Geoscience Fundamentals Practice Exam
Course Introduction
Geoscience Fundamentals introduces students to the key principles and concepts underlying the study of the Earth. The course explores the structure, composition, and dynamic processes of the planet, including plate tectonics, rock and mineral formation, Earths history, surface processes, and the interplay between geological phenomena and human activity. Through a combination of lectures, laboratory exercises, and field observations, students gain foundational knowledge in interpreting geological data, understanding Earth systems, and appreciating the role of geoscience in addressing environmental challenges.
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EARTH 1st Edition by Graham R. Thompson
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Earth Systems
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Q1) A __________ __________ occurs when a small initial perturbation affects another component of the system, which amplifies the original effect.
Answer: feedback mechanism
Q2) During the formation of planets, gravitational forces caused small rocky spheres to collide and coalesce to form mini-planets called __________.
Answer: planetesimals
Q3) The fundamental source of energy that drives Earth's surface systems--the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere--is:
A) the Sun.
B) the Earth's interior heat.
C) meteorite impacts.
D) the wind.
Answer: A
Q4) At its center, Earth is as hot as the Sun's surface.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Minerals
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Q1) The two most abundant elements in Earth's crust are __________.
A) oxygen (O) and silicon (Si)
B) oxygen (O) and lead (Pb)
C) silicon (Si) and nickel (Ni)
D) lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni)
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following best describes an element?
A) a small, dense, positively charged subatomic particle
B) a fundamental form of matter that can be broken into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes
C) a fundamental form of matter that cannot be broken into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes
D) a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a characteristic chemical composition and a crystalline structure
Answer: C
Q3) __________ is the color of a fine powder of a mineral.
Answer: Streak
Q4) A/an __________ is a mineral that is prized for its rarity and beauty.
Answer: gem
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Chapter 3: Rocks
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Q1) Parallel growth of mica (and other minerals) during metamorphism and deformation of shales produces layering called __________.
Answer: foliation
Q2) A large river carrying massive amounts of sediment to the ocean every year and accumulates on the delta produces __________ metamorphism.
A) regional dynamothermal
B) hydrothermal
C) contact
D) burial
Answer: D
Q3) Obsidian is volcanic glass where the atoms are arranged in a random chaotic pattern.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Water and air attack rocks at Earth's surface in a process called __________.
Answer: weathering
Q5) The weight of overlying sediment on sedimentary grains causes their __________. Answer: compaction
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Chapter 4: Geologic Time: a Story in the Rocks
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Q1) The largest time units in the geologic column are periods.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Layers of sedimentary rock are __________ if they were deposited without detectable interruption.
A) conformable
B) disconformable
C) unconformable
D) nonconformable
Q3) __________ __________ come from organisms that are abundantly preserved in rocks and are useful for dating.
Q4) A/an __________ is an unconformity in which the sedimentary layers above and below the unconformity are parallel.
Q5) Measurement of __________ age refers only to the order in which events occurred.
A) relative
B) absolute
C) radiometric
D) Phanerozoic
Q6) __________ __________ refers to time measured in years.
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Q7) During a __________ __________, many life-forms on Earth die out suddenly.
Chapter 5: Geologic Resources
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Q1) The __________ __________ refers to the fact that electricity can be used to dissociate water into oxygen and hydrogen that could then be used to power a fuel cell to drive an electric motor.
Q2) Oil or natural gas originate from the:
A) source rock.
B) reservoir rock.
C) cap rock.
D) gas rock.
Q3) _______________ is formed as a residual deposit in warm climates.
A) Bauxite
B) Banded iron
C) A manganese nodule
D) A hydrothermal vein deposit
Q4) Silver is an example of a nonmetallic mineral resource.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Often, early-formed minerals sink to the bottom of a magma chamber in a process called __________ __________.
Q6) A/an __________ __________ deposit forms when dissolved metals precipitate in a fracture in rock.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: The Active Earth: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) Vertical movement in the lithosphere occurs due to:
A) mantle plumes.
B) hot spots.
C) isostatic adjustment.
D) mantle convection.
Q2) Average oceanic crust is __________ kilometers thick, whereas average continental crust is __________ kilometers thick.
A) 20 to 40, 5 to 10
B) 50 to 100, 200 to 400
C) 4 to 7, 20 to 40
D) 200 to 400, 50 to 100
Q3) The __________ __________ system is an undersea mountain chain encircling the planet that forms at divergent plate boundaries.
Q4) The lithosphere is:
A) hot, plastic, but solid rock.
B) mostly liquid magma.
C) composed mostly of sedimentary rocks.
D) cool, hard, and strong.
Q5) The __________ is the hot, weak, and plastic uppermost portion of the mantle.
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Chapter 7: Earthquakes and the Earths Structure
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Q1) Earthquakes occur repeatedly along established faults because:
A) they are over a spreading center.
B) when tectonic stress builds, the rock is more likely to move along the fault than to crack again and create a new fault.
C) they are occurring slowly and continuously at a subduction zone.
D) they occur at plate interiors.
Q2) The Mohorovicic discontinuity is the boundary between __________ and __________.
A) crust, mantle
B) mantle, outer core
C) outer core, inner core
D) continental crust, oceanic crust
Q3) When a wave passes from one medium into another, it refracts and sometimes
Q4) The Mercalli scale expresses the amount of energy released by an earthquake. A)True B)False
Q5) A tsunami, produced by an undersea earthquake, may travel at 750 kilometers per hour.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 8: Volcanoes and Plutons
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Q1) The Columbia River plateau is an example of a lava plateau.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Basaltic magma forms at the Mid-Oceanic Ridge.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which magma type erupts most violently?
A) basaltic
B) Hawaiian
C) Icelandic
D) granitic
Q4) Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington is an example of a stratovolcano.
A)True
B)False
Q5) If lava solidifies before the gas in it escapes, the bubbles are preserved as holes called __________.
Q6) The circular depression left when the roof of a magma chamber collapses is called a/an __________.
Q7) Magma production occurs through __________ __________ __________ in a mantle plume.
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Chapter 9: Mountains
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Q1) A subduction complex contains slices of continental crust scraped from the top of a subducting plate.
A)True
B)False
Q2) During the formation of the __________, the leading edge of India began to slide under Tibet in a process called underthrusting.
Q3) Rock that is caught at the junction of two converging plates is deformed by __________ stress.
A) divergent
B) tensional
C) compressive
D) shear
Q4) A/an __________ is a fold that arches upward.
A) anticline
B) syncline
C) hanging wall
D) horst
Q5) A/an __________ is a bend in rock.
Q6) The sides of a fold in rock are called __________.
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Chapter 10: Weathering, Soil, and Erosion
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Q1) During __________, rock or soil flows slowly downslope under the influence of gravity.
Q2) Soil is a mixture of:
A) mineral grains, organic matter, gas, and oil.
B) gold, organic matter, gas, and water.
C) mineral grains, organic matter, oil, and water.
D) mineral grains, organic matter, gas, and water.
Q3) Fall is the most rapid type of mass wasting.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The __________ is the maximum slope or steepness at which loose material remains stable.
A) dip slope
B) mass wasting angle
C) angle of repose
D) slip slope
Q5) When Mount St. Helens erupted, the meltwater from melting glaciers mixed with soil to form __________.
Q6) The removal of weathered material is __________.
Q7) Frost wedging is an example of __________ weathering.
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Chapter 11: Fresh Water: Streams, Lakes, Ground Water, and Wetlands
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Q1) A graded stream has a smooth, concave profile.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The top of a waterfall is an example of:
A) ultimate base level.
B) temporary or local base level.
C) the low-water benchmark.
D) a natural levee.
Q3) The water on the outside of a stream curve moves:
A) slower than the water on the inside.
B) faster than the water on the inside.
C) the same speed as the water on the inside.
D) mostly vertically in a process called upwelling.
Q4) An oligtrophic lake is likely to support abundant vegetation and may be covered by a mat of rooted and floating plants.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The water table does not fluctuate with the seasons. A)True B)False
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Chapter 12: Water Resources
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Q1) Industry accounts for about __________ percent of all water used in the United States.
A) 3
B) 20
C) 11
D) 76
Q2) Pollution externalities become more expensive as pollution is reduced.
A)True
B)False
Q3) After all of the oxygen in a waterway is consumed, __________ __________ take(s) over.
Q4) During the first thirty years of the Clean Water Act, the total discharge of pollutants into the nations waters has __________.
A) increased
B) decreased, but water pollution is still a serious problem
C) remained unchanged
D) ended completely
Q5) __________ is a technique that uses microorganisms to decompose a contaminant in ground water.
Q6) Fertilizer runoff from fields is an example of __________ __________ pollution.
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Chapter 13: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Q1) The higher-elevation part of a glacier is called the zone of ablation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) __________ occurs when the Earth's axis circles like a wobbling top.
Q3) The most recent ice age occurred during the __________ Epoch.
Q4) The __________ separates the zone of accumulation from the zone of ablation.
A) snow line
B) terminus
C) crevasse
D) ice fall
Q5) The Matterhorn is an example of a glacial __________.
Q6) An iceberg:
A) is a piece of a glacier that has broken off.
B) is a floating platform of ice where a glacier or ice sheet meet the ocean.
C) forms out of ocean water.
D) is made up snow falling on water.
Q7) A glacier that covers an area of 50,000 square kilometers or more is a/an
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Q8) The place where glacial flow cannot keep pace with melting is called the
Chapter 14: Deserts and Wind
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Q1) Much of the rich loess of the central plains of the United States is the result of the Pleistocene Ice Age.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Desertification in the Sahel in the late 1960s and early 1970s probably happened because of:
A) movement of the African continent.
B) tectonic uplift.
C) volcanic activity.
D) human mismanagement.
Q3) Many of the world's deserts lie at 30° south and north latitude because:
A) falling air is compressed and becomes cooler, which enables it to hold more water vapor.
B) sinking air absorbs water, the ground surface is dry, and rainfall is infrequent.
C) rising air is heated and the moisture condenses.
D) rising air absorbs water, the ground surface is dry, and rainfall is infrequent.
Q4) Any region that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain per year is considered to be a __________.
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Chapter 15: Ocean Basins
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Q1) Oceanic crust is __________ than continental crust and therefore __________ isostatically.
A) denser, sinks
B) denser, rises
C) lighter, sinks
D) lighter, rises
Q2) Continental crust and oceanic crust firmly join together at a/an:
A) convergent plate boundary.
B) active continental margin.
C) passive continental margin.
D) Mid-Oceanic Ridge.
Q3) Most of layer 3 of the oceanic crust is composed of __________.
A) pelagic sediment
B) pillow basalt
C) gabbro
D) terrigenous sediment
Q4) California, Oregon, Washington, and western British Columbia were added to North America as __________ __________.
Q5) A chain of volcanic islands that form along a subduction zone is called a/an
17
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Chapter 16: Oceans and Coastlines
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Q1) A/an __________ is any strip of shoreline washed by waves and tides.
Q2) Most of the photosynthesis and nutrient consumption in the ocean is carried out by:
A) large marine mammals.
B) deep dwelling organisms.
C) bacteria.
D) plankton.
Q3) If waves strike shore at an angle, they __________ and create a/an __________ current that flows parallel to the beach.
A) refract, longshore
B) refract, tidal
C) speed up, longshore
D) speed up, tidal
Q4) Deep-sea currents are driven by:
A) wind.
B) the Coriolis effect.
C) gravity.
D) the Gulf Stream.
Q5) The __________ of seawater is the total quantity of dissolved salt, expressed as a percentage.
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Chapter 17: The Atmosphere
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Q1) The Earth's primordial atmosphere:
A) contained no oxygen.
B) was an effective filter that absorbed high-energy ultraviolet rays.
C) was mainly oxygen.
D) was formed by biological processes.
Q2) A first rapid increase of oxygen in the atmosphere (the First Great Oxidation Event) occurred about __________ years ago.
A) 4.4 billion
B) 2.4 billion
C) 1 billion
D) 600 million
Q3) During photosynthesis, plants convert __________ and __________ to organic sugars and oxygen.
A) carbon dioxide, water
B) nitrogen, water
C) methane, carbon dioxide
D) nitrogen, methane
Q4) Fly ash is a particulate air pollutant released when coal is burned.
A)True
B)False
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Energy Balance in the Atmosphere
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Q1) About __________ percent of the incoming solar radiation reaches Earth's surface.
A) 1
B) 95
C) 50
D) 10
Q2) Visible light is a large portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Carbon dioxide and methane can trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and are therefore known as __________ gases.
Q4) __________ __________ is the energy released or absorbed when a substance changes from one state to another.
Q5) Albedo is the:
A) proportional reflectance of a surface.
B) absolute absorption of a surface.
C) distribution of radiation in all directions by a surface.
D) blue light scattering of a surface.
Q6) __________ is a composite of weather patterns from season to season, averaged over many years.
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Chapter 19: Moisture, Clouds, and Weather
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Q1) When relative humidity reaches 100 percent, the air is:
A) saturated.
B) unsaturated.
C) extremely dry.
D) supersaturated.
Q2) __________ fog occurs when warm, moist air from the sea blows onto cooler land.
Q3) A/an __________ is a small, short-lived, funnel-shaped storm that protrudes from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud.
Q4) __________ __________ is the amount of water vapor in air relative to the maximum it can hold at a given temperature.
Q5) During an adiabatic temperature change:
A) the temperature rises or falls as air pressure changes.
B) air is cooled by the polar ice caps.
C) air cools by evaporation.
D) air is heated by the sun.
Q6) A single bolt of lightning produces as much power as a nuclear power plant for a few seconds.
A)True
B)False
Page 21
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Chapter 20: Climate
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Q1) The climate zone or biome associated with rainfall of less than 25 centimeters per year is:
A) tropical rainforest.
B) semiarid.
C) desert.
D) Mediterranean.
Q2) The polar jet stream forms:
A) between the trade winds and the westerlies and is always at the same location.
B) between the trade winds and the westerlies and moves with the seasons.
C) along the polar front and is always at the same location.
D) along the polar front and moves with the seasons.
Q3) When geologists study the climate of a region over time, they must separate the effects of tectonic movement from global climate change.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The __________ biome consists of conifers that can survive extremely cold winters.
Q5) The __________ biome is characteristic of Arctic and high alpine regions.
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Chapter 21: Climate Change
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Q1) Marine corals and shelled organisms:
A) release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as they convert carbonate ions to hard shells.
B) convert carbon from the remains of dead plants and animals to hard shells.
C) extract carbon from the lower crust and upper mantle.
D) absorb calcium and carbonate ions from seawater and convert them to hard shells.
Q2) Which of the following statements about climate change is true?
A) The Earth's mean global temperature has fluctuated throughout geologic time.
B) The Earth's mean global temperature has increased steadily throughout geologic time.
C) The Earth's mean global temperature has decreased steadily throughout geologic time.
D) The Earth's mean global temperature has been relatively constant throughout geologic time.
Q3) __________ record a tree's growth depending on climate.
A) Tree isotopes
B) Tree pollen
C) Tree layers
D) Tree rings
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Chapter 22: Motions in the Heavens
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Q1) __________ modified Aristotle's model in about 150 CE by incorporating retrograde motion.
A) Ptolemy
B) Newton
C) Brahe
D) Copernicus
Q2) The geocentric Universe easily explains retrograde motion.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Ptolemy modified the celestial sphere model to incorporate __________
Q4) Planets sometimes appear to reverse direction in the night sky and drift westward.
A)True
B)False
Q5) When the Moon passes directly between the Earth and Sun, it produces a/an:
A) solar eclipse.
B) absorption spectrum.
C) constellation.
D) lunar eclipse.
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Chapter 23: Planets and Their Moons
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Q1) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have relatively small rocky or metallic cores surrounded by swirling liquid and gaseous atmospheres.
A)True
B)False
Q2) __________ planets are mostly solid rock with metallic cores.
Q3) The tectonic activity on Venus has been described as __________ tectonics.
A) pop
B) bob
C) blob
D) hop
Q4) Io is the most active volcanic body in the Solar System.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Io has a smooth, nearly crater-free surface because:
A) it has not been bombarded by meteorites.
B) the gravitational effects on Io are slight.
C) it is not tectonically active.
D) of frequent lava flows.
Q6) Venus is much hotter than Earth because of a runaway __________
Q7) Europa is a moon of __________.
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Chapter 24: Stars, Space, and Galaxies
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Q1) The sunlight we see from Earth comes from the Sun's core.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The apparent brightness of a star is its luminosity as seen from Earth.
A)True
B)False
Q3) When hydrogen fusion ends within the core of a star, the core becomes __________ and __________.
A) hotter, expands
B) hotter, contracts
C) cooler, expands
D) cooler, contracts
Q4) During a full solar eclipse, the __________ appears as a halo around the Sun.
Q5) Stars and galaxies emit __________ generation energy.
A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth
Q6) The mass of the Sun is one __________ __________.
Q7) The Sun is composed primarily of hydrogen and __________.
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