Marine Science Test Questions
Course Introduction
Marine Science is the interdisciplinary study of oceanic environments and the diverse organisms that inhabit them. The course explores the physical, chemical, biological, and geological features of the worlds oceans, delving into processes such as ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, and coastal dynamics. Students gain insight into the importance of marine resources, the impact of human activities on marine habitats, and the role oceans play in global climate systems. Through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical approaches, the course prepares students to understand, analyze, and address current challenges in the conservation and sustainable use of marine environments.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Oceanography 6th Edition by Tom S. Garrison
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15 Chapters
675 Verified Questions
675 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: The Origin of the Ocean
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the early atmosphere and how it could have lead to the evolution of life on Earth.
Answer: The Earth's atmosphere formed as hot gases escaped from deep within the planet. This early atmosphere included gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia (note that molecular oxygen was absent in the atmosphere until about 2.2 billion years ago). Experiments have shown that organic molecules necessary for life could have formed as the dissolved compounds in the atmosphere were exposed to light, heat and electrical sparks. These energized mixtures can produce simple sugars and amino acids, proteins and nucleotides - all biologically important molecules.
Q2) Describe the Big Bang theory.
Answer: Our universe had a beginning that is described as the big bang event. This event occurred about 13.7 billion years ago and marks the beginning of a series of events that formed our Earth, ocean and eventually allowed for the evolution of life on our planet. The big bang specifically refers to the moment when the expansion of the universe began. All of the mass and energy of the universe is thought to have been concentrated at a geometric point at the beginning of space and time.
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Chapter 2: A History of Marine Science
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Sample Questions
Q1) The first technology to replace weighted lines for making detailed measurements of the contours of the ocean floor was:
A) echo sounders
B) satellites
C) bathyscaphes
D) submersibles
Answer: A
Q2) The Navy Officer who first compiled information about winds and currents was:
A) Edward Forbes.
B) Charles Darwin.
C) Matthew Maury.
D) Tim Folger
Answer: C
Q3) Humanity did not spread to all the inhabitable areas of Earth until after the European voyages of discovery in the late 1400s and early 1500s.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Buoyancy is the ability of an object to float in a fluid by:
A) weighing less than the water surrounding it.
B) displacing a volume of water equal in weight to its own weight.
C) displacing a volume of water which weighs slightly more than its own weight.
D) displacing a volume of water which weighs slightly less than its own weight.
Answer: B
Q2) The Hawaiian Islands formed as they pass over a hot spot in the middle of the:
A) Mid-Atlantic ridge.
B) Nazca Plate.
C) Mariana Trench.
D) Pacific Plate.
Answer: D
Q3) New crust is being generated:
A) in the deep trenches.
B) in submarine canyons.
C) in the rift valleys of the mid-ocean ridges.
D) at the centers of large continents.
Answer: C
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5
Chapter 4: Ocean Basins
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements most accurately describes how the continental rise is formed?
A) From the convergence of oceanic plates at passive continental margins.
B) From volcanic activity at active continental margins.
C) From accumulated sediments at the base of the continental slope.
D) from sedimentation surrounding spreading centers.
Q2) A guyot is found at spreading centers.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Scientists think that turbidity currents contribute to the formation of submarine canyons.
A)True
B)False
Q4) the widest continental shelf is located in:
A) the Arctic Sea north of Siberia.
B) the western edge of South America.
C) the margin surrounding the Hawaiian Islands.
D) the Emperor Seamounts.
Q5) Abyssal Plains and Abyssal hills cover about 25% of the surface of the earth. How are these features characterized?
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Chapter 5: Ocean Sediments
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following sediments cover the greatest area of seabed?
A) terrigenous sediments
B) biogenous sediments
C) hydrogenous (or authigenic) sediments
D) cosmogenous sediments
Q2) What are the main sources of terrigenous sediments?
Q3) One area in the ocean that has an extreme abundance of sediment deposition is:
A) the shallow waters around Alaska.
B) the waters around the tip of Africa.
C) the deep ocean floor in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
D) the waters near the Gulf Coast of North America.
Q4) Scientists use ocean sediments to obtain information about ocean processes throughout the history of the ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q5) An example of a terrigenous sediment is the manganese nodule.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What is sediment and what are the 4 classifications of marine sediments based on their origin?
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) The density of seawater is affected by both temperature and salinity.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The principle of constant proportions states:
A) that the total amount of dissolved solids in the ocean is a constant.
B) that the salinity of the ocean is a constant.
C) that the excess volatile ratio of the ocean is a constant.
D) that the ratio of major salts in samples of seawater from various places is a constant.
Q3) About what percentage of the incoming sunlight is absorbed by the Earth's land and water surface?
A) 20%
B) 35%
C) 50%
D) 65%
Q4) The type of bond that enables water molecules to stick together is a:
A) covalent bond.
B) molecular bond.
C) hydrogen bond.
D) atomic bond.
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Chapter 7: Atmospheric Circulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) The state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place is:
A) weather.
B) winds.
C) climate.
D) global warming.
Q2) Warm air ____ and cool air ____.
A) expands and sinks; expands and rises
B) contracts and rises; expands and sinks
C) expands and rises; contracts and sinks
D) expands and rises; expands and sinks
Q3) A ________________ is a pattern of wind circulation that changes with the seasons.
A) monsoon
B) typhoon
C) hurricane
D) cyclone
Q4) Explain the Coriolis Effect.
Q5) Cyclones do not arise over the South Atlantic because the water is too cold.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Ocean Circulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) A transverse current is:
A) a bottom current flowing in the same direction as an overlying surface current.
B) a surface current that connects eastern-boundary and western-boundary currents.
C) a cold surface current that flows from the poles towards the equator.
D) a theoretical current not yet discovered.
Q2) Describe how ocean currents affect the global distribution of heat and give an example of how they moderate climate.
Q3) A system of four currents completing a flow circuit around the periphery of an ocean basin is collectively called:
A) a cell.
B) a gyre.
C) a microscale current.
D) convection cells.
Q4) The Earth's rotation influences currents by a "force" known as:
A) Ekman spiral.
B) geostrophism.
C) gyre counter rotation.
D) Coriolis effect.
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10
Chapter 9: Waves
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Sample Questions
Q1) Constructive Interference in waves can cause:
A) an occasional wave greater than any noted before or after its occurrence.
B) every other wave to be larger or smaller than those preceding or following.
C) waves to get smaller within 24 hours.
D) waves to double in height every 24 hours.
Q2) Wave reflection causes interference in the form of vertical oscillations that are called standing waves.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A wave first begins to break against the shore when the ratio of wave height to water depth is about 3:4.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In the open sea, tsunami reach an average wave height of about:
A) 1 meter.
B) 10 meters.
C) 100 meters.
D) 1,000 meters.
Q5) Describe how a tsunami is formed and how it can travel great distances at great speeds.
11
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Chapter 10: Tides
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Sample Questions
Q1) An amphidromic point is a:
A) no tide point in the ocean around which the tide crest rotates through one tidal cycle.
B) place in the ocean where tides are highest.
C) place in the ocean where tidal datum is displaced to the right (in the northern hemisphere), or to the south (in the southern hemisphere).
D) no tide point at the coast where there is a daily high tide, but no low tide.
Q2) Tidal bores usually occur:
A) in rivers or long narrow bays.
B) in open ocean far from land.
C) around islands.
D) in enclosed basins such as the Mediterranean.
Q3) Can tides be predicted? Explain why or why not and give examples of factors that may render tidal predictions inaccurate.
Q4) How can tidal energy be used by humans?
Q5) There can only be one high tide and one low tide per tidal day for any given area.
A)True
B)False
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Coasts
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Sample Questions
Q1) The steep cliffs and rugged coast of much of the West Coast of the United States are primarily the result of:
A) faulting and earth movement.
B) marine deposition.
C) river deposition.
D) glacial erosion.
Q2) Oceanographers usually classify coasts by:
A) the type of sand found on the beach.
B) the physical processes shaping the coasts.
C) the direction the coast faces.
D) the latitude in which the coast resides.
Q3) A problem facing many beaches along the U.S. east and west coasts is:
A) excess sand being deposited around seaside installations.
B) the rapid growth of deltas at the mouths of rivers.
C) the development of barrier beaches across harbors.
D) the loss of sand and the erosion of beaches.
Q4) Over time, the amount of water in the world ocean has remained constant.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Define the term coast and describe the factors that shape coastlines.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Life in the Ocean
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Sample Questions
Q1) A form of autotrophy other than photosynthesis is:
A) respiration.
B) chemosynthesis.
C) heterotrophy.
D) decomposition.
Q2) The mechanism of evolution discovered by Darwin and Wallace is:
A) taxonomy.
B) natural selection.
C) classification.
D) biology.
Q3) Which of the following functions to maintain a balanced pH in the ocean?
A) oxygen
B) carbon dioxide
C) nitrogen
D) phosphate
Q4) Hydrogen sulfide is a high-energy molecule that can be used to make carbohydrates through the process of chemosynthesis.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe how energy enters biological ecosystems in the ocean.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Pelagic Communities
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Sample Questions
Q1) An example of a zooplankton that is very important to many pelagic communities is:
A) krill.
B) squid.
C) dinoflagellates.
D) diatoms.
Q2) Penguins are found world-wide and although they cannot fly, they can swim great distances.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following groups of animals includes only pinnipeds?
A) dolphins, whales and manatees
B) seals, sea lions and walruses
C) sea lions, sea cows and dugongs
D) walruses, polar bears and otters
Q4) All of the following are cetacean adaptations EXCEPT:
A) ectothermy.
B) streamlined body shape.
C) modified respiratory system to collect and retain large amounts of oxygen.
D) mammary glands.
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Chapter 14: Benthic Communities
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Sample Questions
Q1) Coral reef communities:
A) are made up exclusively of various species of coral polyps.
B) are made up of filter and suspension feeders living off the abundant plankton.
C) are limited to carnivorous animals.
D) are successful because they efficiently recycle nutrients
Q2) Are the physical and chemical conditions stable in intertidal environments? Explain why or why not and provide examples to support your claims.
Q3) Species diversity is generally higher on the seafloor than in that part of the water column immediately above it.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The most common pattern for benthic organism distributions is:
A) clumped distribution.
B) negative binomial distribution.
C) random distribution.
D) uniform distribution.
Q5) Compare and contrast the stability of habitats found in the deep-sea.
Q6) Is the distribution of benthic organisms random? Explain why or why not.
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Chapter 15: Uses and Abuses of the Ocean
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Sample Questions
Q1) The number of people who can inhabit a given area is in part determined by the:
A) ease at which food can be extracted from the environment.
B) amount of potable water available.
C) ability of the people to build housing.
D) amount of evaporation in the area.
Q2) Pollutants can have negative influences on organisms by interfering with biochemical processes.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A major source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases results from:
A) the release of gases from volcanic and geothermal processes.
B) the combustion products of petroleum, coal and natural gas.
C) the production of byproducts from photosynthesis.
D) the transfer of gases from the ocean into the atmosphere.
Q4) Most synthetic pollutants resist attack by water, air, sunlight, and living organisms because the compounds of which they are composed resemble nothing in nature.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Define "Bycatch" and explain how it is damaging to marine populations.
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