Geology
Test Bank
Course Introduction
Physical Geology is an introductory course that explores the materials, processes, and structures that shape the Earths surface and interior. Students examine fundamental concepts such as mineral and rock identification, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism, weathering, erosion, and the formation of landscapes. The course integrates laboratory exercises and field experiences to develop an understanding of physical processes that have shaped our planet over geological time, emphasizing the relevance of geology in everyday life and environmental issues.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Geology 4th Edition by Stephen Marshak
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25 Chapters
1380 Verified Questions
1380 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: The Earth in Context
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a possible stage in a star's life and collapse?
A) protostar
B) supernova
C) gas giant
D) black hole
Answer: C
Q2) Which layer of the Earth has the greatest density?
A) crust
B) mantle
C) core
D) They all have the same density.
Answer: C
Q3) The inner planets are terrestrial because _________________.
A) they are made of volatile materials
B) they are made of refractory materials
C) as our Solar System's proto-Sun formed, the inner part of our protoplanetary disk got hotter causing evaporation
D) Both b and c are correct.
E) Both a and c are correct.
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Limestone reefs and salt deposits are important rocks in the reconstruction of Earth history because they ____________.
A) can be used to infer the ancient climate of the Earth; they are deposited in environments that are restricted to warm climate
B) automatically provide age information; all such deposits occurred between 200 and 400 million years ago
C) are deposited in warm climates today, but there is good reason to think that they were deposited in cold climates millions of years ago
D) imply that ancient human societies had access to good snorkeling and premium margaritas
Answer: C
Q2) A great boost in sea-floor exploration and a greater understanding of sea-floor bathymetry were a result of _______________.
A) scientific advances in the 1950s
B) scientific advances in the 1920s
C) military needs in World War I
D) military needs in World War II
Answer: D
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4
Chapter 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals
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Sample Questions
Q1) Minerals play an important role in ________________ .
A) our health
B) our energy use
C) the processing of many products
D) All of the above are correct.
Answer: D
Q2) All minerals are held together by ionic bonds.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Some gemstones are simply prettier versions of common minerals.What makes them special in comparison to their more lackluster versions?
A) their color
B) the way light passes through the mineral
C) the chemical composition of the mineral
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) Both a and c are correct.
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) An igneous rock with a mixed texture of coarse grains (phenocrysts)surrounded by fine crystals (groundmass)is termed ____________.
A) porphyritic
B) phaneritic
C) aphanitic
D) necrotic
Q2) If magma did not move up from where it was formed,which of the following would be true?
A) No new oceanic crust would be made.
B) Volcanoes would not erupt.
C) Plates would not move.
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) All of the above are correct.
Q3) Viscosity depends on ____________.
A) temperature
B) volatile content
C) silica content
D) All of the above are correct.
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Chapter 5: The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Phreatomagmatic eruptions take place when ____________.
A) volatiles effervesce prior to lava flow
B) water enters the magma chamber and forms steam
C) basaltic lava clogs the chimney
D) lava or pyroclastic debris erupt by bursting through the sides of the volcano
Q2) A fast-moving flow consisting of a mixture of water and volcaniclastic debris is called a ____________.
A) lahar
B) glowing avalanche
C) flood basalt
D) stratovolcano
Q3) Why is our Moon no longer experiencing volcanism?
A) It is not being bombarded by meteorites.
B) Its convection cells have shut off.
C) It does not have a core.
D) It is completely solid.
Q4) All volcanic eruptions pass through the crater at the volcanic summit.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks
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Sample Questions
Q1) What effect would plants have on a sand dune environment?
A) encourage sand movement
B) deter sand movement
C) Plants have no effect on a sand dune environment.
Q2) A fine-grained clastic rock that splits into thin sheets is ____________.
A) mudstone
B) shale
C) sandstone
D) arkose
Q3) Which of the following would NOT be definitive evidence that a geologist was looking at a package of rocks from a formerly coastal environment?
A) rippled sedimentary structures
B) medium-grained sandstone
C) sediment composed of predominantly calcium carbonate
D) coal deposits
Q4) Grains become rounded primarily during ____________.
A) weathering at outcrop
B) erosion
C) transportation
D) deposition
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Metamorphism: a Process of Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Foliated metamorphic rocks possess ____________.
A) leafy plant fossils (ancient foliage)
B) a homogeneous 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 seawater
Q2) The protolith subjected to metamorphism ____________.
A) is always metamorphic rock
B) is always igneous rock
C) is always sedimentary rock
D) may belong to any of the three primary rock types
Q3) How does the banding in gneiss form?
A) by the well-understood process of metamorphic differentiation
B) from the evolution of bedding in the protolith
C) from compressional stress on the protolith
D) from fluids running through the rock during creation
Q4) Burial metamorphism produces ____________.
A) foliated rocks only
B) nonfoliated rocks only
C) both foliated and nonfoliated rocks
Page 9
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Chapter 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sandy substrate is susceptible to ____________ during an earthquake.
A) displacement
B) collapse
C) liquifaction
D) faulting
Q2) All discovered faults are likely to experience earthquakes in the next few hundred years.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Earthquakes are a result of ____________.
A) a sudden change in atmospheric pressure
B) mantle upwelling
C) erosion
D) lithosphere-plate movement
Q4) Seismic retrofitting is the process of __________.
A) predicting earthquakes
B) strengthening existing buildings and structures
C) mapping areas prone to earthquakes
D) releasing energy
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Chapter 9: Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal
Deformation and Mountain Building
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Sample Questions
Q1) Regions where Precambrian metamorphic rocks are exposed at the surface are termed ____________.
A) shields
B) platforms
C) convergent margins
Q2) Which of the following must occur for the elevation of a mountain range to increase over time?
A) There must be an absence of erosion.
B) The rate of erosion must be less than the rate of uplift.
C) The rate of uplift must be less than the rate of erosion.
D) Uplift and erosion must cease, but the asthenosphere must expand.
Q3) Change in shape,induced by stress,is termed ____________.
A) plastic deformation
B) pressure release
C) strain
D) metamorphosis
Q4) Normal,reverse,and thrust are all examples of ____________ faults.
A) strike-slip
B) dip-slip
C) oblique-slip
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Chapter 10: Deep Time: How Old Is Old
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the 1800s Lord Kelvin estimated the age of the Earth,utilizing a number of assumptions.Which wrong assumption was the primary reason why his estimate (approximately 20 million years)was so wildly inaccurate?
A) that the Earth was once hotter than it presently is today
B) that the Earth may have been molten when first formed
C) that no new heat has been added to the Earth since its initial formation
D) that the Earth would lose heat over time through radiation into outer space
Q2) In an unweathered sample of igneous rock,the ratio of an unstable isotope to its stable daughter isotope is 1/15.If no daughters were present at the time the rock cooled below closure temperature,and the half-life of the reaction is 50 million years,how old is the rock?
A) 200 million years
B) 400 million years
C) 750 million years
D) None of the above are correct.
Q3) If the relative age of two formations (with respect to one another)is known,then the numerical ages for each formation can be inferred.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: A Biography of Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which gas found in today's atmosphere was nearly absent in the Hadean Eon?
A) nitrogen
B) water vapor
C) oxygen
D) carbon dioxide
Q2) The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves ____________.
A) impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body during the Hadean
B) simultaneous formation of Earth and the Moon in neighboring parts of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago
C) gravitational capture of the Moon by Earth during the Hadean
D) gravitational capture of Earth by the Moon during the Archean
Q3) Earth's Hadean atmosphere had far less of which gas,compared to now?
A) oxygen (O )
B) ozone (O )
C) methane
D) Archean
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Graphite forms from natural gas as well as coal when temperatures rise.What does this imply?
A) Coal and natural gas molecules decompose to carbon and other matter when temperature rises.
B) Coal and natural gas molecules are transformed by neutron bombardment into carbon.
C) The precursors of natural gas and coal were graphite or other pure carbon.
D) Coal and natural gas must be less dense than graphite.
Q2) What effect would the intrusion of a magma body have on the depth to the "oil window",and why?
A) None.
B) The depth to the oil window should increase because the magma is migrating upward and thereby decreasing crustal pressures
C) The depth to the oil window should decrease because the magma is bringing heat closer to Earth's surface.
D) The depth to the oil window should increase because the water in the magma will cool the nearby rock.
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Chapter 13: Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) One property that geologists use to distinguish among different types of mass wasting is the ____________ of the moving material.
A) weight
B) color
C) composition
D) name
Q2) To the geologist,____________.
A) landslides and mass movements are the same thing
B) all mass movements are landslides, but not all landslides are mass movements
C) all landslides are mass movements, but not all mass movements are landslides
D) mass movements differ from landslides in that a greater mass of material moves during a mass movement than during a landslide
Q3) Ground shaking can transform wet sediments into liquid-like slurries in a process known as ____________.
A) liquefaction
B) slumping
C) undercutting
D) sloping
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Chapter 14: Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) The flat-lying area surrounding a river channel is termed the ____________.
A) base level
B) floodplain
C) stream gradient
D) thalweg
Q2) The outer edge of a meander,where material is being eroded,is a(n)____________.
A) meander neck
B) cut bank
C) point bar
D) abandoned meander
Q3) The primary stream fed by tributaries within a drainage basin is termed a ____________.
A) lead stream
B) trunk stream
C) taproot stream
D) pirate stream
Q4) All flooding events occur so rapidly that there is no time to alert people in harm's way.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
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Sample Questions
Q1) A bathymetric map depicts ____________.
A) surface salinity
B) surface temperature
C) temperature at the sea floor
D) depth of the sea floor below sea level
Q2) Rogue waves arise from constructive interference of multiple convergent waves and can be more than 100 ft high.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Coriolis effect causes fluids or objects moving in the air or water to appear to be deflected because of the ____________.
A) ceaseless bombardment of Earth by solar radiation
B) slow migration of Earth's magnetic field, due to convection in the outer core
C) effects of plate tectonics on oceans and airmasses
D) rotation of the Earth
Q4) Beach swash occurs because of which two factors?
A) upwelling, and longshore currents
B) breaking waves and longshore currents
C) tides, and downwelling currents
D) breaking waves tides
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Chapter 16: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
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Sample Questions
Q1) Rock or sediment between the water table and the land surface represents a(n)____________.
A) aquitard
B) confined aquifer
C) unconfined aquifer
D) unsaturated zone
Q2) Sinkholes are a concern primarily for residents whose dwellings are constructed atop ____________.
A) sandstone
B) shale
C) limestone
D) granite
Q3) A body of permeable,saturated rock or sediment into which water can percolate directly from the ground surface is termed a(n)____________.
A) aquitard
B) confined aquifer
C) unconfined aquifer
D) unsaturated zone
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Chapter 17: Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Desert areas constitute what percent of the Earth's surface?
A) 5%
B) 15%
C) 25%
D) 40%
Q2) Cuestas can form when ____________.
A) winds remove certain sizes of sediment from the land surface
B) water flows intermittently
C) beds or layers are dipping
D) the wind blows strongly from two different directions and there is an abundant supply of sand
Q3) Two other names for desert washes (dry gullies)are ____________.
A) barchans and wadis
B) wadis and arroyos
C) arroyos and inselbergs
D) inselbergs and wadis
Q4) Because of little rainfall,the majority of physical weathering and transport of sediments in deserts is accomplished by the wind.
A)True
B)False
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
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Sample Questions
Q1) Areas on the southern margins of the continental glaciers of the northern hemisphere were much ____________ during Plio-Pleistocene glaciations than they are today,as suggested by evidence of large ____________ during this time.
A) warmer; tropical rainforests
B) wetter; tropical rainforests
C) drier; deserts
D) wetter; pluvial lakes
Q2) A sharp bedrock ridge separating two bowl-shaped depressions formed by mountain glaciers is termed a(n)____________.
A) arête
B) cirque
C) horn
D) tarn
Q3) Walking across an Antarctic ice sheet would not be very treacherous if you could stay warm enough.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 19: Global Change in the Earth System
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Sample Questions
Q1) Global warming has caused Earth to become warmer in the last few decades than it has ever been in geologic history.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Nearly all biological,physical,and chemical systems on Earth are disconnected and can be effectively studied in isolation from each other.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following chemicals is NOT a cause of acidification of the atmosphere or surface waters?
A) minerals containing sulfides
B) bicarbonate
C) carbon dioxide
D) minerals containing silicates
Q4) Cyclical global change includes the formation of core,mantle,and crust from a homogeneous mixture,a state to which one day Earth will return.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: Rock Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) What type of rock would you expect to form from the material found along a beach?
A) crystalline
B) sedimentary
C) metamorphic
D) igneous
Q2) Granite is a type of rock that forms deep underground from magma that cools very slowly.What type of rock is granite?
A) clastic
B) igneous
C) sedimentary
D) metamorphic
Q3) Which is a physical characteristic used to classify a rock?
A) mineral stability
B) rock texture
C) water content
D) degree of weathering
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Chapter 21: A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which soil horizon contains the most organic material?
A) A.
B) O.
C) B.
D) E.
Q2) Hydration occurs when __________________.
A) minerals are dissolved into water
B) minerals are turned into rust
C) minerals absorb water and expand
D) minerals are removed by frost
Q3) If the climate in an area has very little rainfall,what would the characteristics of the soil in the area be?
A) thick, with a lot of organic material
B) thin, with a lot of organic material
C) thick, with very little organic material
D) thin, with very little organic material
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23
Chapter 22: The Rock Cycle
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Sample Questions
Q1) In order to form a sedimentary rock,what process must happen?
A) melting
B) erosion
C) crystallization
D) deep burial
Q2) What is the progression of rock types if the steps of a process are as follows? erosion and deposition à melting à melting à erosion and deposition
A) sedimentary à igneous à sedimentary
B) sedimentary à metamorphic à igneous à sedimentary
C) sedimentary à igneous à igneous à sedimentary
D) sedimentary à metamorphic à metamorphic à sedimentary
Q3) If a rock is uplifted and exposed,what is the likely next type of rock that will form?
A) igneous
B) crystalline
C) metamorphic
D) sedimentary
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Chapter 23: The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Geophysics is the study of _________.
A) how magma moves within the Earth
B) how Earth's layers change through time
C) the interior of Earth using seismicity, magnetics, and gravity
D) the surface of Earth using seismicity, magnetics, and gravity
Q2) Earth's magnetic field is produced in the ___________.
A) crust
B) mantle
C) outer core
D) inner core
Q3) If a ship towing a magnetometer passes over a piece of crust with a "normal" polarity,what will the magnetic anomaly look like?
A) The magnetic anomaly will be greater than Earth's.
B) The magnetic anomaly will be lower than Earth's.
C) The magnetic anomaly will exactly match Earth's.
D) The magnetic anomaly will be exactly zero.
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Chapter 24: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements regarding the fossil record is FALSE?
A) Not every minute of Earth's history is recorded in the rock record.
B) The fossil record does not contain any fossil remains of plants, only animals.
C) Not all organisms have a high preservation potential.
D) Paleontologists have not yet found all the fossils that are in the rocks.
Q2) If a volcanic eruption occurs that blocks out some of the sunlight long enough for many plants to die,what (if anything)will happen to the carnivorous animal species?
A) They will eventually die along with many other species in the food chain.
B) The carnivorous animals will need to adapt to eat other plant species.
C) They will die from the drop in temperature before the plant deaths affect them.
D) Nothing will happen; carnivorous animals will not be affected by plant death.
Q3) Which of the following is NOT necessary in order to be preserved as a fossil?
A) hard parts
B) rapid burial
C) anoxic environment
D) tough skin or fur
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Chapter 25: An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle
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Q1) What circumstance is likely to produce depositional landforms?
A) flash flooding of a river in the desert
B) a river flowing out of a lake
C) a river entering a large body of water
D) ocean waves crashing on the beach
Q2) How does water get from the atmosphere into the groundwater system?
A) Precipitation falls into rivers and then flows downriver into the groundwater system.
B) Precipitation falls on the ground and infiltrates into the ground surface to fill pores and fractures.
C) Water from the ocean is sucked up into the groundwater system due to a pressure difference.
D) Plants secrete water into the groundwater system in a process called evapotranspiration.
Q3) Water can remain in the ground as groundwater for up to 10,000 years.This is called the __________.
A) aquifer storage
B) groundwater flow rate
C) residence time
D) transfer time
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