Summative assessment

Statement of inquiry:

Changes in our environment require all living things to adapt in

order to survive.

Introduction

The Dead Sea is the lowest place on Earth below sea level. The

water contains about ten times more salt than normal sea water

and so, apart from some microscopic organisms, it contains no

animals or plants – hence its name.

A B

The density of the Dead Sea

A tourist visiting the Dead Sea took a sample of the water and

measured it. Its volume was 250 cm and its mass was 310 g.

1. Calculate the density of the water in the Dead Sea. Give your

answer in:

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a) g cm

–3

b) kg m . [3]

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2. The density of pure water is 1,000 kg m . Explain why the density

of the Dead Sea means that you oat better in it than in ordinary

water. [3]

The surface of the Dead Sea is 430 m below sea level which makes it

the lowest place on the surface of the Earth. Water that ows into it

evaporates and this concentrates the salt and other minerals.

3. Explain how the water from the Dead Sea evaporates, turning from

a liquid into a gas, despite it not being near its boiling point. [3]

4. The Dead Sea has a volume of about 147 km . Convert this

volume into cubic meters. [2]

5. Using the density that you calculated in question 1b, calculate the

mass of salty water in the Dead Sea. [2]

6. Explain why this large mass of water causes the local environment

to have a more constant temperature. [2]

A B

Investigating evaporation
C D

7. A student plans to investigate the effect of temperature on the

rate of evaporation.

a) Suggest a suitable hypothesis that the student might

investigate. [3]

b) The student has access to a water bath which can maintain a

constant temperature. What other equipment does the student

need to complete the experiment? [3]

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E N V I R O N M E N T

c) Describe a suitable procedure that the student should follow.

Detail the measurements that should be taken. [7]

d) Identify two control variables for this experiment. [2]

A B

Dead Sea water levels

The graph below shows how the depth of the Dead Sea has changed

over a period of 15 years.

325

)m(
htped
320

315

310

5
9

0
9

0
1

2
year

8. Add a line of best t to a copy of the graph. [1]

9. Find the gradient of the graph. [2]

10. Comment on the reliability of this trend. [1]

11. Each data point has an error bar which indicates that the actual

level of the Dead Sea lies somewhere within these bounds.

Explain why it might not be possible to attribute an exact depth to

the Dead Sea for any given year. You should consider more than

one factor. [4]

12. Some people say that this graph might suggest that the Dead Sea

might completely dry up one day. Using the graph and your value

of the gradient, estimate the year in which it will dry up. [3]

13. How reliable is your estimate for the year at which the Dead Sea

might dry up? You should evaluate two factors which might affect

your estimate. [4]

A B

Protecting the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a unique environment which is fed by the River

Jordan. The rapid loss of water threatens its existence. As a result,

there are various proposals to protect the Dead Sea.

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One scheme proposes that 2.05 × 10 kg of water from the Red Sea

is pumped into the Dead Sea every year. The water would have to be

pumped along 140 km of pipes.

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14. Discuss one advantage and one disadvantage of this scheme. You

may wish to refer to a map. [4]

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15. The density of the sea water is 1,025 kg m . Calculate the volume

of the water which would be pumped into the Dead Sea every

year. [2]

16. The Dead Sea has a surface area of about 600 km . Convert this

into m . [2]

17. Calculate the amount that the pumped water would raise the

level of the Dead Sea by every year. Assume that there is no loss

of sea level by any other means. [3]

18. Evaluate the effectiveness of this solution with reference to your

calculations. [4]

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