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 60 ppm
- About 97 ppm
- About 317 ppm
By how much did carbon dioxide in the air rise from 2000 to 2024, Bo?
- About 24 ppm
- About 425 ppm
- About 370 ppm
- About 55 ppm
Which 20-year step in the table shows the biggest rise, Esme?
- 2020 to 2024
- 1960 to 1980
- 1980 to 2000
- 2000 to 2020
NOAA measures carbon dioxide rising year after year. What does NOAA say is the main cause, Jun?
- Plants taking in less each year
- Decomposers breaking down more leaves
- More volcanoes erupting
- People burning fossil fuels for energy
Plants and the ocean take in carbon dioxide too. Why does the air's carbon dioxide still rise, Kira?
- They make more carbon dioxide
- Burning destroys the carbon instead
- They remove just about half of what fuels add
- The ocean adds the extra
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?
- Respiration, passes to, photosynthesis
- Photosynthesis, passes to, respiration
- Decay, passes to, burning
- Photosynthesis, decay, 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 - Respiration, then photosynthesis
- Burning, then dissolving
- Photosynthesis, then decay
- Decay, then photosynthesis
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) - Photosynthesis, then burning
- Respiration, then decay
- Burning, then photosynthesis
- Dissolving, then decay
Tala says burning fossil fuels gets rid of their carbon. Agree or disagree?
- Disagree: it stays in the fuel
- Agree: burning destroys carbon
- Agree: the carbon becomes energy
- Disagree: it moves into the air
Zee says volcanoes cause most of the rise in carbon dioxide. Agree or disagree?
- Agree: volcanoes add the most
- Disagree: the ocean adds the most
- Agree: plants add the most
- Disagree: people emit far more than volcanoes