Question 1

According to the theory of plate tectonics,

Accepted Answer

A)  the continents are moving but the ocean floor is not, leading to great friction 
B)  the rubbing of the waters of the Earth across its crust is speeding up its rotation 
C)  the liquid metal inside the Earth is developing plates of solid metallic material, which contribute to the Earth's magnetic field 
D)  earthquakes are caused by huge waves that come up from inside the molten core of the Earth 
E)  slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around 
A)  the continents are moving but the ocean floor is not, leading to great friction 
B)  the rubbing of the waters of the Earth across its crust is speeding up its rotation 
C)  the liquid metal inside the Earth is developing plates of solid metallic material, which contribute to the Earth's magnetic field 
D)  earthquakes are caused by huge waves that come up from inside the molten core of the Earth 
E)  slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around

Question 2

The person who came up with the continental drift theory that led to our modern understanding of plate tectonics was

Accepted Answer

A)  James Van Allen 
B)  Milutin Milankovich 
C)  Charles Richter 
D)  Alfred Wegener 
E)  John Continental 
A)  James Van Allen 
B)  Milutin Milankovich 
C)  Charles Richter 
D)  Alfred Wegener 
E)  John Continental

Question 3

Today, a significant amount of new gas is joining the atmosphere of the Earth from what source:

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth is capturing gas clouds from space as it orbits the Sun 
B)  much more water is evaporating from the oceans than is condensing back into water 
C)  volcanoes release gas that was trapped within the Earth 
D)  large meteorites that land on the Earth release a great deal of gas 
E)  the discussions in state legislatures about creationism and evolution 
A)  Earth is capturing gas clouds from space as it orbits the Sun 
B)  much more water is evaporating from the oceans than is condensing back into water 
C)  volcanoes release gas that was trapped within the Earth 
D)  large meteorites that land on the Earth release a great deal of gas 
E)  the discussions in state legislatures about creationism and evolution

Question 4

According to the fossil record, how old is the oldest evidence of life forms on the surface of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  6000 years 
B)  a few million years 
C)  65 million years 
D)  about 3.5 billion years 
E)  you can't fool me, there is no way to measure the ages of ancient fossils 
A)  6000 years 
B)  a few million years 
C)  65 million years 
D)  about 3.5 billion years 
E)  you can't fool me, there is no way to measure the ages of ancient fossils

Question 5

The region around the Earth where charged particles are trapped and spiral around is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  the magnetosphere 
B)  the atmosphere 
C)  the ozone layer 
D)  the mantle 
E)  the spirosphere 
A)  the magnetosphere 
B)  the atmosphere 
C)  the ozone layer 
D)  the mantle 
E)  the spirosphere

Question 6

Which of the following statements about the Earth's magnetosphere is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  it contains particles that come mainly from the solar wind 
B)  it is generated by circulating liquid metal inside the Earth's core 
C)  it was first detected in space by the Explorer 1 satellite 
D)  it extends into space over a region much bigger than the diameter of the Earth 
E)  its shape and size are the same on the sides facing toward and away from the Sun 
A)  it contains particles that come mainly from the solar wind 
B)  it is generated by circulating liquid metal inside the Earth's core 
C)  it was first detected in space by the Explorer 1 satellite 
D)  it extends into space over a region much bigger than the diameter of the Earth 
E)  its shape and size are the same on the sides facing toward and away from the Sun

Question 7

An important way that scientists have been able to study the interior of the Earth is by:

Accepted Answer

A)  studying the exterior, which is made of exactly the same material 
B)  digging deep trenches at the bottom of the ocean, which is a lot closer to the planet's center 
C)  using spacecraft that can detect strong radio waves coming from the center 
D)  measuring how seismic waves are transmitted through the Earth 
E)  there is no way we can study's the Earth's deep interior at the present time 
A)  studying the exterior, which is made of exactly the same material 
B)  digging deep trenches at the bottom of the ocean, which is a lot closer to the planet's center 
C)  using spacecraft that can detect strong radio waves coming from the center 
D)  measuring how seismic waves are transmitted through the Earth 
E)  there is no way we can study's the Earth's deep interior at the present time

Question 8

Any rock in the Earth's crust that has cooled from an originally molten state is called

Accepted Answer

A)  metamorphic 
B)  sedimentary 
C)  igneous 
D)  silicate 
E)  subducted 
A)  metamorphic 
B)  sedimentary 
C)  igneous 
D)  silicate 
E)  subducted

Question 9

Scientists now understand that the Earth consists of layers, with the densest materials in the core. What allowed the differentiation of the Earth's layers to happen?

Accepted Answer

A)  a giant rock from space hit the Earth and made a huge hole almost to the center, through which material could move 
B)  continental drift and plate tectonics made this happen 
C)  the early Earth must have been so hot it was like a liquid and heavier things sank to the middle 
D)  this is one of the things that happened in the last few thousand years because of global warming 
E)  this is an unsolved problem; scientists have no good ideas about this at all 
A)  a giant rock from space hit the Earth and made a huge hole almost to the center, through which material could move 
B)  continental drift and plate tectonics made this happen 
C)  the early Earth must have been so hot it was like a liquid and heavier things sank to the middle 
D)  this is one of the things that happened in the last few thousand years because of global warming 
E)  this is an unsolved problem; scientists have no good ideas about this at all

Question 10

Which of the following is a way we believe that the early atmosphere of the Earth differed from the atmosphere we have today?

Accepted Answer

A)  there was little if any free oxygen early on 
B)  there was no ozone layer early on 
C)  there was probably more carbon dioxide early on than there is today 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above 
A)  there was little if any free oxygen early on 
B)  there was no ozone layer early on 
C)  there was probably more carbon dioxide early on than there is today 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above

Question 11

Which of these did the June 1908 impact event in Siberia and the 2013 event in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk have in common?

Accepted Answer

A)  they both produced a large crater, which has become a tourist attraction 
B)  they both killed a lot of innocent people 
C)  they both went completely unnoticed by people (and we only know about them from instruments in space) 
D)  they both exploded high in the atmosphere and produced a shock wave that reached the ground 
E)  you can't fool me, those events had nothing in common 
A)  they both produced a large crater, which has become a tourist attraction 
B)  they both killed a lot of innocent people 
C)  they both went completely unnoticed by people (and we only know about them from instruments in space) 
D)  they both exploded high in the atmosphere and produced a shock wave that reached the ground 
E)  you can't fool me, those events had nothing in common

Question 12

Earthquake producing faults are much more likely to be found

Accepted Answer

A)  in smooth continental desert areas 
B)  in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, where there is more water 
C)  where the Earth's magnetic field touches the planet's surface 
D)  on the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates 
E)  you can't fool me, such faults are equally likely anywhere on the Earth's crust 
A)  in smooth continental desert areas 
B)  in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, where there is more water 
C)  where the Earth's magnetic field touches the planet's surface 
D)  on the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates 
E)  you can't fool me, such faults are equally likely anywhere on the Earth's crust

Question 13

The average temperature on planet Earth is higher than you would expect just from the heating of sunlight alone. What is the explanation for this?

Accepted Answer

A)  solid material hitting the Earth from space heats it up 
B)  carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect 
C)  the rubbing of the continental plates warms up the Earth's surface 
D)  the heat given off by living things makes our planet warmer 
E)  we have no explanation for this higher temperature and that has scientists worried
Section 8.5: Cosmic Influences on the Evolution of Earth 
A)  solid material hitting the Earth from space heats it up 
B)  carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect 
C)  the rubbing of the continental plates warms up the Earth's surface 
D)  the heat given off by living things makes our planet warmer 
E)  we have no explanation for this higher temperature and that has scientists worried
Section 8.5: Cosmic Influences on the Evolution of Earth

Question 14

Today, scientists believe that the main reason the Earth has had periodic ice ages is:

Accepted Answer

A)  slow changes in the tilt of our planet's axis of rotation 
B)  the grinding of continental plates against each other over the centuries 
C)  changes in the composition of the Earth's atmosphere that affect the ozone layer 
D)  the fact that the Moon is slowly moving toward the Earth and drawing off heat 
E)  no one has any good theories about the cause of the ice ages
Section 8.4: Life, Chemical Evolution, and Climate Change 
A)  slow changes in the tilt of our planet's axis of rotation 
B)  the grinding of continental plates against each other over the centuries 
C)  changes in the composition of the Earth's atmosphere that affect the ozone layer 
D)  the fact that the Moon is slowly moving toward the Earth and drawing off heat 
E)  no one has any good theories about the cause of the ice ages
Section 8.4: Life, Chemical Evolution, and Climate Change

Question 15

If no one has ever visited the core of the Earth, how do we know that it is made of metals?

Accepted Answer

A)  core material seeps up through volcanoes in the crust 
B)  circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field 
C)  spectroscopy allows us to tell what the core is made of by analyzing the light we receive 
D)  the amount of radioactivity shows metals must be present; only metals are radioactive 
E)  you can't fool me; there is NO evidence that the Earth's core has metals 
A)  core material seeps up through volcanoes in the crust 
B)  circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field 
C)  spectroscopy allows us to tell what the core is made of by analyzing the light we receive 
D)  the amount of radioactivity shows metals must be present; only metals are radioactive 
E)  you can't fool me; there is NO evidence that the Earth's core has metals

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT evidence that objects from space collide with the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  the devastation that happened in 1908 near the Tunguska river in Siberia 
B)  Meteor Crater in Arizona 
C)  the crater at the top of the Mount St. Helens volcano 
D)  the Chicxulub crater buried near Mexico 
E)  you can't fool me; all the above are the results of cosmic impacts 
A)  the devastation that happened in 1908 near the Tunguska river in Siberia 
B)  Meteor Crater in Arizona 
C)  the crater at the top of the Mount St. Helens volcano 
D)  the Chicxulub crater buried near Mexico 
E)  you can't fool me; all the above are the results of cosmic impacts

Exam 8: Earth As a Planet

According to the theory of plate tectonics,

The person who came up with the continental drift theory that led to our modern understanding of plate tectonics was

Today, a significant amount of new gas is joining the atmosphere of the Earth from what source:

According to the fossil record, how old is the oldest evidence of life forms on the surface of the Earth?

The region around the Earth where charged particles are trapped and spiral around is called:

Which of the following statements about the Earth's magnetosphere is FALSE?

An important way that scientists have been able to study the interior of the Earth is by:

Any rock in the Earth's crust that has cooled from an originally molten state is called

Scientists now understand that the Earth consists of layers, with the densest materials in the core. What allowed the differentiation of the Earth's layers to happen?

Which of the following is a way we believe that the early atmosphere of the Earth differed from the atmosphere we have today?

Which of these did the June 1908 impact event in Siberia and the 2013 event in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk have in common?

Earthquake producing faults are much more likely to be found

The average temperature on planet Earth is higher than you would expect just from the heating of sunlight alone. What is the explanation for this?

Today, scientists believe that the main reason the Earth has had periodic ice ages is:

If no one has ever visited the core of the Earth, how do we know that it is made of metals?

Which of the following is NOT evidence that objects from space collide with the Earth?

Science and the Universe: a Brief Tour

Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

Orbits and Gravity

Earth, Moon, and Sky

Radiation and Spectra

Astronomical Instruments

Other Worlds: an Introduction to the Solar System

Cratered Worlds: the Moon and Mercury

Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

The Giant Planets

Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

The Sun: a Garden-Variety Star

The Sun: a Nuclear Powerhouse

Analyzing Starlight

The Stars: a Celestial Census

Celestial Distances

Between the Stars

The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets Outside the Solar System

Stars From Adolescence to Old Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes and Curved Space-Time

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

The Big Bang

Life in the Universe

Filters