How hazards and resources shaped where people live

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   A world map marking the Ring of Fire and the Nile and Mississippi floodplains.

2. 1.

   A classmate says nobody should live near volcanoes since they can erupt. Which reply fits USGS, by Esme's reading?

   • No; eruptions are a hazard, but volcanic soils, heat and ores are benefits to weigh
   • No; volcanoes near farms stop erupting for good once crops grow
   • Correct; volcanic soil is far too poor to grow crops in, so volcanoes offer nothing
   • No; people choose a place by its soil alone and skip its hazards
3. 2.

   A student says damaging earthquakes are a hazard for California alone. Which reply fits USGS, by Jun's reading?

   • Correct; earthquakes strike at random, so hazard maps can't show any risk
   • Correct; damaging shaking is limited to the Pacific coast
   • No; earthquakes strike each state equally often
   • No; nearly 75% of the U.S. could have damaging earthquake shaking
4. 3.

   A student says that after a 100-year flood, a town is safe for 99 years. Which reply fits USGS, by Kira's reading?

   • No; each year starts with the same 1% chance
   • Correct; the next one is 100 years away
   • Correct; the river has used up its floodwater
   • No; the chance rises to 50% the next year

5. Use this

   Table, U.S. coastal counties (NOAA), with columns Measure, NOAA figure: People in coastal counties, 129 million, almost 40% of the nation; Share of land (excluding Alaska), less than 10%; Coastal people per square mile, about 468; Nation's people per square mile, about 113.

6. 4.

   Using the NOAA table, about how many people would live on a 10-square-mile coastal area at the coastal density, by Milo's math?

   • About 478 people
   • About 4,680 people
   • About 47 people
   • About 1,130 people

7. Model site scores, 1 (weak) to 3 (strong) (model data)

   Site	Soil	Water	Transport	Safety from hazard
   A	3	3	3	1
   B	3	2	1	1
   C	1	2	3	2
   D	1	1	1	3

8. 5.

   Using the model scores, if safety counted double, what would sites A and D total, by Noah's math?

   • A: 10 points; D: 6 points
   • A: 20 points; D: 12 points
   • A: 13 points; D: 7 points
   • A: 11 points; D: 9 points
9. 6.

   A world map marking the Ring of Fire and the Nile and Mississippi floodplains. Which evidence best shows that earthquakes and eruptions are not random, by Ren's reading (USGS)?

   • Most quakes and eruptions line up along plate boundaries
   • Earthquakes strike evenly across each part of each continent
   • Volcanoes appear wherever the most people live
   • Eruptions happen most often at the poles

10. Model site scores, 1 (weak) to 3 (strong) (model data)

    Site	Soil	Water	Transport	Safety from hazard
    A	3	3	3	1
    B	3	2	1	1
    C	1	2	3	2
    D	1	1	1	3

11. 7.

    Model data: town X sits on site A with levees; town Y sits on site D. Which comparison fits the model scores, by Tala's reading?

    • X has better soil, water and transport; Y is safer from hazards
    • The two towns score the same on each criterion
    • Y has richer soil, since dry land holds more nutrients
    • X is safer from floods, since levees remove the flood hazard
12. 8.

    A world map marking the Ring of Fire and the Nile and Mississippi floodplains. Which summary of why people live near hazards fits USGS, by Zee's reading?

    • Rich soils, water, routes and resources draw people, who weigh them against hazards
    • People live near hazards because those hazards have no costs at any time to weigh
    • People pick places by one factor, such as scenery, and skip the rest
    • Hazards strike at random, so where people live does not matter
13. 9.

    Which summary of a 100-year flood fits USGS, by Ari's reading?

    • Exactly one flood each century, spaced 100 years apart
    • A flood that waits a full century after the last one
    • A 1% chance each year, which can happen two years in a row
    • A flood 100 feet deep along the river

14. Use this

    Table, U.S. coastal counties (NOAA), with columns Measure, NOAA figure: People in coastal counties, 129 million, almost 40% of the nation; Share of land (excluding Alaska), less than 10%; Coastal people per square mile, about 468; Nation's people per square mile, about 113.

15. 10.

    Which summary of U.S. coasts fits NOAA, by Bo's reading?

    • Almost 40% of people live on less than 10% of the land
    • Coasts hold few people and very little land
    • About 10% of people live on almost 40% of the land
    • Coasts hold almost 40% of people on most of the land