Earth Science
Final Test Solutions
Course Introduction
Earth Science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the complex systems and processes that shape our planet, including the study of geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy. This course examines the structure and composition of the Earth, the dynamic forces responsible for phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain formation, as well as the interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Students will also investigate the impacts of human activity on the Earth and the importance of sustainable resource management. Through lectures, laboratory experiments, and hands-on activities, students will develop a foundational understanding of Earth's systems and their relevance to everyday life.
Recommended Textbook Essentials of Geology 3rd Edition by Stephen Marshak
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19 Chapters
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Chapter 1: The Earth in Context
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Sample Questions
Q1) The geocentric model was developed during the time of the ancient Greeks.This model ____________.
A) was abandoned during the time of the Roman Empire and would never be widely held again
B) was held to be true by thinkers throughout the Middle Ages, up until the Renaissance C) was rediscovered by the Polish astronomer Copernicus and has been the accepted model of the Universe ever since D) has been proven by NASA space photos
Answer: B
Q2) Which of Earth's layers has the greatest density?
A) crust
B) mantle
C) core
Answer: C
Q3) In agreement with the Big Bang theory,our Universe is ____________.
A) expanding
B) contracting
C) static (unchanging)
Answer: A
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Subduction zones are ____________.
A) convergent plate boundaries
B) divergent plate boundaries
C) transform plate boundaries
Answer: A
Q2) Unlike the lithosphere,the asthenosphere ____________.
A) is relatively weak and flows readily
B) has a density similar to the core
C) varies in thickness from place to place
D) is relatively cool
Answer: A
Q3) Hawaii is an example of ____________.
A) hot-spot volcanism
B) mid-ocean ridge volcanism
C) a volcanic island arc
D) a transform margin
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals
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Sample Questions
Q1) The silica tetrahedron that forms the backbone of all the silicate minerals is composed of silicon and what other element?
A) magnesium
B) oxygen
C) iron
D) carbon
Answer: B
Q2) The most useful diagnostic property of minerals is their color in hand sample.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The most abundant minerals belong to a chemical group termed the
A) silicates
B) carbonates
C) halides
D) oxides
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) Stoping by magmas occurs when ____________.
A) pieces of surrounding country rock are broken off and assimilated
B) the magma stops flowing and starts to solidify
C) the magma becomes fully solidified to form intrusive rock
D) the magma alters a thin rind of surrounding country rock
Q2) Bowen's continuous reaction series describes the crystallization behavior of a single mineral (with variable chemical composition),____________.
A) olivine
B) plagioclase
C) pyroxene
D) quartz
Q3) Pegmatites,which occur in dikes,are unusual among shallow intrusive rocks in that they ____________.
A) possess porphyritic texture
B) possess exceptionally coarse grains
C) are mineralogically identical to the extrusive rock basalt
D) are glassy, cooling so rapidly that crystals do not have time to form
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Chapter 5: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hot-spot volcanoes ____________.
A) can arise from the ocean floor
B) can arise on continents
C) may arise in the interior of lithospheric plates
D) all of the above
Q2) Iceland rises above the Atlantic Ocean as a result of ____________.
A) normal mid-ocean ridge activity
B) a submarine hot spot located within the interior of a plate
C) a submarine hot spot located along a mid-ocean ridge
D) subduction of an oceanic plate underneath the continental Eurasian Plate
Q3) The difference between tephra and tuff is that ____________.
A) tephra is created in ash falls, whereas tuff is created in pyroclastic flows
B) tephra is unlithified, whereas tuff is lithified
C) tephra is always silicic, whereas tuff is always basaltic
D) all of the above
Q4) Nonviolent eruptions characterized by extensive flows of basaltic lava are termed
A) pyroclastic
B) effusive
C) explosive
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) Lithified detritus (breakdown products of preexisting rocks)forms which kind of sedimentary rock?
A) biochemical
B) chemical
C) clastic
D) organic
Q2) Clastic sedimentary rocks are primarily classified on the basis of ____________.
A) grain size
B) degree of sorting
C) angularity
D) mineral composition
Q3) Unlike physically precipitated chert,biochemical chert ____________.
A) is bedded (layered)
B) is made up of the skeletons of radiolaria and foraminifera
C) does not occur as small nodules within bodies of limestone
D) all of the above
Q4) Which transport medium carries the largest particles?
A) ice
B) water
C) wind
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Metamorphism: a Process of Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) As compared to the amphibolite metamorphic facies,the greenschist facies
A) consists of lower-grade rocks
B) consists of higher-grade rocks
C) is an identical temperature and pressure regime; greenschists and amphibolites bear different mineral assemblages only because of differences in protolith chemistry
Q2) A buried body of aragonitic limestone is recrystallized at low temperatures and pressures,producing calcite; this is an example of ____________.
A) diagenesis
B) erosion
C) metamorphism
D) weathering
Q3) Spreading peanut butter on bread is an application of ____________.
A) compression
B) shear stress
Q4) Gneiss typically forms under higher pressures than hornfels.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
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Sample Questions
Q1) How many seismic stations are necessary to find the epicenter of an earthquake?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
Q2) Earthquake waves that pass through the interior of Earth are termed ____________.
A) interior waves
B) R-waves
C) surface waves
D) body waves
Q3) At any point along the surface of an oblique (nonvertical)fault,the ____________.
A) hanging wall lies vertically above the footwall
B) footwall lies vertically above the hanging wall
C) hanging wall lies to the left of the footwall
D) footwall lies to the left of the hanging wall
Q4) Faulting and earthquakes are examples of ____________.
A) brittle behavior
B) ductile behavior
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Chapter 9: Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal
Deformation and Mountain Building
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a ____________ fault,the fault plane is nonvertical and the hanging-wall block moves downward relative to the footwall block.
A) detachment
B) normal
C) reverse
D) thrust
Q2) On a geologic map,if the contacts between sedimentary rock units form a bull's eye pattern of concentric circles,with the youngest unit in the center,the underlying structure is a(n)____________.
A) anticline
B) basin
C) dome
D) syncline
Q3) A body of rock under high pressure is more likely to exhibit ____________ than is a body of rock at low pressure.
A) brittle behavior
B) ductile behavior
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Deep Time: How Old Is Old
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Sample Questions
Q1) In an unweathered sample of igneous rock,the ratio of an unstable isotope to its stable daughter isotope is 1/15.If no daughters were present at the time the rock cooled below closure temperature,and the half-life of the reaction is 50 million years,how old is the rock?
A) 200 million years
B) 400 million years
C) 750 million years
D) none of the above
Q2) Basaltic clasts within the conglomerate have been radiometrically dated to 50 million years ago (Eocene Epoch of the Tertiary Period).Is this a reliable age for the conglomerate?
A) Yes.
B) No, this age is likely too old.
C) No, this age is likely too young.
D) No, basalt never contains minerals bearing radioactive isotopes.
Q3) The youngest geologic unit visible in the cross section is the ____________.
A) granite
B) limestone
C) conglomerate
D) marble
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Chapter 11: A Biography of Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) Greenhouse climate on Earth was associated with relatively high atmospheric levels of which gas?
A) nitrogen
B) water vapor
C) oxygen
D) carbon dioxide
Q2) The Himalayas were produced by the collision of ____________ with southern Asia during the Cenozoic.
A) India
B) Australia
C) Africa
D) South America
Q3) Tree-sized relatives of the living ferns,club mosses,and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the ____________ Period.
A) Ordovician
B) Carboniferous
C) Jurassic
D) Cretaceous
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Chapter 12: Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Aside from the possibility of a meltdown,nuclear power provides no other major problems or concerns.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A permeable and porous rock,regardless of lithology,is a good candidate to serve as a ____________ in an oil-producing scenario.
A) reservoir rock
B) seal rock
C) source rock
Q3) Most of the hydrocarbons within oil and natural gas are derived from the breakdown of organic matter from once-living ____________.
A) dinosaurs
B) plankton
C) terrestrial plants
D) mammals
Q4) Geothermal energy provides a low-cost alternative to fossil fuels throughout most of the populated world.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) Mass wasting always involves a sudden movement of material downslope.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A rock slide into a reservoir triggered catastrophic flooding of the landscape below which dam?
A) Vaiont (Italy)
B) Aswan (Egypt)
C) Hoover (Nevada)
D) Glen Canyon (Arizona)
Q3) Which type of mass movement includes a large proportion of ash derived from a volcanic eruption?
A) stromboli
B) lahar
C) debris flow
D) wadi
Q4) One of the most problematic aspects of landslides is that large-scale,cataclysmic examples are the norm,whereas small-scale landslides are much rarer.
A)True
B)False
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Running Water: the Geology of Streams and Floods
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Sample Questions
Q1) A meander that is cut off to become completely isolated from the main channel but that retains water is a(n)____________.
A) meander neck
B) cut bank
C) oxbow lake
D) abandoned meander
Q2) Pirate streams ____________.
A) consist of a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment
B) have flowing water either episodically or during a portion of the year
C) have a channel that is highly sinuous (curvy)
D) are those that divert flow from streams they have, through stream erosion, intersected
Q3) The deltas of all major rivers consist of multiple radiating lobes of sediment in a "bird's foot" configuration,similar to the Mississippi River delta.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A 100-year flood is more catastrophic than a 50-year flood.
A)True
B)False
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Tidal reach is affected by ____________.
A) the slope of the coastline
B) the position of the Sun
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) None of the above is correct.
Q2) Of the choices below,which portions of the sea floor are most steeply tilted?
A) abyssal plains
B) continental rises
C) continental shelves
D) continental slopes
Q3) The most prominent force inducing tides on Earth is the ____________.
A) Sun's gravitational pull
B) Moon's gravitational pull
C) electromagnetic attraction between Earth and the Sun
D) gravitational attraction between ocean waters and the continents on Earth
Q4) ____________ make up a majority of the ocean floor worldwide.
A) Abyssal plains
B) Continental rises
C) Continental shelves
D) Continental slopes
Page 17
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Chapter 16: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
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Sample Questions
Q1) Topography dominated by depressions formed by the collapse of caves is termed
A) valley and ridge
B) karst
C) horst and graben
Q2) The relationship governing the rate of groundwater flow was discovered by
A) Alfred Wegener
B) Isaac Newton
C) Henry Darcy
D) Charles Richter
Q3) Perched water tables occur ____________.
A) above the regional water table, within permeable rock or sediment
B) above the regional water table, within impermeable rock or sediment
C) below the regional water table, within impermeable rock or sediment
D) below the regional water table, within permeable rock or sediment
Q4) An ordinary (water-producing)well will result whenever the base of the well extends below the water table.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most expansive hot deserts on Earth occur ____________.
A) in the tropics, at or near the equator
B) in the subtropics, between 20° and 30° north or south of the equator
C) in the temperate zone, between 30° and 50° north or south of the equator
Q2) In most deserts,the scarcity of rainfall means that most of the physical weathering and erosion is accomplished by the wind.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A(n)____________ is a wedge of sand and gravel deposited by the distributary channels that arise when an ephemeral stream reaches a plain at the base of a slope.
A) alluvial fan
B) ventifact
C) wadi
D) yardang
Q4) The geometry of sand dunes is strongly influenced by ____________.
A) the strength of the wind
B) the consistency of wind direction
C) the abundance of sand
D) all of the above
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Chapter 18: Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Sample Questions
Q1) An angular peak surrounded by three or more bowl-shaped depressions formed by a mountain glacier is termed a(n)____________.
A) arête
B) cirque
C) horn
D) tarn
Q2) Cape Cod,Massachusetts,and Long Island,New York,are both examples of Pleistocene glacial ____________ that have been further built up by wave-deposited sands.
A) drumlins
B) kettles
C) eskers
D) end moraines
Q3) Ice is a substance with a high albedo,which means it ____________.
A) requires much heat to raise its temperature by 1°C
B) absorbs most of the light that falls on it
C) reflects most of the light that falls on it
D) strongly refracts the light that falls on it
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Chapter 19: Global Change in the Earth System
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Sample Questions
Q1) During most of the Mesozoic,Earth was ____________.
A) about as warm as today
B) covered in extensive continental glaciers
C) about as warm as the Holocene climatic optimum
D) significantly warmer than at any time within the last few million years
Q2) The presence of liquid water on Earth's surface is ____________.
A) unremarkable; many other bodies in the solar system have liquid water
B) unique within the solar system, but is an inherent feature of Earth that would be found regardless of the Earth-Sun distance
C) unique within the solar system; liquid water would not have developed had Earth been much closer to or farther from the Sun
Q3) Cyclical global change includes the formation of core,mantle,and crust from a homogeneous mixture,a state to which one day Earth will return.
A)True
B)False
Q4) All changes within the Earth system are unidirectional and cannot be reversed.
A)True
B)False
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