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Earth Science
Q:
Convergent plate boundaries are ________.
A) sites where cold, downgoing convective cells, the plates, descent into the mantle
B) sites where heat from the earth's interior is vented to the surface as volcanos
C) areas where two plates slide laterally past one another, generating earthquakes, like the San Andrea fault
D) sites of supervolcanos like Yellowstone
Q:
Which of the following energy sources is thought to drive the lateral motions of Earth's lithospheric plates?
A) gravitational attractive forces of the Sun and Moon
B) electrical and magnetic fields localized in the inner core
C) heat transfer between the earth's interior and the surface of the earth
D) swirling movements of the molten iron particles in the outer core
Q:
The ________ forms the relatively cool, brittle tectonic plates.
A) asthenosphere
B) lithosphere
C) astrosphere
D) eosphere
Q:
The ________ is the thinnest layer of the earth.
A) crust
B) outer core
C) mantle
D) inner core
Q:
The ________ is thought to be a liquid, metallic region in the earth's interior.
A) inner core
B) lithosphere
C) mantle
D) outer core
Q:
The asthenosphere is actually a part of the ________ of the earth.
A) outer core
B) crust
C) inner core
D) mantle
Q:
The composition of the earth's inner core is thought to be ________.
A) basalt
B) granite
C) peridotite
D) solid iron-nickel alloy
Q:
In correct order from the center outward, Earth includes which units?
A) core, inner mantle, outer mantle, crust
B) inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
C) inner core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
D) core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
Q:
The exchange of energy between the surface of the earth, the atmosphere, and space causes ________.
A) topography
B) temperature
C) weather
D) glaciers
Q:
Soil belongs to the ________.
A) hydrosphere
B) atmosphere
C) geosphere
D) biosphere
E) All of the above
Q:
The largest of Earth's spheres is the ________.
A) hydrosphere
B) atmosphere
C) geosphere
D) biosphere
Q:
The ________ refers to the water-dominated parts of the earth.
A) hydrosphere
B) atmosphere
C) biosphere
D) geosphere
Q:
The ________ refers to the sum total of all life on Earth.
A) hydrosphere
B) atmosphere
C) biosphere
D) geosphere
Q:
The Oort cloud is ________.
A) an unusual type of cloud formed when meteorites strike the earth
B) another name for the inner solar system, just before the Sun became hot enough for nuclear fusion
C) the outer solar system where planetesimals, rocky debris and comets orbit outside beyond the outer planets but cross into the inner solar system at times
D) the asteroid belt
Q:
Comets are made up primarily of ________.
A) iron-nickel alloys
B) silicate minerals, like rocks on Earth
C) frozen hydrogen
D) frozen water, carbon dioxide, and methane
Q:
Light elements like hydrogen and helium form a large percentage of the outer planets and Sun is made up primarily of hydrogen. Why are these elements nearly absent from the inner planets?
A) The Sun captured all of the hydrogen during its formation.
B) These light elements are blown away from the inner planets by the solar wind.
C) It is a mystery that has never been solved by science.
D) Hydrogen and helium have all been bound up by chemical reactions on the inner planets and are held in rock.
Q:
In the proto-solar system nebula, gravity pulled matter together to form larger bodies. As they collided, what happened to these bodies?
A) Oblique collisions caused individual bodies to spin.
B) The objects broke apart to form asteroids, much like a neutron colliding with a heavy atom produces fission.
C) The objects temporarily broke apart and then reformed into large objects, cooling rapidly during the breakup period.
D) Immense heat was released within the colliding bodies as gravitational potential energy was converted to heat.
Q:
In the television series "Cosmos" the astronomer Carl Sagan used to say, "We are all made of star stuff." What did he mean by that?
A) All of the chemical elements were formed during the big bang when the universe began, so we are like the stars.
B) We all have to potential to be stars.
C) All of the chemical elements in our solar system were forged in an ancient star that went supernova.
D) The earth has incorporated large amounts of chemical material from the solar wind, so our bodies carry this material.
Q:
Which of the following is not a planet?
A) Europa
B) Venus
C) Saturn
D) Neptune
Q:
The ________ explains how our solar system probably formed from a giant cloud of gases and dispersed solid particles.
A) protogalactic theory
B) nebular theory
C) extrastellar solar hypothesis
D) planetary compression theory
Q:
Which of the following is not necessary for a hypothesis to be accepted by the scientific community?
A) It must be testable.
B) It must predict something other than the observations it was based on.
C) There must be alternative hypotheses proposed.
D) It must be based on observations or facts.
Q:
All of the following are possible steps of scientific investigation except for ________.
A) the collection of scientific facts through observation and measurement
B) assumption of conclusions without prior experimentation or observation
C) the development of one or more working hypotheses or models to explain facts
D) development of observations and experiments to test the hypotheses
Q:
The primary goal of Earth Science is ________.
A) to develop things that will benefit mankind
B) to identify the patterns in nature and use that information to predict the future
C) to locate resources
D) to protect the environment
Q:
A ________ is a well-tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific observations.
A) hypothesis
B) generalization
C) law
D) theory
Q:
Climate change is a well-known human problem and remains controversial despite widespread scientific agreement on the issue. Although most scientists are familiar with the issues, if you were a congressman and wanted an informed analysis of the problem, which of the following would be most likely to give you the most complete analysis?
A) an astronomer
B) a meteorologist with knowledge of oceanography
C) a geologist with knowledge of astronomy
D) a physicist
Q:
Which of the following would not typically be considered an Earth Science study?
A) studies of volcanic eruptions
B) studies of impact craters on the moon
C) studies of acid mine waters and the bacteria that live in those waters
D) chemical refining of petroleum
Q:
The earth is estimated to be approximately 4.6 billion years old. Life appeared early in the history of Earth, but metazoans (multicelled organisms) did not appear until about 600 million years ago. If the history of Earth were compressed into a single year, when would metazoans appear?
A) late September
B) late November
C) mid-December
D) late January
Q:
If you want to buy a house in an area and you are worried there may be an earthquake hazard, who would be the best person to ask for advice on this hazard?
A) a civil engineer
B) a geologist
C) a physicist
D) an astrologer
Q:
Tsunamis and earthquakes have killed millions of people during human history. What branch of the Earth sciences is the main group that studies these phenomena?
A) Meteorology
B) Geology
C) Oceanography
D) Astronomy
Q:
Hurricanes are natural disasters. Which branch of the Earth sciences studies the impact of this phenomenon on coastal environments?
A) Meteorology
B) Geology
C) Oceanography
D) Astronomy
Q:
Hurricanes and tornados are natural disasters. What branch of the Earth sciences studies the origin of these phenomena?
A) Meteorology
B) Geology
C) Oceanography
D) Astronomy
Q:
Sedimentary rocks with marine fossils are exposed at the top of Mt. Everest. Which scientists would make most use of this observation in their study?
A) Meteorologists, because they could use the fossils as a guide to ancient climates
B) Geologists, because their elevation is related to physical geology and fossils are related to Earth history
C) Oceanographers, because the fossils can tell us about periods when the earth was covered with water to the height of Mt. Everest
D) Astronomers, because they can study how life came from outer space to Earth
Q:
Oceanography is the study of the oceans and geology is the study of the earth, so what is meteorology?
A) the study of meteors
B) the study of the Sun's impact on the upper atmosphere
C) the study of the atmosphere
D) the study of how to be a TV newscaster
Q:
Which science is not used within the Earth sciences?
A) Chemistry
B) Physics
C) Biology
D) Mathematics
E) None of the above; Earth Science makes use of all of these sciences.
Q:
The study of Earth's atmosphere is known as ________.
A) astronomy
B) oceanography
C) meteorology
D) cosmology
Q:
What are the basic differences between the disciplines of physical and historical geology?
A) Physical geology is the study of fossils and sequences of rock strata; historical geology is the study of how rocks and minerals were used in the past.
B) Historical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and geologic events, utilizing the geologic time scale as a reference; physical geology includes the study of how rocks form and of how erosion shapes the land surface.
C) Physical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and deposition in relation to plate movements in the geologic past; historical geology charts how and where the plates were moving in the past.
D) none of the abovephysical geology and historical geology are essentially the same.
Q:
What kind of environment would have produced the Martian rock visible here?
A) Stream
B) Desert
C) Beach
D) Evaporating lake
Q:
What kind of rock is visible in this image from Mars?
A) Basalt
B) Shale
C) Conglomerate
D) Granite
Q:
Note the impact craters in other areas of this image. Which body in the solar system (other than Earth) could have had erosion like this in the past?
A) Mars
B) Venus
C) Jupiter
D) Neptune
Q:
Which agent of erosion is responsible for the erosional pattern circled in this image?
A) Melting
B) Running water
C) Wind
D) Ice
Q:
Using this image, match the correct terms to the correct locations on the moon. A) Mare
B) Highlands
C) Crater
1. A
2. B
3. C
Q:
What substance makes up much of the interior layers of Neptune, marked with an arrow?
A) Hydrogen/helium
B) Ice
C) Rock
D) Methane
Q:
These images contain a cross section of Venus, a terrestrial planet, and Saturn, a Jovian planet. Notice how Venus, a terrestrial planet, has a rocky mantle. What is the equivalent layer in Saturn made from?
A) Rocky material
B) Oxygen
C) Ice
D) Hydrogen/helium
Q:
What impact crater feature is highlighted with the arrows in this image?
A) Central peak
B) Ejecta
C) Crater ray
D) Secondary crater chain
Q:
What planet/feature marks the division between the terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets?
A) Kuiper Belt
B) Jupiter
C) Neptune
D) Asteroid belt
Q:
Match the correct terms to their correct positions in the solar system.
A) Kuiper Belt
B) Uranus
C) Neptune
D) Mars
E) Saturn
F) Venus
G) Earth
H) Sun
I) Jupiter
J) Mercury
1. A
2. B
4. D
5. E
6. F
7. G
8. H
9. I
10. J
Q:
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union developed a formal definition for what constitutes a planet. What is the definition of a planet?
Q:
Mauna Loa, a shield volcano in Hawaii, is approximately 10 km in height. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano on Mars that is approximately 27 km in height. Compare the formation of both of these volcanoes. How is it that Olympus Mons could grow so much taller than Mauna Loa?
Q:
Compare and contrast Earth's moon and the planet Mercury.
Q:
Compare and contrast the core of Mercury (40 percent of the planet's volume) to that of Earth (~10 percent of the planet's volume). If Mercury is smaller, why is its core bigger than Earth's?
Q:
Explain the impact model for the formation of the moon.
Q:
Compare the surface of Earth to that of the moon. Why doesn't Earth's land retain the same scarring from meteorite impact as the moon? Why doesn't Earth's ocean retain the same scarring from meteorite impact?
Q:
Using the nebular theory, explain the formation of our solar system from the formation of the solar nebula through the present day.
Q:
Compare and contrast terrestrial and Jovian planets.
Q:
Match the type of meteorite with the correct definition.
A) Silicate minerals with inclusions of other minerals
B) Combinations of iron and silicate minerals
C) Mostly aggregates of iron with 5 percent to 20 percent nickel
1. Stony-iron
2. Iron
3. Stony
Q:
Put the four phases of lunar surface formation in order from the oldest to the youngest. (Note: "First" refers to the oldest event whereas "Fourth" refers to the youngest event.)
A) Excavation of large impact basins
B) Formation of rayed craters
C) Filling of mare basins
D) Formation of original crust
1. First
2. Second
3. Third
4. Fourth
Q:
Match the astronomical bodies to their correct description. (Note: some answers will be used more than once.)
A) Terrestrial planet
B) Dwarf planet
C) Jovian planet
1. Earth
2. Neptune
3. Uranus
4. Pluto
5. Mercury
6. Ceres
7. Jupiter
Q:
How do astronomers know that asteroids are left over debris from the solar nebula?
Q:
What process is responsible for the extreme volcanic activity on Io?
Q:
What visual evidence do scientists have to support the fact that Jupiter is the fastest-rotating planet in the solar system?
Q:
Why doesn't the moon have an atmosphere?
Q:
Compare the composition of planetesimals that would have resulted in the terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets.
Q:
Provide three examples of planetesimals.
Q:
Neptune has only one satellite, and it is a moon named Triton.
Q:
Because of Pluto's inclined orbital plane, it appears to cross paths with Neptune and will occasionally be closer to the sun than Neptune.
Q:
Uranus is famous for its large red circle called the Great Red Spot.
Q:
Saturn is the only planet in the solar system with rings composed of particles of water ice and rocky debris.
Q:
Because of its immense gravity, the diameter of the planet Jupiter shrinks by a few centimeters each year.
Q:
The smallest of the planets in our solar system is Pluto.
Q:
The atmospheric pressures on Venus are approximately 90 times greater than those on Earth, which had the ability to crush spacecraft sent there in the 1970s.
Q:
Water erosional features are commonly found on the moon, particularly in the highland areas.
Q:
Seismic events called moonquakes occur in the moon.
Q:
Because the period of rotation on its axis equals its period of revolution around Earth, the same side of the moon always faces Earth.
Q:
The maria are the light, highly cratered highlands visible on the moon.
Q:
The inner planets are the smaller rocky planets that are close in proximity to the sun.
Q:
Meteorite bombardment of the rocky planets occurred after their formation as protoplanets.
Q:
Planetary geology focuses only on those planets with a rocky surface such as Venus and Mars.
Q:
Flying by Pluto in July 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft transmitted images of a complex landscape called Sputnik Planum. Which of the following best describes Sputnik Planum?
A) A large ice field with tongues of flowing ice
B) A large volcanic field with lava flows composed of frozen methane
C) A field of overlapping impact craters
D) A landscape shaped by flowing water
Q:
________ is the largest known asteroid.
A) Pluto
B) Eris
C) Ceres
D) Andromeda
Q:
Most comets originate in the ________.
A) Kuiper Belt
B) Saturn's Rings
C) Oort Cloud
D) Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud