By Lisa D. Tossey
Maryland Newsline
Thursday, April 15, 2004
1. “Chesapeake” is derived from “Chesepiook," a Native American name that means what?
Waters of the Big
Crab
Great Shellfish Bay
Home of Reflective
Waters
Beautiful Blue Bay
2. The Chesapeake Bay arose from the flooding of which river valley more than 12,000 years ago?
Susquehanna
Choptank
Severn
Potomac
3. An estuary is a body of water in which freshwater and saltwater mix when rivers and streams flow into an area that opens into an ocean.
True or false: The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America.
True
False
4. Water runoff from several states and the District of Columbia affect the Chesapeake Bay watershed. How many states have rivers and streams that drain into the
bay?
Three
Four
Six
Eight
5. The average depth of the Chesapeake Bay is about:
10 feet
25 feet
85 feet
136 feet
6. About how many gallons of water does the Chesapeake Bay hold?
7. The Chesapeake Bay supports about how many species of plants, fish and animals?
890
1,200
3,600
5,100
8. The shell of one of the bay’s most famous inhabitants, the blue crab, is actually green-brown in color. How then did the blue crab get its name?
The crabs were named for the blue waters of the Chesapeake.
The crabs lay blue eggs.
The crab’s meat turns blue when cooked.
The crab’s claws are bright blue.
9. About how many gallons of water can an adult oyster filter in one day?
15 gallons
32 gallons
60 gallons
75 gallons
10. What is believed to be the Chesapeake Bay’s biggest threat to survival?
Air pollution
Sediment pollution
Toxics pollution
Nutrient pollution
