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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the use, sources, and methods of transportation of renewable resources for electricity generation, agriculture, industrial, and residential uses.
- Apply knowledge of human impacts on water sources, including environmental impacts, future challenges, and potential solutions.
- Apply knowledge of the surface and subsurface extraction techniques for common mineral resources (e.g., coal, bauxite, stone aggregate, iron, copper), their environmental impact, and methods of reclaiming and remediating mine sites.
- Apply knowledge of human impacts on soil development and soil health (e.g., enhanced erosion, desertification, salinization, agricultural practices, industrial contamination), techniques that can be used to preserve or restore soil health, and the effects of soil degradation on climate.
- Apply knowledge of the short- and long-term environmental impacts of the human use of fossil fuels, including the impacts of extraction (e.g., mining, hydraulic fracturing), transportation, and utilization, and the contribution of these methods to climate feedback mechanisms (e.g., albedo changes, greenhouse effect).
- Apply knowledge of the types of biotic natural resources (e.g., timber, edible plants, animal products), their use, environmental impacts, and methods for maintaining their sustainability.
Sample Item:
Which of the following human actions can prevent the largest driver of soil degradation in the United States?
- growing cover crops to prevent erosion on agricultural land
- eliminating the use of herbicides and pesticides in residential areas
- planting trees to reverse the effects of deforestation on federal land
- creating effective drainage systems to channel water in urban areas
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. One of the major causes of soil degradation in the United States is unsustainable cultivation practices. Planting cover crops like pea, barley, or clover can help prevent degradation while often improving soil health and productivity. Cover crops hold the soil in place to prevent erosion, decrease soil compaction, and can even add nutrients and organic matter back into the soil.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the causes, categorization, and damage mitigation methods for severe wind events (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, derechos).
- Apply knowledge of the categorization of earthquakes (e.g., scales, damage, shaking), the types of damage caused (e.g., immediate damage, infrastructure challenges, tsunami-related impacts), and damage mitigation methods (e.g., building codes, city location, infrastructure planning).
- Apply knowledge of the types of extreme weather events (e.g., floods, heat waves, blizzards, ice storms, lake effect snow), possible mitigation efforts, and changes in frequency and severity of these events due to climate change.
- Apply knowledge of the scale and hazards of volcanic eruptions, including their local, regional, and global short- and long-term effects that can be tied to composition and tectonic setting.
- Apply knowledge of climate patterns and feedback mechanisms, which may be human influenced, that can lead to drought and wildfires, including their short- and long-term effects, their local and regional effects, and their mitigation.
Sample Item:
Locations along the Gulf of Mexico have the highest probability of experiencing a hurricane during which of the following months?
- February
- May
- September
- December
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. Hurricanes need several environmental conditions to form including warm surface temperatures, moisture in the atmosphere, and low vertical wind shear. These conditions are most likely to be present in the Atlantic from June through November with peak hurricane formation typically occurring during the month of September.
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