

Question 12

World population rose from 3.7 billion in 1970 to 8 billion in 2022, while yearly global extraction of materials rose from about 27 to over 90 billion metric tons. Which claim does this data best support?

Accepted Answer

Material use grew faster than population, so consumption per person also rose

Answer

Material use grew in exact proportion to population over those years

Answer

Population growth is the only cause of rising material use

Answer

Each person today uses less material than a person did in 1970

Question 13

Over 40 years a coastal wetland shrank from 120 to 35 square kilometers as housing spread along the shore, and storm damage to inland homes rose. Which claim does this data best support?

Accepted Answer

Losing wetland to development removed a buffer that had reduced storm damage inland

Answer

The shrinking wetland has made storms in the area more frequent

Answer

Inland homes were damaged because they were built with weaker materials

Answer

Storms in the area have grown stronger over those 40 years

Question 14

In one country, coal use fell 60 percent in 15 years, wind and solar grew to a third of electricity, and carbon dioxide emissions fell 35 percent while population grew. Which claim does this data best support?

Accepted Answer

Emissions can fall even while population grows if the energy sources change

Answer

Wind and solar now supply most of the country's electricity

Answer

The drop in emissions came mainly from people using less electricity

Answer

Population size has no link to how much energy a country uses

Question 15

A student argues: 'My town recycles, so the amount of waste going to landfills worldwide must be shrinking.' What is the main weakness in this reasoning?

Accepted Answer

It generalizes from one town to the whole world, where waste amounts and recycling practices differ widely

Answer

It does not say which materials the town recycles

Answer

It ignores that recycling trucks burn fuel on their routes

Answer

It ignores that recycled goods still wear out and become waste later

Question 16

A student argues: 'New oil fields are still being discovered, so fossil fuels will never run out.' What is the main weakness in this reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Fossil fuels form over millions of years, far slower than they are used, so finding more does not make the supply endless

Answer

It does not say how many new oil fields were found last year

Answer

It ignores that burning oil releases carbon dioxide

Answer

It ignores that oil prices rise and fall from year to year

Question 17

A student argues: 'The world's population is rising, so every country's greenhouse gas emissions must be rising too.' What is the main weakness in this reasoning?

Accepted Answer

It applies one global trend to every country, ignoring differences in energy sources and use per person

Answer

It does not name which greenhouse gases it means

Answer

It ignores that some countries cover more land than others

Answer

It assumes population is counted the same way in every country

Question 18

A student argues: 'Country X emits more carbon dioxide in total than Country Y, so each person in X must use more energy.' What is the main weakness in this reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Total emissions depend on population as well as use per person, so a country with more people can emit more while each person uses less

Answer

It compares two countries that lie on different continents, where the climate and the heating season are not the same

Answer

It ignores that carbon dioxide spreads across borders once it is released

Answer

It does not say which year the emissions were measured

Question 19

A student argues: 'The lake near my school looked clear today, so farm runoff is not harming lakes in this region.' What is the main weakness in this reasoning?

Accepted Answer

One look at one lake on one day cannot outweigh measurements taken across many lakes over years

Answer

It relies on measurements published by scientists rather than on what the student saw at the lake

Answer

It does not say what time of day the student looked at the lake

Answer

It does not name the farms near the lake

Question 20

A student argues: 'Solar panels release no emissions while running, so building them has no effect on Earth's systems.' What is the main weakness in this reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Mining, manufacturing and shipping the panels use energy and materials, so the impact is smaller rather than zero

Answer

It ignores that solar panels make less electricity on cloudy days

Answer

It assumes the amount of sunlight reaching the panels is the same in every season and in every part of the country

Answer

It does not say how much electricity the panels produce

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Human Population and Resource Consumption

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

Bug Blast

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner

Human Population and Resource Consumption

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

More like this

Bug Blast

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner