The greenhouse effect

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Burning coal for electricity adds carbon dioxide to the air. As it builds up, what happens to the heat the ground gives off, Ari?

   • The same amount escapes as before
   • Less sunlight reaches the ground to make it
   • More of it is held near Earth
   • More of it escapes to space
2. 2.

   Rice farms give off methane, a greenhouse gas (NASA). If more methane builds up in the air, what does Esme predict?

   • The air holds back less heat
   • Less sunlight gets through to the ground
   • The air holds back a bit more heat
   • The Sun shines more strongly on Earth

3. Read this first

   Use this

   Data table (NOAA Climate.gov), columns Measure and Value. Row 1: Global warming rate since 1850, 0.06 °C per decade. Row 2: Global warming rate since 1982, 0.20 °C per decade. Row 3: 2024 compared with the 1850–1900 average, 1.35 °C warmer. Row 4: Warmest year since records began in 1850, 2024.

4. 3.

   Using the NOAA table, how does the warming rate since 1982 compare with the rate since 1850, Jun?

   • About half as fast
   • More than three times as fast
   • About the same speed
   • Twenty times as fast
5. 4.

   Kira checks the NOAA table for a class report. Which year was the warmest since records began?

   • 1850
   • 2024
   • 1982
   • 1900
6. 5.

   A cold snap freezes Luz's town for a week in January 2024 (the snowman is thrilled). Does that week cancel the warming in the NOAA table?

   • Yes: one cold week ends the trend
   • Yes: it shows the Sun has dimmed
   • No: but the table is about sunlight
   • No: the table shows a long global average
7. 6.

   A forest is cleared, and the wood is burned. Which greenhouse gas does that add to the air, by Milo's NASA notes?

   • Carbon dioxide
   • Ozone that blocks sunlight
   • Nitrogen
   • Oxygen
8. 7.

   Fertilizer spread on farm fields gives off a greenhouse gas. Which one does Noah find on NASA's list?

   • Water vapor from the Sun
   • Oxygen
   • Nitrogen from the air
   • Nitrous oxide
9. 8.

   Since about 1750, the rise in greenhouse gases was caused by human activities (IPCC). What adds most of the extra carbon dioxide, Pia?

   • Volcanic eruptions
   • Sunlight through the ozone hole
   • Burning fossil fuels for energy
   • A brighter Sun
10. 9.

    Tala reads the IPCC's main finding about the warming of the air, ocean and land. What does it say?

    • A brightening Sun warmed them
    • Natural changes alone warmed them
    • Human influence has clearly warmed them
    • They have not warmed since 1850
11. 10.

    Earth and the Moon are about the same distance from the Sun. NASA gives Earth a mean of 15 °C and the Moon −20 °C. Why the difference, Zee?

    • The Moon's gases block its sunlight
    • The Moon gets much less sunlight
    • Earth has greenhouse gases; the Moon has almost no air
    • The Sun shines harder on Earth