Tiny Plastic, Big Problem Quiz

What happens to most plastic waste over time?

• A. It gets recycled and reused.

• B. It eventually breaks down into soil.

• C. It becomes rock or other harmless materials.

• D. It gets torn into little pieces that spread.

The plastic in the ocean...

• A. is broken down completely by the salt water.

• B. can easily be picked up and removed.

• C. is hard to track because it moves and some sinks.

• D. comes mostly from things thrown off of ships.

What did Cozar's study find?

• A. The smaller pieces of plastic were missing.

• B. The ocean has ways to naturally recycle the plastic.

• C. Most plastic has washed ashore and can be collected.

• D. There is not that much plastic in the ocean.

When animals eat plastic…

• A. they do not eat the foods they need to reproduce or survive.

• B. they clean up the ocean, making for a healthier ecosystem.

• C. they can easily get rid of the plastic, so it has no effect.

• D. they begin to rely on plastic as a food source.

How do pollutants add to the problem of plastic in the ocean?

• A. Pollutants stop predators from eating prey that have consumed plastics, unbalancing the food chain.

• B. Pollutants are drawn to plastics and harm the animals that have eaten them.

• C. Pollutants are repelled by plastics and are drawn to ocean life instead.

• D. Pollutants are released from plastics and further contaminate the ocean water.

What is the best way to limit the harmful effects of plastics?

• A. use and throw away less plastic

• B. clean up oceans from plastics

• C. invent a gadget that can find small plastic

• D. find a way to recycle styrofoam

PART A: As it is used in paragraph 10, the word "abundant" most closely means —

• A. dangerous.

• B. minimal.

• C. challenging.

• D. widespread.

PART B: Which detail from paragraph 10 best supports the answer to Part A?

• A. "plastic pollution"

• B. "across the world's oceans"

• C. "circular currents"

• D. "difficult task"

How does the study on zooplankton contribute to the development of ideas in the text? (Paragraphs 22-23)

• A. It suggests that small marine creatures can get nutrients from plastic.

• B. It reveals that some marine creatures can break down plastic particles.

• C. It confirms the theory that small marine creatures are eating plastic particles.

• D. It challenges the theory that small marine creatures are eating plastic particles.

Which of the following is a likely conclusion based on the information provided in the section "Entering the Food Web"?

• A. If humans continue to pollute the ocean with plastic, it could have serious effects on the ocean's food chain and beyond.

• B. The plastic particles that end up in the ocean will be so degraded and small that they will not have a significant effect on the animals that might consume them.

• C. Many sea animals will likely learn to avoid consuming plastic so that it does not affect their health.

• D. Sea animals are being forced to eat more plastic particles because their natural food supply is decreasing.