Question 1

Collisions between low density continental plates create the tallest mountain chains,such as the Himalayas.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The relative size of the atmosphere layer as compared to the solid part of Earth is most similar to:

Accepted Answer

A)  the peel of an orange as compared to the meat of the orange. 
B)  the rind of a watermelon as compared to the meat of the watermelon. 
C)  the skin of a grape as compared to the meat of the grape. 
D)  the meat of a peach as compared to the pit of the peach. 
E)  the meat of a cherry as compared to the pit of the cherry. 
A)  the peel of an orange as compared to the meat of the orange. 
B)  the rind of a watermelon as compared to the meat of the watermelon. 
C)  the skin of a grape as compared to the meat of the grape. 
D)  the meat of a peach as compared to the pit of the peach. 
E)  the meat of a cherry as compared to the pit of the cherry.

Question 3

A region where a denser basaltic plate is subducted under a continental one is:

Accepted Answer

A)  the Himalayas. 
B)  the Nazca Trench. 
C)  the Mid-Atlantic Rift. 
D)  Hawaii. 
E)  the San Andreas Fault. 
A)  the Himalayas. 
B)  the Nazca Trench. 
C)  the Mid-Atlantic Rift. 
D)  Hawaii. 
E)  the San Andreas Fault.

Question 4

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 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 the plates are fixed.

Question 5

Where is the newest material in the Earth's crust found?

Accepted Answer

At the mid-ocean rid

Question 6

The ozone layer blocks much of the Sun's visible radiation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What is the best description of the Earth's rotation over its entire history?

Accepted Answer

A)  It has periodically reversed directions, as the magnetic polarity reversals show. 
B)  It has been constant over the entire history of the solar system. 
C)  It undergoes abrupt changes, as the magnetic variations show. 
D)  It has slowed down very gradually at about .0015 seconds per century. 
E)  It has sped up at about .013 seconds per century. 
A)  It has periodically reversed directions, as the magnetic polarity reversals show. 
B)  It has been constant over the entire history of the solar system. 
C)  It undergoes abrupt changes, as the magnetic variations show. 
D)  It has slowed down very gradually at about .0015 seconds per century. 
E)  It has sped up at about .013 seconds per century.

Question 8

In what part of our atmosphere do we live?

Accepted Answer

A)  troposphere 
B)  stratosphere 
C)  mesosphere 
D)  ionosphere 
E)  exosphere 
A)  troposphere 
B)  stratosphere 
C)  mesosphere 
D)  ionosphere 
E)  exosphere

Question 9

What is the Greenhouse Effect and why is it vital to life here?

Accepted Answer

The gases carbon dioxide and water vapor

Question 10

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 11

Describe the process by which the ozone hole promotes its own existence.

Accepted Answer

The ozone hole is a region whe

Question 12

Which are places on Earth where convection is operating on a grand scale,creating conditions 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 13

The hydrosphere accounts in large part for the fact that our atmosphere in thinner than Venus' and contains far less carbon dioxide.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The oldest rocks on our crust are radioactively dated at about:

Accepted Answer

A)  200 million years old. 
B)  one billion years old. 
C)  2.7 billion years old. 
D)  four billion years old. 
E)  4.6 billion years old. 
A)  200 million years old. 
B)  one billion years old. 
C)  2.7 billion years old. 
D)  four billion years old. 
E)  4.6 billion years old.

Question 15

In the past,most of the landmass on Earth was concentrated in a single,large continent.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

The most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere is oxygen.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Name two consequences of the Earth's magnetic field detected from space.

Accepted Answer

The Van Allen radiation belts

Question 18

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 19

How is the existence of Earth's unique atmosphere explained?

Accepted Answer

A)  The oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is a result of early life on Earth. 
B)  Volcanic gases containing nitrogen were outgassed from Earth's interior. 
C)  As Earth cooled, water vapor fell out of the atmosphere to form the oceans. 
D)  Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun freed the hydrogen, allowing it to escape. 
E)  When Earth formed, its atmosphere formed from the gases most common in the early solar system. 
A)  The oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is a result of early life on Earth. 
B)  Volcanic gases containing nitrogen were outgassed from Earth's interior. 
C)  As Earth cooled, water vapor fell out of the atmosphere to form the oceans. 
D)  Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun freed the hydrogen, allowing it to escape. 
E)  When Earth formed, its atmosphere formed from the gases most common in the early solar system.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 7: Earth: Our Home in Space

Collisions between low density continental plates create the tallest mountain chains,such as the Himalayas.

The relative size of the atmosphere layer as compared to the solid part of Earth is most similar to:

A region where a denser basaltic plate is subducted under a continental one is:

When two tectonic plates collide:

Where is the newest material in the Earth's crust found?

The ozone layer blocks much of the Sun's visible radiation.

What is the best description of the Earth's rotation over its entire history?

In what part of our atmosphere do we live?

What is the Greenhouse Effect and why is it vital to life here?

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

Describe the process by which the ozone hole promotes its own existence.

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

The hydrosphere accounts in large part for the fact that our atmosphere in thinner than Venus' and contains far less carbon dioxide.

The oldest rocks on our crust are radioactively dated at about:

In the past,most of the landmass on Earth was concentrated in a single,large continent.

The most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere is oxygen.

Name two consequences of the Earth's magnetic field detected from space.

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

How is the existence of Earth's unique atmosphere explained?

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

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: Earth's 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?

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