Earth Science Exam Practice Tests

Course Introduction

Earth Science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the dynamic processes and systems shaping our planet, including its atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. This course investigates fundamental concepts in geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy to provide a comprehensive understanding of Earths structure, natural resources, environmental changes, and the impact of human activity. Through a combination of theoretical study, practical experiments, and fieldwork, students develop critical thinking and scientific skills to analyze natural phenomena and engage with current environmental issues.

Recommended Textbook

Visualizing Geology 3rd Edition by Barbara W. Murck

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16 Chapters

1211 Verified Questions

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Page 2

Chapter 1: Earth As a Planet

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Sample Questions

Q1) Activity on Earth's surface has erased all traces of ancient meteorite impacts,such as those still visible on the moon.

A)True

B)False

Answer: False

Q2) Volcanism is common to the histories of all of the terrestrial planets.What type of volcanic rock is common to all of the terrestrial planets?

Answer: The volcanic rock basalt is common to all of the terrestrial planets.

Q3) How do Venus and Earth differ?

Answer: Earth and Venus are very close in size,but differ greatly in other respects.There is no liquid water or ice on Venus,whereas Earth has water vapor,liquid water,and ice.The surface temperature on Venus (480 ºC)is excessively hot compared to that of Earth (14.6ºC).

Q4) The ______ cycle describes the set of crustal processes that form new rock,modify it,transport it,and break it down.

Answer: rock

Q5) Since 2006,Pluto and Ceres have been classified as__________________ . Answer: dwarf planets

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Chapter 2: Earth Materials

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Sample Questions

Q1) Discuss some of the ways in which the properties of minerals and rocks can affect our daily lives?

Answer: There are a number of ways in which the properties of minerals and rocks affect our daily lives.The hardness of minerals is an important factor for gemstones and industrial abrasives.The softness of graphite allows its use in pencils.The relative durability and malleability of gold makes it an ideal substance for coins and jewelry.Table salt's ionic bonds allow it to dissolve easily in water.The properties of various rocks also make them ideal for use in everything from building materials to decorative art.These are a few of the ways in which the properties of minerals and rocks affect our daily lives.

Q2) The property of a mineral that relates to how heavy it is for its size is referred to as: A)streak.

B)density.

C)hardness.

D)tenacity

Answer: B

Q3) _____ and silicon are the two most common elements in Earth's crust.

Answer: Oxygen

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Chapter 3: How Old Is Old the Rock Record and Geologic

Time

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Sample Questions

Q1) Lord Kelvin based his estimate of Earth's age on how long it must have taken Earth to cool by conduction.

A)True

B)False

Answer: True

Q2) Strata in which the layers of sediment have been deposited one on top of another,in sequence with no significant gaps in time,are said to be ______.

Answer: conformable

Q3) Geologists have divided the three eras of the Phanerozoic Eon into a number of shorter units called periods.

A)True

B)False

Answer: True

Q4) The Allende meteorite is classified as a carbonaceous chondrite.

A)True

B)False

Answer: True

Q5) Magnetic _____ is the north-south directionality of Earth's magnetic field. Answer: polarity

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Chapter 4: Plate Tectonics

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Sample Questions

Q1) What term best describes the driving force behind plate tectonics?

A)expansion

B)convergence

C)convection

D)divergence

E)transformation

Q2) The area of the Earth's interior where rocks start to melt is known as the asthenosphere.

A)True

B)False

Q3) Evidence left by glaciers was used to support the theory of plate tectonics.

A)True

B)False

Q4) The Mid-Ocean Ridge is the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean.

A)True

B)False

Q5) The recoverable data that provide indications to the past latitudes of continents is known as _______.

Q6) The reptilian fossils that Wegener used to help prove his ideas about continental drift are known as _______.

Page 6

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Chapter 5: Earthquakes and Earths Interior

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Sample Questions

Q1) The area inside the Earth where rock begins to melt is known as the _______.

Q2) The boundary that separates the crust from the mantle is known as the _______ Discontinuity.

A)Richter

B)Mercalli

C)Oldham

D)Mohorovicic

E)Wegener

Q3) The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale qualifies the effects of an earthquake on humans,objects of nature,and man-made structures on a scale of I through XII,with I denoting a weak earthquake and XII one that causes almost complete destruction.

A)True

B)False

Q4) A large,destructive ocean wave sometimes caused by an earthquake is called a _______.

Q5) The temperature at which magnets lose their magnetism is known as the _______.

Q6) The Richter Scale measures the damage caused by a given earthquake.

A)True

B)False

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Chapter 6: Volcanoes and Igneous Rocks

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Sample Questions

Q1) The volcanic lake in Cameroon that released carbon dioxide and killed 1700 people in 1986 is called _______.

Q2) Rocks usually melt _______as fast under the seafloor as under the continents.

Q3) The separation of liquids from crystals during crystallization is known as _______.

Q4) Small pyroclasts welded together during an eruption results in the formation of a tuff.

A)True

B)False

Q5) How does the presence of water affect the melting temperature of a rock?

Q6) _______ magma contains more dissolved gases and tends to be more explosive.

Q7) Normally,Earth's geothermal gradient increases approximately 10.2ºC per kilometer of depth.

A)True B)False

Q8) A Strombolian eruption produces cones of loose volcanic rocks known as _______.

Q9) The presence of higher amounts of water usually results in the lowering of the melting temperature.

A)True

B)False

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Chapter 7: Weathering and Erosion

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Sample Questions

Q1) "Black water" found in swamps is formed from a high amount of organic matter found in the _______ load.

Q2) The never-ending formation and destruction of Earth materials is called the

A)water cycle

B)life cycle

C)tectonic cycle

D)rock cycle

E)none of the above

Q3) A _______ involves a rotational movement of rock or regolith.

A)fall

B)creep

C)flow

D)slump

E)slide

Q4) In a soil profile,the A and E layers are both layers that are leached.

A)True

B)False

Q5) _______ often involve(s)the massive displacement of rock or sediment straight down a steep slope.

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Chapter 8: From Sediment to Sedimentary Rock

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Sample Questions

Q1) A sedimentary rock formed by the evaporation of lake or seawater is known as a(n)_____.

A)sandstone

B)shale

C)eolianite

D)turbidite

E)evaporite

Q2) Sandstone results from the lithification of clay-size grains.

A)True

B)False

Q3) A biogenic sediment that forms from the accumulation of plant debris is known as _____.

A)calcite

B)loess

C)sandstone

D)mudstone

E)peat

Q4) _____ processes are those referring to the wind.

Q5) The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah are primarily composed of _____ sediments.

Page 10

Q6) Most of the sediment on land is transported by _____.

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Chapter 9: Folds, faults, and Geological Maps

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Sample Questions

Q1) The East African Rift Valley is a series of faults that extend for distances of about

Q2) _____ is the difference between the highest and lowest points in a given area.

A)Isostasy

B)Relief

C)Composition

D)Strike

E)Topography

Q3) The line where the axial plane intersects the fold is called the axis or hinge.

A)True

B)False

Q4) A fold that forms a trough with the youngest rocks in the middle is known as a(n)_____.

Q5) Tensional faults are also called _____ faults.

A)thrust

B)left-lateral strike-slip

C)right-lateral strike-slip

D)normal

E)reverse

Q6) A stress that exerts equal force in all directions is known as _____ stress.

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Chapter 10: Metamorphism: New Rock From Old

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Sample Questions

Q1) Metamorphism occurs only at depths greater than 40km.

A)True

B)False

Q2) _____ is a foliation in low-grade metamorphic rocks that causes them to break into flat,platy fragments.

Q3) Which of the following metamorphic rocks form under high stress and low to moderate temperatures in subduction zones?

A)blueschist

B)greenschist

C)schist

D)slate

E)quartzite

Q4) Metasomatism refers to mechanical alterations of a rock.

A)True

B)False

Q5) Please list the different type of metamorphic facies and the environments in which they form.

Q6) Duration and rate of deformation are not important factors in metamorphism.

A)True

B)False

Page 12

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Chapter 11: Water on and Under the Ground

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Sample Questions

Q1) A(n)_____ is a manmade lake resulting from the construction of a dam.

Q2) The process in which water changes from a vapor to a liquid or a solid is known as _____.

Q3) The hydrologic cycle does not include atmospheric processes.

A)True

B)False

Q4) What is the hydrologic cycle?

Q5) A(n)_____ is an area where the water table intersects the surface allowing the groundwater to flow out.

A)aquifer

B)aquiclude

C)oxbow lake

D)spring

E)ocean

Q6) A(n)_____ stream has a low gradient and a variable range of sediment loads.

A)straight

B)meandering

C)braided

D)oxbow

E)none of the above

Page 13

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Chapter 12: The Ocean and the Atmosphere

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Sample Questions

Q1) A rogue wave may have a trough-to-crest height reaching _____ m.

A)2

B)5

C)10

D)20

E)29

Q2) The world ocean covers 71% of Earth's surface.

A)True

B)False

Q3) The tiny coral animals are called_____.

Q4) Which of the following is NOT a significant benefit of coral reefs?

A)sandy beach creation

B)increased ecological diversity

C)recycled nutrients

D)dissipated wave energy

E)protected lagoons

Q5) The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from approximately 320 ppm to over 360 ppm in the past 50 years.

A)True

B)False

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Chapter 13: Climatic Extremes: Deserts and Glaciers

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Sample Questions

Q1) The angle of repose is the steepest angle at which loose particles will come to rest.

A)True

B)False

Q2) Land degradation is the invasion of desert conditions into non-desert areas.

A)True

B)False

Q3) How do glaciers shape the land across which they flow?

Q4) Rainfall in a desert region typically results from intense downpours that occur during a brief rainy season.

A)True

B)False

Q5) Why is some land in Antarctica depressed below sea level?

Q6) A thick sheet of floating ice at sea,adjoining a land glacier,is an ice _____.

Q7) An abraded and wind-shaped sediment or rock is a(n)_____.

Q8) Walden Pond is an example of a kettle pond.

A)True

B)False

Q9) What caused the 1930s "Dust Bowl" in western United States?

Q10) How do glaciers advance?

Page 15

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Chapter 14: Earths Climates: Past, present, future

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Sample Questions

Q1) The term albedo refers to the reflectivity of a surface as a percentage of the total reflected radiation.

A)True B)False

Q2) Climate proxies are records of natural events that are influenced by,and closely mimic,climate.

A)True B)False

Q3) A _____ occurs when a system is stabilizing or self-limiting.

Q4) _____ kinds of orbital change combine to affect Earth's climate.

Q5) If greenhouse gas levels remain the same as today,we can expect 50-year temperature increases in the range of _____ °C:

A)10-25

B)0)5-1.5

C)2-6

D)0)1-0.3

E)30-40

Q6) What are the important greenhouse gases,both naturally occurring and anthropogenic?

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Chapter 15: A Brief History of Life on Earth

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Sample Questions

Q1) Mammals evolved most directly from the _____ vertebrate group.

A)bony fish

B)reptiles

C)birds

D)dinosaurs

E)amphibians

Q2) Vascular plants exchange gases through adjustable leaf openings called _____.

Q3) The Burgess shale and Chengjiang Biota are famous for their preservation of soft-bodied animals (alternatively,nonmineralized or nonskeletonized).

A)True

B)False

Q4) The oldest hominids that were definitely bipedal were in the genus _____.

A)Australopithecus

B)Homo

C)Pongo

D)Pan

E)Gorilla

Q5) The most devastating of all mass extinction events occurred at the end of the Paleozoic Era (Permian Period)around _____ million years ago.

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Chapter 16: Understanding Earths Resources

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Sample Questions

Q1) Biomass fuels and energy are usually derived from______.

Q2) The civilization on Easter Island was apparently decimated by the man-made loss of

A)coconuts

B)water

C)fish

D)trees

E)statues

Q3) Nuclear reactors depend for their energy release on a(n)________chain reaction.

Q4) Both _____ and hydrothermal ore deposits typically form at present or past plate boundaries.

Q5) How much wattage can a healthy human produce and sustain by pedaling a bicycle? This is equivalent to what?

Q6) Which of the following is a waxy substance found in shale,which could be a source of hydrocarbons?

A)gasoline

B)kerosene

C)peat

D)kerogen

E)petroleum

Page 18

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