Q&A Hero

Q: Flying reptiles such as the Archaeopteryx led to the evolution of ________. A) dinosaurs B) birds C) mammals D) insects

Q: For how long were dinosaurs the dominant species on the Earth? A) 5 million years B) 37 million years C) 160 million years D) 546 million years

Q: The dominant plant group during the Mesozoic Era was ________. A) exosperms B) methanogens C) angiosperms D) gymnosperms

Q: Why did invertebrates, particularly arthropods, get so large in the Late Paleozoic? A) There was more moisture in the atmosphere. B) Ozone in the atmosphere shielded them from ultraviolet radiation. C) There was more vegetation for them to feed on. D) There was more oxygen in the atmosphere.

Q: Which of Earth's major extinctions was the most extensive, eliminating 70 percent of all terrestrial organisms and up to 95 percent of marine organisms? A) Cambrian Explosion B) Permian Extinction C) Cretaceous Extinction D) Late Devonian Extinction

Q: When did the first terrestrial plants appear on the land surface? A) 400 million years ago B) 327 million years ago C) 225 million years ago D) 65 million years ago

Q: The ________ refers to a huge expansion in biodiversity 530 million years ago, which also marks the first appearance of invertebrate organisms. A) Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event B) Cambrian Explosion C) Rise of Reptiles D) Great Dying

Q: In what geologic period did lobe-finned fish adapt to terrestrial environments? A) Cambrian B) Devonian C) Triassic D) Ordovician

Q: The ________ Period was called the golden age of trilobites, resulting in more than 600 genera of these organisms. A) Silurian B) Cambrian C) Jurassic D) Mississippian

Q: ________ are organisms that reproduce sexually and have cells that contain nuclei. A) Prokaryotes B) Eukaryotes C) Protologics D) Cenozoics

Q: How old are the oldest fossils of more advanced organisms, the eukaryotes? A) 3.8 billion years B) 3.5 billion years C) 2.8 billion years D) 2.1 billion years

Q: One hypothesis for the formation of life suggests that amino acids were carried ready-made to Earth by ________. A) solar radiation B) prokaryotes C) carbonaceous chondrites D) lightning

Q: Which of the following organisms is defined as a primitive, single-celled organism that lacks separation between the nucleus and the rest of the cell? A) Eukaryote B) Prokaryote C) Brachiopod D) Bryozoan E) All of the above

Q: The earliest fossil evidence of life is in the form of ________. A) cyanobacteria B) trilobites C) Tully Monsters D) brachiopods

Q: What era, period, and epoch do we currently exist in? A) Precambrian, Jurassic, Eocene B) Mesozoic, Permian, Pleistocene C) Paleozoic, Paleogene, Paleocene D) Cenozoic, Quaternary, Holocene

Q: Subduction of the ________ Plate beneath the North American Plate at approximately 60 million years ago resulted in the ________ Orogeny that created the Rocky Mountains. A) Pacific; Taconic B) South American; Nevadan C) Farallon; Laramide D) African; Alleghanian

Q: The Navajo Sandstone, such as that exposed at Zion National Park in Utah, is evidence of a ________ environment during the Jurassic Period in the western United States. A) beach B) continental shelf C) lacustrine D) desert

Q: During which period did the break-up of Pangaea begin? A) Permian B) Tertiary C) Triassic D) Jurassic

Q: During which geologic time period did Pangaea form? A) Precambrian B) Late Paleozoic Era C) Mesozoic Era D) Mid-Cretaceous Era

Q: A(n) ________ is a period when a supercontinent rifts into fragments, spreads apart, and the fragments reassemble into a new supercontinent. A) convection cycle B) supercontinent cycle C) suturing cycle D) orogenic cycle

Q: What affect would the formation of a supercontinent have on the climate of this landmass? A) The climate would have become colder. B) The climate would have become more humid. C) The climate would have remained the same. D) The climate would have become drier.

Q: What was the name of the supercontinent that formed approximately 1.1 billion years ago? A) Rodinia B) Pangaea C) Nuna D) Baltica

Q: The ________ of a continent consists of Precambrian rocks of the craton covered by a thin mantle of sedimentary rocks. A) shield B) platform C) rift zone D) plateau

Q: The ________ of a continent consists of a core area of Precambrian rocks exposed at the surface with no overlying cover materials. A) shield B) platform C) rift zone D) plateau

Q: What is a craton? A) The highly deformed, leading edge of a continent where subduction is occurring B) The oldest part of a continent that has not been significantly deformed for 600 million years C) An exotic terrane being accreted to a landmass D) A down-dropped graben bounded by normal faults

Q: Because of the original molten state of Earth, it is likely that the first crust was ________ in composition. A) ultramafic B) mafic C) intermediate D) felsic

Q: The oldest known terrestrial material (a zircon included in a younger rock) dates back to 4.4 billion years ago. Where is this material located? A) Dharwar Craton, India B) Slave Craton, Alberta, Canada C) Jack Hills, Western Australia D) Grenville Terrance, United States

Q: Where is the oldest known rock on Earth located? A) Ural Mountains, Russia B) Slave Craton, Alberta, Canada C) Gobi Desert, Mongolia D) Dharwar Craton, India

Q: How old is the oldest known mineral, a zircon crystal, on Earth? A) 13.7 billion years old B) 4.6 billion years old C) 4.4 billion years old D) 2.657 billion years old

Q: Scientific knowledge of many events of the Precambrian is limited because ________. A) metamorphism altered and deformed many rocks B) plate tectonics consumed many of the oldest tectonic plates C) many ancient rocks have been eroded D) any ancient rocks have been covered by a mantle of sediments E) metamorphism, plate tectonics, erosion, and sediments account for the limited knowledge of Precambrian events

Q: What is the molecular formula for ozone? A) O B) O2 C) O3 D) O4

Q: Which process is responsible for the oxygen in the atmosphere today? A) Photosynthesis B) Outgassing of volcanoes C) Weathering of carbonate rocks D) Asteroid impact

Q: Why is there virtually no hydrogen and helium present in the atmosphere today? A) These gases were burned off by solar radiation. B) The gravitational force of Earth was not strong enough to hold them. C) These gases were consumed by rock-forming processes. D) Acid rain removed these gases from the atmosphere.

Q: Which of the following gases was present in Earth's early atmosphere? A) Water vapor B) Carbon dioxide C) Hydrogen D) Methane E) All of these gases

Q: A(n) ________ is defined as a cataclysmic, explosive death of a star. A) supernova B) accretion C) planetesimal D) condensation

Q: Which of the following elements would have been the first to form after the formation of the universe? A) Lithium and carbon B) Helium and phosphorous C) Hydrogen and helium D) Iron and magnesium

Q: What is the name of the theory that describes the formation of the universe? A) Theory of Gravitational Attraction B) Big Bang Theory C) Theory of Continental Drift D) Solar Nebula Theory

Q: When did the Big Bang occur? A) 3.8 billion years ago B) 4.6 billion years ago C) 7.8 billion years ago D) 13.7 billion years ago

Q: What geologic era are we in today? A) Cenozoic B) Mesozoic C) Paleozoic D) Precambrian

Q: The first primitive organisms on Earth came into existence approximately ________ years ago. A) 10,000 B) 550 million C) 3.8 billion D) 4.6 billion

Q: Sunspots occur in cycles with the maximum number of sunspots occurring about every ________ years. A) five B) nine C) eleven D) fifteen

Q: The higher temperatures during the Cretaceous Period were the result of ________. A) the Milankovich Cycle B) additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere C) increased sunspot activity D) changing locations of continents

Q: The Maunder Minimum occurred at the same time as the ________ and has been used by some to explain the cooling temperatures during that period. A) Industrial Revolution B) Cretaceous Period C) Medieval Warm Period D) Little Ice Age

Q: When eccentricity, obliquity, and precession are all overlapping to have the most significant impact on the Earth's climate, what is happening to the climate? A) Climate is cooling B) Climate is warming C) Climate is stagnant

Q: How will explosive volcanic eruptions affect global temperatures? A) Temperatures will raise B) Temperatures will lower C) Temperatures will remain the same

Q: Which of the following is not part of the Milankovich Cycle, which would affect climate change by reducing the distribution of incoming solar radiation? A) Obliquity B) Accretion C) Eccentricity D) Precession

Q: If the Earth had no atmosphere, what would the average temperature of the planet be? A) Above boiling B) 25C C) 10C D) Below freezing

Q: Which of the following is not one of the three paths taken by incoming solar radiation? A) Radiation passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the surface. B) Radiation is deflected by the magnetic field. C) Radiation is reflected back into space by clouds, atmosphere, snow, and ice. D) Radiation is absorbed by clouds and atmospheric gases.

Q: What percentage of solar radiation is reflected back into outer space by the albedo of the Earth? A) 30% B) 20% C) 100% D) 50%

Q: In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer found? A) Troposphere B) Stratosphere C) Thermosphere D) Mesosphere

Q: What is the molecule for ozone? A) O2 B) CO2 C) O3 D) H2O

Q: ________ are small solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere. A) Sunspots B) Radiosondes C) CFCs D) Aerosols

Q: What percentage of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide? A) 0.0400% B) 0.152% C) 1% D) 5%

Q: Which two gases make up the majority of the atmosphere? A) Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide B) Neon and Methane C) Hydrogen and Helium D) Nitrogen and Oxygen

Q: ________ are often the best-preserved, most easily identifiable plant remains in sediments and can be used to interpret the paleoclimate. A) Corals B) Trees C) Seeds D) Pollen

Q: Which of the following can be used as a marine paleothermometer? A) Tree rings B) Pollen C) Coral D) Aerosols

Q: What material makes up the shells of many marine microorganisms? A) NO2 B) CaCO3 C) SiO2 D) NaCl

Q: How can tree rings provide information about past climates? A) Thickness and spacing of tree rings reflect environmental conditions B) Tree rings turn colors depending on the climate C) Tree rings trap gas bubbles that can be used to interpret atmospheric conditions D) Tree rings can measure past CO2 concentrations

Q: What materials are sampled to study 16O:18O ratios during past climates? A) Sea sediments B) Tree rings C) Marine microorganisms D) Atmosphere

Q: Which oxygen isotope would be concentrated in glacial ice? A) 16O B) 17O C) 18O

Q: Which of the following oxygen isotopes is the most common? A) 16O B) 17O C) 18O

Q: Why is the use of proxy data necessary when studying past climate change? A) Modern recording instruments are skewed by pollutants in the atmosphere B) Modern data has been biased by religious influence or political ideologies C) Instrumental records only go back a couple of centuries and are more incomplete the older they are D) Geological and atmospheric changes occurring at the time work differently than today

Q: Which planktonic marine organism, often found in sea sediments, can be used to make interpretations about past climates? A) Foraminifera B) Clams C) Fish D) Algae

Q: ________ is the study and reconstruction of past climates through the use of proxy data. A) Climatology B) Hydrology C) Glaciology D) Paleoclimatology

Q: The ________ refers to water in solid form, such as ice and snow that exists on the Earth's surface. A) Cryosphere B) Atmosphere C) Geosphere D) Biosphere

Q: Which of the following best illustrates the connection between climate and geologic processes? A) Water coming off a cooling magma emplaces metallic ores B) Hydrothermal vents near a mid-ocean rift create chimneys of mineral deposits C) Heavy rainfalls trigger debris flows D) Arid climates make sea level drop

Q: Which of the following spheres is not part of the climate system? A) Cryosphere B) Asthenosphere C) Hydrosphere D) Biosphere

Q: What was the approximate concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere in 2015? Use the smoothed curve for seasonally corrected data to make the determination. A) 400 ppm B) 380 ppm C) 340 ppm D) 320 ppm

Q: What was the approximate concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere in 1965? Use the smoothed curve for seasonally corrected data to make the determination. A) 400 ppm B) 380 ppm C) 340 ppm D) 320 ppm

Q: Which decade (so far) has seen the most significant total increase in temperature so far? A) 1960s B) 1980s C) 2000s D) 2010s

Q: Which of the following locations experienced a cooling climate during the period from 1950-2014? A) Eastern Brazil B) Off the coast of Antarctica C) North Central Canada D) Northern Asia

Q: Which of the following locations experienced the highest temperature increase during the period from 1950-2014? A) Australia B) Contiguous United States C) North Central Canada D) Southeast Asia

Q: This image is a diagram of the layers of the atmosphere. The breaks between the layers have been blocked out. Match the names of the breaks with the following terms. A) Tropopause B) Stratopause C) Mesopause 1. A 2. B 3. C

Q: Identify the spheres of the climate system present in this figure with the correct terms. A) Geosphere B) Cryosphere C) Atmosphere D) Biosphere E) Hydrosphere 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. E

Q: Explain why even small changes in sea level will have a profound effect on human civilizations.

Q: Explain how melting glacial ice will result in a positive feedback mechanism for climate.

Q: Compare and contrast positive climate-feedback mechanisms and negative climate-feedback mechanisms.

Q: How do humans contribute to climate change today?

Q: What are sunspots? How can sunspots affect the climate on Earth?

Q: How did the 1815 eruption of Tambora have global implications for climate change? Was this temporary or permanent?