Geosciences Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Geosciences is an interdisciplinary field that explores the dynamic processes and materials that shape the Earth. This course covers key topics such as the structure and composition of the Earth, plate tectonics, minerals and rocks, surface processes, geological hazards, and the impact of human activity on our planet. Students will also examine the use of scientific methods to interpret Earths history and the ongoing changes to its systems. Through a blend of lectures, laboratory experiments, and fieldwork, the course fosters a comprehensive understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that influence Earths environments and resources.
Recommended Textbook
Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 3rd Canadian Edition by Robert W. Christopherson
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21 Chapters
2826 Verified Questions
2826 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Essentials of Geography
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of the biosphere?
A)life processes generally are not shaped by the abiotic spheres.
B)life processes generally are shaped by the abiotic spheres.
C)it is not connected to the overlapping inorganic spheres.
D)it only occurs in the hydrosphere.
E)it is connected only to the atmosphere.
Answer: B
Q2) Clocks that operated without a pendulum had to be invented before longitude at sea could be calculated.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) A ________ is any ordered,interrelated set of objects and attributes as distinct from their surrounding environment.A ________ represents an idealized part of the real world greatly simplified.
Answer: system model
Q4) Distinguish between active and passive remote sensing,and describe the applications of each.
Answer: Not answer
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Chapter 2: Solar Energy to Earth and the Seasons
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the name of the location on the surface of Earth that receives insolation when the Sun is directly overhead? (When this occurs,the Sun's rays are perpendicular to this surface. )
A)solar point
B)zenith
C)subsolar point
D)North Polar point
E)Arctic Circle
Answer: C
Q2) Define these terms: thermopause,insolation,solar constant,subsolar point. Answer: Not answer
Q3) All places on Earth receive the same period of day and night on March 21.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) There is no evidence for a correlation between sunspot activity and weather conditions on Earth.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Earth's Modern Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) Based on composition,the atmosphere is divided into
A)one continuous region.
B)two broad classifications: homosphere and heterosphere.
C)two functional areas that absorb radiation from the Sun.
D)the troposphere and the stratosphere.
E)two brad classifications that are bound by temperature changes.
Answer: B
Q2) A decline in sulfur dioxide has led to a lower pH in precipitation in the Mid-Atlantic states.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Dr.Rowland and Dr.Molina
A)first stated the photochemistry interactions of chlorofluorocarbons and \(\mathrm { O } _ { 2 }\) .
B)found automobile exhaust and sunlight were producing photochemical smog.
C)first wrote about the possible destruction of ozone in the year 1989.
D)are not mentioned in the text.
E)do not study ozone.
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Atmosphere and Surface Energy Balances
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Sample Questions
Q1) The CERES program studies the reflection and emission of radiation by clouds.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What is the "greenhouse effect" as applied to Earth's atmosphere?
Q3) Air pollution acts to ________ the albedo of cities and therefore ________ the urban heat island effect.
A)increase enhances
B)increases diminishes
C)decreases enhances
D)decreases diminishes
Q4) On a cloudy day,Earth's surface receives
A)direct insolation.
B)diffuse radiation.
C)direct radiation.
D)a reduced daylength.
E)no insolation.
Q5) Refraction is responsible for rainbows and mirages.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Define these terms: refraction,reflection,albedo,scattering,absorption.
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Chapter 5: Global Temperatures
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Sample Questions
Q1) Monthly mean temperatures are made by taking the average of the highest and lowest temperatures of the month.[(maximum monthly temperature + minimum monthly temperature)/2]
A)True
B)False
Q2) An isoline that connects all points of <u> highest</u> mean temperature on a world map is called
A)an isobar.
B)the highest mean temperature isoline.
C)the thermal equator.
D)min/max line.
E)the temperature range line.
Q3) The subsolar point migrates annually between 47° N and 47° S latitude.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Normal body temperature has been recently determined to be 36.8°C.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are the various factors that can affect the apparent (sensible)temperature?
Q6) Compare,contrast,and explain maritime and continental conditions.
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Chapter 6: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulations
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Sample Questions
Q1) Normal sea level pressure has a value of
A)1013.2 millibars of mercury in a barometer.
B)28.50 metres of lead.
C)32.01 millibars of mercury.
D)500 mb.
E)140 kPa
Q2) The closer the spacing of the isobars,the ________ the wind blows.
A)slower
B)faster
C)longer
D)shorter
E)softer
Q3) The pressure gradient force and the friction force together produce geostrophic winds along Earth's surface.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How does global wind circulation relate African soils to "Red Tides" off of Florida? How is our awareness of global winds related to the 1963 Limited Test Ban treaty?
Q5) Explain the occurrence of land-sea breezes and mountain-valley breezes.
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Chapter 7: Water and Atmospheric Moisture
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Sample Questions
Q1) Water has a density of
A)0)5 g/cm³.
B)1 g/cm³.
C)2)5 g/cm³.
D)15 g/cm³.
E)25 g/cm³.
Q2) Which of the following is not used to measure relative humidity?
A)wet and dry barometers
B)hair hygrometers
C)sling psychrometer
D)stevenson screen
E)anemometers
Q3) Unstable conditions are produced when the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic rate.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The collision-coalescence process of raindrop formation predominates in clouds at high latitudes.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Weather
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Sample Questions
Q1) Follow a parcel of warm,moist air eastward up and over the Coast Ranges of British Columbia,discussing where and why precipitation forms and what happens to the air parcel on the eastern slope of the mountains.
Q2) Weather forecasting accuracy has improved due to
A)advancements in weather modeling,including 2-D models.
B)advancements in computer technology,including the High Performance Computing System.
C)the use of radar to analyze temperatures from the surface to high altitudes.
D)an increased density in sampling and monitoring stations across all of North America.
E)Despite improvements in technology,weather forecasts have not improved.
Q3) What are the spatial and temporal conditions that create Tornado Alley? What are the specific weather conditions are necessary to create a tornado?
Q4) Hurricane Wilma had the lowest measured pressure for an Atlantic basin hurricane.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How do air masses form? What are their general characteristics?
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Chapter 9: Water Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Define the following: soil-moisture storage,hygroscopic water,wilting point,capillary water,field capacity,gravitational water,soil-moisture recharge,soil porosity,and soil permeability.
Q2) Potential evapotranspiration refers to
A)the moisture supply.
B)the amount of unmet water demand in an environment.
C)the amount of water that would evaporate or transpire if it were available.
D)actual evapotranspiration under conditions of moisture deficit.
E)the amount of water vegetation requires to live.
Q3) The term "cone of depression" refers to
A)a change in the level of the soil water zone.
B)a depression in the water table formed by rapid ground water withdrawal.
C)a depression in Earth's surface formed by ground water withdrawal.
D)a graphical representation of the decline in the rate of ground water flow as an aquifer dries out.
E)the sinkhole that develops after groundwater has been withdrawn.
Q4) The soil-water balance equation is of vital importance to physical geographers.Write an essay in which you first give the equation and then describe in detail each of its components,including methods of measurement and estimation.
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Chapter 10: Climate Systems and Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Some scientists expect midlatitude climatic patterns to shift poleward by at least 150 km during the twenty-first century.
A)True
B)False
Q2) El Ni \( \overline n \)o always affects the same regions the same way.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Humid subtropical climates receive ________ precipitation during the summer and ________ precipitation in winter.
A)convectional frontal
B)frontal convectional
C)orographic frontal
D)convectional ITCZ
E)orographic convectional
Q4) The tropical,subtropical hot desert climates occur
A)in the low latitudes.
B)only in midlatitude rainshadow positions.
C)in polar regions.
D)along the midlatitude,west coasts of continents.
E)in continental interiors of the southern hemisphere.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: The Dynamic Planet
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Sample Questions
Q1) A gneiss is a type of ________ rock that has ________ in it.
A)sedimentary layers
B)sedimentary no layers
C)metamorphic layers (mineral bands)
D)metamorphic no layers in it
E)igneous layers (mineral bands)
Q2) Which of the following is true regarding the geologic time scale?
A)the bulk of Earth's history has occurred during the Cenozoic era.
B)over 87 percent of Earth's history has elapsed during the more recent Cenozoic,Mesozoic,and Paleozoic eras.
C)both relative and absolute dating methods are used in determining the sequence of the time scale.
D)we live in the Tertiary period.
E)there have been only two periods of major extinctions in geologic time.
Q3) Which of the following is true of <u>divergent</u> plate boundaries?
A)rifting occurs there.
B)compressional forces exist there.
C)ocean crust can be destroyed there.
D)are characteristic of subduction zones.
E)they most frequently occur within continental plates.
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Chapter 12: Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanism
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Sample Questions
Q1) A tall,conically-shaped volcanic peak is generally the result of effusive eruptions.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Compared to oceanic crust,continental crust is A)denser.
B)usually formed with less than 50 percent silica and is rich in iron and magnesium.
C)generally more complex in content and structure.
D)essentially composed of basalt.
E)darker in colour.
Q3) The text presents a satellite image of the Zagros mountains of Iran as an example of
A)a series of faulted mountain blocks.
B)a zone of tension.
C)a zone of shearing motions.
D)a zone of compression and folding.
E)a zone of shearing and twisting.
Q4) Using Mount St.Helens as an example,describe the eruptions typical of composite cones.
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Chapter 13: Weathering, Karst Landscapes, and Mass Movement
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Sample Questions
Q1) Human-induced mass movements produce a category of processes known as A)debris flows.
B)denudation.
C)scarification.
D)translational slides.
E)mudflows
Q2) One side of a sand dune is typically steeper than the other side.The steepest slope is controlled by the angle of repose for sand and most materials,which is about A)5°.
B)15°.
C)34°.
D)78°.
E)89°.
Q3) Karst topography is formed primarily by A)carbonation and solution.
B)mass wasting processes.
C)oxidation and hydrolysis.
D)exfoliation and hydration.
E)frost action over vast areas.
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Chapter 14: River Systems and Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) A low-velocity flow over a smooth stream bed produces a A)turbulent flow.
B)churning action.
C)laminar flow of individual particles.
D)extreme traction.
E)stream erosion.
Q2) The degradation of a landscape by weathering,erosion,and transportation will ultimately reduce the landscape down to A)base level.
B)continental shelf.
C)the mountain tops.
D)valley level.
E)sea level.
Q3) In response to the occurrence of a local base level,
A)a stream continues to operate to reduce its landscape to sea level-the ultimate base level.
B)sediments accumulate in response to the loss of flow velocity.
C)sea level changes.
D)this situation never occurs in nature.
E)the stream cuts downward.
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Chapter 15: Eolian Processes and Arid Landscapes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Small particles are difficult for wind to move because
A)although they are small,they have a higher density than many of the larger sized particles in a desert environment.
B)they are aerodynamic.
C)they tend to be cohesionless.
D)their small size creates a wind shadow that prevents the wind from transporting them.
E)their shape reflects wind energy.
Q2) Desertification is most common in the world's richest nations.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Principal arid and semiarid lands only occur on the continental landmasses of the northern hemisphere.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Alluvial fans often serve as groundwater sources.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss the factors that lead to the formation of a star dune.
Q6) Write an essay on climate change and aridity in Canada.
17
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Chapter 16: The Oceans, Coastal Processes, and Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) The energy of waves striking a headland that protrudes into the sea is ________ than that which strikes the beaches adjacent to it because ________.
A)greater refraction concentrates energy into the headland
B)greater reflection concentrates energy into the headland
C)less refraction concentrates energy into the beach
D)less reflection concentrates energy into the beach
E)less energy is dispersed into the water
Q2) Generally speaking,"beaches" span the zone
A)between high and low spring tides.
B)from several metres above high tide to several metres 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.
E)of wave activity on the shoreline.
Q3) The largest ocean in the world in terms of area is the ________ and the smallest ocean in terms of area is the ________.
Q4) Plunging breakers develop where the bottom profile of the coast is steep.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Glacial and Periglacial Processes and Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) Erratics are
A)strangely shaped,erratically spaced drumlins.
B)erratically spaced moraine deposits.
C)rocks that are not native to an area.
D)unusually shaped rocks.
E)winding glacial rivers.
Q2) Which of the following is a depositional landform created by glaciation?
A)cols
B)horns
C)U-shaped valleys
D)outwash plain of stratified drift
E)arete
Q3) The Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is an example of a nunatak.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Glacial ice can form during the duration of a single winter season in most glacial areas.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How could plate tectonics cause long-term changes in climate?
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Chapter 18: The Geography of Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) Soil is a dynamic natural body comprising fine materials in which plants grow,and which is composed of both mineral and organic matter.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The concentration of carbon dioxide in the soil is ________ that of the atmosphere because ________.
A)greater than roots and organisms respire
B)greater than carbon dioxide seeps out of the underlying regolith
C)less than plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis
D)less than virtually all the carbon dioxide in the soil combines with water to form carbonic acid
E)the same as gases mix and expand to fill the volume provided.
Q3) A soil horizon that is 20 to 30 percent or more organic matter is labeled
A)A)
B)B)
C)C)
D)O)
E)R)
Q4) List and briefly describe the main soil properties.
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Chapter 19: Ecosystem Essentials
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Sample Questions
Q1) Write an essay describing typical ecological succession in a lake.
Q2) If a lava flow completely destroys pre-existing plant communities,what type of succession will occur first?
A)pioneer
B)primary
C)secondary
D)tertiary
E)dynamic
Q3) Which of the following is true of synthetic fertilizers?
A)most contain sulphur compounds.
B)their rate of production is doubling very quickly-every two years.
C)the amount of compounds in these fertilizers far exceeds the ability of bacteria to break them down-thereby contributing to pollution of surface water.
D)these fertilizers not only increase soil fertility,they also act to build the soil through the direct addition of organic matter.
E)excess nitrogen is stored in the ecosystem for later use,making the ecosystem healthier.
Q4) How do light,temperature,water,and climate affect ecosystems?
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Chapter 20: Terrestrial Biomes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Deserts are subdivided into different types on the basis of A)the presence or absence of xerophytic vegetation.
B)moisture.
C)whether potential evapotranspiration rates exceed actual evapotranspiration rates,or whether actual evapotranspiration rates equal potential evapotranspiration rates.
D)hours of sunlight.
E)elevation.
Q2) Which of the following is<u> correct </u> regarding biomes?
A)they are characterized by a specific plant or animal.
B)they are usually named on the basis of their dominant vegetation.
C)the term "biome" applies only to terrestrial associations of plants and animals.
D)they are usually named for the specific climatic zone in which they occur.
E)there are four broad groups of biomes.
Q3) If rain forest destruction continues at its present rate,these forests will be completely gone by the year 2050.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What are the important factors used in defining a biogeographical realm?
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Chapter 21: Earth and the Human Denominator
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Sample Questions
Q1) China and India together account for a little more than half of the human population.
A)True
B)False
Q2) According to the text,who should speak for Earth?
A)economists
B)military leaders for nuclear superpowers
C)physical geographers and other scientists who study the natural world
D)politicians
Q3) It is estimated that,after 2011,Earth will have added another billion people by the year A)2020.
B)2025.
C)2032.
D)2038.
E)2058
Q4) The developed world with its smaller population has comparatively little impact on the planet's resources and environment.
A)True
B)False
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