Question 1

Which of the following would not be an example of a threshold effect?

Accepted Answer

A)  Reindeer population on St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea had no natural predators allowing for over-population of the species 
B)  The reindeer population on St. Matthew Island were able to survive because they could find more food in other parts of the island without overgrazing the food resources 
C)  A majority of the reindeer population on St. Matthew Island died off because the reindeer starved once they overgrazed the food resources on the 
D)  All of the above are examples of threshold effect 
A)  Reindeer population on St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea had no natural predators allowing for over-population of the species 
B)  The reindeer population on St. Matthew Island were able to survive because they could find more food in other parts of the island without overgrazing the food resources 
C)  A majority of the reindeer population on St. Matthew Island died off because the reindeer starved once they overgrazed the food resources on the 
D)  All of the above are examples of threshold effect

Question 2

Explain how the reindeer introduced to St. Matthew Island in 1944 led to a threshold effect and apply to that to human overpopulation.

Accepted Answer

The reindeer were introduced a

Question 3

Explain how our Solar System was formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago.

Accepted Answer

It coalesced from a frigid clo

Question 4

Explain how the theory of plate tectonics evolved after World War II and how the advances in scientific technology has improved our understanding of the Earth's interior and its systems.

Accepted Answer

Mapping of the ocean floor showed that m

Question 5

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Accepted Answer

A)  James Hutton developed a principle known as Uniformitarianism which means that the "present is the key to the past" 
B)  William Whewell suggested that the geologic change can be occur a rapid speed such as a catastrophic event that altered the Earth's geologic history 
C)  An example of the Whewell's catastrophism theory would be the Yellowstone eruption that occurred about 640,000 years ago which changed climate conditions and devastated land for miles away from the volcanic blast site 
D)  An example of the Whewell's catastrophism theory would be a catastrophic tsunami event such as the 2004 Sumatra tsunami 
E)  Whewell said that catastrophic events occurred frequently in geologic history followed by short periods of stable conditions 
A)  James Hutton developed a principle known as Uniformitarianism which means that the "present is the key to the past" 
B)  William Whewell suggested that the geologic change can be occur a rapid speed such as a catastrophic event that altered the Earth's geologic history 
C)  An example of the Whewell's catastrophism theory would be the Yellowstone eruption that occurred about 640,000 years ago which changed climate conditions and devastated land for miles away from the volcanic blast site 
D)  An example of the Whewell's catastrophism theory would be a catastrophic tsunami event such as the 2004 Sumatra tsunami 
E)  Whewell said that catastrophic events occurred frequently in geologic history followed by short periods of stable conditions

Question 6

Humans survival is interconnected with the flow of energy and materials amount Earth's _____________________ humans impact the Earth and the Earth affects humans.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Humans survival is interconnected with the flow...

Question 7

In which of the Earth's layers would you expect the densest elements to exist because metallic elements sank due to differentiation when the Earth was forming its layers?

Accepted Answer

A)  Continental Crust 
B)  Oceanic Crust 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Outer Core 
E)  Inner Core 
A)  Continental Crust 
B)  Oceanic Crust 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Outer Core 
E)  Inner Core

Question 8

If pollution from human sources such as automobiles, power plants, and factories are emitted into the atmosphere, this could lead to the formation of acid rain can cause rocks to weather. What specific Earth sphere(s) would be involved with this scenario?

Accepted Answer

A)  Atmosphere 
B)  Biosphere 
C)  Geosphere 
D)  Hydrosphere 
E)  Atmosphere, Geosphere
F) Atmosphere, Hydrosphere
G) Atmosphere, Geosphere, and Hydrosphere 
A)  Atmosphere 
B)  Biosphere 
C)  Geosphere 
D)  Hydrosphere 
E)  Atmosphere, Geosphere
F) Atmosphere, Hydrosphere
G) Atmosphere, Geosphere, and Hydrosphere

Question 9

Explain two different ways that the atmosphere supports life.

Accepted Answer

(1) animals and plants need ox

Question 10

Human sources of greenhouse emissions such as carbon dioxide, enhances the greenhouse effect which can cause the mean global temperature of Earth to rise.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The top and bottom layers of the mantle are strong and hard but the middle layer is weak and flows like cold honey.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The Earth's atmosphere is held to the planet by gravity and 99% of the atmosphere is concentrated starting at 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

In which of the Earth's layers would you expect a magma plume to be born because this layer is where rocks become soft and plastic because of heat from inside the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Continental Crust 
B)  Oceanic Crust 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Outer Core 
E)  Inner Core 
A)  Continental Crust 
B)  Oceanic Crust 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Outer Core 
E)  Inner Core

Question 14

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Accepted Answer

A)  The human population of the Earth reached 7.7 by 2015 
B)  Farms, pasturelands, and cities currently cover at least 4% of the Earth's surface 
C)  The current species extinction rate is 1000 time more rapid than it was before the Industrial Revolution which is as rapid of extinction rate 65 million years when a giant meteorite struck the Earth's surface 
D)  One-eighth to one-half of the current human population is malnourished 
E)  World population is projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050
F) World population is projected to reach 11.2 billion in 2100
G) Extreme poverty is decreasing allowing more people to have money to consume more resources
H) The increase in population and consumption rates by humans has caused the pressure on Earth's resources to increase 
A)  The human population of the Earth reached 7.7 by 2015 
B)  Farms, pasturelands, and cities currently cover at least 4% of the Earth's surface 
C)  The current species extinction rate is 1000 time more rapid than it was before the Industrial Revolution which is as rapid of extinction rate 65 million years when a giant meteorite struck the Earth's surface 
D)  One-eighth to one-half of the current human population is malnourished 
E)  World population is projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050
F) World population is projected to reach 11.2 billion in 2100
G) Extreme poverty is decreasing allowing more people to have money to consume more resources
H) The increase in population and consumption rates by humans has caused the pressure on Earth's resources to increase

Question 15

Humans are currently living through the largest documented extinction event on Earth since the age of the _____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Humans are currently living through the largest...

Question 16

Which of the Earth's spheres would contain greenhouse emissions from human sources such as automobiles, factories, and energy production plants? ______________________________

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the Earth's spheres would contain...

Question 17

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Accepted Answer

A)  Single-celled organisms formed before multicellular organisms on Earth 
B)  The first single-celled organism appeared as early as 3.8 billion years ago 
C)  An atmosphere rich in nitrogen, not oxygen, was the culprit for the development of multicellular life on Earth 
D)  Multicellular life because more complex and abundant on Earth about 542 million years ago which can be attributed to changes in the composition of the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  The direct ancestors to modern humans, Homo sapiens , appeared on Earth approximately 5-7 million years ago 
A)  Single-celled organisms formed before multicellular organisms on Earth 
B)  The first single-celled organism appeared as early as 3.8 billion years ago 
C)  An atmosphere rich in nitrogen, not oxygen, was the culprit for the development of multicellular life on Earth 
D)  Multicellular life because more complex and abundant on Earth about 542 million years ago which can be attributed to changes in the composition of the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  The direct ancestors to modern humans, Homo sapiens , appeared on Earth approximately 5-7 million years ago

Question 18

Which of the following is not a true statement about James Hutton?

Accepted Answer

A)  He studied sandstone that had sand grains cemented together 
B)  He recognized that the rocks in the Scottish Highlands slowly weathered into sand 
C)  He noted that the weathered sand grains were carried by streams to the Scottish Lowlands where the sediments were deposited on beaches and river deltas 
D)  He concluded the age of the sand grains were about the same age as human history since the sandstone weathered into sand grains during a human life span 
E)  He determined that the source of the sandstone came from ancient cliffs and mountains in Scotland that formed prior to modern human history 
A)  He studied sandstone that had sand grains cemented together 
B)  He recognized that the rocks in the Scottish Highlands slowly weathered into sand 
C)  He noted that the weathered sand grains were carried by streams to the Scottish Lowlands where the sediments were deposited on beaches and river deltas 
D)  He concluded the age of the sand grains were about the same age as human history since the sandstone weathered into sand grains during a human life span 
E)  He determined that the source of the sandstone came from ancient cliffs and mountains in Scotland that formed prior to modern human history

Question 19

Which of the following is not an example of a system and how systems work together?

Accepted Answer

A)  A volcanic eruption like the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption created massive amounts of ash that were ejected into the atmosphere causing atmospheric cooling 
B)  The energy to create the 1980 Mount St. Helens came from geologic activity occurring in the mantle that created magma that rose to the surface 
C)  The heat that came to the surface of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption caused glacier fields to melt, leading to the formation of massive mudflows which impacted the hydrologic system 
D)  All of the above are examples of how systems work together 
A)  A volcanic eruption like the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption created massive amounts of ash that were ejected into the atmosphere causing atmospheric cooling 
B)  The energy to create the 1980 Mount St. Helens came from geologic activity occurring in the mantle that created magma that rose to the surface 
C)  The heat that came to the surface of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption caused glacier fields to melt, leading to the formation of massive mudflows which impacted the hydrologic system 
D)  All of the above are examples of how systems work together

Question 20

In which of the Earth's layers would you expect mountains to rise on dry land?

Accepted Answer

A)  Continental Crust 
B)  Oceanic Crust 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Outer Core 
E)  Inner Core 
A)  Continental Crust 
B)  Oceanic Crust 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Outer Core 
E)  Inner Core

Exam 1: Earth Systems

Which of the following would not be an example of a threshold effect?

Explain how the reindeer introduced to St. Matthew Island in 1944 led to a threshold effect and apply to that to human overpopulation.

Explain how our Solar System was formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago.

Explain how the theory of plate tectonics evolved after World War II and how the advances in scientific technology has improved our understanding of the Earth's interior and its systems.

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Humans survival is interconnected with the flow of energy and materials amount Earth's _____________________ humans impact the Earth and the Earth affects humans.

In which of the Earth's layers would you expect the densest elements to exist because metallic elements sank due to differentiation when the Earth was forming its layers?

If pollution from human sources such as automobiles, power plants, and factories are emitted into the atmosphere, this could lead to the formation of acid rain can cause rocks to weather. What specific Earth sphere(s) would be involved with this scenario?

Explain two different ways that the atmosphere supports life.

Human sources of greenhouse emissions such as carbon dioxide, enhances the greenhouse effect which can cause the mean global temperature of Earth to rise.

The top and bottom layers of the mantle are strong and hard but the middle layer is weak and flows like cold honey.

The Earth's atmosphere is held to the planet by gravity and 99% of the atmosphere is concentrated starting at 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface.

In which of the Earth's layers would you expect a magma plume to be born because this layer is where rocks become soft and plastic because of heat from inside the Earth?

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Humans are currently living through the largest documented extinction event on Earth since the age of the _____________________.

Which of the Earth's spheres would contain greenhouse emissions from human sources such as automobiles, factories, and energy production plants? ______________________________

Which of the following is not a true statement?

Which of the following is not a true statement about James Hutton?

Which of the following is not an example of a system and how systems work together?

In which of the Earth's layers would you expect mountains to rise on dry land?

Minerals

Rocks

Geologic Time: a Story in the Rocks

Geologic Resources

The Active Earth: Plate Tectonics

Earthquakes and the Earths Structure

Volcanoes and Plutons

Mountains

Weathering, Soil, and Erosion

Fresh Water: Streams, Lakes, Ground Water, and Wetlands

Water Resources

Glaciers and Ice Ages

Deserts and Wind

Ocean Basins

Oceans and Coastlines

The Atmosphere

Energy Balance in the Atmosphere

Moisture, Clouds, and Weather

Climate

Climate Change

Motions in the Heavens

Planets and Their Moons

Stars, Space, and Galaxies

Filters