Geoscience Fundamentals Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
Geoscience Fundamentals introduces students to the core principles and concepts that underpin the study of the Earth. The course covers the origin, structure, and composition of the Earth, major geological processes such as plate tectonics, volcanism, and earthquakes, and the basics of mineralogy and petrology. Students also explore surface processes like weathering, erosion, and sedimentation, as well as important tools and techniques used in geoscientific research, such as mapping and field observations. Through laboratory exercises and case studies, learners gain hands-on experience and develop an understanding of how geoscience contributes to solving environmental and resource-related challenges.
Recommended Textbook
GEOL 2nd Edition by Reed Wicander
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Chapter 1: Understanding Earth: A Dynamic and Evolving Planet
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Sample Questions
Q1) Briefly explain how the themes of plate tectonics,organic evolution,and geologic time provide a cohesive story of the history of Earth.
Answer: Earth has evolved internally and externally.As internal processes were established,they played a role in what was happening on the surface of Earth as the atmosphere,hydrosphere,and landmasses developed.Organic evolution was directly dependent on development of favorable conditions for different life forms.The net result of the physical,chemical,and biological evolution of Earth has been profound,particularly,in light of the amount of time necessary for those changes to take place (synthesis).
Q2) Earth's core is probably:
A)composed of rock with high silica content.
B)hollow.
C)molten throughout.
D)composed of potassium and aluminum rich silicates.
E)composed mostly of iron and nickel.
Answer: E
Q3) What are the characteristics of the Jovian planets?
Answer: The Jovian planets-Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune-are all large,gaseous bodies with rings and heavy atmospheres.
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory
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Q1) Who was the first person to suggest that all of the continents had been once joined together as a supercontinent called Pangaea and when was that idea proposed?
Answer: The German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed the existence of Pangaea in 1915.
Q2) What type of motion is found at a transform plate boundary? What physical feature marks the boundary between the two plates?
Answer: At a transform plate boundary two plates slide laterally past each other.A transform plate boundary is the site of a transform fault.
Q3) Most of the petroleum found in the Persian Gulf area formed at a ____________________ continental margin where the remains of ____________________ were buried and converted to petroleum.
Answer: passive,microorganims
Q4) List two ways that glacial deposits give strong evidence of the existence of Gondwana.
Answer: Without Gondwana,the glaciers would have been at a much lower latitude than glaciers are found today,and the glacial striations indicated that the ice flowed from a central location rather than from a separate glacier on each continent.
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Chapter 3: Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) For a neutrally-charged atom to become a positively-charged atom of the same element,it must:
A)lose a proton.
B)lose an electron.
C)gain a proton.
D)gain an electron.
E)none of the above
Answer: B
Q2) Isotopes of the same element have:
A)different numbers of protons but the same number of neutrons.
B)the same number of electrons and different numbers of neutrons.
C)different numbers of neutrons but the same number of protons.
D)different numbers of electrons but the same number of neutrons.
E)none of the above
Answer: C
Q3) How many minerals have been identified and described?
Answer: More than 3,500.
Q4) The atomic mass of an atom is defined as the sum of the number of its ____________________ plus ____________________.
Answer: protons,neutrons
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Chapter 4: Igneous Rocks and Intrusive Igneous Activity
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Sample Questions
Q1) Igneous rocks with a two-stage intrusive-extrusive origin are recognized by a texture that is:
A)aphanitic.
B)porphyritic.
C)glassy.
D)phaneritic.
E)pyroclastic.
Q2) The process of assimilation includes the incorporation of felsic country rock. A)True
B)False
Q3) In igneous rocks with porphyritic texture,the larger minerals are phenocrysts,and the smaller minerals collectively make up the groundmass.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Batholiths and stocks can be important sources of minerals,such as ____________________ and ____________________.
Q5) What does a phaneritic texture tell us about the history of an igneous rock?
Q6) Why does Bowen's reaction series predict that mafic intrusive rocks should be much more common than felsic intrusive rocks?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Volcanoes and Volcanism
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Q1) Composite volcanoes are also known as ____________________ and are composed of both ____________________ flows and ____________________ material.
Q2) Lava domes form from:
A)mafic magma.
B)intermediate magma.
C)viscous magma.
D)pyroclastic materials.
E)basalt.
Q3) The three main types of volcanoes are:
A)cinder cones,clastic cones,and stratocones.
B)cinder cones,composite volcanoes,and shield volcanoes.
C)shield volcanoes,composite volcanoes,and Hawaiian-style volcanoes.
D)clastic cones,stratocones,and Hawaiian-style volcanoes.
E)none of the above
Q4) Would you rather be chased by a pahoehoe flow or an aa flow? Explain.
Q5) Why is Crater Lake in Oregon considered to be misnamed?
Q6) Which magma type usually erupts from fissures?
Q7) Why are some places (e.g. ,northern California)more likely to experience volcanic eruptions than others (e.g. ,New York)?
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Chapter 6: Weathering, Soil, and Sedimentary Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is soil made of?
Q2) How does weathering differ from erosion?
Q3) A rock may be subjected to either mechanical or chemical weathering,but never both at the same time.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Humus:
A)is the material always comprising the topmost soil horizon.
B)is dark,organic-rich material formed by bacterial decay.
C)is leaf-litter.
D)must include sediments.
E)none of the above
Q5) How are oil and gas trapped in rock strata? What are these traps called?
Q6) Erosion is the:
A)movement of weathered material from its source site.
B)decomposition of rock.
C)disintegration of rock.
D)weathering of rock and transportation of sediment.
E)disintegration of soil.
Q7) What are soil horizons? What are the designations of the soil horizons?
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Chapter 7: Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the difference between slate and phyllite?
Q2) Only magmatic fluids,not pore fluids of the country rock,have an effect on contact metamorphism.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Metamorphism is most common along ____________________ plate boundaries.
Q4) What is an aureole?
Q5) Metamorphic rocks indicate that an even older parent rock once existed in that place.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are metamorphic zones based on? How are rocks within the same metamorphic zone similar to each other?
Q7) Describe the occurrence of metamorphism along an oceanic-continental convergent plate boundary
Q8) Metamorphic rocks are the oldest known rocks.
A)True B)False
Q9) What is lithostatic pressure?
Page 9
Q10) What is a metamorphic zone?
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Page 10
Chapter 8: Earthquakes and Earths Interior
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Q1) The temperature range at the base of the crust is:
A)100 to 250°C.
B)250 to 550°C.
C)500 to 800°C.
D)800 to 1,200°C.
E)1,000 to 1500°.
Q2) The name of the point on Earth's surface vertically above the hypocenter is the ____________________.
Q3) The structural layer that the P- and S-wave low-velocity zone in the upper part of the mantle closely corresponds to is the ____________________.
Q4) The composition of the mantle is:
A)peridotite.
B)basalt.
C)granite.
D)iron.
E)iron and nickel metal.
Q5) Explain how geologists calculate the distance between the epicenter of an earthquake and a given seismograph.
Q6) What causes tsunamis,and why are they so destructive?
Page 11
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Chapter 9: Deformation, Mountain Building, and the Continents
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Q1) Force applied to a given area is known as ____________________.
Q2) What is deformation,and what causes it?
Q3) What is the distinction between the hanging wall block and the footwall block of a fault?
Q4) A cliff formed as a consequence of vertical movement along a fault is a fault scarp.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The principle that Earth's crust is in floating equilibrium with the denser mantle below is known as ____________________.
Q6) What happens if a rock is strained beyond its elastic limit?
Q7) The Andes formed as result of oceanic-continental convergence. A)True
B)False
Q8) A fault with both dip-slip and strike-slip movement is classified as a thrust fault.
A)True
B)False
Q9) What does compression stress result from?
Q10) Each half of a fold is known as a(n)____________________. Page 12
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Chapter 10: Mass Wasting
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Q1) In the ____________________ method of protecting slopes,steps are cut into a hillside to reduce the overall average slope and catch small landslides or rockfalls.
Q2) Most large mass movements can be prevented given sufficient study and planning.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Mass wasting is more likely to occur in:
A)deeply weathered material.
B)thin layers of loose material.
C)bedrock.
D)well sorted material.
E)material of large grain size.
Q4) Compare and contrast rapid mass movements and slow mass movements.
Q5) What is permafrost,and what problems are associated with construction in a permafrost environment?
Q6) Compare and contrast mudflows,debris flows,and earthflows.
Q7) How can slow mass movements be detected?
Q8) A general term for mass movements of earth is ____________________.
Q9) What human activities contribute to or cause mass wasting?
Q10) What climatic conditions are most conducive to solifluction?
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Chapter 11: Running Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) Since levees can protect many areas during floods,why are they controversial?
Q2) What happens when a stream overflows its banks?
Q3) What are some of the techniques used to try to control floods?
Q4) Describe the hydrologic cycle.
Q5) Why does the velocity of a stream generally increase downstream even though the gradient decreases?
Q6) The percentage of atmospheric water that comes directly from the ocean is:
A)95%.
B)85%.
C)65%.
D)35%.
E)15%.
Q7) Describe where flow velocity is highest in a semi-straight channel.Why is this the case?
Q8) Briefly explain the trade-offs that accompany any flood control project.
Q9) How often will a flood of a 20-year magnitude occur?
Q10) If a superposed stream erodes downward into resistant rock and cuts narrow canyons,the resulting feature is called a(n)____________________.
Q11) The ideal graded stream has a balance among what five factors? Page 15
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Page 16
Chapter 12: Groundwater
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Q1) Contrast porosity and permeability.
Q2) A permeable layer that transports water is called a(n)____________________.
Q3) Describe dripstone and how it forms.
Q4) An impermeable layer that prevents the passage of groundwater is a(n)____________________.
Q5) How do stalactites,stalagmites,columns,drip curtains,and travertine terraces form?
Q6) Rounded depressions common in regions having limestone bedrock are known as ____________________.
Q7) A stream that just disappears has flowed into a(n)____________________.
Q8) What happens to the water table in an aquifer if the amount of groundwater discharged naturally or withdrawn at wells is greater than the amount added from natural or artificial sources?
Q9) What are the major problems that exist with,or are related to,groundwater supply?
Q10) Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean? Is it likely to lean so much it will someday fall over?
Q11) How can limestone be dissolved by groundwater when it is almost insoluble in pure water? How does this happen?
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Chapter 13: Glaciers and Glaciation
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Q1) The Matterhorn in Switzerland is a glacial ____________________ landform known as a(n)____________________.
Q2) Under what conditions will the firn limit remain the same from year to year? Under what conditions will it change? What happens if the firn limit moves upward year after year?
Q3) Glaciers move primarily by ____________________ flow.
Q4) What is the budget of a glacier,and when is the budget considered balanced?
Q5) Describe the main way that glaciers move.In which situations is this essentially the only type of flow a glacier will undergo?
Q6) The fact that the Earth's orbit around the sun changes over time is called ____________________.
Q7) Elongated,spoon-shaped hills that have been shaped by an overriding glacier are called ____________________.
Q8) A strong correlation has been established between periods of intense volcanism and short-term glacial cooling.
A)True
B)False
Q9) Briefly explain the origin of drumlins.
Page 18
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Chapter 14: The Work of Wind and Deserts
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Q1) Why is wind unable to transport sediment with the same grain size competency as water?
Q2) Explain how wind can be a significant intercontinental agent of erosion and deposition.
Q3) A playa forms by ____________________ of a playa lake.
Q4) All true deserts have widespread sand dunes. A)True B)False
Q5) The deflection of a moving mass from a straight line is known as the ____________________.
Q6) What are some of the characteristics of playas?
Q7) Equatorial regions receive the most heat,while polar regions receive the least.Therefore,what air pressures would you expect to be characteristic of these regions?
Q8) Alluvial fans are composed of sediment that is ____________________-sorted and ____________________ stratified.
Q9) How do sand dunes migrate?
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Q10) Since most deserts have internal drainage,why are there through-flowing streams,such as the Nile,Niger,Indus,and Colorado Rivers in some deserts?
Chapter 15: Oceans, Shorelines, and Shoreline Processes
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Q1) What is a beach,and what are the component parts of a beach?
Q2) The bending of waves toward shore as they approach from an oblique angle is called wave ____________________.
Q3) What is the most important agent for modifying the equilibrium profile of beaches?
Q4) High water that occurs with the eye of a storm coupled with storm waves reach a shoreline is called ____________________.
Q5) Rip currents are important in the erosion and deposition of sediment along shorelines.
A)True
B)False
Q6) A spit that connects an island to the mainland is a: A)hook.
B)tombolo.
C)barrier island.
D)beach.
E)baymouth bar.
Q7) The velocity of a wave is calculated as the ____________________ multiplied by the ____________________.
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Chapter 16: Geologic Time: Concepts and Principles
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Q1) The length of time preserved in Grand Canyon rocks is about:
A)10,000 years.
B)100,000 years.
C)1 million years.
D)1 billion years.
E)10 billion years.
Q2) The half-life of a radioactive element is variable,but only within a small range.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is the principle of inclusions?
Q4) If you start with an element with 1,000,000 parent atoms,how many parents and how many daughters will there be after 6 half-lives?
Q5) What criteria are used to correlate rock units in different areas?
Q6) Carbon 14 is best for dating fine-grained volcanic rocks.
A)True
B)False
Q7) A sedimentary rock that shows evidence of contact metamorphism must be ____________________ in age than the igneous rock with which it is in contact,even if it lies above the igneous rock.
Page 21
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Chapter 17: Earth History
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Q1) Pangaea was formed from tectonic plates and ____________________.
Q2) During the last two million years,there have been at least ____________________ warm-cold cycles.
Q3) What were three major mobile belts in North America in the Paleozoic?
Q4) What is the North American Cordillera?
Q5) Describe the beginning of operations of Earth's systems and when that occurred.
Q6) Why do we know very little about the planet's first 600 million years? Why do we know only slightly more about the early part of the Precambrian?
Q7) The orogenic event of the North American Cordillera,which began in the Late Cretaceous and extended into the Cenozoic,is the:
A)Laramide orogeny.
B)Sevier orogeny.
C)Nevadan orogeny.
D)Antler orogeny.
E)Appalachian orogeny.
Q8) The formation of the Midcontinent rift was ____________________ in time with the Grenville orogeny.
Q9) When and where did the Acadian orogeny occur?
Q10) What is the origin of the present topography of the Appalachian Mountains?
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Chapter 18: Life History
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Q1) What are fossils?
Q2) The Precambrian-Cambrian boundary represents the first appearance of: A)vertebrates.
B)amphibians.
C)reptiles.
D)animals with skeletons.
E)animals with soft bodies.
Q3) The first Mesozoic mammals were very distinctive from their ancestral reptiles.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The sail-like fin on the pelycosaur may have served as all but which of the following?
A)sexual display
B)a means of locomotion
C)a means of protection
D)a means of defense
E)a thermoregulatory device
Q5) Mammals that give birth to live young that need little or no protection after birth are called ____________________ mammals.
Q6) The oldest hominids belong to the genus ____________________.
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