Earth Science Study Guide Questions
Course Introduction
Earth Science is a comprehensive study of the planet Earth, exploring its physical characteristics, processes, and history. This course covers a range of topics including geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy, providing a deep understanding of Earth's structure, materials, and the dynamic systems that shape our environment. Students investigate the interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, while also considering the effects of natural phenomena and human activities on the planet. Through hands-on activities, field observations, and laboratory experiments, learners develop scientific inquiry skills and an appreciation for the complexity and interconnectedness of Earth's systems.
Recommended Textbook
Visualizing Physical Geography 2nd Edition by Timothy Foresman
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17 Chapters
1832 Verified Questions
1832 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Discovering the Earths Dimensions
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104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A map projection is:
A)a system of meridians and parallels that represent the curved Earth on a flat surface
B)a method for enlarging a map
C)a method for reducing a map
D)a scale to allow representation of large areas on a small surface
Answer: A
Q2) The country that covers the largest number of time zones is:
A)Russia
B)China
C)United States
D)Canada
Answer: A
Q3) Meridians are lines that run north-south around the earth and connect the poles.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Daylight Savings Time gives us an extra hour of daylight during the _______ months.
Answer: summer
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Chapter 2: The Earths Global Energy Balance
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129 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The energy radiated by the sun is referred to as longwave radiation.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Longwave radiation that moves downward through the atmosphere towards the Earth's surface is called ____________.
Answer: Counterradiation
Q3) On a clear day, about 80% of incoming solar radiation passes through the atmosphere to reach the earth's surface.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) The proportion of solar radiation reflected upward from a surface is the _________ of a surface.
A)albedo
B)reflectance
C)diffusivity
D)latent heat
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Air Temperature
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157 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Latent heat can be measured by a thermometer.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Volcanic aerosols:
A)cool global temperatures by reflecting insolation
B)cool global temperatures by reflecting incoming longwave radiation
C)do not cool global temperatures
D)none of the above
Answer: A
Q3) __________ can be transferred to or from a surface by radiation, convection, and latent or sensible heat exchanges.
Answer: energy
Q4) Average January temperatures are much colder in parts of Siberia than in Antarctica.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q5) As elevation increases in the troposphere, average temperatures tend to _______.
Answer: Decrease
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Chapter 4: Atmospheric Moisture and Precipitation
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Sample Questions
Q1) At Point 1, air is ___________________ by the __________________ adiabatic lapse rate.
A)cooling, dry
B)warming, dry
C)cooling, wet
D)warming, wet
Q2) Freezing involves the ______________ of latent heat and a change is state from the ______________ phase to the solid phase.
A)absorption, liquid
B)absorption, gaseous
C)release, solid
D)release, liquid
Q3) The ________expresses the mass of water vapor existing in a given mass (g/kg)of air.
A)absolute humidity
B)wet-bulb depression
C)relative humidity
D)specific humidity
Q4) Discuss two ways you can maximize the profits your company can make as a result of humidity modification.
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Chapter 5: Global Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation
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138 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain how and why a sea breeze occurs.
Q2) A local wind system that flows from ocean to land during the late afternoon is called a:
A)land breeze
B)sea breeze
C)valley breeze
D)none of the above
Q3) Geostrophic winds are influenced by pressure gradients and _________.
Q4) Which of the following does not influence upper air circulation?
A)Rossby waves
B)doldrums
C)jet streams
D)none of the above
Q5) Explain how a mercury barometer works.
Q6) In an anticyclone located in the northern hemisphere winds :
A)converge in a clockwise direction
B)converge in a counterclockwise direction
C)diverge in a clockwise direction
D)diverge in a counterclockwise direction
Q7) An anticyclone is a center of _____ pressure.
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Chapter 6: Weather Systems
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130 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Define tornados and describe the conditions under which they occur.
Q2) Which front tends to move most quickly?
A)warm
B)cold
C)occluded
D)stationary
Q3) An extensive body of air in which temperature and moisture characteristics are fairly uniform over a large area is called an ________.
Q4) Which type of front is most likely to generate cumulonimbus clouds and severe thunderstorms?
A)stationary
B)occluded
C)warm
D)cold
Q5) Tornados are small but very intense anticyclonic flows with extremely high pressure in the center.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The smallest type of traveling cyclone is the ________.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Global Climates and Climate Change
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148 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Low latitude climates are all characterized by large amounts of annual precipitation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Major features that influence low-latitude climates include the intertropical convergence zone and the subtropical high-pressure belts.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The major air mass(es)that influence the high-latitude climates is/are:
A)mP
B)cA
C)cP
D)all of the above
Q4) Highland climates tend to be ________ than surrounding lowland areas
A)colder and drier
B)warmer and drier
C)colder and wetter
D)warmer and wetter
Q5) Explain the three main climate groups.
Q6) Explain the two major factors that influence temperature.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Earth From the Inside Out
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Sample Questions
Q1) To be considered a mineral, a naturally occurring inorganic solid must have a specific chemical composition and a characteristic ______ structure.
Q2) The strongest rocks, in terms of their propensity to wear down, tend to be found in what type of locations?
A)under valleys
B)along the ocean
C)under ridges, hills, and uplands
D)under plains and flat lands
Q3) Two chemical elements make up 70 percent of Earth's crust by weight. What are the two elements and what family of minerals do they form?
Q4) Wegener used plant and animal fossil evidence to help build the theory of continental drift.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The deepest portion of an ocean basin is always in the middle.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Why do most extrusive igneous rocks have small mineral crystals?
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Chapter 9: Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Basaltic lavas differ from felsic lavas in that theybasaltic lavas:
A)contain more iron and magnesium
B)do not flow as easily
C)contain more silica I don't remember silica ever being mentioned. Perhaps have another clearly felsic characteristic like 'originates above subduction zones'
D)contain more trapped gases
Q2) The temperature and pressure in the asthenosphere generally keep the rocks there below the melting point.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which type of volcanic feature is most common in the circum-Pacific mountain belt around the Pacific Ocean basin?
A)shield volcanoes
B)stratovolcanoes
C)fissure eruptions
D)hot-spot volcanism
Q4) Describe the areas of the United States where earthquakes and earthquake hazards have a greater probability of occurring.
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Chapter 10: Weathering and Mass Wasting
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Sample Questions
Q1) Flowing regolith that is not saturated with water is known as a _______.
A)landslide
B)slurry
C)slump
D)creep
E)gradient
Q2) __________typically occur in parallel and intersecting planes.
Q3) The general term for excavations and other land disturbances produced to extract mineral resources is:
A)erosion
B)mudflow
C)scarification
D)none of the above
Q4) Dissolution is a good example of mechanical weathering.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain the similarity and a difference between a flow and a slide.
Q6) Explain the primary difference between mechanical weathering and chemical weathering?
Q7) _______ is the process of ice splitting rocks during freeze/thaw cycles.
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Chapter 11: Fresh Water of the Continents
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67 Verified Questions
67 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In many parts of the world, one of the primary uses of surface water is to help produce electric power.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A subsurface rock layer that is composed of clay and represents a barrier to flow would be described as a(n):
A)aquiclude
B)aquifer
C)geyser
D)oxbow lake
E)spring
Q3) Most fresh water is actually found in __________ across the globe.
Q4) Which of the following variables influences the discharge of a stream?
A)gradient
B)drainage area
C)rainfall
D)all of these
E)none of these
Q5) __________ topography is characterized by many sinkholes and disrupted drainage patterns.
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Chapter 12: Land-Forms Made by Running Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the similarities and the differences between bed load, suspended load, and dissolved load.
Q2) Potholes form in a stream bed as a result of this process:
A)dissolution
B)meteorite impacts
C)deposition
D)abrasion
Q3) Any recently deposited sediment is referred to as an alluvial fan.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A crescent-shaped lake representing the abandoned channel left by the cutoff of a meander is called a(an):
A)cutoff
B)meander lake
C)oxbow lake
D)cut bank
Q5) The steepness of a stream is known as the discharge.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are the differences in the three major stream types?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Landforms Made by Wind and Waves
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Sample Questions
Q1) The shape of some dunes can be controlled by vegetation growth.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Abrasion is the process of removing vegetation by wind energy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Sea level is relatively higher than during the last ice age.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Wind generated landforms are known as ________________ landforms.
Q5) What term best describes the lifting and transportation of individual grains of sand by wind?
A)abrasion
B)cohesion
C)deposition
D)deflation
E)saltation
Q6) Long, narrow ridges oriented parallel with the direction of the prevailing wind are known as ______________ dunes.
Q7) Why do desert sand dunes take on several specific shapes?
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Chapter 14: Glacial and Periglacial Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) The last period of glacial advance began about 140,000 years ago.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Most deposition by glaciers occurs near the source of the ice.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The North Pole is covered by a continental ice sheet.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Pieces of ice that break off of a glacier and drift out to open sea are:
A)kames
B)icebergs
C)inselbergs
D)drumlins
Q5) Alpine glaciers form by:
A)freezing in streams in mountain valleys
B)accumulation of snow in stream valleys
C)compaction and accumulation of snow near the top of mountains
D)accumulation of hail mixed with sleet below the snow line
Q6) ___________________ is small lake found at the bottom of a cirque.
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Chapter 15: Global Soils
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137 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The layer of the soil that loses the clay particles and oxides of aluminum and iron is the:
A)A
B)E
C)C
D)O
Q2) The downward transport of fine particles carrying them out of the upper soil layers is:
A)illuviation
B)soil enrichment
C)transformation
D)eluviation
Q3) A black soil that is high in clay content, associated with savannas, and noted for its wet and dry climate is the:
A)alfisol
B)histosols
C)entisols
D)vertisols
Q4) A pH of 8 tend to be ____________ in terms of alkalinity.
Q5) Define humus, explain where it is found, and explain how it affects soil color.
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Chapter 16: Biogeographic Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) A collection of closely related species that share a similar evolutionary history is a(n):
A)genus
B)family
C)class
D)kingdom
Q2) The amount of nitrogen fixation from human activity is decreasing.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A bird eats a big fish that ate a smaller fish that ate a tiny fish exemplifies:
A)the biotic pyramid
B)a food chain
C)an ecotone
D)photosynthesis
Q4) The distribution and abundance of organisms in regards to their physiological needs is called:
A)geomorphology
B)palynology
C)petrology
D)ecological biogeography
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Chapter 17: Global Biogeography
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Sample Questions
Q1) Large plants with a single main trunk, a few lower branches, and a crown are:
A)trees
B)shrubs
C)herbsy
D)lianas
Q2) The biome characterized by openly spaced trees with massive trunks with thick, rough bark, comparatively low branches and large, round crowns is the:
A)needleleaf forest
B)monsoon forest
C)low-latitude rainforest
D)sclerophyll forest
Q3) An assemblage of trees growing close together, their crowns forming a layer of foliage that largely shades the ground is a(n):
A)tundra
B)grassland
C)estuary
D)forest
Q4) Consider a grape and citrus fruit. What biome do they best match? Explain the reasons for your decision.
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