Physical Science
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Physical Science is an interdisciplinary course that explores the fundamental concepts of physics and chemistry, providing a broad overview of the natural laws and principles that govern matter and energy. Students will investigate topics such as the structure of atoms, the properties of matter, forces and motion, energy transformations, waves, electricity, magnetism, and chemical reactions. Emphasis is placed on developing scientific inquiry skills, applying the scientific method, and using critical thinking to solve real-world problems. Through hands-on experiments, laboratory activities, and collaborative projects, students will gain a deeper understanding of how physical science shapes the world around us.
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Earth Science 1st Edition by Stephen Marshak
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Chapter 1: The Earth in Context
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Q1) A substance is NOT required to __________ to be considered a mineral.
A)be solid
B)be naturally occurring
C)contain carbon.
D)have atoms arranged in an orderly pattern
Answer: C
Q2) As compared to basalt, granite has a A)lower density.
B)higher density.
C)equal density.
D)similar proportion of crystals.
Answer: A
Q3) The study of the overall structure, formation, and evolution of the universe and all objects within it is known as A)geology.
B)geophysics.
C)physics.
D)cosmology
Answer: D
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
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Q1) Seafloor spreading
A)recycles old oceanic crust.
B)closes ocean basins.
C)creates new continental crust.
D)creates new oceanic crust.
Answer: D
Q2) Hot spots can occur
A) only within continental plates.
B) only within oceanic plates.
C)within either continental or oceanic plates.
D)only when the thickness of the crust is less than 10 km.
Answer: C
Q3) Compare the oceanic crust to the continental crust with respect to age. Why is this so?
Answer: Oceanic crust is younger than continental crust because it is created at mid-ocean ridges and recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones. Continental crust does not get recycled back into the mantle via subduction, so it is generally much older.
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Chapter 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals
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Q1) Minerals are grouped into mineral classes primarily on a basis of
A)chemistry, specifically the cations within the chemical formula.
B)chemistry, specifically the anions within the chemical formula.
C)hardness; hard, soft, and medium are the three primary classes.
D)the number of cleavage directions present.
Answer: B
Q2) For most minerals, the streak color obtained when the mineral is scratched against a porcelain plate is
A)only useful if the mineral is softer than porcelain.
B)more variable than the color in a hand sample among crystals.
C)not useful because the porcelain will often chemically react with the mineral.
D)always dark brown or black.
Answer: A
Q3) Which of the following is a mineral?
A)granite
B)lab-grown quartz crystal
C)salt dissolved in water
D)calcite
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks
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Q1) Viscosity of a magma does NOT depend on __________ .
A)temperature
B)volatile content
C)silica content
D)volumeof the magma
Q2) In Bowen's discontinuous reaction series, the first mineral to crystallize out of a mafic melt is __________ .
A)olivine
B)plagioclase
C)pyroxene
D)quartz
Q3) Columnar jointing forms primarily because of __________
A)Contraction and cracking of rock during the cooling process
B)Changes in density of the material as it cools
C)Partial remelting of lava on the surface
D)Fragmentation of the rock due to volatile escape
Q4) What are some of the main volcanic hazards?
Q5) Describe the difference between the relative viscosity of felsic versus mafic magma and how this affects the rate of flow of each type.
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Chapter 5: A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary
Rocks
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Q1) Sedimentary basins are often subject to ___________, which allows them to fill with thick accumulations of sediments.
A)erosion
B)diagenesis
C)uplift
D)subsidence
Q2) Coal and oil shale are considered __________ sedimentary rocks.
A)clastic
B)biochemical
C)organic
D)chemical
Q3) What is the difference between chemical and physical weathering?
Q4) Limestone can be either a biochemical or a chemical sedimentary rock. Explain how both types of limestone are formed. Make sure to describe the environments in which they were formed.
Q5) Which of the following does NOT reflect transport distance?
A)angularity
B)type of cement
C)rounding
D)mineral content
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Chapter 6: A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle
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Q1) Regional metamorphism
A)takes place at low temperatures and low pressure.
B)takes place only along continental margins.
C)is another name for thermal metamorphism.
D)is another name for dynamothermal metamorphism.
Q2) Which of the following processes is NOT involved directly with the creation of foliation?
A)recrystallization
B)preferential stress
C)compression
D)shear stress
Q3) Metamorphic grade describes the intensity or degree of metamorphism. The metamorphic grade of a rock is determined mainly by the temperature and amount of recrystallization or neocrystallization to which a rock is subjected. List the following rocks in order from low-grade to high-grade metamorphic rocks, then describe the changes seen in the suite of rocks as the grade is increased: gneiss, slate, schist, phyllite, and migmatite.
Q4) During dynamothermal metamorphism, several metamorphic processes are at work. Describe these processes and what effect they might have on the rocks subjected to this type of metamorphism.
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Chapter 7: Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal
Deformation and Mountain Building
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Q1) What kind of stress results in the lengthening of rock?
A)compressional
B)tensional
C)shear
D)brittle
Q2) Erosional processes work to remove material from mountains; thus, over time the topography will become less
A)rugged.
B)weathered.
C)flat-lying
D)stretched.
Q3) Which of the following is a change in the shape of a rock induced by stress?
A)Elastic rebound
B)Pressure release
C)Strain
D)Metamorphosis
Q4) Describe the differences between brittle and ductile deformation.
Q5) What are the three components of deformation? Briefly explain each.
Q7) How were the mountains in the Basin and Range Province formed? Page 9
Q6) What are joints? What might the presence of joints in a rock indicate?
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Page 10
Chapter 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
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Q1) A primary force opposing motion on all faults is A)covalent bonds.
B)gravity. C)friction.
D)the Van der Waals force.
Q2) Earthquakes often occur along A)bedding planes.
B)terminal moraines.
C)faults.
D)river valleys.
Q3) Compare and contrast P- and S-waves.
Q4) Why do deep-focus earthquakes occur along convergent plate boundaries? Why do they not occur along divergent or transform boundaries?
Q5) What kind of waves travel with a compressional motion?
A)Love waves
B)Rayleigh waves
C)P-waves
D)S-waves
Q6) Why is an early warning system NOT considered a short-term earthquake prediction tool?
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Chapter 9: Deep Time: How Old Is Old
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Q1) In an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks, younger layers overlie older layers, according to the principle of A)superposition.
B)original continuity.
C)original horizontality.
D)uniformitarianism.
Q2) Unconformities represent __________ in the rock record. A)erosion or nondeposition
B)continuing sequences
C)changes in size of the sediments
D)iridium layers from meteorites
Q3) If the ratio of parent to daughter isotopes is 25:75, how many half-lives have passed?
A)2
B)3
C)1
D)4
Q4) Discuss what the numerical age represents when radiometrically dating a basalt, a gneiss, and a quartz sandstone.
Q5) Why have no rocks older than 4.12 Ga been found in Earth's crust?
Page 12
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Chapter 10: A Biography of Earth
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Q1) Cells that have a nucleus are called __________ life.
A)prokaryotic
B)eukaryotic
C)archaea
D)flagellum
Q2) Banded iron formations (BIFs) show evidence of an
A)oxygen-poor atmosphere because all of the oxygen was dissolved into the oceans and then precipitated as iron-oxide minerals.
B)acidic ocean that forced iron to bond with the oxygen in the water to form iron-oxide minerals.
C)oxygen-poor ocean because all the oxygen was trapped in the iron-oxide minerals that make up the formation.
D)oxygen-rich atmosphere that forced the oceans to become oxidizing and precipitate iron-oxide minerals.
Q3) Which eon saw the first single-celled organism?
A)Proterozoic
B)Archean
C)Hadean
D)Cenozoic
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Chapter 11: Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources
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Q1) What are biofuels? Identify some examples of biofuels.
Q2) What is a seismic reflection profile? Summarize how they can be used in oil exploration.
Q3) What type of power uses flowing water to produce energy?
A) wind
B) geothermal
C)hydroelectric
D)nuclear
Q4) Which organic substance is produced by black organic shale at temperatures below (cooler than) the oil window?
A)natural gas
B)coal
C)kerogen
D)keratin
Q5) A large portion of the coal reserves in the world formed during the ____________ period.
A)Jurassic
B)Silurian
C)Carboniferous
D)Permian
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Q1) The principal difference between a debris flow and a debris slide is
A)the shape of the path taken by the moving mass.
B)the grain size of the moving mass.
C)that a debris flow contains abundant water, whereas a debris slide is dry.
D)that a debris flow contains pyroclastic debris from a volcanic eruption.
Q2) Some landslides include a mixture of loose sediment and very weathered rock called
A)bedrock.
B)regolith.
C)solifluction
D)substratum.
Q3) Imagine you have just bought some property and notice that the trees on the slope have curved trunks. What type of landslide event do you likely have on your property?
A)liquefaction
B)creep
C)slump
D)mudflow
Q4) How can water play a role in slope stability and slope failure?
Q5) What is a landform and how is it linked to the landscape?
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Chapter 13: Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater
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Q1) Why are artificial levees only useful for some flooding events?
A)Levees cannot be built larger than the surrounding floodplain.
B) Flash floods occur too quickly for officials to close the levees.
C) Levees are built in rural areas and will not help for flooding in the city.
D)Large floods can create high pressures and undermine the levee.
Q2) What will happen to a stream if the local base level is increased, for example, by adding a dam to the river?
Q3) A person is drilling and finds water. They would know they have found a perched aquifer if the water
A)table is too high.
B)table is too low.
C)is saltier.
D)is contaminated
Q4) A flowing artesian well is one that
A)discharges groundwater at the ground surface without pumping.
B) has its intake sited within the vadose zone of an unconfined aquifer.
C) has its intake sited within the unsaturated zone of an unconfined aquifer.
D)has its recharge area at an elevation below sea level.
Q5) What are porosity and permeability, and how do they affect the rate of groundwater flow?
Page 16
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Chapter 14: Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes
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Q1) Piles of sand that form simple, wavelike shapes are called __________ dunes.
A)barchans
B)transverse
C)star
D)parabolic
Q2) Most of the erosion in desert environments is caused by A)wind.
B)surface water.
C)groundwater.
D)salt wedging.
Q3) What is the dominant erosional force in deserts, wind or water? Why?
Q4) Which of the following human activities will lead to desertification?
A)addition of fertilizer to soil
B)diversion of water from an area
C)overirrigating an area
D)building a city in an area
Q5) List and describe one short-term cause for glaciations.
Page 17
Q6) Draw a representative eustatic sea level curve you would expect to see for a world that experienced two glacials and three interglacials. Make sure to label your axes and the glacials and interglacials on the graph.
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Page 18
Chapter 15: Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble
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Q1) Major oceanic surface currents travel
A)parallel to the prevailing wind direction in a region.
B)in direct opposition to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect.
C)in a similar direction to the prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect.
D)at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Doppler effect.
Q2) The Coriolis effect causes the apparent deflection of currents as a result of A)changes in wind speed.
B)the rotation of Earth.
C)changes in ocean currents.
D)the location of the Moon.
Q3) What prevents the individual water masses from becoming one single water mass?
A)a heterogeneous makeup
B)a homogenous makeup
C)Unrelated temperatures
D)Unrelated density
Q4) Draw a representation of the motion of an ocean wave, including labels denoting the different parts of the motion in an ocean wave. Students should include the following labels: amplitude, wavelength, wave height, crest, trough, and directional arrows.
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Page 19
Chapter 16: Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts
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Q1) Barrier islands are constantly moving in the direction of
A)the longshore drift.
B)the high tide.
C)down welling.
D)the Coriolis effect.
Q2) The shape of the seafloor is called
A)topography.
B)bathymetry.
C)marine geology
D)oceanography.
Q3) A coral reef would MOST likely be found
A)in an expansive, warm-water tropical tidal flat.
B)in clear, shallow waters at high latitudes.
C)in the shallow waters surrounding a volcanic tropical island.
D)along the coasts of active margins.
Q4) What is formed when layers of turbidites accumulate?
A)accretionary prisms
B)submarine canyons
C)continental margins
D)submarine fans
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Chapter 17: The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths
Atmosphere
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Q1) Meteorologists classify cloud type using the following characteristics; the ability to produce precipitation,__________, and__________.
A)shape; altitude
B)shape; color
C)color; size
D)size; density
Q2) Water held in the atmosphere is a__________ , whereas water in the form of snow, ice, or hail is a_________.
A)liquid; solid
B)vapor; solid
C)vapor; aerosol
D)solid; gas
Q3) How do researchers differentiate between the heterosphere and homosphere?
A)The heterosphere is a well-mixed layer, whereas the homosphere is stratified.
B)There is no way to differentiate between the two.
C)The homosphere is a well-mixed layer, whereas the heterosphere is stratified.
D)The homosphere and the heterosphere are both homogenous atmospheric layers.
Q4) List the three laws that govern the behavior of blackbody radiation.
Q5) Explain the role and process the ionosphere plays in radio transmission.
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Chapter 18: Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems
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Q1) Which phenomenon can best be described as significant atmospheric disturbances involving strong winds and heavy precipitation that can become hazardous to landscapes, ecosystems, society, and ships at sea?
A)volcanoes
B)earthquakes
C)mudslides
D)storms
Q2) The thickness of Earth's boundary layer depends on the
A)pressure gradient of the air pressure.
B)roughness and temperate of the surface below.
C)topography of the surface below.
D)temperate of the surface below.
Q3) Which type of storm is most likely found along the comma tail of the mid-latitude cyclone?
A)hail
B)snow
C)typhoon
D)rain
Q4) What are the causes of the formation of a monsoon?
Q5) Describe the four important properties of the Coriolis force.
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Chapter 19: Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems
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Q1) Development of a thunderstorm begins when __________ air starts to __________.
A)dry; rise as an updraft
B)dry; descend as a downdraft
C)moist; rise as an updraft
D)moist; descend as a downdraft
Q2) A(n) __________ thunderstorm forms along a distinct line that marks the edge of a front or gust front.
A)squall-line
B)straight-line
C)supercell
D)ordinary
Q3) A severe thunderstorm is one that produces A)tornadoes.
B)hurricanes.
C)hail up to 1 cm.
D)mid-latitude cyclones.
Q4) What conditions are necessary for thunderstorm formation?
Q5) Lifting that results in thunderstorm formation does not always have to take place along fronts. Illustrate, using words and/or pictures, how lifting could occur along a less distinct boundary. Page 23
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Chapter 20: Climate and Climate Change
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Q1) A basic history of global climate change is preserved in the stratigraphic record because
A)characteristics of igneous rocks depend on climate because of variations in cooling rates.
B)the amount of sediment deposited is a function of climate.
C)the amount of fossils preserved in the rock record is dependent on climate.
D)depositional setting and the assemblages of organisms depend on the climate.
Q2) The greenhouse effect is
A)the current increase in global surface temperatures.
B)the result of global warming.
C)a climate change hypothesis that is no longer accepted.
D)the trapping of reradiated energy by the atmosphere.
Q3) The degree of reflectivity of a surface is also known as its A)reflective index.
B)refractive index.
C)paradox.
D)albedo.
Q4) How is weather different from climate? How are they related?
Q5) How is a history of global climate change preserved in the stratigraphic record? Give an example.
Page 25
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Chapter 21: Our Solar System and Beyond
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Q1) A reflecting telescope operates by containing a(n)
A)flat mirror that refracts light to a focus in front of a mirror. The smaller the area of the mirror, the more light the telescope can gather. A smaller mirror at the focus sends the concentrated light to an eyepiece at the back or at the side of the telescope.
B)curved mirror that reflects light to a focus in front of a mirror. The larger the area of the mirror, the more light the telescope can gather. A smaller mirror at the focus sends the concentrated light to an eyepiece at the back or at the side of the telescope.
C)objective lens that refracts incoming light and concentrates it at a focus behind the lens. A second lens, the eyepiece, magnifies the concentrated light so that objects appear larger.
D)objective lens that reflects incoming light and concentrates it at a focus in front of the lens.
Q2) What are the reason(s) large astronomical observatories prefer reflecting telescopes?
Q3) How does an astronomer use Cepheid variables to determine distance in space?
Q4) How can astronomers determine the surface temperature of a star?
Q5) Why do planets sometimes exhibit retrograde motion?
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Chapter 22: Our Neighborhood in Space
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Q1) A meteoroid that strikes Earth after having made it through the atmosphere without burning up is a
A)comet.
B)asteroid.
C)meteor.
D)meteorite.
Q2) The Jovian planets are
A)also known as the ice giants.
B)also known as the terrestrial planets.
C)the four outermost planets.
D)composed primarily of rocky materials.
Q3) Which of the following best describes how Earth's Moon formed?
A)The Earth and Moon formed at the same time.
B)Early in the history of our solar system, an asteroid was captured by Earth's gravity and became the Moon.
C)Early in the history of our solar system, a protoplanet collided with Earth, sending debris into orbit that coalesced to form the moon.
D)During the late heavy bombardment, a group of comets were captured by Earth's gravity and coalesced to form the moon.
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Chapter 23: The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space
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Q1) When a bright eruption of plasma shoots out of the Sun's surface, it releases a huge number of particles as well as energy in the form of x-rays and UV rays. This explosion of energy at the Sun's surface is called a A)sunspot.
B)solar cycle.
C)solar flare.
D)solar prominence.
Q2) What are the differences between black-, white-, and red-dwarf stars in terms of their size, mass, temperature, formation mechanism, and life cycle stage?
Q3) The Sun currently falls on the main sequence of the H-R diagram. How will it evolve as it nears the end of its life as a visible star?
Q4) How do astronomers differentiate galaxies from one another?
Q5) The ____________ can extend 3 million kilometers (1.9 million miles) from the black hole's center.
A)event horizon
B)central axis
C)galactic disk
D)galactic halo
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Chapter 24: Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science
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Q1) The movement of materials among different components of a given realm, or among different realms, over time is known as a(n)
A)cycle.
B)system.
C)method.
D)hypothesis.
Q2) Groundwater is a part of which realm?
A)geosphere
B)hydrosphere
C)biosphere
D)atmosphere
Q3) Which of the following newsworthy topics is LEAST related to an aspect of Earth Science?
A)a major earthquake in Turkey
B)the eruption of a volcano in Mexico
C)the collapse of a building in New York
D)a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico
Q4) Give an example that illustrates a cycle.
Q5) How might Earth Science help you decide where to live?
Q6) Does the Earth System encompass more realms than the geosphere? Explain.
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