Question 1

What is the greenhouse effect and why is it vital to life here?

Accepted Answer

The gases carbon dioxide and water vapor

Question 2

Why do volcanic mountain chains, such as the Andes, accompany deep trenches like theNazca Trench off South America?

Accepted Answer

When plate tectonics causes a denser oce

Question 3

Compared to the density of water, our Earth averages about:

Accepted Answer

A) the same density, similar to Saturn. 
B) 3 times denser, much like our Moon. 
C) 4 times denser, similar to Mars. 
D) 5 times denser, like Mercury and Venus. 
E) 10 times denser, due to our core of iron and nickel. 
A) the same density, similar to Saturn. 
B) 3 times denser, much like our Moon. 
C) 4 times denser, similar to Mars. 
D) 5 times denser, like Mercury and Venus. 
E) 10 times denser, due to our core of iron and nickel.

Question 4

The crust of the Earth is covered by about ________ water in the hydrosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) 50% 
B) 60% 
C) 70% 
D) 80% 
E) 90% 
A) 50% 
B) 60% 
C) 70% 
D) 80% 
E) 90%

Question 5

What is true of spring tides?

Accepted Answer

A) The third quarter Moon would be high overhead at dawn. 
B) The difference between low and high tides would be greatest. 
C) There would be one high and one low tide each day. 
D) The Moon's phase will be first quarter. 
E) The difference between low and high tides would be smallest. 
A) The third quarter Moon would be high overhead at dawn. 
B) The difference between low and high tides would be greatest. 
C) There would be one high and one low tide each day. 
D) The Moon's phase will be first quarter. 
E) The difference between low and high tides would be smallest.

Question 6

Plate ________ is the process by which convection within the mantle reforms the crust aboveit.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Plate ________ is the process by which...

Question 7

What are some of the consequences that could happen if the average global temperatureincreases by 5 Kelvin, as predicted if the carbon dioxides continue to rise at the current rate?

Accepted Answer

Melting of glaciers and polar ice caps,

Question 8

Like other solid bodies in the solar system, Earth's surface was kept molten by:

Accepted Answer

A) radioactivity. 
B) differentiation. 
C) convection. 
D) bombardment by small bodies. 
E) the solar nebula. 
A) radioactivity. 
B) differentiation. 
C) convection. 
D) bombardment by small bodies. 
E) the solar nebula.

Question 9

When two tectonic plates collide:

Accepted Answer

A) they both stop moving. 
B) they always produce high mountain chains like the Himalayas. 
C) volcanoes always mark the boundary between them. 
D) they continue moving, producing a variety of large deformations. 
E) that region is safe from earthquakes, now that the plates are fixed. 
A) they both stop moving. 
B) they always produce high mountain chains like the Himalayas. 
C) volcanoes always mark the boundary between them. 
D) they continue moving, producing a variety of large deformations. 
E) that region is safe from earthquakes, now that the plates are fixed.

Question 10

The ________ on the edges of the continents come from subduction of oceanic basalt beneaththe advancing continental plate.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________ on the edges of the...

Question 11

In noting that our world is "differentiated," we mean that:

Accepted Answer

A) the density of its materials decreases as you go downward toward the core. 
B) the Earth has evolved in a different pattern than any other planet. 
C) the iron and nickel core is denser than the silicate mantle and crust. 
D) radioactive heating in the core is at a slower pace than when the Earth was new. 
E) the Earth's magnetic field is different now in polarity than it was 700,000 years ago. 
A) the density of its materials decreases as you go downward toward the core. 
B) the Earth has evolved in a different pattern than any other planet. 
C) the iron and nickel core is denser than the silicate mantle and crust. 
D) radioactive heating in the core is at a slower pace than when the Earth was new. 
E) the Earth's magnetic field is different now in polarity than it was 700,000 years ago.

Question 12

We find from igneous rock dating that the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field hasundergone many unexplained changes in periods of thousands of years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

In plate tectonics, how are trenches formed? What always accompanies them?

Accepted Answer

Trenches are the deep places in the ocea

Question 14

Which are places on Earth where convection is operating on a grand scale, creatingconditions important to life on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) in the mantle 
B) in hot springs like Old Faithful 
C) in the troposphere, such as a summer thunderstorm 
D) at the thermal vents in the rift valleys 
E) All of the above are good examples. 
A) in the mantle 
B) in hot springs like Old Faithful 
C) in the troposphere, such as a summer thunderstorm 
D) at the thermal vents in the rift valleys 
E) All of the above are good examples.

Question 15

Trenches are areas where the denser oceanic plates are subducted beneath the leading edgesof lighter continental ones.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

When strong solar wind storms are diverted poleward by our magnetic fields, we oftenobserve ________ in the ionosphere.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When strong solar wind storms are diverted...

Question 17

The oldest rocks found on the Earth's surface date back about ________ billion years.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The oldest rocks found on the Earth's...

Question 18

Which of these gases are outgassed from our volcanic eruptions?

Accepted Answer

A) oxygen, methane, ammonia 
B) carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen 
C) ammonia, water vapor, oxygen 
D) water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide 
E) helium, carbon dioxide, methane 
A) oxygen, methane, ammonia 
B) carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen 
C) ammonia, water vapor, oxygen 
D) water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide 
E) helium, carbon dioxide, methane

Question 19

Seismic waves are most useful for mapping:

Accepted Answer

A) the surface of Venus with Magellan. 
B) the surface of Mars with Global Surveyor. 
C) the Earth's core and mantle. 
D) the density of the hydrosphere. 
E) the depths of the oceans. 
A) the surface of Venus with Magellan. 
B) the surface of Mars with Global Surveyor. 
C) the Earth's core and mantle. 
D) the density of the hydrosphere. 
E) the depths of the oceans.

Question 20

Within Earth's atmosphere, in which layer does convection occur?

Accepted Answer

A) the troposphere 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the mesosphere 
D) the ionosphere 
E) Convection occurs in all layers of Earth's atmosphere. 
A) the troposphere 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the mesosphere 
D) the ionosphere 
E) Convection occurs in all layers of Earth's atmosphere.

Exam 7: Earth: Our Home in Space

What is the greenhouse effect and why is it vital to life here?

Why do volcanic mountain chains, such as the Andes, accompany deep trenches like theNazca Trench off South America?

Compared to the density of water, our Earth averages about:

The crust of the Earth is covered by about ________ water in the hydrosphere.

What is true of spring tides?

Plate ________ is the process by which convection within the mantle reforms the crust aboveit.

What are some of the consequences that could happen if the average global temperatureincreases by 5 Kelvin, as predicted if the carbon dioxides continue to rise at the current rate?

Like other solid bodies in the solar system, Earth's surface was kept molten by:

When two tectonic plates collide:

The ________ on the edges of the continents come from subduction of oceanic basalt beneaththe advancing continental plate.

In noting that our world is "differentiated," we mean that:

We find from igneous rock dating that the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field hasundergone many unexplained changes in periods of thousands of years.

In plate tectonics, how are trenches formed? What always accompanies them?

Which are places on Earth where convection is operating on a grand scale, creatingconditions important to life on Earth?

Trenches are areas where the denser oceanic plates are subducted beneath the leading edgesof lighter continental ones.

When strong solar wind storms are diverted poleward by our magnetic fields, we oftenobserve ________ in the ionosphere.

The oldest rocks found on the Earth's surface date back about ________ billion years.

Which of these gases are outgassed from our volcanic eruptions?

Seismic waves are most useful for mapping:

Within Earth's atmosphere, in which layer does convection occur?

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

Filters