Question 1

Based on the figure below,in which eon did the percentage of continental crust increase the greatest amount?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

The Western Interior Seaway reached its greatest level of continental inundation during the ____________ Period.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

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 any outer crust 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 any outer crust 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 4

The late Paleozoic Hercynian orogen is an event related to ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  uplift of the modern Rocky Mountains 
B)  uplift of the ancestral Rocky Mountains 
C)  assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea 
D)  assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia 
A)  uplift of the modern Rocky Mountains 
B)  uplift of the ancestral Rocky Mountains 
C)  assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea 
D)  assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia

Question 5

The first mammals appeared during the ____________ Period.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

The Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau were produced by the collision of ____________ with southern Asia during the Cenozoic.

Accepted Answer

A)  India 
B)  Australia 
C)  Africa 
D)  Europe 
A)  India 
B)  Australia 
C)  Africa 
D)  Europe

Question 7

The first amphibians lived on land by the late ____________ Period.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

Toward the end of the Archean Eon,____________.

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 9

A cratonic platform is ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out 
B)  a 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 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 10

When does the fossil record indicate that the first species of the genus Homo that used tools evolved?

Accepted Answer

A)  16 million years ago 
B)  1.6 million years ago 
C)  600 thousand years ago 
D)  200 thousand years ago 
A)  16 million years ago 
B)  1.6 million years ago 
C)  600 thousand years ago 
D)  200 thousand years ago

Question 11

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 12

Why might abundant shallow (epicontinental)seas have contributed cooling to the global climate?

Accepted Answer

A)  More sunlight would have reflected off the shallow sea floor and directly back into space. 
B)  Shallow-water marine life forms would have consumed more methane, a greenhouse gas. 
C)  Extensive growth of corals and creatures that grew hard skeletal parts would have removed the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the ocean-atmosphere system. 
D)  More iron oxides would have precipitated out of the shallow waters, creating banded-iron formations (BIFs), which are a greenhouse rock. 
A)  More sunlight would have reflected off the shallow sea floor and directly back into space. 
B)  Shallow-water marine life forms would have consumed more methane, a greenhouse gas. 
C)  Extensive growth of corals and creatures that grew hard skeletal parts would have removed the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the ocean-atmosphere system. 
D)  More iron oxides would have precipitated out of the shallow waters, creating banded-iron formations (BIFs), which are a greenhouse rock.

Question 13

The Hadean 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 any outer crust 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 any outer crust 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 14

A search of the Earth for Archean meteorite impact sites would probably yield a very incomplete record,for all of the following reasons,EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  sea floor is younger than Archean and therefore won't show any Archean impacts 
B)  deformation at plate boundaries tends to destroy or obscure the "rock record" of prior events 
C)  erosion of mountains and highlands tends to erase portions of the "rock record" 
D)  isotopic and other evidence indicates that no significant meteorite impacts occurred during the Archean 
A)  sea floor is younger than Archean and therefore won't show any Archean impacts 
B)  deformation at plate boundaries tends to destroy or obscure the "rock record" of prior events 
C)  erosion of mountains and highlands tends to erase portions of the "rock record" 
D)  isotopic and other evidence indicates that no significant meteorite impacts occurred during the Archean

Question 15

Earth became internally differentiated,with a metallic core distinct from the rocky mantle,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 16

The Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T)boundary event took place how many millions of years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  540 
B)  245 
C)  65 
D)  25 
A)  540 
B)  245 
C)  65 
D)  25

Question 17

The Mesozoic Era 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 18

A fold-thrust belt is ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out 
B)  a low-lying region where Hadean and Archean rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata 
C)  a region of compressed rock located near a convergent continental margin 
D)  synonymous with "shield" 
A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out 
B)  a low-lying region where Hadean and Archean rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata 
C)  a region of compressed rock located near a convergent continental margin 
D)  synonymous with "shield"

Question 19

The small cells of bacteria that lack nuclei are termed ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  prokinetic 
B)  prokaryotic 
C)  eukaryotic 
D)  analgesic 
A)  prokinetic 
B)  prokaryotic 
C)  eukaryotic 
D)  analgesic

Question 20

A crustal rock dated to 150 Ka 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

Exam 11: A Biography of Earth

Based on the figure below,in which eon did the percentage of continental crust increase the greatest amount?

The Western Interior Seaway reached its greatest level of continental inundation during the ____________ Period.

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

The late Paleozoic Hercynian orogen is an event related to ____________.

The first mammals appeared during the ____________ Period.

The Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau were produced by the collision of ____________ with southern Asia during the Cenozoic.

The first amphibians lived on land by the late ____________ Period.

Toward the end of the Archean Eon,____________.

A cratonic platform is ____________.

When does the fossil record indicate that the first species of the genus Homo that used tools evolved?

A crustal rock dated to 150 Ma is how old?

Why might abundant shallow (epicontinental)seas have contributed cooling to the global climate?

The Hadean is a time in Earth history when ____________.

A search of the Earth for Archean meteorite impact sites would probably yield a very incomplete record,for all of the following reasons,EXCEPT ________.

Earth became internally differentiated,with a metallic core distinct from the rocky mantle,during the ____________.

The Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T)boundary event took place how many millions of years ago?

The Mesozoic Era is a time in Earth history when ____________.

A fold-thrust belt is ____________.

The small cells of bacteria that lack nuclei are termed ____________.

A crustal rock dated to 150 Ka is how old?

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

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

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

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

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