Earth Systems Science
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Earth Systems Science explores the complex interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, examining how these major components work together to shape our planet's environment and influence life on Earth. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students analyze natural processes such as the carbon cycle, energy flows, plate tectonics, and climate systems, as well as human impacts on earth systems. The course provides foundational knowledge necessary to understand current environmental challenges and fosters skills in systems thinking, data analysis, and scientific reasoning.
Recommended Textbook
Elemental Geosystems 6th Edition by Robert W. Christopherson
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16 Chapters
1791 Verified Questions
1791 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Foundations of Geography
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140 Verified Questions
140 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A gnomonic light source is located at the surface of a globe.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which of the following is correctly matched?
A) equilibrium - balance of inputs and outputs
B) steady state equilibrium - small fluctuations about an average condition
C) dynamic equilibrium - small fluctuations about an average condition that changes gradually over time
D) All of these are correctly matched.
Answer: D
Q3) Which type of map scale would be appropriate to use if the map were to be enlarged by Xeroxing?
A) written
B) graphic
C) representative fraction
Answer: B
Q4) ________ is an entity that assumes a physical shape and occupies space, whereas ________ is a capacity to do work.
Answer: Matter; energy
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Solar Energy, Seasons, and the Atmosphere
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169 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) All places on Earth receive the same period of day and night on March 21.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Earth and the Sun formed specifically from
A) the galaxy.
B) unknown origins.
C) a nebula of dust and gases.
D) other planets.
Answer: C
Q3) What three pollutants react in the presence of sunlight to produce ozone?
A) particulates, carbon monoxide, and water vapor
B) sulfur oxides, lead, and carbon monoxide
C) hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide
D) nitrogen dioxide, particulates, and water vapor
Answer: C
Q4) The Sun produces more gamma rays than Earth.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Atmospheric Energy and Global Temperatures
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130 Verified Questions
130 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The energy received in just 35 minutes at the surface of the U.S. exceeds the amount of energy derived from the burning of fossil fuels in a \(\underline { \text { year } }\).
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Mirrors are used to
A) shine light on photovoltaic cells.
B) generate steam.
C) shine light on passive solar collectors.
D) None of the above-mirrors are not used to harness solar energy.
Answer: B
Q3) If the temperature at the surface of Earth (at sea level) is 100 degrees F, what is the temperature at 2000 feet if the normal lapse rate is 3.5 degrees F/1000 feet?
A) 93 degrees F
B) 96.5 degrees F
C) 103.5 degrees F
D) 107 degrees F
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation
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105 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) ________ is used in a barometer because ________.
A) Water; it is liquid at normal air temperature
B) Water; it weighs more than mercury
C) Mercury; it will rise more than water will under the same air pressure
D) Mercury; it weighs more than water
Q2) Which of the following is a benefit of wind power as opposed to other, more traditional power sources?
A) It does not produce radioactive wastes.
B) It is renewable.
C) It does not produce air pollution and acid rain.
D) It does not require mining.
E) All of the above are benefits.
Q3) The dynamic secondary pressure areas located around 60 degrees north latitude are the subpolar low-pressure centers.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The horizontal motion of air across Earth's surface is called ________. Wind speed is measured with an ________ and wind direction with a ________. A descriptive scale useful in visually estimating winds is the traditional ________.
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Chapter 5: Atmospheric Water and Weather
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of hurricanes in the western Atlantic?
A) The peak months of occurrence are from August to October.
B) They are generally called cyclones or typhoons in this part of the world.
C) They are associated with the cool, southward-flowing Kuroshio current.
D) They occur in association with local monsoonal winds.
Q2) A line on a weather map that is marked with small triangular spikes designates a warm front.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Relative humidity is
A) the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the normal amount.
B) the amount of moisture in the air relative to your own sensible feelings.
C) the amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature expressed as a percentage of the moisture capacity of the air.
D) a basically unused concept when it comes to weather topics.
Q4) The interception of passing air masses by a mountain barrier is termed orographic uplift, and it produces moist windward slopes and drier leeward slopes.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Water Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Water drains more easily from a sandy soil than from a clay soil.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following types of water is accessible to plants?
A) hygroscopic
B) capillary
C) deficit water
D) transpired water
Q3) Which of the following is true?
A) Per capita water use in the United States has increased 33% from 1990 to 2000.
B) World water supplies per person have shrunk by 1/3 since 1970.
C) Canada is facing water shortages.
D) Desalination plants are found.
Q4) Gravitational water is associated with soil moisture deficits.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Hygroscopic water is readily accessible to plants.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Global Climate Systems
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104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is false regarding the tropical rain-forest ecosystem?
A) The soils are nutrient-poor.
B) Very little light reaches the forest floor.
C) Organic matter decomposes very rapidly.
D) Low-growing vegetation is dense on the forest floor.
Q2) If precipitation is more than 1/2 of the potential evapotranspiration, but not equal to it, the climate is
A) Tropical Savanna.
B) Desert.
C) Mediterranean.
D) Steppe.
Q3) Greenhouse gases act to ________ temperatures by ________ thermal infrared radiation.
A) increase; trapping
B) increase; reflecting C) decrease; blocking D) decrease; trapping
Q4) The U.S. produces more carbon dioxide than any other country in the world.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: The Dynamic Planet
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Sample Questions
Q1) The deepest places in the ocean are those in which rifting occurs.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements about Earth's core is false?
A) It is composed primarily of iron.
B) The inner core is believed to be liquid and the outer core solid.
C) Temperatures in the core reach several thousand degrees.
D) Temperatures and pressures are higher in the inner core than in the outer core.
Q3) Which of the following is matched correctly?
A) granite - metamorphic
B) basalt - sedimentary
C) magma - lava
D) sandstone - igneous
Q4) The transition zone from the outer core to the mantle is ________ and is known as the ________ discontinuity.
A) uneven; Gutenberg
B) uneven; Moho
C) smooth; Gutenberg
D) smooth; Moho
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Chapter 9: Earthquakes and Volcanoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) A brittle rock is likely to respond to stress by ________, whereas a ductile rock is likely to respond by ________.
A) stretching; breaking
B) breaking; bending
C) isostatically uplifting; bending
D) isostatically uplifting; breaking
Q2) The average elevation of Earth's total surface is
A) -3800 m (-12,470 ft).
B) -2070 m (-6790 ft).
C) 100 m (325 ft).
D) 875 m (2870 ft).
Q3) A topographic region that is characterized by local relief of less than 100 m (325 ft) is considered a
A) plain.
B) high tableland.
C) hill or low tableland.
D) depression.
Q4) The San Andreas fault is principally the result of compressional stress.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Weathering, Karst Landscapes, and Mass Movement
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is used to measure streamflow?
A) stilling well and staff gauge
B) barometer and sling psychrometer
C) statistical methods of probability
D) reservoirs
Q2) The engineers who built the Vaiont Reservoir in Italy should have anticipated the possibility of a ________ because the valley in which the dam was located had hillsides made of sedimentary rock that tilted downslope toward the reservoir.
A) translational slide
B) rotational slide
C) lahar
D) debris avalanche
Q3) A major drainage basin consists of a single watershed.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A floodplain consists of alluvium.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Chapter 11 River Systems and Landforms
Page 12
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Chapter 12: Wind Processes and Desert Landscapes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Much of desertification is due to human actions.
A)True
B)False
Q2) An exotic stream is
A) any river that flows from an arid region to one of adequate precipitation.
B) one involved in a particular historical event.
C) one whose entire course is in a desert region.
D) any river that arises in a humid region and then passes through to an arid region.
Q3) The term \(\underline {\text { eolian } }\) refers to
A) stream-related processes.
B) glacial processes in areas outside the polar regions.
C) erosion, transportation, and deposition by the wind.
D) weathering and mass movement in humid regions.
Q4) Weathering that occurs by water in the desert is associated primarily with A) groundwater.
B) field water capacity.
C) hygroscopic water.
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13
Chapter 13: The Oceans, Coastal Processes, and Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) A tombolo cuts off a portion of the ocean along a coast, forming a lagoon.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In deep water, a wave is not really migrating but is transferring energy through the water in simple cyclic undulations. These are called
A) waves of translation.
B) swells.
C) waves of transition.
D) tidal waves.
Q3) Generally speaking, "beaches" span the zone
A) between high and low spring tides.
B) from several feet above high tide to several feet below low tide.
C) between high and low neap tides.
D) from the high tide line during a spring tide to the low tide line during a neap tide.
Q4) Regular patterns of smooth, rounded waves are called A) breakers.
B) wave ripples.
C) wave trains.
D) swells.
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Chapter 14: Glacial and Penglacial Landscapes
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Sample Questions
Q1) A continuous mass of ice covering a large landmass is known as a A) tidal glacier.
B) mountain glacier.
C) continental glacier.
D) valley glacier.
Q2) Unfrozen ground in a region of discontinuous permafrost is known as A) nunatak.
B) talik.
C) cryotic zone.
D) patterned ground.
Q3) Horns and cirques are typical features of
A) a till plain deposited by continental glaciers.
B) a mountain range that was sculpted by alpine glaciers.
C) unsorted glacial deposits left by continental glaciers.
D) loess deposits that have been heavily sculpted by wind action.
Q4) The presence of meltwater at the bottom of a glacier can increase its rate of movement.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: The Geography of Soils
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101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of soil color?
A) Color does not reflect composition or chemical makeup.
B) Dark soils always indicate high organic content.
C) For consistency of description, a soil color chart is employed by soil scientists.
D) Soil color is restricted to the top horizon of the soil pedon.
Q2) The basic soil unit used in preparing soils maps, i.e., in identifying a series of soils in an area, is the
A) polypedon.
B) profile.
C) A horizon.
D) pedon.
Q3) Which pedogenic regime tends to occur in cool, coniferous forests, and results in acidification of the soil?
A) laterization
B) salinization
C) podzolation
D) calcification
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Chapter 16: Ecosystems and Biomes
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171 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Given the way in which humans are altering the environment, destroying species, using resources, and generating wastes, our relationship with planet Earth is akin to that of a ________ relationship.
A) symbiotic
B) mutualistic
C) parasitic
Q2) Loss of phytoplankton in the ocean would constitute a/n ________ effect on the marine ecosystem because ________.
A) insignificant; krill are located high on the food chain
B) insignificant; krill are located low on the food chain
C) significant; krill are located high on the food chain
D) significant; krill are located low on the food chain
Q3) Lush forests of middle and high latitudes occurring along narrow margins of the Pacific Northwest, southern China, and limited areas of southern Japan fall within the biome named
A) Mediterranean shrubland.
B) northern needleleaf forest and montane forest.
C) temperate rain forest.
D) midlatitude broadleaf and mixed forest.
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Page 17
Chapter 17: Earth and the Human Denominator
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most populous country on Earth is
A) Brazil.
B) China.
C) India.
D) Indonesia.
Q2) Most population growth is in less-developed countries.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Oil spills can cause mutations in organisms exposed to the oil.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The developed world has comparatively little impact on the planet's resources and environment.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Approximately ________ percent of the planet's population is under age 15.
A) 18
B) 24
C) 28
D) 40
Page 18
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