Make sure you have understood everything in this section (Lessons A11, A12, A13, A14, and A15).
Use the Self-Check below, and the Self-Check & Lesson Review Tips to guide your learning.
This is also a good time to visit your Section 4 Checklist to make sure you have completed all the recommended learning activities.

Unit A Section 4 Self-Check

Instructions


Complete the following 6 steps. Don't skip steps – if you do them in order, you will confirm your understanding of this section and create a study bank for the future.

  1. DOWNLOAD the self-check quiz by clicking here.

  2. ANSWER all the questions on the downloaded quiz in the spaces provided. Think carefully before typing your answers. Review the lessons of this section if you need to. Save your quiz when you are done.

  3. COMPARE your answers with the suggested "Self-Check Quiz Answers" below. WAIT! You didn't skip step 2, did you? It's very important to carefully write out your own answers before checking the suggested answers.

  4. REVISE your quiz answers if you need to. If you answered all the questions correctly, you can skip this step. Revise means to change, fix, and add extra notes if you need to. This quiz is NOT FOR MARKS, so it is perfectly OK to correct any mistakes you made. This will make your self-check quiz an excellent study tool you can use later.

  5. SAVE your quiz to a folder on your computer, or to your Private Files. That way you will know where it is for later studying.

  6. CHECK with your teacher if you need to. If after completing all these steps you are still not sure about the questions or your answers, you should ask for more feedback from your teacher. To do this, post in the Course Questions Forum, or send your teacher an email. In either case, attach your completed quiz and ask; "Can you look at this quiz and give me some feedback please?" They will be happy to help you!

Self-Check Time!

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Self-Check Quiz Answers

Click each of the suggested answers below, and carefully compare your answers to the suggested answers.

If you have not done the quiz yet – STOP – and go back to step 1 above. Do not look at the answers without first trying the questions.

Ecosystems can be damaged in many ways. One of the largest effects we have on ecosystems is loss of habitat. Developments of all kinds are built on habitats, which are then lost or fragmented. We introduce invasive species that wreak havoc on the balance of an ecosystem. We drain ecologically productive wetlands to make space for agriculture and industry. We fill lowland areas to build housing developments. Chemicals from agricultural, industrial, and municipal use can seep into aquatic ecosystems and harm them.
To help prevent these catastrophes, agriculture along lakeshores can be restricted. If housing around a lake is permitted, sewage lines and septic tanks must be monitored carefully to ensure no leaks occur. Development around lake ecosystems can be restricted. People must clean up pet waste. People can be encouraged to use phosphorus-free detergents and products.
We learned sound harms ocean animals by doing scientific research on marine animals. People have learned by accident that marine animals were harmed in noisy areas. More research needs to be done. If some studies prove that noise harms the animals, the government can take action. For example, the routes of ships and other watercraft could be confined to sea corridors to minimize the extent of the pollution. Seismic testing and drilling could be kept away from areas where the animals breed. Quieter engines could be developed.
Ecological footprint takes into account all the goods and services that a person uses in one day. Then, the effect of obtaining, processing, transporting, purchasing, using, and disposing of these goods and services is calculated. Adding all the values of these effects equals one’s ecological footprint.
A farmer can rotate crops so the same crop is not grown on the same soil every year. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides could be avoided or better controlled. Instead, some insect damage could be tolerated. Crops might be smaller with fewer chemical fertilizers, but they would be sustainable because the soil is not exhausted. High concentrations of chemicals can harm soil organisms as well. Finally, rows of native shrubs and herbs could be grown around or near the crops. These native plants provide food and habitat for pollinating insects such as bees. Grain plants need them to make seeds.