Question 1

Sinkholes and karst topography are a clear indication that ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  there is nothing unusual; these features occur everywhere there is fast motion of groundwater in the subsurface 
B)  the groundwater is moving through cracks in the rock 
C)  the groundwater is moving through a limestone and forming caves that periodically collapse 
D)  the area has been subjected to past meteorite bombardments and groundwater is moving through the fractured rock 
A)  there is nothing unusual; these features occur everywhere there is fast motion of groundwater in the subsurface 
B)  the groundwater is moving through cracks in the rock 
C)  the groundwater is moving through a limestone and forming caves that periodically collapse 
D)  the area has been subjected to past meteorite bombardments and groundwater is moving through the fractured rock

Question 2

Which of the following features characterize meandering streams and valleys?

Accepted Answer

A)  rapids; channel bed potholes 
B)  V- shaped valley cross sections 
C)  natural levees; broad floodplains 
D)  waterfalls; entrenched meanders 
A)  rapids; channel bed potholes 
B)  V- shaped valley cross sections 
C)  natural levees; broad floodplains 
D)  waterfalls; entrenched meanders

Question 3

Much of the city of New Orleans is below sea level, yet it was not an ocean when the city was first settled. How did it get below sea level?

Accepted Answer

A)  Oil production withdrew oil and produced land subsidence. 
B)  The area was dredged to build levees, and so it was left below sea level. 
C)  Drainage canals and groundwater withdrawal produced subsidence that dropped the land below sea level. 
D)  Sea level is just rising. 
A)  Oil production withdrew oil and produced land subsidence. 
B)  The area was dredged to build levees, and so it was left below sea level. 
C)  Drainage canals and groundwater withdrawal produced subsidence that dropped the land below sea level. 
D)  Sea level is just rising.

Question 4

Which slender, conical speleothem grows from water dripping from the ceiling of a cavern?

Accepted Answer

A)  flowstone 
B)  stalactite 
C)  crystalthem 
D)  stalagmite 
A)  flowstone 
B)  stalactite 
C)  crystalthem 
D)  stalagmite

Question 5

A stream begins at an elevation of 200 meters and flows a distance of 400 kilometers to the ocean. What is the average gradient?

Accepted Answer

A)  2 km/m 
B)  0.5 m/km 
C)  2 m/km 
D)  0.5 km/in 
A)  2 km/m 
B)  0.5 m/km 
C)  2 m/km 
D)  0.5 km/in

Question 6

The main power of water in a channel is related to its ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  discharge and viscosity 
B)  slope and temperature 
C)  slope and discharge 
D)  viscosity and velocity 
E)  velocity and temperature 
A)  discharge and viscosity 
B)  slope and temperature 
C)  slope and discharge 
D)  viscosity and velocity 
E)  velocity and temperature

Question 7

You are in a boat and concerned about shallow water in a meandering river. Where should you aim your boat to find the deepest water?

Accepted Answer

A)  midchannel 
B)  along the inside of the curve 
C)  on the outside of the curve, close to the cut bank 
D)  It doesn't matter, as long as you remain a meter or two from either bank 
A)  midchannel 
B)  along the inside of the curve 
C)  on the outside of the curve, close to the cut bank 
D)  It doesn't matter, as long as you remain a meter or two from either bank

Question 8

______would have the largest capacity to naturally remove sewage pollutants.

Accepted Answer

A)  Limestone with solution channels and caverns 
B)  Slightly clayey sand 
C)  Fractured granite 
D)  Well- sorted, coarse gravel 
A)  Limestone with solution channels and caverns 
B)  Slightly clayey sand 
C)  Fractured granite 
D)  Well- sorted, coarse gravel

Question 9

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  suspended load 
B)  bed load 
C)  dissolved load 
D)  cap load 
A)  suspended load 
B)  bed load 
C)  dissolved load 
D)  cap load

Question 10

The main source of the dissolved load in a stream is ______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  groundwater 
B)  cut bank soil 
C)  material along the bottom of the stream channel 
D)  salt flats 
E)  material along the sides of the stream channel 
A)  groundwater 
B)  cut bank soil 
C)  material along the bottom of the stream channel 
D)  salt flats 
E)  material along the sides of the stream channel

Question 11

One environmental problem associated with groundwater is______ that is caused by______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  subsidence; pollution 
B)  recharge; withdrawal 
C)  subsidence; withdrawal 
D)  recharge; pollution 
A)  subsidence; pollution 
B)  recharge; withdrawal 
C)  subsidence; withdrawal 
D)  recharge; pollution

Question 12

Which of the following best describes how geysers erupt?

Accepted Answer

A)  Water suddenly boils in disconnected voids and cracks above the water table, causing the aquifer to explosively fragment. 
B)  With a slight reduction in pressure, water in a saturated, natural conduit suddenly boils, sending a plume of steam and hot water into the air above the vent. 
C)  Water slowly boils in a network of vertical cracks above the water table, sending up a plume of steam and hot water. 
D)  Water below the water table slowly boils in a vertical crack or natural conduit, causing a plume of condensed water vapor to rise above the vent. 
A)  Water suddenly boils in disconnected voids and cracks above the water table, causing the aquifer to explosively fragment. 
B)  With a slight reduction in pressure, water in a saturated, natural conduit suddenly boils, sending a plume of steam and hot water into the air above the vent. 
C)  Water slowly boils in a network of vertical cracks above the water table, sending up a plume of steam and hot water. 
D)  Water below the water table slowly boils in a vertical crack or natural conduit, causing a plume of condensed water vapor to rise above the vent.

Question 13

More water is______ from the ocean than is returned to the ocean by precipitation.

Accepted Answer

A)  infiltrated 
B)  run off 
C)  transpirated 
D)  evaporated 
A)  infiltrated 
B)  run off 
C)  transpirated 
D)  evaporated

Question 14

______is the volume of voids or open space in a rock or unconsolidated material.

Accepted Answer

A)  Permeability 
B)  Saturation index 
C)  Space yield 
D)  Porosity 
A)  Permeability 
B)  Saturation index 
C)  Space yield 
D)  Porosity

Question 15

Hot springs are most numerous in which region of the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)  Northeast 
B)  West 
C)  Southeast 
D)  Midwest 
A)  Northeast 
B)  West 
C)  Southeast 
D)  Midwest

Question 16

Most of the water that evaporates from the oceans ______where it runs off to the oceans again.

Accepted Answer

A)  infiltrates into the ground 
B)  ends up in glaciers 
C)  is taken out of the air by tree leaves for transpiration 
D)  falls on land 
A)  infiltrates into the ground 
B)  ends up in glaciers 
C)  is taken out of the air by tree leaves for transpiration 
D)  falls on land

Question 17

A stream's turbulence is strongly influenced by its ______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  velocity 
B)  viscosity 
C)  temperature 
D)  sinuosity 
E)  sediment load 
A)  velocity 
B)  viscosity 
C)  temperature 
D)  sinuosity 
E)  sediment load

Question 18

As a form of flood control,______ involves altering a stream channel to speed the flow of water to prevent it from reaching flood height.

Accepted Answer

A)  natural levee construction 
B)  channelization 
C)  dredging 
D)  cutoffs 
A)  natural levee construction 
B)  channelization 
C)  dredging 
D)  cutoffs

Question 19

The bed load of a stream moves at average rates of______ in most streams.

Accepted Answer

A)  several m/year 
B)  several cm/year 
C)  several km/year 
D)  several mm/year 
A)  several m/year 
B)  several cm/year 
C)  several km/year 
D)  several mm/year

Question 20

Karst topography is most commonly associated with areas underlain by______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  massive sandstone strata 
B)  limestone formations 
C)  granite plutons 
D)  shale beds 
A)  massive sandstone strata 
B)  limestone formations 
C)  granite plutons 
D)  shale beds

Exam 9: Running Water and Groundwater

Sinkholes and karst topography are a clear indication that ______.

Which of the following features characterize meandering streams and valleys?

Much of the city of New Orleans is below sea level, yet it was not an ocean when the city was first settled. How did it get below sea level?

Which slender, conical speleothem grows from water dripping from the ceiling of a cavern?

A stream begins at an elevation of 200 meters and flows a distance of 400 kilometers to the ocean. What is the average gradient?

The main power of water in a channel is related to its ______.

You are in a boat and concerned about shallow water in a meandering river. Where should you aim your boat to find the deepest water?

______would have the largest capacity to naturally remove sewage pollutants.

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

The main source of the dissolved load in a stream is ______ .

One environmental problem associated with groundwater is______ that is caused by______ .

Which of the following best describes how geysers erupt?

More water is______ from the ocean than is returned to the ocean by precipitation.

______is the volume of voids or open space in a rock or unconsolidated material.

Hot springs are most numerous in which region of the United States?

Most of the water that evaporates from the oceans ______where it runs off to the oceans again.

A stream's turbulence is strongly influenced by its ______ .

As a form of flood control,______ involves altering a stream channel to speed the flow of water to prevent it from reaching flood height.

The bed load of a stream moves at average rates of______ in most streams.

Karst topography is most commonly associated with areas underlain by______ .

Introduction to Earth Science

Matter and Minerals

Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Weathering, Soil, and Mass Movement

Glaciers, Deserts, and Wind

Geologic Time

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

The Ocean Floor

Ocean Water and Ocean Life

The Dynamic Ocean

The Atmosphere: Composition, Structure, and Temperature

Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Wind

Weather Patterns and Severe Storms

World Climates and Global Climate Change

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Touring Our Solar System

Light, Telescopes, and the Sun

Beyond Our Solar System

Filters

One environmental problem associated with groundwater is that is caused by .