Historical Geology Practice Exam
Course Introduction
Historical Geology explores the origin and development of Earth and its life forms through geological time. This course covers the principles of stratigraphy, fossil records, and plate tectonics to reconstruct Earth's dynamic history, including major geological events and the evolution of life. By analyzing rocks, sediments, and fossils, students gain an understanding of the processes that have shaped the planet and the interrelationships between Earth's physical environment and its biological diversity over billions of years.
Recommended Textbook
Earth Portrait of a Planet 5th Edition by Stephen Marshak
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Chapter 1: Cosmology and the Birth of Earth
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Q1) In our current understanding of the Big Bang,____________.
A)Earth is much older than the rest of the Universe
B)the Universe is considerably older than Earth
C)Earth and the Universe formed at about the same time
D)there is no way of knowing how old the Universe might be
Answer: B
Q2) By far the most common elements in the Universe and in our solar system are
A)nitrogen and oxygen
B)iron and manganese
C)hydrogen and helium
D)hydrogen and oxygen
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following bodies is the smallest?
A)planet
B)star
C)protoplanet
D)planetesimal
Answer: D
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Journey to the Center of the Earth
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Q1) Of the three primary chemical layers of the Earth (crust,mantle,core),which is the thickest layer?
A)crust
B)mantle
C)core
Answer: C
Q2) The Moho ____________.
A)lies at uniform depth everywhere it is found in Earth
B)is found deeper underneath continents than under oceans
C)is found deeper underneath oceans than under continents
D)is found well below the crust/mantle boundary
Answer: B
Q3) Which of the following is NOT an example of sediment?
A)sand
B)ground-up seashells
C)cobbles on a beach
D)None of the above are correct.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas
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Q1) Wegener's idea of continental drift was rejected by American geologists because
A)his English was too poor to be understood by them
B)he could not conceive of a valid mechanism that would cause continents to shift positions
C)he had relatively little evidence supporting the existence of a supercontinent
D)the apparent fit of continental coastlines is blurred when the margins are defined by the edges of continental shelves rather than sea level
Answer: B
Q2) If we mentally align the continents to fit Wegener's concept of Pangaea,evidence of Late Paleozoic glacial deposits ____________.
A)is more difficult to explain than in the modern continental configuration
B)is much more readily explained than in the modern continental configuration
C)makes very little sense in either the Pangaea configuration or the modern configuration
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) The number of lithospheric plates on the Earth has been variable through geologic time.Hundreds of millions of years ago,there were plates that no longer exist today.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Large,thick,nonvolcanic mountain belts,like the Himalayas,have features associated with ____________ plate boundaries.
A)convergent
B)divergent
C)transform
Q3) At a subduction zone,the downgoing (subducting)plate ____________.
A)is always composed of continental lithosphere
B)is always composed of oceanic lithosphere
C)may be composed or either oceanic or continental lithosphere
Q4) The San Andreas Fault zone in southern California is an example of a ____________ plate boundary.
A)convergent
B)divergent
C)transform
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Chapter 5: Patterns in Nature: Minerals
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Q1) All minerals are chemical compounds (composed of more than one element).
A)True
B)False
Q2) Minerals can be destroyed by ___________ .
A)melting
B)chemical reactions
C)dissolving
D)All of the above are correct.
Q3) The New Age practice of surrounding one's self with crystals has a strong positive effect on ____________.
A)mental health
B)the immune system's response to illness
C)the prospects for world peace
D)the bank accounts of rock shop owners
Q4) Which of the following is NOT a mineral?
A)petroleum (oil),which is a liquid
B)cubic zirconia,which is a synthetic diamond substitute that is not found in nature
C)ice,which is water in the solid state
D)Neither A nor B are minerals;however,C is a mineral.
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Chapter 6: Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rock
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Q1) Magma tends to _____________.
A)move upward,away from where it formed
B)move downward,away from where it formed
C)move laterally
D)stay in one place
Q2) If the volatile content of magma is increased,its viscosity will ____________.
A)increase
B)decrease
C)stay the same
Q3) As compared to mafic igneous rocks,all felsic igneous rocks ____________.
A)cool and solidify more quickly
B)cool and solidify more slowly
C)solidify at higher temperatures
D)solidify at lower temperatures
Q4) Vesicles are a term used to describe a texture in __________ igneous rocks.
A)crystalline
B)glassy
C)pyroclastic
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Chapter 7: Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks
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Q1) Cemented shells of marine organisms form which kind of sedimentary rock?
A)biochemical
B)clastic
C)organic
Q2) The majority of the rocks that occur at the surface of Earth are ____________.
A)intrusive igneous rocks
B)extrusive igneous rocks
C)sedimentary rocks
D)metamorphic rocks
Q3) When limestone becomes chemically altered so that half of the calcium atoms are replaced by magnesium,the resultant rock is termed ____________.
A)agate
B)dolostone
C)jasper
D)travertine
Q4) Compaction and cementation of grains occurs during ____________.
A)erosion
B)lithification
C)transport
D)weathering
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Metamorphism: A Process of Change
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Q1) The process of low-grade metamorphic rocks being altered to form high-grade metamorphic rocks is termed ____________ metamorphism.
A)foliated
B)prograde
C)retrograde
D)dynamic
Q2) The preexisting rock that is subsequently altered to form a metamorphic rock is termed a ____________.
A)parent rock
B)source rock
C)protolith
D)premetarock
Q3) Foliated metamorphic rocks possess ____________.
A)leafy plant fossils (ancient foliage)
B)a homogenous texture resulting from randomly oriented grains
C)a planar fabric consisting of mineral grains in preferred orientations or preferred patterns of association (banding)
D)minerals precipitated directly from sea water
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Chapter 9: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
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Q1) The Columbia River Plateau is an example of a ____________.
A)caldera
B)fissure
C)flood basalt
D)hot spot
Q2) Hawaiian-style effusive eruptions are a greater threat to property than to human life.
A)True
B)False
Q3) As compared to subaerial basaltic lavas,submarine basaltic lavas differ in that they ____________.
A)always produce violent pyroclastic debris flows
B)produce large crystals of pyroxene and plagioclase
C)form pillow-like mounds because they cannot flow as far from their source
D)All of the above are correct.
Q4) Volcanoes are entirely detrimental to the planet and human civilization,offering no benefits to humankind.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
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Q1) All discovered faults are likely to experience earthquakes in the next few hundred years.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Earthquakes that occur in a band called a ____________ can be used to track the motion of subducted oceanic lithosphere.
A)Wegener belt
B)seismic gap
C)Wadati-Benioff zone
Q3) Which earthquake severity scale measures the amplitude of deflection of a seismograph pen,standardized to an idealized distance of 100 km between epicenter and seismograph?
A)Richter scale
B)Mercalli scale
C)seismic-moment magnitude scale
Q4) Earthquakes are a result of ____________.
A)a sudden change in atmospheric pressure
B)mantle upwelling
C)erosion
D)lithosphere-plate movement
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Cracks, crags, and Crumples: Crustal
Deformation and Mountain Building
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Q1) The central portion of high curvature on a fold is termed the fold ____________.
A)limb
B)hinge
C)midsection
D)thorax
Q2) Earthquakes only occur ____________ the brittle/ductile transition depth. A)above
B)below C)at or near
Q3) Continental crust is typically 35-km thick,but may be up to ____________ thicker under mountain ranges.
A)20%
B)50%
C)100%
D)200%
Q4) Motion along all faults is either strike slip or dip slip;combinations of these two types of displacement are never found together in a single fault.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12:
Deep Time: How Old Is Old
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Q1) The age of Earth CANNOT be reliably estimated from sediment thicknesses because ____________.
A)sedimentation rates are not likely to remain constant at any one locality over all of Earth's history
B)sedimentary rocks can be metamorphosed or melted
C)locally,much of Earth's history is represented by unconformities between strata rather than the strata themselves
D)All of the above are correct.
Q2) Attempts to measure the age of Earth by extrapolating modern riverine influx rates into the past to produce modern marine salinity from an initially freshwater ocean failed to take into account that ____________.
A)salt is removed through precipitation,balancing riverine input
B)dissolved salts from weathering of rock only rarely are transported all the way to the ocean
C)salts derived from the weathering of rock are insoluble in water
Q3) When an unstable isotope decays,the daughter isotope that results is always a stable isotope.
A)True
B)False
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Page 14
Chapter 13: A Biography of Earth
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Q1) The Western Interior Seaway reached its greatest level of continental inundation during the ____________ Period.
A)Ordovician
B)Carboniferous
C)Jurassic
D)Cretaceous
Q2) Greenhouse climate on Earth was associated with relatively high atmospheric levels of which gas?
A)nitrogen
B)water vapor
C)oxygen
D)carbon dioxide
Q3) The small cells of bacteria lack nuclei and are termed ____________.
A)prokinetic
B)prokaryotic
C)eukaryotic
D)analgesic
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources
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Q1) Which fossil fuel,oil or natural gas,is found at greater depths within Earth,and why?
A)oil,because it is more stable at high temperatures
B)oil,because it is more stable at low pressures
C)gas,because it is more stable at high temperatures
D)gas,because it is more stable at low pressures
Q2) Matter that stores energy in a readily useable form is termed ____________.
A)antimatter
B)fuel
C)phlogiston
D)erg
Q3) Aside from the possibility of a meltdown,nuclear power provides no other major problems or concerns.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following lists contains only fossil fuels?
A)coal,oil,natural gas
B)coal,geothermal,wind
C)coal,wood,natural gas
D)hydroelectric,geothermal,wind
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Chapter 15: Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources
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Q1) Underground mining is considered the safest way to mine ore.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Ore processing can have environmental consequences,including ____________.
A)acid rain
B)groundwater contamination
C)acid runoff
D)All of the above are correct.
Q3) Smelting is a technique applied to ____________.
A)native metals
B)ore minerals
C)quarried stone
Q4) The presence of gold in western South America is unrelated to the subduction zone nearby.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Because of their economic importance to society,copper and aluminum are considered precious metals.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
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Q1) Which of the following types of mass movement is least coherent (most like a liquid)?
A)slump
B)creep
C)rock slide
D)mudflow
Q2) Strictly speaking,which of the following types of mass movement is a landslide?
A)slump
B)creep
C)rock slide
D)mudflow
Q3) The immediate cause of incidents of mass movement is ____________.
A)electromagnetic attraction
B)gravitation
C)magnetism
D)friction
Q4) All types of mass wasting have approximately the same velocities.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water
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Q1) Although the Nile River is longer,the Amazon River has the greatest discharge of any stream on Earth.
A)True
B)False
Q2) All else being equal,water will flow faster in a stream that has a ____________.
A)steep stream gradient
B)gentle stream gradient
Q3) A 100-year flood is more catastrophic than a 50-year flood.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The sediment load of a stream consists of only those grains that are fine enough to stay in suspension.
A)True
B)False
Q5) At a waterfall,where two sedimentary lithologies are juxtaposed,which lithology is more likely to form the cliff over which the water falls?
A)sandstone
B)shale
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Chapter 18: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
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Q1) Rogue waves arise from constructive interference of multiple convergent waves,and can be more than 100 feet high.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Major oceanic surface currents travel ____________.
A)parallel to the prevailing wind direction in the region
B)in direct opposition to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect
C)at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect
D)at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Doppler effect
Q3) The width of a beach in winter is typically ____________ its width in summer.
A)greater than
B)less than
C)equal to
Q4) Compared to continental lithosphere,oceanic lithosphere is ____________.
A)thicker
B)thinner
C)approximately the same thickness
Q5) Which type of coastline usually has a broader continental shelf?
A)a passive continental margin
B)an active continental margin
Page 20
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Chapter 19: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
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Q1) Extensive pumping of fresh groundwater from a coastal aquifer can induce
A)saline intrusion;with time the well will start to deliver saline water
B)saline expulsion;with time the fresh water/saline water interface within the aquifer will be pushed downward and seaward
Q2) If groundwater is clear,it can be assumed that it is drinkable.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The city of Venice,Italy,has largely submerged beneath the sea because of
A)polar ice caps melting due to global warming
B)extensive nearby groundwater mining and sediment compaction
C)tectonic forces related to the gradual,ongoing collision of Africa and Europe
D)None of the above are correct;Venice was built underwater during the Middle Ages.
Q4) If a material is porous,it ____________.
A)will be permeable as well
B)will be impermeable
C)may be permeable or impermeable
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Chapter 20: An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate
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Q1) The strongest winds in a hurricane are found within the central eye.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The two main mechanisms of rain and snow formation within clouds are ____________ and ____________.
A)evaporation;precipitation
B)collision and coalescence;precipitation
C)collision and coalescence;the Bergeron process
D)phase change;the Bergeron process
Q3) Which pair of gases are most abundant within Earth's modern atmosphere?
A)nitrogen and oxygen
B)hydrogen and helium
C)carbon dioxide and methane
D)water vapor and sulfur dioxide
Q4) Lines connecting points of equal temperature on a map are termed
A)contour lines
B)isobars
C)isograds
D)isotherms
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Chapter 21: Dry Settings: the Geology of Deserts
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Q1) In most deserts,the scarcity of rainfall means that the majority of physical weathering and erosion is accomplished by the wind.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Desert climate associated with a rain shadow is found ____________.
A)on the windward side of mountain ranges
B)on the leeward side of mountain ranges
C)in the middle of flat plains
D)along continental coastlines
Q3) Chimneys (also called hoodoos)and yardangs differ in that ____________.
A)yardangs are formed by erosion of water and chimneys by evaporation
B)chimneys are formed by evaporation and yardangs by erosion of water
C)chimneys are fossilized trunks of saguaro and other large cactus,and yardangs are not
D)chimneys are remnants of physical erosion and yardangs are remnants of wind erosion
Q4) The most expansive hot deserts on Earth occur in the ____________.
A)tropics,at or near the equator
B)subtropics,between 20° and 30° north or south of the equator
C)temperate zone,between 30° and 50° north or south of the equator
Page 23
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Chapter 22: Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Q1) Valleys carved by glaciers tend to be shaped like the letter ____________,whereas valleys carved by water tend to shaped like the letter ____________.
A)V;U
B)V;C
C)U;V
D)V;I
Q2) Stratified sorted sand and gravel are deposited by ____________.
A)mountain glaciers
B)continental glaciers
C)glacial outwash streams
D)wind
Q3) Mars has polar ice caps that differ from the Earth's Antarctic ice cap in that ____________.
A)the Martian caps consist of a combination of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice)
B)the Martian caps have a spiral fracture pattern not found in Antarctica
C)Martian caps are ablated by sublimation only;there is currently no liquid water on Mars
D)All of the above are correct.
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Chapter 23: Global Change in the Earth System
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Q1) A crater in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula is about the right age to be a result of an impact that brought about the extinction of numerous species at the end of the ____________ Period.
A)Silurian
B)Jurassic
C)Cretaceous
D)Tertiary
Q2) Some plankton make shells of calcite/aragonite,that is,CaCO .They do this metabolically by combining calcium (Ca² )ions and bicarbonate (HCO -)ions that are both dissolved in water around them.When such plankton dies,their shells sink downward to become sediment of the ocean floor.Under some conditions in the ocean or sediment,the CaCO shells may dissolve,locally enriching the pore waters or deep-ocean waters in HCO -.Portions of this total process could be considered belonging to each of the following cycles,EXCEPT for the ____________.
A)carbon cycle
B)biogeochemical cycle
C)methane cycle
D)calcium cycle
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