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

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

2. 1.

   Ari fills in a chain. Cause: people pave a big field. What effect goes in the middle box (USGS)?

   • The field gets more rainfall
   • More rain soaks into the ground
   • More rainwater runs off into streams
   • Less rainwater runs off the field than before
3. 2.

   Bo fills in a chain. Cause: ship water carried zebra mussels into the Great Lakes (USGS). What effect goes in the middle box?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • The lakes turned salty
   • Native mussels grew in number
   • The mussels stayed in one small spot of one lake
   • The mussels spread and clog water pipes
4. 3.

   Kira fills in a chain. Cause: people burn coal, oil and gas for energy. What effect goes in the middle box (NOAA)?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • The ocean gets saltier
   • More carbon dioxide builds up in the air
   • Less carbon dioxide stays in the air than before
   • The air gains more oxygen
5. 4.

   Jun fills in a chain. Zebra mussels ride on boats to new lakes (USGS). Which fix goes in the fix box?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Move more boats between lakes
   • Add more mussels to each lake
   • Paint the boats a brighter color so the mussels can see them
   • Inspect and clean boats before they enter a new lake
6. 5.

   Luz fills in a chain. Paved lots send more rain into streams. Which fix goes in the fix box (EPA)?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Paint the pavement white
   • Build a rain garden that lets water soak in
   • Pave the lawn next to the lot too
   • Cut down the trees nearby
7. 6.

   Milo fills in a chain. Too many fish are taken, so few are left (NOAA). Which fix goes in the fix box?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Stop counting the fish
   • Fish at night instead of by day, taking just as many
   • Set limits so the fish can grow back
   • Take more fish each year

8. Read this first

   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%

9. 7.

   Using the EPA table, how did the six main air pollutants change from 1970 to 2025, by Ren's reading?

   • They rose 197%
   • They rose 78%
   • They dropped 78%
   • They did not change

10. Four boxes in a row

    Cause, effect, fix, then the fix's cost.

11. 8.

    A town adds rain gardens to cut runoff. What cost might it weigh, by Tala's reading?

    • Rain gardens have no costs
    • They add more runoff to streams
    • They stop rain from falling
    • Space and money to build and care for them
12. 9.

    A power plant adds a scrubber to clean its smoke (EPA). What cost might it weigh, by Zee's reading?

    • Scrubbers cost nothing to run
    • Scrubbers have no trade-offs
    • The equipment costs money, and wet ones need water treatment
    • Scrubbers make the smoke coming out of the tall stack even dirtier
13. 10.

    Lake workers check every boat for zebra mussels. What cost might the lake weigh, by Esme's reading?

    • The checks cost nothing
    • The checks need no workers
    • The checks spread mussels faster to the new lake
    • Time and workers for the boat checks