Geoscience and Society Exam
Solutions
Course Introduction
Geoscience and Society explores the dynamic interactions between the Earths physical systems and human societies. This course examines how geological processes and resources influence the development of civilizations, the challenges posed by natural hazards, and the environmental impacts of human activities. Students will analyze topics such as resource management, climate change, sustainable development, and the ethical responsibilities of geoscientists. Through case studies and real-world examples, the course emphasizes the crucial role of geoscience in addressing contemporary societal issues and developing solutions for a sustainable future.
Recommended Textbook
Environmental Geology 10th Edition by Carla W Montgomery
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1006 Verified Questions
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Planet and Population: An Overview
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Sample Questions
Q1) The seriousness of many environmental problems is a direct result of the large number of humans interacting with the environment.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The least dense minerals are found in earth's core.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Lack of habitable land on earth is a problem that could readily be alleviated by colonization of nearby planets or of the earth's moon.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) When a population is growing exponentially,it is increasing by a fixed percentage per unit time.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Rocks and Minerals-A First Look
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Sample Questions
Q1) Diamond and graphite have the same chemical composition.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Expansive clays
A) Expand when wet, shrink when dried out.
B) Make a good building foundation because they mold to the structure.
C) Are economically useful sulfide minerals.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Answer: A
Q3) The process by which sediments are converted to sedimentary rocks is called
A) Diagenesis.
B) Metamorphosis.
C) Crystallization.
D) Lithification.
Answer: D
Q4) Obsidian (volcanic glass)is an example of a clastic rock.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Plate Tectonics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Plate boundaries were originally located by a French graduate student who plotted the location of all earthquakes and volcanic eruptions world-wide on a map.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) According to plate-tectonic theory,plates of rigid,elastic __________ move over a weak plastic layer below.
A) Lithosphere
B) Asthenosphere
C) Mantle
D) Core
Answer: A
Q3) The San Andreas fault is a good example of a
A) Convergent plate boundary.
B) Divergent plate boundary.
C) Transform plate boundary.
D) Hotspot.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Earthquakes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compressional seismic body waves are
A) P waves.
B) S waves.
C) Surface waves.
D) Intensity waves.
Q2) P waves can travel through solids only; S waves can travel through both liquids and solids.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Scale modeling is a useful tool in designing earthquake-resistant buildings,but its usefulness is limited by the lack of records of actual ground motion during large earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Aftershocks,generally,never result in any major destruction.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Unusual animal behavior precedes some,but not all,earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Volcanoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Pacific Ring of Fire is
A) A nearly circular region of fissure eruptions in the Pacific Ocean basin.
B) Volcanic activity related to subduction zones and spreading zones rimming the Pacific Ocean basin.
C) A region of nearly continuous eruption of nueé ardentes in the Pacific Ocean basin.
D) The region defined by the Hawaiian Islands and the adjacent underwater volcanoes known as seamounts.
E) A doughnut-shaped eruption characteristic of Pacific Islands, which, when dormant is called an atoll.
Q2) The passage of magma up through the lithosphere may be traced by the shallowearthquake focal depths over time.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The largest and most violent Cascade volcano eruption was that of Mt.St.Helens in 1980.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Streams and Flooding
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Sample Questions
Q1) Streams draw their water from a region known as the A) Drainage divide.
B) Drainage lake.
C) Drainage aquifer.
D) Drainage basin.
Q2) A region has just had a 100-year flood.That means that
A) A flood event of that size has a 1 percent probability of occurrence in the next year.
B) Another equally large flood will occur in one hundred years.
C) Another flood of that size cannot happen in the same year.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Q3) Infiltration of water below an artificial reservoir can induce earthquakes.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Once formed,meanders enlarge downward only,cutting deeper and deeper over time.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Unlike streams,lakes do not flood because runoff does not drain into lakes.
A)True
B)False
8
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Chapter 7: Coastal Zones and Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ocean waves breaking on a beach are formed by this A) Earthquakes.
B) Wind.
C) Tides.
D) Passing ships.
Q2) When waves approach a beach at an oblique angle,resulting in a lateral movement of water along the shoreline a ___________ may develop.
A) Delta
B) Groin
C) Sand dune
D) Long shore current
Q3) During a storm,
A) Overall water level falls due to the low air pressure associated with storms.
B) Wave height increases because of strong winds.
C) Dunes are typically built up by deposition of extra sediment.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Q4) A storm surge results from the high air pressure associated with major storms.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Mass Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is the fastest form of mass movement?
A) Soil creep
B) Debris flow
C) Earth flow
D) Rockfall
Q2) Construction of a reservoir behind a dam
A) Stabilizes the sides of the reservoir walls; the water buoys them up.
B) Can destabilize the slopes by increasing pore fluid pressure.
C) Destabilizes the slopes because of the weight of the dam.
D) Has no effect on slope stability.
Q3) Sites of past rock falls or slides are sometimes obvious because they remain unagitated.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following is not a type of flow?
A) Slump
B) Nuée ardente
C) Debris avalanche
D) Snow avalanche
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Chapter 9: Ice and Glaciers,wind and Deserts
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Sample Questions
Q1) The presence of polar ice caps reflects unusually heavy precipitation from the cold air at the poles.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Glaciers represent the largest single reserve of -freshwater in the world.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Loess derived from glacial rock flour is rich in soluble plant nutrients.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Calving is a process which results in the formation of icebergs.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Removal of sediment on a large scale is a process best describes as A) Ventifacts.
B) Inflation.
C) Deflation.
D) Dune formation.
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Chapter 10: Climate-Past, present, and Future
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Sample Questions
Q1) Signs of global warming are more evident in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Indicators of past global air or water temperatures include all of the following except
A) Calcium carbonate content of sediments.
B) Volcanic ash deposits in glacial ice.
C) Isotopic composition of glacial ice.
D) Oxygen-isotope composition of marine microorganisms' shells.
Q3) When glaciers retreat,
A) Water storage in pore spaces in the ice decreases.
B) All glaciers worldwide retreat.
C) The glaciers flow slowly back toward their sources.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Q4) Concerns about greenhouse-effect heating relate not only to possible changes in temperature,but also to possible changes in precipitation patterns.
A)True
B)False
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12
Chapter 11: Ground Water and Water Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Karst topography develops in dry climates with very little surface or subsurface water.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following would probably have the highest porosity?
A) Sandstone
B) Rock salt
C) Unfractured granite
D) Unfractured gneiss
Q3) If the water were unconfined,the height to which the water's pressure would raise the surface is called as the _______ surface.
A) Potentiometric
B) Artesian
C) Hydraulic
D) Permeable
Q4) An aquitard is a rock that is low in permeability,so water does not readily pass through it.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Weathering, erosion, and Soil Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Abundant water promotes chemical weathering because most of the relevant reactions involve water.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following factor is a contributor to soil erosion?
A) Burrowing animals
B) Rain
C) Wind
D) All the choices are correct.
Q3) The typical soil of a tropical rain forest also is excellent for farming because it supports such lush plant growth.
A)True
B)False
Q4) One of the key components of chemical weathering is the presence of A) Water.
B) Neutrality.
C) Alkalinity.
D) Acidity.
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Chapter 13: Mineral and Rock Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Conflict diamonds.
A) Are those mined in countries as a principal source of revenue for weapons for use by rebels in opposition to sitting governments
B) Are those that display two different colors depending on the direction in which they are viewed
C) Are those that represent the primary assets of a country that are surrendered to the victor in a war between nations
D) Are those that have a substantially reduced hardness in one crystal direction in comparison to other crystal directions
Q2) The consumption of resources in the United States matchest their production.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The United States imports some minerals of which it has ample supplies and production exceeding current demands.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Energy Resources-Fossil Fuels
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Sample Questions
Q1) The two principal sources of artificial oil spills are tanker accidents and A) Refinery accidents.
B) Spills from onshore drilling activity.
C) Spills from offshore drilling activity.
D) Spills from pipelines on land.
Q2) The original source of energy contained in fossil fuels is
A) Solar energy.
B) Nuclear energy.
C) Geothermal energy.
D) Seismic energy.
Q3) At present,most of the energy used in the United States is supplied by A) Hydroelectric plants.
B) Fossil fuels.
C) Geothermal plants.
D) Nuclear power plants.
Q4) Deep,hot pore waters containing geopressurized natural gas may themselves be a source of heat energy.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Energy Resources-Alternative Sources
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Sample Questions
Q1) A "wind farm" with generating capacity comparable to that of a conventional electric power plant would cover a large area,but the land could be used simultaneously for other purposes,such as agricultural activities.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A Chernobyl-style reactor accident is unlikely with commercial U.S.reactors,because of differences in reactor design and containment structures.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Use of reservoirs for hydropower generation may,in some measure,conflict with use of the same reservoirs for flood control.
A)True
B)False
Q4) If the nuclear-power option were pursued vigorously with current commercial reactor technology,all U.S.electricity needs could be supplied by nuclear power by the year 2010.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Waste Disposal
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Sample Questions
Q1) The time it takes for half the atoms of the isotope to decay is called as the half-life period.
A)True B)False
Q2) Once water has been contaminated with sewage,it is impossible to restore it to drinking-water quality.
A)True B)False
Q3) All of the following are true statements about the Yucca Mountain Waste Disposal Site except
A) It has been designed for long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste.
B) It is located in a low-permeability, high thermal resistant rock.
C) It is more than 100 miles from a major metropolitan center.
D) It is 200 to 400 meters above the water table and is in a region with an arid climate, so that groundwater pollution potential is minimal.
Q4) The classification of radioactive wastes as high-level or low-level is very accurate.
A)True B)False
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18
Chapter 17: Water Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Pump and treat technique is used for reversing the damage for A) Streams.
B) Lakes.
C) Groundwater.
D) Estuaries.
Q2) After the dangers of DDT were recognized,use of toxic organic chemicals in agriculture was virtually eliminated in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The dose-response curve for arsenic
A) Shows no benefit to low concentrations and great harm from high concentrations.
B) Shows that arsenic is beneficial to humans when consumed in low quantities, but toxic at high quantities.
C) Was a major factor in setting the new, lower drinking-water standard for dissolved arsenic of 10 ppb in public water supplies.
D) Shows that microorganisms can be very helpful in decontaminating a site with high arsenic levels.
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Chapter 18: Air Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Acid rain effects include all of the following except
A) Corrosion of building stone and marble statues and headstones.
B) A reduction in the rate of chemical weathering observed in igneous rocks.
C) Defoliation of plants or reduction in viability of plants because of their lowered ability to extract necessary nutrients from soils.
D) Fish kills or decimation of any aquatic organism's population because of inhibition of egg hatching in acidic waters.
Q2) The Pollutant Standards Index is designed to provide a measure of air quality that is directly related to human health effects.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Any rainwater that has a pH less than this is contaminated.
A) 7 (neutral)
B) 6
C) 5.6
D) 5
Q4) Thermal inversion is independent of topographic or geographic locations.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 19: Environmental Law and Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Doctrine of Prior Appropriation
A) Is most commonly applied where there is abundant surface water to appropriate.
B) Establishes a hierarchy of water rights among users based on the date of first water use by each.
C) Includes a provision that, in times of water shortage, all users are equally entitled to use water as needed.
D) All of the choices are correct.
Q2) Which of the following is not part of the U.N.Framework Convention on Climate Change?
A) All parties to the convention are to report their releases of greenhouse gases.
B) Nations should strive both to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and to conserve "sinks" such as tropical rainforests.
C) More-developed nations are expected to assist less-developed nations in efforts to control greenhouse-gas releases.
D) The U.N. can fine nations whose greenhouse-gas emissions exceed stipulated levels.
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Chapter 20: Land-Use Planning and Engineering Geology
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the United States,the federal government owns some percentage of land in almost every state and territory.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Maps of geologic or other land characteristics provide a quick means of assessing suitability of broad areas for specific land uses.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans because
A) The designers wanted it that way.
B) The structure itself was poorly built.
C) The tower was built on unstable clay-rich soils.
D) Modern construction nearby has disturbed the foundation.
Q4) GIS is an acronym for this
A) Global Information System.
B) Geographic Information System.
C) Geologic Information System.
D) Graphical Interface System.
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