Geog.

1 Answers to ‘Your Turn’

Chapter 1. It’s your planet!

Chapter 1.1 Earths story: It begins with a bang

1. A violent explosion of energy, around 13.8 billion years ago, that led to the
formation of the Universe, and matter.
2. It formed when dust and gases whirling around the Sun were drawn together by
gravity to form rocks; then the rocks fused to form Earth (and other planets).
3. The order of entries in the flow chart should be: the Big Bang, our Sun formed,
Earth formed, our moon formed, Earth’s surface cooled, the ocean formed, living
cells appeared.
4. a. A theory; it fits the evidence, but nobody was there to see it. (Evidence
includes: the way the moon orbits Earth; the fact that isotopes (different types of
the same atom) are in exactly the same ratio on the moon as on the Earth).
b. A fact; rain can be tested in many different ways, to prove it is water. For
example, by measuring it’s boiling and freezing points, or by carrying out
chemical tests.
5. This should prompt some discussion. Students might conclude that the Big Bang
could be seen as God’s way of creating the Universe. You could point out that
many scientists who accept the Big Bang theory also believe in God. But many
people who believe that God created the Universe reject the Big Bang theory.

Chapter 1.2 Earths story: life develops

1. The un-jumbled words are:

a cells b evolve c species d dinosaurs e mammals
2. mammal
3. a About 164 million years.
b A huge asteroid (about 10 km across) struck Earth. It struck in the Yucatan
Peninsula in Mexico. Shockwaves reverberated around Earth, blasting
everything in their way. The impact threw up dust that blocked out the Sun,
and molten rock that caused fires. (Note: many experts think the dinosaurs
were already under threat from climate change, caused by volcanic eruptions,
and that the asteroid was the last straw.)
4. a About 200 000 million years ago.
b In East Africa; scientists have traced our DNA to Ethiopia.
5. An episode about 248 million years ago, in which a great many species were
killed off: over three-quarters of all species. We think the cause was a massive
eruption of lava in Siberia. (Note that there are other theories too, and many
factors may have contributed.)
 6. Students can decide first on the reason for the mass extinction, to make the
exercise easier. For example: rapid global warming, impact by another asteroid, a
huge volcanic eruption, nuclear warfare on Earth, attack from another planet in
another solar system. Encourage them to decide which species are affected. Mainly
plants? Mainly marine life? Mammals only? Or everything?
7. This question will be challenging for most students. They might want to think
about the effects on our bodies and brains over many generations of things like:
living mostly indoors; too little exercise; looking at very small screens; using digital
technology; a warming Earth; and so on. Might we all have the same skin colour by
then? Might we have adapted to living on another planet?
Note that studies are already picking up some slow evolutionary changes. (For
example, a study in Framingham in the USA showed that the average woman was
very slowly becoming shorter and plumper.)
Could a new human species already be developing somewhere? (Remember, we
overlapped with the Neanderthals.)

Chapter 1.3 Earths story: the timescale

1. Top
2. a A very long time; the biggest block of time in the geological timescale
b Almost 4 billion years
c Simple single cells; more complex cells; and eventually, towards
the end of the eon, soft-bodied animals such as sponges, worms, and
jellyfish.
3. It was a very long time ago, and Earth's surface has undergone many
changes, including rock being worn away by erosion, and new layers of rock
formed. So fossils may have been destroyed, or covered up forever. The living
things were also small, making fossils harder to spot. In addition, soft-bodied
animals would leave only traces. (Shells and bones are easier to fossilise.)
4. a Mesozoic b Cenozoic c Quaternary
5. Coal
6. a Cambrian b Devonian c Permian d Jurassic e Ordovician

7. a A mass extinction, probably due to a volcanic eruption

b A mass extinction, due to asteroid impact

8. This will be a big challenge for some students, but will help them to get to
grips with the geological timescale. They should mention at least that: it
shows all the time since Earth began, 4.5 billion years ago; it is called
'geological' because it is based on what we learned from geology (the study of
rocks), and fossils in rocks: the shortest blocks are called periods; new species
 appeared in every period; many periods end with a mass extinction.

9. During a mass extinction, many species are wiped out forever. There have
been many in Earth's history. In the Permian mass extinction, for example,
more than three-quarters of species were killed off. In addition, species are
continually being killed off by other species, including us. We have hunted
many to extinction, and wiped out others by destroying their habitats.

Chapter 1.4 Our time on Earth

1. a In water
b Plants (by a long way)
cSingle cells
2. Answers will vary. Students might list some of these things that we invented,
discovered, or developed: the wheel, engine, printing press, radio, TV, phone,
computer, plane, electricity, penicillin (and other antibiotics), writing, counting,
forms of money, the law, democracy (voting to choose our leaders), refrigeration,
plastics, the web.
3. a Forty thousand years ago
b I Europe ii Oceania
c Australia
4. a Land exposed when water levels fall in the sea/ocean; people can walk
across it
b Bering Strait

5. a The land bridge at B helped us to reach Australia; we could go from island to

island. But on the way, we had to cross some stretches of water by boat.
b The land bridge at C allowed us to walk to the British Isles from France.
6. Students will need to use their imaginations. It is thought that the British Isles
were cold and dry 40000 years ago, when humans arrived. (The ice sheets did not
reach their southern limit until 20000 years ago.) We would have found conifers, and
low shrubs, and grass. Animals included mammoths and hyenas. We would have
survived by fishing, by hunting anything we could (including mammoths and birds), and
by gathering plant foods.

Chapter 1.5 Our place on Earth

1. Answers will vary. Encourage students to give their reasons.

 2. Encourage students to use their imaginations for this one. It's a good way to
help them develop a sense of place.
3. a Iraq, in Asia b Mali, in (West) Africa c Siberia, in Russia, in Asia. (Some
students may say that part of Russia is in Europe. But Siberia is in the Asian part.) d
Recife, in Brazil, in South America e Tokyo, in Japan, in Asia f Tonga, in Oceania.
(You might need to point out that the world is round — since Tonga appears in the
Pacific Ocean on the left on the world map on page 140 in the students' book.)
4. Answers will vary.
5. Discuss the reasons why they want to visit their chosen places.

Chapter 1.6 Earth: a very special planet

1. The solar system is made up of the Sun, the eight planets that orbit it, their
moons, and other objects such as asteroids and comets.
2. a Mercury or Venus, since it is nearer the Sun
b Any of the four planets beyond Earth, since they are further from the Sun
3. a Answers will vary.
b They complete a full journey around the Sun each year of their lives. So they will
have been around it 11 times by their 11th birthday.
4. a No sunlight is reaching X, since it is turned away from the Sun.
b By 12 hours from now, Earth will have rotated through 180°, so X will be directly
facing the Sun.
5. Answers will vary.
6. Students should add Europe, Earth, the solar system, the Milky Way, and the
Universe, to their usual addresses. (Some might add the Northern Hemisphere.)
7. Answers will vary. Fear will be an important factor. Might it be wise to find
out more about the alien beings first?

Chapter 1.7 Changing Earth

1. a. There are many examples. Here are some:

— The flow of hot currents inside Earth leads to earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, the building of mountain ranges, the movement and break-up
of continents, and so on.
— The flow of water, waves, ice, and wind over Earth's surface leads to landforms
and features such as valleys of different shapes, waterfalls, beaches, sand
dunes, canyons, and cliffs; and to flooding.
— Weathering breaks down rock to form soil.
b. Yes. Hot currents have flowed inside the Earth since it formed. Rivers, waves,
glaciers and wind flowed for billions of years before we appeared. They have
been changing Earth all of the time.
 c. We can’t control any of those natural processes. They are much more
powerful than we are. So we can’t prevent the changes they cause. But we can
try to protect ourselves from some things, such as flooding.
d. Some examples: the weathering of rock produces soil, which we need to grow
food; the shaping of the land by rivers, glaciers, waves, and wind leads to some
stunning scenery that we enjoy, and use for leisure; rivers carry silt which gives
fertile soil; volcanoes throw out lava which breaks down to give fertile soil.

2. If students live near rivers or the sea, or in exposed rural areas, they may notice
some natural processes at work (although these are usually very slow). But no
matter where they live, weathering is going on around them. Weathering
includes the effect of climate (rain, heat, frost), gases in the atmosphere, and
plant roots, on all the structures around us, including buildings and bridges.

3. Students should list at least the things at the bottom of page 18 of the student’s book.

4. There are likely to be some changes going on in the area, even if just road works,
or new buildings going up.

5. Students should not copy the bullet points in the text, but write shorter ones, in
their own words. The chosen order will vary. Encourage discussion.

6. Encourage discussion.

Chapter 1.8 It’s all geography!

1. Answers will vary — slightly, if they're correct.

2. a Physical b Human c Environmental

d Human e Physical f Environmental

3. This photo was taken at the ski resort of Arosa in the Swiss Alps. Human:
they enjoy skiing, they can afford to be here, the ski facilities are good. Physical:
good snow for skiing at this time of year, steep slopes, fresh air, stunning scenery.
4. This photo was taken in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2011. The
Chao Phraya river, which flows through Bangkok, had flooded.
a It shows a flooded street in a big town, or a city. People are moving
through the flood in vehicles and on foot.
b It may have rained a lot for a long period. A river may have overflowed. A
dam may have burst.
c It's natural for rivers to flood, when there is heavy rain. But people
are likely to have made this flood worse. For example, by building too
close to the river; by covering the soil along the river with concrete, so
water can't drain away; by cutting down trees in the river basin. (Trees
 help to prevent floods.) People in other countries may also be
responsible: scientists say we are
causing global warming by burning fossil fuels; this is leading to more
frequent and extreme storms and floods in many places.
5. Some questions could be: Which town or city is this? Which country is it in?
When was the photo taken? How could they stop this street from flooding?
Who was affected by the flood? What damage did this flood do?
6. Answers will vary.