Name __________________________________________________ Date _________________________

Assessment: Land Use Conflict in the Amazon Rainforest

Mastering the Content
Circle the le er next to the best answer.

1. In which region of South America is the Amazon rainforest located?

A. Loca on A CORRECT
B. Loca on B
C. Loca on C
D. Loca on D

2. Rainforests are called the “lungs of the Earth” because of their role in
A. the food web.
B. the Coriolis effect.
C. the El Niño current.
D. the carbon-oxygen cycle. CORRECT

3. What is the main cause of land use conflict in the Amazon rainforest?
A. opposi on by the government to the movement of farmers to the rainforest
B. differences among many different groups over how best to use the rainforest CORRECT
C. conflicts between ranchers and farmers over how much land to clear in the rainforest
D. arguments among environmental groups over how to preserve biodiversity in the rainforest

4. Groups that want sustainable development in the Amazon rainforest are most likely to support
A. the building of more roads into the rainforest.
B. the harves ng of rainforest trees to create more jobs.
C. the clearing of rainforest to create farms and ranches.
D. the use of rainforest resources without destroying them. CORRECT

5. Which of these groups uses the rainforest in the most sustainable way?
A. farmers
B. rubber tappers CORRECT
C. logging companies
D. ranchers
6. What is a benefit of logging in the Amazon rainforest?
A. Logging creates space for new ameni es, such as shopping malls and movie theaters.
B. Logging is important to Brazil’s economy. CORRECT
C. Logging allows more people to live in the land by clearing dense forests.
D. Logging reduces the expenses of maintaining the rainforest.

7. Which of these do environmental groups in the Amazon rainforest most want to protect?
A. biodiversity CORRECT
B. ecotourism
C. deforesta on
D. wetlands

8. Why is the Amazon rainforest a difficult place for se lers to farm in?
A. There is too much rainfall.
B. The land is overpopulated.
C. The area is very hot and dry.
D. The soil is poor in nutrients. CORRECT

9. What can se lers in the Amazon basin do to promote sustainable development of the rainforest?
A. clear more land to make larger farms
B. use cleared land to raise ca le instead of crops
C. plant crops that grow under the rainforest canopy CORRECT
D. encourage more poor farmers to migrate to the rainforest

10. Which statement is best supported by the graph?

A. Rainforest loss has increased in the past 10 years.

B. More than half of the world’s rainforests have been lost. CORRECT
C. Rainforests once covered about 3 million square miles.
D. Two-thirds of the world’s rainforests have disappeared.
Field Photograph
Use this field photograph to answer ques ons 11–13.

11. These images show the Amazon rainforest in 2000 (top) and the rainforest in 2010 (bo om). What threat to the rainforest
does this field photograph illustrate?
A. air pollu on
B. climate change
C. deforesta on CORRECT
D. reforesta on

12. Which of the following groups contributes the most to this threat?
A. rubber tappers
B. na ve peoples
C. logging companies CORRECT
D. environmental groups

13. How has Brazil’s government protected the rainforest from this ac vity?
A. by crea ng protected rainforest reserves CORRECT
B. by removing restric ons on how much land ranchers can clear
C. by building roads into the rainforest for logging trucks, ranchers, and farmers
D. by taking property rights away from Na ve Amazonians
Examining Diagrams
Use this diagram to help answer Ques ons 14-16.

14. Circle the smallest group of species on the diagram (species are a variety of something). Iden fy the group. Es mate its
number of species in the Amazon rainforest.

ANSWER: Students should circle amphibian on the diagram. There are about 60 species of amphibians in the Amazon rainforest.
Accept any es mate under 100.

15. Explain why flowering plants are drawn larger than birds on the diagram.

ANSWER: On the diagram, flowing plants are drawn larger than birds because the number of species of such plants is more than
three mes the number of bird species.

16. Predict what is likely to happen to biodiversity in the Amazon basin if deforesta on con nues. Explain why you think this
will happen.

ANSWER: If deforesta on of the Amazon basin con nues, the biodiversity of the rainforest is likely to decline. This will happen
because cleared land used for farming and raising ca le cannot support most of the species that live in forested areas.
Applying Geography Skills: Analyzing Maps
Use this map and your knowledge of Geography to answer ques ons 17–19.

17. How does this map show global forest loss and gain between 1990 and 2015?

ANSWER: This map uses different shades of green to represent different degrees of forest loss, and yellow, orange, and red to
represent different degrees of forest gain.

18. Which country experienced the most forest gain between 1990 and 2015?

ANSWER: China experienced the most forest gain between 1990 and 2015. It is the only country in red.

19. According to this map, how much forest loss or gain did Brazil experience between 1990 and 2015?

ANSWER: According to this map, Brazil experienced has a net loss of more than 1250 acres per year.
Exploring the Essen al Ques on: How should the resources of rainforests be used and preserved?
In this lesson, you explored how different groups of people use the resources of the rainforest. Now you will use what you
learned. Use the informa on on the diagram below and your knowledge of geography to complete this task.

The Task: Crea ng a “What We Want in the Rainforest” Poster

This diagram shows different ways land is used in the rainforest. Each figure around the diagram represents a group with
an interest in the rainforest.

20. Your task is to create a poster that shows the ideas of one of these groups.

Step 1: Iden fy the group you will create a poster for.

Step 2: Iden fy the way of using land that your group thinks is best. Think about what part of the rainforest where that
group is most likely to be found.

Step 3: Create a poster represen ng the views of your group. Make sure it has:
a. a tle (you may use “What We Want in the Rainforest” or create your own tle)
b. the name or a symbol of the group your poster represents
c. a few words of images that show what your group wants and why its views on land use in the rain forest are important

ANSWER: Responses will depend on the group each student has chosen to represent.

Answers will vary, but should include all three elements from the prompt: a tle, the name or symbol of the group, and a clear
statement of what that group wants and why its views on land use in the rainforest are important.