4th Grade Science : Compare ways to reduce impacts of Earth processes
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Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Natural Earth Processes
Which solution to reduce the impacts of an earthquake would be beneficial to the MOST people?
Emergency plans for all the citizens over 80 years old
Improvements to brand new homes
Evacuate people who live in houses costing over $1 million
Earthquake safe building codes
Earthquake safe building codes
All of these solutions would mitigate the effect of an earthquake on residents in areas that are prone to natural disasters. Still, only one would be beneficial to a large population. Creating building codes that require all new construction and existing buildings to be built to a high safety standard will help save lives and reduce damage. These building codes have regulations that companies must follow to ensure they are stable and safe.
Example Question #11 : Natural Earth Processes
Tsunamis are severe oceanic storms that cause extreme devastation. They are a series of waves that can be miles long, up to 100 feet high, and can travel at 400 miles per hour. They are caused by significant and sudden disturbances of the sea’s surface. Volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes can trigger a tsunami. A massive wall of water will wash ashore, and there is very little time or warning for those who live in the communities nearby. The series of waves can last for hours, and massive flooding adds to the problem. If you find yourself in a tsunami, get to high ground, keep calm, do not drive, and follow instructions from local officials.
Melissa says that the best solution for reducing the impact tsunamis have on a city is to build a ten-foot wall around the city. Maggie thinks they should give all the residents boats so they can row away after the roads are flooded. Natalie says they should create a siren that goes off when there is a chance of a tsunami so people can evacuate. Brian thinks that each resident should build an emergency supply bag to keep in their car.
When comparing the four different solutions, which is the most reasonable and would have the most benefit to the residents?
Brian thinks his idea is the best because an emergency kit would allow people quick access to food, water, and medical supplies.
Natalie thinks her idea is best because a warning siren would reach all the residents of a town, and evacuation would keep them all safe.
Melissa has the best solution because the ten-foot wall would block the wave from entering the city and flooding it.
Maggie has the best solution because flooding is always a problem, and if residents had a boat, they could still get around town.
Natalie thinks her idea is best because a warning siren would reach all the residents of a town, and evacuation would keep them all safe.
Tsunamis are a deadly natural hazard and very unpredictable storms. All of the friends came up with ideas to try and reduce the impact a tsunami would have on a town, but only one is the most reasonable and would benefit the majority of residents. A siren to warn residents a tsunami may be approaching would be an excellent early detection system. If residents hear the siren wherever they may be in town, they can get to higher ground or evacuate before the storm arrives. Many people are caught by surprise and are on low grounds or even at the beach when the tsunamis approach so this would be a real life-saver.
Example Question #12 : Natural Earth Processes
Tsunamis are severe oceanic storms that cause extreme devastation. They are a series of waves that can be miles long, up to 100 feet high, and can travel at 400 miles per hour. They are caused by significant and sudden disturbances of the sea’s surface. Volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes can trigger a tsunami. A massive wall of water will wash ashore, and there is very little time or warning for those who live in the communities nearby. The series of waves can last for hours, and massive flooding adds to the problem. If you find yourself in a tsunami, get to high ground, keep calm, do not drive, and follow instructions from local officials.
Kaitlyn says that the best solution for reducing the impact tsunamis have on a city is to build a ten-foot wall around the city. Angie thinks they should send out warnings on all of the local television stations when a storm may be approaching. Jeff says they should create a siren that goes off when there is a chance of a tsunami so people can evacuate. Donald thinks that each resident should move to the lowest part of their house and hide.
When comparing the four different solutions, which would be the LEAST helpful to the residents?
Donald - move to the lowest level of the house
Jeff - warning siren
Kaitlyn - build a ten-foot wall
Angie - warning on television stations
Donald - move to the lowest level of the house
Tsunamis are a deadly natural hazard and very unpredictable storms. All of the friends came up with ideas to try and reduce the impact a tsunami would have on a town, and not all of them would be the best, but Donald's plan would be the least helpful to residents. Donald's idea would be dangerous and put many peoples' lives at risk. A siren to warn residents a tsunami may be approaching would be an excellent early detection system. If residents hear the siren wherever they may be in town, they can get to higher ground or evacuate before the storm arrives. Warnings across the television stations would allow people to get prepared for an incoming wave. Building a ten-foot wall wouldn't do much against a 100-foot wave, but it would not put people at risk like Donald's plan.
Example Question #12 : Natural Earth Processes
The state of Hawaii wants to invest money in protecting residents and communities from volcanoes. Which solution would be the most beneficial to residents and reduce the impact of a volcanic eruption?
Research how volcanoes can trigger tsunamis
Build fencing around the volcano
Improved monitoring systems
Better cameras to film the eruptions
Improved monitoring systems
Volcanoes are a deadly natural hazard and can be unpredictable. If a volcano erupts, having better footage of the lava, smoke, and ash will do nothing at the moment to protect residents or their property. Lava would run right through, and under a fence, so it would not protect anyone from the volcano. Understanding the aftermath of a volcanic eruption is very important, but it does not address the issues with the explosion itself. Improving the monitoring systems would give people more time to evacuate or prepare, find a safe place, and would let scientists know the signs to look for future eruptions.
Example Question #13 : Natural Earth Processes
The state of Hawaii wants to invest money in protecting residents and communities from volcanoes. Which solution would be the LEAST beneficial to residents and reduce the impact of a volcanic eruption?
Create a warning device or siren to alert residents of an eruption
Improve monitoring systems
Build new construction further from volcanoes
Build a fence to stop the lava
Build a fence to stop the lava
Volcanoes are a deadly natural hazard and can be unpredictable. Improving the monitoring systems would give people more time to evacuate or prepare, find a safe place, and would let scientists know the signs to look for future eruptions. A warning device or siren would give advanced notice to residents so they would be aware of the eruption before or as soon as it happens rather than it being too late. Building further away from volcanoes would be a smart investment for future construction, so there is a reduced chance of damage to the new buildings. Lava would run right through, and under a fence, so it would not protect anyone from the volcano. Building a fence would be the least beneficial investment.
Example Question #14 : Natural Earth Processes
Which solution to reduce the impacts of an earthquake would be beneficial to the LEAST amount of people?
All of the answer choices are correct
Provide safety features in homes costing over $1 million
Improvements to brand new homes
Evacuate all citizens over 80 years old
All of the answer choices are correct
All of these solutions would mitigate the effect of an earthquake on residents in areas that are prone to natural disasters. But, they would NOT be beneficial to a large population. Creating building codes that require all new construction and existing buildings to be built to a high safety standard will help save lives and reduce damage. These building codes have regulations that companies must follow to ensure they are stable and safe. The safety features should not just be in new homes or homes that cost over $1 million; this eliminates those who are living in less expensive homes or homes that were built previously. Only evacuating people over 80 years of age also narrows down the group of people receiving help drastically and leaves out a large piece of the population. None of these choices would be the best option to help large groups of people.
Example Question #15 : Natural Earth Processes
Tsunamis are severe oceanic storms that cause extreme devastation. They are a series of waves that can be miles long, up to 100 feet high, and can travel at 400 miles per hour. They are caused by significant and sudden disturbances of the sea’s surface. Volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes can trigger a tsunami. A massive wall of water will wash ashore, and there is very little time or warning for those who live in the communities nearby. The series of waves can last for hours, and massive flooding adds to the problem. If you find yourself in a tsunami, get to high ground, keep calm, do not drive, and follow instructions from local officials.
Melissa says that the best solution for reducing the impact tsunamis have on a city is to build a ten-foot wall around the city. Maggie thinks they should give all the residents boats so they can row away after the roads are flooded. Natalie says they should create a siren that goes off when there is a chance of a tsunami so people can evacuate. Brian thinks that each resident should build an emergency supply bag to keep in their car.
When comparing the four different solutions, which would most likely be the most expensive?
Emergency supply bags
Rowboats for all residents
Building a ten-foot wall around the city
Emergency siren
Building a ten-foot wall around the city
Tsunamis are a deadly natural hazard and very unpredictable storms. All of the friends came up with ideas to try and reduce the impact a tsunami would have on a town, but one would most likely be very expensive and impractical for a city. Melissa's idea of building a ten-foot-tall wall around the entire town would be too time-consuming, expensive, and labor-intensive. It would not be a practical solution.
Example Question #16 : Natural Earth Processes
The state of Florida wants to invest money in protecting residents and communities from hurricanes. Which solution would be the LEAST beneficial to residents and reduce the impact of a hurricane?
More education about the dangers of hurricanes
Build barriers around the beaches
Alarms when there is a storm
Improved monitoring systems
Build barriers around the beaches
Hurricanes are a deadly natural hazard and can be unpredictable. If a hurricane hits Florida, the storm will move directly past the beach barriers and continue moving inland. The barriers will not stop the wind, rain, or storm surge. This idea would be the LEAST beneficial to the community and would have no reduction in the impact of the storm.
Example Question #17 : Natural Earth Processes
True or False: There are no ways to reduce the impacts of Earth's processes on communities and the residents.
True
False
False
The statement in the question is false. There are many ways that we can reduce the impacts of Earth's processes on our residents and communities. Warning systems, research, emergency preparedness kits, and plans, code enforcements for storms on new construction, and evacuation plans are just a few of the methods we currently use.
Example Question #18 : Natural Earth Processes
Students at Bowers Elementary are looking for inexpensive ways to reduce erosion around their local river. Which student's idea would be the most practical and least expensive?
- Aaliyah thinks the town should build a dam upriver and control the flow of water.
- Sean wants to plant trees and vegetation along the riverbank.
- Wayne thinks that installing concrete barriers along the river.
Sean
Aaliyah
Wayne
None of the ideas are practical or inexpensive
Sean
Sean's idea to plant new trees and vegetation is not only the least expensive and most practical but a common practice. Tree roots hold the dirt in place and can help the banks of the river from being washed away and sliding down into the current. The other ideas are expensive and not practical.
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