Antarctic Treaty & Research · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Antarctic Treaty & Research

Science · Polar Regions · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. The Antarctic Treaty allows countries to build military bases in Antarctica.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. What is the Antarctic Treaty mainly about?

    • Sharing Antarctica's oil and minerals fairly
    • Keeping Antarctica for peace and science
    • Letting the first country to arrive own it

  3. A friend says, 'Hardly any countries bother to follow the Antarctic Treaty.' Is she right?

    • Yes, only 2 countries follow it
    • No, more than 50 countries have agreed to its rules
    • Yes, the treaty ended back in 1961

  4. Why do many different countries operate research stations in Antarctica, instead of one country ruling it?

    • The treaty sets Antarctica aside for science, not for one country to own
    • No country wants to be responsible for it alone
    • The United Nations owns Antarctica and rents it out

  5. Which of these is something scientists actually research at Antarctic stations?

    • Astronomy
    • Digging for gold and oil
    • Building weapons

  6. A company wants to mine for minerals in Antarctica to sell them. Does the Antarctic Treaty allow this?

    • Yes, if the company pays a fee first
    • No, mining is banned by the treaty
    • Yes, but only in summer months

  7. At one Antarctic station, scientists use telescopes to study distant galaxies. At another, scientists drill into the ice to study Earth's ancient climate. Which two research areas does this show?

    • Farming and shipping
    • Politics and trade
    • Astronomy and climate science

  8. A newspaper article claims, "Antarctica belongs to whichever country builds the most research stations there." What is wrong with this claim?

    • Nothing, more stations means more ownership
    • The treaty says no country owns Antarctica; it is shared for peace and science
    • Only the country that discovered Antarctica owns it
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Antarctic Treaty & Research W1-mt_itldWmVItr-s1

  1. False · The treaty bans military activity in Antarctica. It is set aside for peaceful, scientific work only.
  2. Keeping Antarctica for peace and science · The treaty sets Antarctica aside for peaceful, scientific use, not for war or ownership.
  3. No, more than 50 countries have agreed to its rules · More than 50 countries have agreed to follow the treaty's rules, so 'hardly any' is not right.
  4. The treaty sets Antarctica aside for science, not for one country to own · Because no nation owns Antarctica under the treaty, scientists from many countries share it and build stations there.
  5. Astronomy · Astronomy is one of the sciences studied in Antarctica, along with climate, biology, and geology.
  6. No, mining is banned by the treaty · The Antarctic Treaty bans mining anywhere on the continent.
  7. Astronomy and climate science · Telescopes are used for astronomy, and drilling into ice helps scientists study climate history.
  8. The treaty says no country owns Antarctica; it is shared for peace and science · Under the Antarctic Treaty, no nation owns Antarctica, no matter how many stations it builds there.
Worksheet · LightMySky