Name _____________________________________ I.D._______________________________ Project 3 World Geography 2 SSTH 022 062 Evaluation 33 Be sure to include ALL pages of this project (including the directions and the assignment) when you send the project to your teacher for grading. Do not forget to put your name and I.D. number at the top of this page! This project is worth 100 points, which will constitute 12% of your final course grade. You need to complete all parts of this project. General Instructions: Make a rough draft of your answers in your word processing program before completing your final copy. Pay attention to spelling, sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation. Be sure to write in complete sentences. Remember, this is your chance to show what you have learned and how you are able to apply that knowledge. Draw on the information you have gained from your course and textbook, but be sure to use your own words. Essay Writing Guidelines Use the following rules to assist you in writing essays: 1. Limit each paragraph to one central idea. 2. Include a topic sentence within each paragraph. Although a topic sentence is often found at the beginning of well-written paragraphs, they can be just as effective elsewhere in the paragraph (for instance, as a concluding statement). 3. Strive for coherent, unified paragraphs. A paragraph is unified if all the sentences are closely related to the topic sentence. A coherent paragraph is one that is logical in its development of the central idea. 4. End your essay with a strong closing statement. 5. The final rule of good writing is to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Identifying Assumptions (25 Points) To determine whether a written article is valid, you need to be able to identify and evaluate its assumptions. To do this, read the article carefully, and determine whether the author is presenting a particular point of view. Then, identify the assumptions upon which the article is based, and decide if they are valid or true. The passage below describes the growing oil economy in Kazakhstan in central Europe. Read the passage carefully. Then, answer the questions that follow. In hazy winter light the newly built capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, appears like a mirage rising from a bleak and windswept plain. Built from metal and glass, dominated by a tall white tower with a golden egg on top, Astana projects Kazakhstan's aspiration to be a modern, rich and powerful country in Central Asia. . . . Few countries among former Soviet republics can boast the rate of growth that Kazakhstan has achieved over the past few years. Its oil-dependent economy has been growing by more than 10 percent a year on average. Much of this growth is the result of investment in the oil sector. Some $28 billion in foreign direct investment has flowed in over the past decade, 80 percent of it in the oil sector. . . . The oil sector, which accounts for some 25 percent of Kazakhstan's gross domestic product and half its exports, has boosted budget revenues and stimulated the growth of construction, transportation and other services. . . . . But the high dependence on oil also poses serious dangers. Like many oil-dependent countries, Kazakhstan is prone to . . . an economic condition where sharp currency appreciation, fueled by revenues from natural resources, makes a country's economy uncompetitive. . . . Capital inflows form the oil sector and rapid economic growth have also sparked a credit boom, with commercial loans up 45 percent last year. There are already signs of overheating. This boom, combined with oil sector investments and public sector expansion, is fueling domestic demand that is outpacing the economy's ability to produce. But while demand for goods could be satisfied by imports, demand for services, housing and infrastructure could raise pressure on wages and inflation. In a recent report on Kazakhstan, the International Monetary Fund outlined the pit-falls facing oil-rich countries[:] “. . . Weak institutions, corruption, lack of transparency and political pressure have often led to serious misuse and misallocation of resources, misguided investment strategies and spending on prestige objects.” . . . If Kazakhstan manages, after all, to build a diversified, competitive economy, the dream symbolized by Astana may become reality. If not, the vision will vanish like a mirage. Arkady Ostrovsky, “Kazakhs Worry Over Nation's Oil Wealth,” The Financial Times Limited, 2005. What is the topic of the article? How would you describe the tone of the article? What assumption does the author make concerning the chances that Kazakhstan will be able to build a diversified economy? Is this assumption stated? Does the author assume that countries with large oil reserves are likely to become corrupt? Explain. Understanding Road Maps (25 Points) Road maps are important tools for anyone who travels by car. Road maps vary in the colors and symbols they use, but all provide similar basic information. They show the location of cities, the roads that link the cities, and the distances between the cities. Major roads are identified so that you can connect what you see on the map with the road signs that you see in route. The map below shows the road system around Sydney, Australia. What are the numbers of the three national routes that you could take to reach Sydney? What route would you take to get from Sydney to Cobar, which is in the northwest region of this map? Locate Newcastle on the map. It is north of Sydney. If you traveled northwest from Newcastle on route 15 for 124 kilometers, what town would you reach? Assume you are traveling along state route 94, in the south of the area shown on the map. You are driving east from Griffith to Yass via Wallendbeen. How many kilometers will your journey take? Alternative Sources of Energy (25 Points) Most of the world's energy comes from such nonrenewable resources as oil and natural gas. Because these limited resources will eventually run out, it is important to find ways of producing energy that are either renewable, coming from a source that will never run out, such as the sun, wind, and water, or recycled, coming from materials that are normally thrown away, such as municipal solid wastes. Wind energy can be captured by windmills in areas where there are strong, steady winds. Solar energy, still largely in the developmental stage, can be captured by absorbing and storing the heat of the sun in solar collectors and transforming it into heat or electrical energy. Geothermal energy is produced when water comes into contact with hot rocks under the earth's surface and forms steam. To access the steam, it is necessary to drill wells into the earth's surface. Biofuels are recycled organic fuels made from disposable materials, including wood byproducts and municipal solid waste. They are burned as alternative fuels to oil and natural gas. Hydroelectric power comes from water. Wherever water flows downward to a lower area, the energy of the falling water can be harnessed, usually by means of a dam, to produce electricity. Why is it important to develop renewable energy resources? According to the chart, which type of renewable energy was least used in 2015? Why do you think this was so? Do you see any drawbacks involved in the use of renewable energy? Explain. The Loss of a Species (25 Points) Human activity has led to many changes in the natural environment, including the loss, or extinction, of animal and plant species. As human population increases and people build homes, clear land for agriculture, and erect factories, animals and plants are squeezed out of their natural habitats and are harmed by the effects of pollution. In addition, people have sometimes transported foreign species to habitats where they prey on native plants and animals. According to the World Conservation Union, human activity has driven more than 800 species to extinction over the past 500 years. Among birds, more than 100 species have become extinct over the past 200 years. This is 50 times greater than the rate at which species become extinct from natural, nonhuman causes. Humans have not even identified the vast majority of species in the world and many thousands may become extinct without anyone knowing it. The following chart lists threatened species. These species are not yet extinct, but are in some danger. The table includes information for ten selected countries and six categories of animals and plants. Each column has the number of species in danger in the country. Threatened Species: Country Totals by Type of Organism Country Mammals Birds Fish Mollusks Other Invertebrates Plants Egypt 18 14 59 0 56 8 South Africa 30 54 122 22 186 153 Japan 29 49 77 33 143 50 Ukraine 11 17 24 9 29 22 Malaysia 72 63 89 37 231 729 Portugal 13 15 66 86 118 101 Dominican Republic 7 17 30 0 18 48 United States 39 91 251 311 269 511 Argentina 37 52 41 0 14 71 New Zealand 9 69 15 38 26 21 Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 2019 Identify the three categories of species that are most threatened according to this chart. Of the countries listed, which two have the greatest number of threatened plants? Which of the countries listed has the fewest threatened species? The United States recognizes a great number of threatened species. What might account for the high number of species listed? Submitting Your Project When you are ready to submit your project, save this project assignment using this title: SSTH022062_YourNameHere_Project3.doc [File types may vary.] Go to your course management system to upload your project file.