How people change the environment, and ways to reduce the harm

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

2. 1.

   Esme sorts four cases. Which one is an invasive species problem (USGS)?

   • A factory adds a smokestack scrubber
   • Native trees grow back after a storm
   • Zebra mussels from another continent clog lake pipes
   • Rain runs off a new parking lot
3. 2.

   Jun sorts four cases. Which one is overfishing (NOAA)?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Boats are cleaned between lakes
   • A lake gets more fish each year
   • A river bank is paved over
   • Fish are taken faster than the stock can grow back
4. 3.

   Before the 1700s, 280 or less; 1960, 317; 1990, 354; 2024, 425. Note: Mauna Loa yearly means, rounded. Using the NOAA table, how much did carbon dioxide rise from 1960 to 2024, by Kira's math?

   • About 742 ppm
   • About 145 ppm
   • About 108 ppm
   • About 37 ppm

5. Read this first

   Where rain goes (Data: USGS)

   Ground	Runs off	Soaks in
   Forest or meadow	10%	50%
   Mostly paved (75–100%)	55%	15%

6. 4.

   Using the USGS table, how much less rain soaks in on mostly paved ground than in a meadow, by Luz's math?

   • 65 percentage points less
   • 45 percentage points less
   • 5 percentage points less
   • 35 percentage points less

7. Use the table

   U.S. changes, 1970 to 2025 (Data: EPA)

   Measure	Change
   Six main air pollutants	down 78%
   Population	up 67%
   Miles driven	up 197%
   Energy use	up 46%

8. 5.

   Using the EPA table, the population grew 67% while the six main air pollutants fell 78%. What does that show, by Milo's reading?

   • Pollution rose as the population grew
   • The population fell as pollution fell
   • Pollution fell even as the population grew
   • More people must mean more pollution
9. 6.

   A town clears a forest beside a river to build homes. What will most likely happen to runoff, by Noah's reading (USGS)?

   • The river will dry up as more soaks in
   • Less rain will run off
   • More rain will run off into the river
   • Rain will stop falling there
10. 7.

    Before the 1700s, 280 or less; 1960, 317; 1990, 354; 2024, 425. Note: Mauna Loa yearly means, rounded. People keep burning more coal, oil and gas. What will most likely happen to the carbon dioxide in the air, by Ren's reading (NOAA)?

    • It will turn into oxygen
    • It will stay at the 1960 level
    • It will keep rising
    • It will drop back to 280 ppm
12. 8.

    Which fix best cuts the carbon dioxide from a family's short car trips, by Tala's reading?

    • Leave the car running while parked
    • Walk or bike for short trips
    • Drive the long way around
    • Plant flowers in the driveway
13. 9.

    Which fix best cuts the sulfur pollution from a coal power plant, by Zee's reading (EPA)?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Burn the coal faster
    • Add a scrubber to clean the smoke
    • Add a scrubber, which needs no money or water
    • Build the smokestack shorter
14. 10.

    Which fix best cuts the trash a school sends to a landfill, by Ari's reading (EPA)?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Throw recycling in the trash
    • Recycle paper and compost food scraps
    • Recycle, which needs no bins, trucks or workers
    • Buy more single-use cups