What is a natural resource?

What is a natural resource?

• A. A substance that occurs naturally and is useful to humans.
• B. A product created by humans for use.
• C. A resource that never changes.
• D. A resource that is only found in oceans.

Answer: (A)

A natural resource is something that exists in nature without being made by people and that has use or value for humans. It can be renewable, like sunlight, water, forests, and wind, or nonrenewable, like minerals and fossil fuels, which are finite but still come from the natural world. The important idea is that it comes from nature and provides a way for people to meet needs or wants. Why this is the best description: it captures both the origin (in nature, not manufactured) and the usefulness to people, which are the defining features of natural resources. The other ideas aren’t correct because a natural resource isn’t something humans create, resources aren’t guaranteed to never change or be depleted, and natural resources aren’t limited to oceans—they exist on land, in the air, in rivers, soil, and beneath the surface.

A natural resource is something that exists in nature without being made by people and that has use or value for humans. It can be renewable, like sunlight, water, forests, and wind, or nonrenewable, like minerals and fossil fuels, which are finite but still come from the natural world. The important idea is that it comes from nature and provides a way for people to meet needs or wants.

Why this is the best description: it captures both the origin (in nature, not manufactured) and the usefulness to people, which are the defining features of natural resources. The other ideas aren’t correct because a natural resource isn’t something humans create, resources aren’t guaranteed to never change or be depleted, and natural resources aren’t limited to oceans—they exist on land, in the air, in rivers, soil, and beneath the surface.