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7th grade How carbon moves through living things and the air worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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How carbon moves through living things and the air

Grade 7 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

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Circle the best answer.

  1. In the diagram, which process does arrow X stand for, Ari?

    • Dissolving in water
    • Photosynthesis
    • Burning fuels
    • Respiration

  2. Decomposers break down fallen leaves and give off carbon dioxide. In the diagram, which process is arrow X, Bo?

    • Burning
    • Decay
    • Photosynthesis
    • Dissolving

  3. Animals breathe out carbon dioxide. In the diagram, which process is arrow X, Esme?

    • Respiration
    • Burning
    • Photosynthesis
    • Decay

  4. Which way does the burning arrow move carbon, Kira?

    • From the plants into the fuels
    • From the fossil fuels into the air
    • From the air into the plants
    • From the air into the fossil fuels

  5. Which way does the decay arrow move carbon, Luz?

    • From the decomposers into the air
    • From the air into the plants
    • From the air into the decomposers
    • From the decomposers into the plants

  6. In the air box, which form is the carbon in, Milo?

    • Carbon dioxide gas
    • Soil on the forest floor
    • Coal in the ground
    • Sugar in plant cells

  7. An apple tree grows a lot of new wood and fruit. Where did most of that carbon come from, Noah?

    • The soil around its roots
    • The water it takes in
    • Carbon dioxide in the air
    • Sunlight

  8. Coal, oil and gas hold carbon. Where did that carbon first come from, Pia?

    • Soil deep underground
    • Sunlight turned into rock
    • Rain stored underground
    • Ancient plants

  9. A maple leaf falls in autumn and lands on the forest floor. Which box gets its carbon next, Tala?

    • The carbon vanishes
    • Fossil fuels, right away
    • Decomposers
    • The Sun

  10. A carrot plant grows a big orange root. Where did the root's carbon come from, Zee?

    • Water in the ground
    • Carbon dioxide taken in by the leaves
    • Nowhere: plants make new carbon
    • The soil around the root
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7th grade How carbon moves through living things and the air worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

How carbon moves through living things and the air. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name the process on each arrow (photosynthesis, respiration, decay, burning, dissolving) and say which way it moves carbon.
  • I can follow one carbon atom around the cycle and explain that carbon is reused, not made or used up.
  • I can read NOAA's Mauna Loa carbon dioxide numbers and say what NOAA gives as the main cause of the rise.

Standard: MS-LS2-3

Words to know

carbon cycle: The path carbon takes between the air, living things, the ocean and rocks

photosynthesis: Plants using light to build sugar from carbon dioxide and water

respiration: Living things breaking down sugar for energy, giving off carbon dioxide

decay: Decomposers breaking down fallen leaves and wastes, returning carbon dioxide

fossil fuels: Coal, oil and gas, made from plants buried long ago

ppm: Parts per million: how many carbon dioxide molecules in every million air molecules

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up photosynthesis and respiration. Photosynthesis takes carbon dioxide out of the air; respiration and decay put it back.

Your child read an arrow backward. Carbon leaves the box at the arrow's tail and arrives at the box at its head.

Your child thought carbon is made or used up. Carbon atoms are only moved from one store to another, so the total stays the same.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with how carbon moves through living things and the air?

Your child mixed up photosynthesis and respiration. Photosynthesis takes carbon dioxide out of the air; respiration and decay put it back.

Are these 7th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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