How carbon moves through living things and the air
Grade 7 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Table (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Mauna Loa, Hawaii), columns year, carbon dioxide in the air (ppm, yearly average)
1960, 317; 1980, 339; 2000, 370; 2020, 414; 2024, 425.
By how much did carbon dioxide in the air rise from 1960 to 2020, Ari?
- About 414 ppm
- About 317 ppm
- About 97 ppm
- About 60 ppm
By how much did carbon dioxide in the air rise from 2000 to 2024, Bo?
- About 425 ppm
- About 24 ppm
- About 55 ppm
- About 370 ppm
Which 20-year step in the table shows the biggest rise, Esme?
- 1960 to 1980
- 1980 to 2000
- 2020 to 2024
- 2000 to 2020
NOAA measures carbon dioxide rising year after year. What does NOAA say is the main cause, Jun?
- More volcanoes erupting
- Plants taking in less each year
- People burning fossil fuels for energy
- Decomposers breaking down more leaves
A carbon atom goes from the air into an oak, passes to a squirrel, then back to the air. Which three processes is that, in order, Milo?
- Photosynthesis, decay, burning
- Photosynthesis, passes to, respiration
- Respiration, passes to, photosynthesis
- Decay, passes to, burning
A carbon atom goes from the air into a leaf, the leaf falls, and fungi break it down. Which processes start and end that loop, Noah?
Carbon cycle arrow diagram, not to scale. Boxes: air (carbon dioxide); plants; decomposers. Arrows: air to plants, lettered X with no word; plants to decomposers, labeled fallen leaves; decomposers to air, lettered Y with no word. Carbon cycle arrow diagram, not to scale. Boxes: air (carbon dioxide); plants; decomposers. Arrows: air to plants, lettered X with no word; plants to decomposers, labeled fallen leaves; decomposers to air, lettered Y with no word. X Y fallen leaves air (carbon dioxide) plants decomposers - Decay, then photosynthesis
- Photosynthesis, then decay
- Respiration, then photosynthesis
- Burning, then dissolving
Ancient plants took in carbon dioxide and were buried and became coal. Today the coal is burned. Which two processes start and end that path, Pia?
Carbon cycle arrow diagram, not to scale. Boxes: air (carbon dioxide); plants; fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas). Arrows: air to plants, lettered X with no word; plants to fossil fuels, labeled buried long ago; fossil fuels to air, lettered Y with no word. Carbon cycle arrow diagram, not to scale. Boxes: air (carbon dioxide); plants; fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas). Arrows: air to plants, lettered X with no word; plants to fossil fuels, labeled buried long ago; fossil fuels to air, lettered Y with no word. X Y buried long ago air (carbon dioxide) plants fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) - Burning, then photosynthesis
- Respiration, then decay
- Dissolving, then decay
- Photosynthesis, then burning
Ren says plants make their carbon out of sunlight. Agree or disagree?
- Agree: sunlight turns into carbon
- Disagree: the carbon comes from carbon dioxide
- Disagree: it comes from the soil
- Agree: plants need no air
Tala says burning fossil fuels gets rid of their carbon. Agree or disagree?
- Disagree: it stays in the fuel
- Agree: burning destroys carbon
- Disagree: it moves into the air
- Agree: the carbon becomes energy
Zee says volcanoes cause most of the rise in carbon dioxide. Agree or disagree?
- Agree: plants add the most
- Agree: volcanoes add the most
- Disagree: people emit far more than volcanoes
- Disagree: the ocean adds the most