8th Natural Resources (C18) Practice Test

The key idea is that usable freshwater is a very small portion of all the water on Earth. Most of our planet’s water is salty ocean water, and a large share of the freshwater is locked in ice caps, glaciers, or is too deep or polluted to access. Of the total water, only a small slice—about one percent—exists as readily usable freshwater in rivers, lakes, and shallow groundwater. Because of this distribution, the statement that less than one percent of water is available for human use accurately reflects how scarce easily usable freshwater is. The higher percentage options would imply a much larger share of water is readily usable, which doesn’t fit how water is distributed globally.