Earth Science
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Earth Science is a multidisciplinary field that explores the processes and components 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 processes such as plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes, weather phenomena, and the interactions within the Earths systems. Students will gain an understanding of how natural forces have influenced the planet's landscape over time, the impact of human activities on Earth's environment, and the scientific methods used to investigate Earth's past, present, and future.
Recommended Textbook Oceanography 8th Edition by Tom S. Garrison
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
18 Chapters
900 Verified Questions
900 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1033 Page 2
Chapter 1: The Origin of the Ocean
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20474
Sample Questions
Q1) There were multiple sources of water that contributed to the ocean. How was the majority of the ocean's water formed?
A) The condensation of a cloud composed of dust and gas from exploded stars
B) The condensation and cooling of water vapor
C) The infiltration of comets
D) Run-off from continental land masses
Answer: B
Q2) High levels of ____ could indicate life on other planets.
A) free nitrogen
B) carbon dioxide
C) free oxygen
D) bound nitrogen
Answer: C
Q3) Earth was most likely chemically homogenous when it was young.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 3
Chapter 2: A History of Marine Science
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20475
Sample Questions
Q1) Which Library of Alexandria librarian is responsible for the development of the longitude and latitude system?
A) Hipparchus
B) Claudius Ptolemy
C) Hypatia
D) Eratosthenes
Answer: D
Q2) By the year 2010, the Census of Marine Life project culminated 10 years of research by 2700 scientists from 80 different countries into a summary report.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) What does voyaging offer people?
A) Expansion of trade
B) Increased availability of food
C) Mobility of residence
D) All of these choices
Answer: D
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
4
Chapter 3: Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20476
Sample Questions
Q1) A(n) ____ is a very large column of superheated mantle that originates at the boundary of the core and mantle.
A) Volcano
B) Plume
C) Asthenosphere
D) Ridge
Answer: B
Q2) What process intensified arguments about Earth's age because it would require long periods of time to occur?
A) Uniformitarianism
B) Catastrophism
C) Natural Selection
D) Biblical creation
Answer: C
Q3) What keeps Earth's asthenosphere pliable?
A) Chemical composition of the asthenosphere
B) The density of the asthenosphere
C) Earth's internal heat
D) Insulation from the lithosphere
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Ocean Basins
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20477
Sample Questions
Q1) What statement is true of the surface area of oceanic ridges and their associated features?
A) They consist of slightly less area than that of all the land above sea level.
B) They consist of more area than that of all land above sea level.
C) These are almost always located in the mid-ocean.
D) These areas are largely covered by sediments.
Q2) What is a characteristic of transform faults?
A) They are fractures along two plates that slide vertically.
B) They move in opposite directions, horizontally of each other.
C) They are just as active as fracture zones.
D) All of these choices are true.
Q3) What is the flatness of abyssal plains associated with?
A) The large amounts of sediment
B) The depth of abyssal plains
C) The pressure above the abyssal plains
D) The lack of sediment
Q4) Describe what trenches and island arcs are. Why are these features linked with large earthquakes and tsunamis?
Q5) What is a hydrothermal vent? What process is involved in their making? Who is responsible for discovering these vents?
Page 6
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 5: Ocean Sediments
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20478
Sample Questions
Q1) What characterizes deep ocean sediments?
A) The sediments are well-sorted due to high energy fluctuations
B) The sediments are well-sorted due to low energy fluctuations
C) The sediments are poorly sorted due to high energy fluctuations
D) The sediments are poorly sorted due to low energy fluctuations
Q2) Which is an example of an authigenic sediment?
A) Quartz sand
B) Manganese nodules
C) Volcanic dust
D) Diatomaceous earth
Q3) What piece of equipment was able to facilitate the new fields of stratigraphy and paleoceanography with the data it generated?
A) Clamshell samplers
B) Deep water cameras
C) Piston Corers
D) Seismic profilers
Q4) Most near shore sediments smell of hydrogen sulfide due to high levels of decomposing organic matter.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Water and Ocean Structure
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20479
Sample Questions
Q1) Why does the latent heat of vaporization require so much heat energy?
A) The energy is needed to break the strong covalent bonds.
B) The energy is required to stabilize bond vibrations.
C) The energy is used to break the hydrogen bonds.
D) All of these choices.
Q2) The polarity of water makes it able to dissolve many compounds.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which is not a characteristic of thermoclines?
A) Tropical thermoclines are deeper than those at higher latitudes.
B) Thermoclines are not identical in form.
C) Polar waters tend to lack thermoclines.
D) Thermoclines are more abrupt in the high latitudes.
Q4) Why does sound travel rapidly though the lower well-mixed surface layer?
A) Temperature and pressure are homogeneous
B) Temperature and salinity are homogeneous
C) It produces high refraction areas
D) Density is heterogeneous
Q5) How do the properties of water help our oceans to remain in liquid form?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Ocean Chemistry
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20480
Sample Questions
Q1) Residence times are dependent upon steady-state conditions and a well-mixed ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Sodium and chloride are considered are considered to be nonconservative constituents which have long residence times in the ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Ocean is becoming more acidic as it absorbs additional _________from the atmosphere.
A) carbon dioxide
B) ozone
C) oxygen
D) pollution
Q4) Carbon dioxide is abundant near the surface due to the photosynthesis activities of plants.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How do ions alter the properties of seawater in comparison to freshwater properties?
Page 9
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 8: Circulation of the Atmosphere
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20481
Sample Questions
Q1) Extratropical cyclones form between which two types of atmospheric cells?
A) Two Hadley cells
B) A Hadley cell and a Ferrel cell
C) A polar cell and a Hadley cell
D) A polar cell and a Ferrel cell
Q2) Where are the more complex atmospheric cells located?
A) The equator
B) The northern pole
C) The mid-latitudes
D) The southern pole
Q3) Where do the most intense summer monsoons occur?
A) Asia
B) Africa
C) South America
D) Gulf of Mexico
Q4) How do seasons affect the surface winds?
A) During the northern summer, the surface winds shift to the south.
B) During the northern winter, the surface winds shift to the south.
C) During the northern winter, the surface winds shift to the north.
D) Surface winds are not affected by seasons
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 9: Circulation of the Ocean
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20482
Sample Questions
Q1) The Gulf Stream has decreased in recent years due to an influx of freshwater.
A)True
B)False
Q2) When a large amount of dense water sinks at polar ocean basins, the same quantity rises elsewhere in the world ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The horizontal movement of water by wind can lead to vertical movement in surface water.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What prevents North Atlantic Deep Water from moving on a large scale like the Antarctic Bottom Water?
A) The density of the water
B) The topography of the basin
C) The composition of the sediments
D) The salinity of the water
Q5) What are the three types of geostrophic currents? What are their characteristics? Give at least one example of each type of current.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: Waves
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20483
Sample Questions
Q1) How often do destructive tsunamis strike somewhere in the world?
A) Approximately once a year
B) Approximately one every two years
C) Approximately once every decade
D) Approximately a few times per year
Q2) What are the five different types of waves discussed in this chapter? Which waves are considered to be deep-water waves? Include the disturbing and restoring forces of these waves.
Q3) The circulation motion of water particles at the surface continues underwater at orbits of decreasing diameter.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What is not true of a rogue wave?
A) The constructive interference of many wavelengths
B) A wave much larger than the theoretical maximum wave sustained by a fully developed sea
C) A freak, unpredictable wave
D) A predictable but large wave
Q5) How do wave trains travel? How do they interact with each other?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Tides
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20484
Sample Questions
Q1) What is needed to calculate the speed and direction of tidal current while at sea?
A) The shape of the ocean basin below
B) The magnitude of gravitational forces and inertia
C) The position of the amphidromic point
D) All of these choices
Q2) Basin configuration can cause variations in tidal ranges.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Who came up with the dynamic theory of tides?
A) Isaac Newton
B) Pierre-Simon Laplace
C) Galileo
D) Pytheas
Q4) Tides can be predicted years in advance to an accuracy of approximately 3 centimeters.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are spring tides and neap tides? What tidal behaviors occur with each?
Q6) What is the difference between a solar and lunar day? Which is longer? Why?
Page 13
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 12: Coasts
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20485
Sample Questions
Q1) Why do large, broad beaches have gradual slopes?
A) They have coarse particles.
B) There is a minimal transport of sediments back to the ocean.
C) They are not in equilibrium.
D) They have a large area for wave energy to dissipate.
Q2) Despite their instability, over 70 barrier islands off the United States have been commercially developed.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is the global, long term-change to sea level?
A) Active change
B) Temporal change
C) Eustatic change
D) Passive change
Q4) Where is the seaward limit of a beach?
A) Longshore bars
B) Berms
C) Where the longshore drift is the strongest
D) Where the sediment stops moving onshore or offshore
Q5) How do sediments move along a beach?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: Life in the Ocean
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20486
Sample Questions
Q1) Which classification is so large it is considered a domain?
A) Monera
B) Plantae
C) Bacteria
D) Animalia
Q2) What is entropy?
A) The relative measure of disorder over time
B) The growth of an organism over time
C) The amount of energy transformation over a lifespan
D) The complexity of living organisms
Q3) What is a more accurate term for the feeding relationship of organisms?
A) Food chain
B) Food web
C) Trophic chains
D) Primary consumption
Q4) Some ____ are considered to be extremophiles.
A) Eukarya
B) Archaea
C) Plantae
D) Animalia
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 15
Chapter 14: Plankton, Algae, and Plants
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20487
Sample Questions
Q1) Approximately 55% of the sunlight energy absorbed by diatoms is converted into energy for carbohydrate chemical bonds.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What research vessel carried out the first large-scale plankton study?
A) Meteor
B) HMS Challenger
C) HMS Beagle
D) HMS Discovery
Q3) A highly biological productive ocean surface appears chalky; what plankton is likely successful here?
A) Diatoms
B) Dinoflagellates
C) Coccolithophores
D) Isopods
Q4) What allows diatoms to expand in size during reproduction?
A) Frustule
B) Flagellate
C) Pennate
D) Auxospore
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: Marine Animals
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20488
Sample Questions
Q1) Sharks and rays tend to be larger than bony fish.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What is the term for vertebrates who have a skeleton made of cartilage?
A) Osteichthyes
B) Chondrichthyes
C) Reptilia
D) Ophiuroids
Q3) What unique feature do all echinoderms have?
A) Water vascular system
B) An expelling stomach
C) A complex chewing jaws
D) Brains
Q4) What would be one thing that humans could do in terms of caring for the ocean according to National Geographic Explorer Brad Norman?
A) increase research on whale sharks
B) treat the ocean like your home, respect and protect it
C) reduce fishing
D) reduce pollution
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: Marine Communities
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20489
Sample Questions
Q1) What phylum is the most successful and widely distributed in terms of parasites?
A) Nematoda
B) Annelida
C) Polychaeta
D) Mollusca
Q2) How much biomass in tropical coral reefs is attributed to the coral alone?
A) 15%
B) 30%
C) 50%
D) 75%
Q3) What is the study of the balance between environmental factors and organisms in a community?
A) Ecology
B) Biodiversity
C) Niche
D) Ecosystem
Q4) What challenges are faced by coral reefs today? What is the advantage of living in the tropical ocean which contains few nutrients? Hint: include reference to the National Geographic segment about the Southern Line Islands
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 17: Marine Resources
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20490
Sample Questions
Q1) Why is the extraction of wind so effective over or near the ocean?
A) There are large gusts of wind.
B) The wind tends to be steady in these areas.
C) Windmills can be easily constructed on platforms.
D) There is more stress on the gears to generate more energy.
Q2) What was first created in an effort to claim the continental shelf as belonging to the nation it was attached to?
A) The Marine Mammal Protection Act
B) The Law of the Sea
C) The International Whaling Commission
D) The National Marine Fisheries Service
Q3) When did the harvesting of commercial whale species cease?
A) When the International Whaling Commission formed
B) When there were substitutes for the products produced from whales
C) When the hunting of whales became uneconomical
D) CITES- Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species
Q4) Deep sediment layers have a lower proportion of natural gas and oil than the shallower layers.
A)True
B)False
Page 19
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 18: The Ocean and The Environment
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20491
Sample Questions
Q1) Although these are all common in our atmosphere, which one is not a greenhouse gas?
A) Carbon dioxide
B) Methane
C) Nitrogen
D) Water vapor
Q2) What happens to the volatile components after any oil spill?
A) They sink to the bottom sediments
B) They evaporate into the air.
C) They form balls of tar in the wave action.
D) They assimilate by organisms.
Q3) What is eutrophication?
A) A set of physical, chemical, and biological changes in an environment when there is an excessive release of nutrients in the water
B) A large plankton bloom dominated by one species
C) The removal of oxygen from the water of an area
D) The manmade changes to the environment
Q4) What are some of the dangers corals have to face right now? What impact will global warming have on these factors?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20