Question 1

The oldest terrestrial insect fossils are found in rocks from the ____________ period.

Accepted Answer

A)  Cambrian 
B)  Devonian 
C)  Permian 
D)  Triassic 
A)  Cambrian 
B)  Devonian 
C)  Permian 
D)  Triassic

Question 2

The end of the Cretaceous Period (extinction of dinosaurs and many other groups)represents the only evidence we have in the fossil record of a catastrophic mass extinction.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Banded-iron formations were abundantly produced during the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Archean Eon 
B)  Hadean Eon 
C)  Proterozoic Eon 
D)  Paleozoic Era 
A)  Archean Eon 
B)  Hadean Eon 
C)  Proterozoic Eon 
D)  Paleozoic Era

Question 4

Earth is approximately how old?

Accepted Answer

A)  15 billion years 
B)  4.57 billion years 
C)  40 million years 
D)  6000 years 
A)  15 billion years 
B)  4.57 billion years 
C)  40 million years 
D)  6000 years

Question 5

Earth was hotter than today during the Hadean for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  impacts with other objects added heat to Earth 
B)  differentiation of the core from the mantle added heat to Earth's interior 
C)  the Sun was much more luminous than it is today 
D)  carbon dioxide was more abundant in the atmosphere than it is today 
A)  impacts with other objects added heat to Earth 
B)  differentiation of the core from the mantle added heat to Earth's interior 
C)  the Sun was much more luminous than it is today 
D)  carbon dioxide was more abundant in the atmosphere than it is today

Question 6

During the Cenozoic Era,most large-bodied terrestrial animals inhabiting regions of temperate climate have been ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  birds 
B)  dinosaurs 
C)  mammals 
D)  crocodiles 
A)  birds 
B)  dinosaurs 
C)  mammals 
D)  crocodiles

Question 7

The Miocene epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

Accepted Answer

A)  grasslands 
B)  angiosperm forests 
C)  gymnosperm forests 
D)  tree fern forests 
A)  grasslands 
B)  angiosperm forests 
C)  gymnosperm forests 
D)  tree fern forests

Question 8

The fossil fish Tiktaalik made headlines in 2005 because it ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  was preserved with a hook in its mouth and represents the oldest evidence of human fishing 
B)  was the largest shark ever recovered from the fossil record 
C)  represents a transitional form between more typical bony fish and terrestrial vertebrates 
D)  was found alive in the modern deep ocean; previously, the fish was thought to be extinct 
A)  was preserved with a hook in its mouth and represents the oldest evidence of human fishing 
B)  was the largest shark ever recovered from the fossil record 
C)  represents a transitional form between more typical bony fish and terrestrial vertebrates 
D)  was found alive in the modern deep ocean; previously, the fish was thought to be extinct

Question 9

A crustal rock dated to 150 Ma is how old?

Accepted Answer

A)  150 thousand years 
B)  150 million years 
C)  150 billion years 
D)  150 zillion years 
A)  150 thousand years 
B)  150 million years 
C)  150 billion years 
D)  150 zillion years

Question 10

Stromatolites are layered structures produced by the activity of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  dinosaurs 
B)  methanogens 
C)  cyanobacteria 
D)  green algae 
A)  dinosaurs 
B)  methanogens 
C)  cyanobacteria 
D)  green algae

Question 11

The eon represented by abundant deposits of strata with shelly fossils is the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Archean 
B)  Hadean 
C)  Proterozoic 
D)  Phanerozoic 
A)  Archean 
B)  Hadean 
C)  Proterozoic 
D)  Phanerozoic

Question 12

Tree-sized relatives of the living ferns,club mosses,and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the ____________ Period.

Accepted Answer

A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous 
A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous

Question 13

An iridium-rich layer of clay,glass spherules,and shocked quartz grains strongly suggests that the K-T boundary extinctions were at least in part caused by ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a long trend of global warming 
B)  a long trend of global cooling 
C)  worldwide explosive volcanism 
D)  the impact of a bolide (meteoroid or comet) 
A)  a long trend of global warming 
B)  a long trend of global cooling 
C)  worldwide explosive volcanism 
D)  the impact of a bolide (meteoroid or comet)

Question 14

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

Accepted Answer

A)  North America 
B)  South America 
C)  Asia 
D)  Africa 
A)  North America 
B)  South America 
C)  Asia 
D)  Africa

Question 15

A shield is ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out 
B)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata 
C)  a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin 
D)  synonymous with "craton" 
A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out 
B)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata 
C)  a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin 
D)  synonymous with "craton"

Question 16

The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body during the Hadean 
B)  simultaneous formation of Earth and the Moon in neighboring parts of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago 
C)  gravitational capture of the Moon by Earth during the Hadean 
D)  gravitational capture of Earth by the Moon during the Archean 
A)  impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body during the Hadean 
B)  simultaneous formation of Earth and the Moon in neighboring parts of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago 
C)  gravitational capture of the Moon by Earth during the Hadean 
D)  gravitational capture of Earth by the Moon during the Archean

Question 17

Through geologic time,continents have drifted over the surface of Earth,but each continent has always been about as large as it is today.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Geographically,a shield and surrounding platform together are ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out 
B)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata 
C)  a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin 
D)  synonymous with "craton" 
A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out 
B)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata 
C)  a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin 
D)  synonymous with "craton"

Question 19

The Cambrian Period is a time in Earth history when ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appear in the fossil record 
B)  Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust, if present, was likely being extensively remelted 
C)  stable continental interiors, termed cratons, first formed 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life 
A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appear in the fossil record 
B)  Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust, if present, was likely being extensively remelted 
C)  stable continental interiors, termed cratons, first formed 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life

Question 20

Once an ancient mountain range is destroyed by erosion,it leaves no detectable record,and therefore geologists can never learn of its past existence.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

The oldest terrestrial insect fossils are found in rocks from the ____________ period.

The end of the Cretaceous Period (extinction of dinosaurs and many other groups)represents the only evidence we have in the fossil record of a catastrophic mass extinction.

Banded-iron formations were abundantly produced during the ____________.

Earth is approximately how old?

Earth was hotter than today during the Hadean for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ____________.

During the Cenozoic Era,most large-bodied terrestrial animals inhabiting regions of temperate climate have been ____________.

The Miocene epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

The fossil fish Tiktaalik made headlines in 2005 because it ____________.

A crustal rock dated to 150 Ma is how old?

Stromatolites are layered structures produced by the activity of ____________.

The eon represented by abundant deposits of strata with shelly fossils is the ____________.

Tree-sized relatives of the living ferns,club mosses,and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the ____________ Period.

An iridium-rich layer of clay,glass spherules,and shocked quartz grains strongly suggests that the K-T boundary extinctions were at least in part caused by ____________.

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

A shield is ____________.

The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves ____________.

Through geologic time,continents have drifted over the surface of Earth,but each continent has always been about as large as it is today.

Geographically,a shield and surrounding platform together are ____________.

The Cambrian Period is a time in Earth history when ____________.

Once an ancient mountain range is destroyed by erosion,it leaves no detectable record,and therefore geologists can never learn of its past existence.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Running Water: the Geology of Streams and Floods

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Filters

Exam 11: A Biography of Earth

The oldest terrestrial insect fossils are found in rocks from the ____________ period.

The end of the Cretaceous Period (extinction of dinosaurs and many other groups)represents the only evidence we have in the fossil record of a catastrophic mass extinction.

Banded-iron formations were abundantly produced during the ____________.

Earth is approximately how old?

Earth was hotter than today during the Hadean for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ____________.

During the Cenozoic Era,most large-bodied terrestrial animals inhabiting regions of temperate climate have been ____________.

The Miocene epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

The fossil fish Tiktaalik made headlines in 2005 because it ____________.

A crustal rock dated to 150 Ma is how old?

Stromatolites are layered structures produced by the activity of ____________.

The eon represented by abundant deposits of strata with shelly fossils is the ____________.

Tree-sized relatives of the living ferns,club mosses,and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the ____________ Period.

An iridium-rich layer of clay,glass spherules,and shocked quartz grains strongly suggests that the K-T boundary extinctions were at least in part caused by ____________.

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

A shield is ____________.

The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves ____________.

Through geologic time,continents have drifted over the surface of Earth,but each continent has always been about as large as it is today.

Geographically,a shield and surrounding platform together are ____________.

The Cambrian Period is a time in Earth history when ____________.

Once an ancient mountain range is destroyed by erosion,it leaves no detectable record,and therefore geologists can never learn of its past existence.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Running Water: the Geology of Streams and Floods

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Filters