Exploring the Earth Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
Exploring the Earth provides an introduction to the dynamic systems that shape our planet, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. This course examines Earth's structure, the processes behind phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, weather patterns, and ocean currents, and how these systems interact over time. Students will gain foundational knowledge in earth sciences through lectures, hands-on investigations, and the analysis of real-world case studies, fostering a deeper understanding of the Earth's past, present, and future, as well as the environmental challenges facing our world today.
Recommended Textbook
Physical Geology Earth Revealed 9th Edition by Diane Carlson
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Chapter
Tectonics,and Other Important Concepts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Earth's lithosphere is made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and crust.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Plate tectonics regards the lithosphere as divided into segments (plates)that are in horizontal motion.
A)True
B)False Answer: True
Q3) The Earth can be considered as interrelated systems or spheres.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Which of the following lifeforms appeared first in the geologic record?
A)dinosaurs
B)mammals
C)plants
D)fishes
E)reptiles
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: Earths Interior and Geophysical Properties
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Sample Questions
Q1) A gravity meter registers _____ over ore bodies.
A)zero gravity readings
B)constant gravity
C)decreased gravity
D)increased gravity
E)You can't explore for metallic deposits with a gravity meter.
Answer: D
Q2) As lava cools below the _____ point,a record of the Earth's magnetic field is permanently trapped in the rock.
A)freezing
B)burning
C)boiling
D)melting
E)Curie
Answer: E
Q3) The average heat flow of the continents is the same as the average heat flow of the sea floor.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: The Sea Floor
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most seamounts are active volcanoes.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q2) The deepest places on Earth,more than 11 km below sea level,are the abyssal plains.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q3) A ______ is a bottom flowing current that flows parallel to the slopes of the continental margins.
A)density flow
B)surface current
C)turbidity current
D)contour current
E)coriolis current
Answer: D
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Plate Tectonics
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Sample Questions
Q1) _______ proposed an explanation for magnetic anomalies.
A)Charles Plummer
B)Harry Hess
C)Alfred Wegener
D)Vine and Matthews
E)Diane Carlson
Q2) Alternating positive and negative polarity magnetic anomalies in the crust form a stripe-like pattern parallel to _____.
A)lines of longitude
B)the equator
C)continental margins
D)aseismic ridges
E)mid-oceanic ridges
Q3) The head of large plumes that form "hot spots" may cause uplift and ____.
A)andesitic volcanoes
B)transform faults
C)vast fields of flood basalt
D)spreading centers
E)subduction zones
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Mountain Belts and the Continental Crust
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Sample Questions
Q1) The present ________ represent rejuvenation following uplift in Late Tertiary time.
A)Appalachian Mountains
B)Alps
C)Himalayan Mountains
D)Ural Mountains
E)Sierra Nevada Mountains
Q2) _____ are chains thousands of kilometers long composed of numerous mountain ranges.
A)Mid-oceanic ridge
B)Volcanic arcs
C)Back arcs
D)Valley and Ridge Province
E)Mountain belts
Q3) The sedimentary sequences that form on passive margins are predominantly ____.
A)shale
B)limestone
C)sandstones
D)andesitic flows
E)shale,limestone,and sandstones
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Geologic Structures
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Sample Questions
Q1) If a bed strikes north it must ________.
A)dip south
B)dip either east or west
C)be horizontal
D)have a strike of 90 degrees
E)have a strike of 270 degrees
Q2) Normal and reverse faults are the most common types of _____.
A)dip-slip faults
B)strike-slip faults
C)tensional faults
D)compressional faults
E)grabens
Q3) The San Andreas Fault system can be described as _________.
A)normal dip-slip
B)reverse oblique-slip
C)left lateral strike-slip
D)right lateral strike-slip
E)thrust dip-slip
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8
Chapter 7: Earthquakes
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Sample Questions
Q1) A seismogram is a recording device that produces a permanent record of earth motion.
A)True
B)False
Q2) An earthquake of Richter magnitude 5 releases 32 times more energy than an earthquake of magnitude 4.
A)True
B)False
Q3) _____ can occur when water-saturated soil turns from a solid to a liquid as a result of an earthquake.
A)Creep
B)Liquefaction
C)Solifluction
D)Soil collapse
E)Gelatinization
Q4) As a dense oceanic plate begins to bend down into a trench,it stresses slightly at the top of the bend and normal faults occur.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Time and Geology
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Sample Questions
Q1) The proportional amount of atoms that decay with time _____ by the high pressures and temperature of Earth's interior.
A)can be slightly accelerated
B)can be slightly decelerated
C)can be greatly accelerated
D)can be greatly decelerated
E)is not changed at all
Q2) _____ are subdivisions of eras.
A)Ages
B)Intervals
C)Periods
D)Formations
E)Eons
Q3) When the ____ came to a close,dinosaurs became extinct.
A)Holocene Epoch
B)Cenozoic Era
C)Mesozoic Era
D)Precambrian
E)Paleozoic Era
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Atoms,Elements and Minerals
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Sample Questions
Q1) The mineral ___ is an example of a native element.
A)quartz
B)feldspar
C)calcite
D)graphite
E)halite
Q2) _______ are the smallest electrically neutral assemblies of matter and energy that we know of in the universe.
A)Isotopes
B)Atoms
C)Ions
D)Electrons
E)Protons
Q3) The _____ group of minerals are sheet silicates.
A)amphibole
B)feldspar
C)olivine
D)pyroxene
E)mica
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Volcanism and Extrusive Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) ________ is a rock composed of fine-grained pyroclastic particles.
A)Tuff
B)Pumice
C)Scoria
D)Rhyolite
E)Obsidian
Q2) Volcanic domes are steep-sided domes or spine-shaped masses of volcanic rock formed from viscous lava that solidifies in or immediately above a volcano's vent.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Basalt is a variety of gabbro.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Pahoehoe lava flow is characterized by a ropy or billowy surface.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Most of the gas released by volcanic eruptions is sulfur dioxide.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Igneous Rocks, Intrusive Activity, and the Origin of Igneous Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) ___ are igneous rocks that are silica-deficient but high in iron and magnesium.
A)Felsic
B)Intermediate
C)Oxide
D)Mafic
E)Sulfate
Q2) ______ igneous rocks,like gabbro and basalt,are silica-deficient with high magnesium and iron.
A)Felsic/silicic
B)Intermediate
C)Mafic
D)Intrusive
E)Extrusive
Q3) Lava is magma on the Earth's surface.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Diorite and andesite are composed of similar amounts of feldspars and ferromagnesian minerals.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Weathering and Soil
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ____ describes the process in which this dominant greenhouse gas circulates among Earth systems.
A)calcium cycle
B)sodium cycle
C)potassium cycle
D)helium cycle
E)carbon cycle
Q2) _____ is the mineral least susceptible to chemical attack on the Earth's surface.
A)Olivine
B)Calcite
C)Halite
D)Quartz
E)Feldspar
Q3) Which of the following landforms are created from unloading?
A)volcanoes
B)pressure release domes
C)sink holes
D)exfoliation domes
E)regolith
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Mass Wasting
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Sample Questions
Q1) Mudflows are ___ likely to occur in areas not protected by vegetation.
A)more
B)less
C)just as
D)Mudflow occurrence is not related to average rainfall or vegetative cover.
Q2) Landslides that take place underwater are called waterslides.
A)True
B)False
Q3) If movement becomes very rapid,a rockslide may break up and become __.
A)a debris flow
B)a rock avalanche
C)a rock fall
D)a soil slip
E)a mudflow
Q4) ______ is ground that remains frozen for many years.
A)Soil
B)Permafrost
C)Laterite
D)Caliche
E)Moraine
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) A(n)______ is sandstone in which more than 15% of the rock's volume consists of fine-grained matrix.
A)quartz sandstone
B)quartzite
C)graywacke
D)oolitic limestone
E)arkose
Q2) ______ are sedimentary rocks deposited by direct precipitation of minerals from water.
A)Hydro rocks
B)Clastic rocks
C)Chemical rocks
D)Aquatic rocks
E)Biologic rocks
Q3) Continental environments include all of the following except __.
A)lake beds
B)river beds
C)glacial deposits
D)coral reefs
E)alluvial fans
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Chapter 15: Metamorphism, Metamorphic Rocks, and Hydrothermal Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) ___ tends to deform objects into oblong or flattened forms.
A)Differential stress
B)Strain
C)Temperature
D)Pressure
E)Magnetism
Q2) ___ is a metamorphic rock with distinct light and dark layers that formed at high temperatures and pressures.
A)Slate
B)Phyllite
C)Schist
D)Gneiss
E)Greenstone
Q3) The zone of contact metamorphism (the aureole),____.
A)extends throughout the surrounding region because rock is such a good conductor of heat
B)is commonly broad,as much as several kilometers wide
C)is commonly rather narrow,from 1 to 100 meters wide
D)is a thin zone,less than 1 meter wide
E)is a very thin zone,no more than a few centimeters in width
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Streams and Floods
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Sample Questions
Q1) A ridge or strip of ground separating one drainage basin from another is termed a
A)delta
B)neck
C)crest
D)plateau
E)divide
Q2) A river's velocity is faster ____.
A)along the inside of a meander loop near the point bar
B)along the center line of the stream channel,exactly halfway between point bar and cut bank
C)along the outside of a meander loop near the cut bank
D)at the water's surface,in contact with the atmosphere
E)along the channel bed at the very deepest part of the channel
Q3) A cutoff meander may become a crescent-shaped __.
A)kettle lake
B)moraine lake
C)levee lake
D)oxbow lake
E)Yazoo lake
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Chapter 17: Ground Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) An area with many sinkholes and caves is said to have ___ topography.
A)karst
B)decalcified
C)a subsidence-dominated
D)a wadi
E)cratered
Q2) Local lowering of the water table,called ____,tends to change the direction of groundwater flow by changing the slope of the water table.
A)drawdown
B)depressing
C)porosity
D)artesian
E)invasion
Q3) Given all other conditions are the same,ground water flows faster if __.
A)it is flowing through finer-grained materials
B)it is flowing in response to a greater hydraulic gradient
C)it is flowing through deeply buried material
D)it is colder
E)it is saturated with dissolved solids
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Page 19
Chapter 18: Deserts and Wind Action
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Sample Questions
Q1) Dunes are not just desert features,they are commonly found near ____.
A)glaciers
B)beaches
C)rivers
D)folds
E)exposed rock
Q2) In passing over a dune,wind scours sand from the downwind or slip face.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The angle of repose of sand-sized particles falling from the air is _____ degrees.
A)14
B)24
C)34
D)44
E)90
Q4) A playa lake is a deep long-lasting desert lake.
A)True
B)False
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Page 20
Chapter 19: Glaciers and Glaciation
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Q1) The upper part of a glacier,the part with perennial snow and ice,is called the __.
A)zone of accumulation
B)zone of wastage
C)zone of ablation
D)recharge zone
E)discharge zone
Q2) Glaciers can be considered as _______ of fresh water for future use.
A)climate characteristics
B)erosional basins
C)indicators of climate change
D)deposits
E)artesian aquifers
Q3) The _____ is the end of a glacier.
A)ablation limit
B)snow line
C)terminus
D)zone of ending
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21
Chapter 20: Waves,Beaches and Coasts
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Q1) ______ are narrow currents that flow straight out to sea in the surf zone.
A)Swash currents
B)Tidal currents
C)Body currents
D)Rip currents
E)Longshore currents
Q2) The net effect of wave ____ is to move sand in a series of arcs along the beach face.
A)backswash
B)rip currents
C)oscillation
D)refraction
E)run up and return
Q3) A _____ is a ridge of sediment that cuts a bay off from the ocean.
A)spit
B)tombolo
C)barrier island
D)berm
E)beach
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Page 22
Chapter 21: Geologic Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) An oil field is a region underlain by one oil pool.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A ____ is the term used to describe the total amount of any given geologic material of potential economic interest,whether discovered or not.
A)ore deposit
B)resource
C)aggregate
D)reserve
E)reservoir
Q3) The United States has established a permanent nuclear waste repository ______.
A)at spreading ridges on the Atlantic seafloor
B)on the abyssal plains near offshore California
C)on the moon
D)at Yucca Mountain,Nevada
E)in salt mines in Ohio
Q4) Over 60% of the world's oil comes from exploitation of oil fields in the Middle East.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 22: The Earths Companions
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Sample Questions
Q1) When 17<sup>th</sup> century astronomer _______ first viewed Jupiter with his telescope he saw four satellites orbiting the planet.
A)Kant
B)Laplace
C)Oort
D)Galileo
E)Kuiper
Q2) ____ are small,planetlike bodies.
A)Planetesimals
B)Moons
C)Asteroids
D)Comets
E)Meteors
Q3) This star provides the energy that drives Earth's external heat engine.
A)Orion
B)North Star
C)Sun
D)Milky Way
E)Big Dipper
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Page 24