Natural Resources and Human Impact — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
Coal is a renewable resource that forms in only a few weeks underground.
Corrected: Coal is a nonrenewable resource that takes millions of years to form underground.
Grade 4 science teaches that coal forms from ancient plants over millions of years, so it cannot be replaced quickly.
2. Fix the sentence:
Oil and natural gas will never run out no matter how much we use.
Corrected: Oil and natural gas can run out because their supply on Earth is limited.
Grade 4 students learn that fossil fuels are finite, so heavy use can shrink their supply over time.
3. Fix the sentence:
Fossil fuels are made from rocks that grow back inside Earth every year.
Corrected: Fossil fuels are made from ancient plants and animals buried for millions of years.
Grade 4 science explains that fossil fuels formed long ago from buried organisms, not from rocks that regrow.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Coal, oil, and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they formed long ago.
Grade 4 science teaches that fossil fuels formed from prehistoric living things over millions of years.
2. A resource that cannot be replaced quickly by nature is called nonrenewable.
Grade 4 students learn that nonrenewable resources have limited supplies on Earth.
3. People burn gasoline to power cars, trucks, and many airplanes today.
Grade 4 science explains that gasoline is a nonrenewable fuel made from petroleum oil.
4. Fossil fuels took about millions of years to form deep inside Earth.
Grade 4 students learn that fossil fuels formed across millions of years, so we cannot make more quickly.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Why are fossil fuels considered nonrenewable resources?
Sample answer: Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas are nonrenewable because they took millions of years to form from buried plants and animals. People are using them much faster than nature can replace them, so the supply on Earth keeps getting smaller each year and could one day run out.
Grade 4 science teaches that slow formation plus fast use makes fossil fuels nonrenewable.
2. Name two ways people use fossil fuels every day.
Sample answer: People burn gasoline made from oil to run cars, buses, and trucks for transportation. They also burn natural gas or coal at power plants to make electricity that lights Grade 4 classrooms, heats homes during winter, and runs televisions, refrigerators, and computers across the country.
Grade 4 students learn that fossil fuels power transportation and generate most electricity.