Question 1

Which two features on the figure below are sources of CO₂ and hence probable contributors to global warming?

Accepted Answer

A) A and B 
B) A and F 
C) C and D 
D) B and F 
A) A and B 
B) A and F 
C) C and D 
D) B and F

Question 2

The factors that affect Earth's long-term climate are different from those that affect climate on shorter time scales.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones has what overall effect on CO₂ in the Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) increases the total CO₂ in the atmosphere 
B) decreases the total CO₂ in the atmosphere 
C) The formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones has very little effect. 
A) increases the total CO₂ in the atmosphere 
B) decreases the total CO₂ in the atmosphere 
C) The formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones has very little effect.

Question 4

The hole in the ozone layer has been brought about by anthropogenic emissions of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) carbon dioxide 
B) methane 
C) chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 
D) A and C are both correct. 
A) carbon dioxide 
B) methane 
C) chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 
D) A and C are both correct.

Question 5

Oxygen-18 and oxygen-16 are useful in studying the geologic past,including gathering information about past climate,because ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) ozone formation and decay depends upon the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 
B) both water and calcite contain oxygen 
C) ice and plankton skeletons are often found in layers that geologists can age-date 
D) B and C are both correct. 
A) ozone formation and decay depends upon the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 
B) both water and calcite contain oxygen 
C) ice and plankton skeletons are often found in layers that geologists can age-date 
D) B and C are both correct.

Question 6

In the last few decades,global warming has been most strongly affecting the climate and wildlife of ____________ regions.

Accepted Answer

A) equatorial 
B) temperate 
C) polar 
D) deep-sea 
A) equatorial 
B) temperate 
C) polar 
D) deep-sea

Question 7

The last ice age ended approximately 16,000 years ago.The warmest global temperatures since then occurred in the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) period of human-induced global warming,that is,very recently 
B) Younger Dryas,approximately 13,000 years ago 
C) Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
D) Holocene Maximum,approximately 6,000 years ago. 
A) period of human-induced global warming,that is,very recently 
B) Younger Dryas,approximately 13,000 years ago 
C) Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
D) Holocene Maximum,approximately 6,000 years ago.

Question 8

Many cultures and religions refer to tremendous,ancient floods witnessed by early humans.Geologists believe which modern sea might have filled very rapidly with ocean water when global sea level (rising after the last ice age)overtopped a small "land bridge" or "natural dam," and provided the basis for many of the references to such tremendous floods?

Accepted Answer

A) Black Sea 
B) Red Sea 
C) Dead Sea 
D) Caspian Sea 
A) Black Sea 
B) Red Sea 
C) Dead Sea 
D) Caspian Sea

Question 9

The presence of liquid water on Earth's surface is ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) not surprising because many other bodies in the Solar System have liquid water 
B) unique in the Solar System,but is an inherent feature of Earth that would be found regardless of the Earth-Sun distance 
C) unique in the Solar System;liquid water would not have developed had Earth been much closer to or much farther from the Sun 
A) not surprising because many other bodies in the Solar System have liquid water 
B) unique in the Solar System,but is an inherent feature of Earth that would be found regardless of the Earth-Sun distance 
C) unique in the Solar System;liquid water would not have developed had Earth been much closer to or much farther from the Sun

Question 10

A blogger writes that global warming is not real,noting that his or her city had its coldest ever-recorded temperature last winter.Which statement(s)about his or her blog is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

A) He or she is correct,and global warming is not occurring. 
B) He or she is confusing weather with climate. 
C) He or she does not realize that global warming is an average,with a few areas locally cooler,even though the average of all measuring stations is becoming warmer. 
D) B and C are both correct. 
A) He or she is correct,and global warming is not occurring. 
B) He or she is confusing weather with climate. 
C) He or she does not realize that global warming is an average,with a few areas locally cooler,even though the average of all measuring stations is becoming warmer. 
D) B and C are both correct.

Question 11

In this chapter,"sedimentary sequences" refers to variations ____________ within stratigraphic sequences.

Accepted Answer

A) in fossil content 
B) in the coarseness of clastic sediments/sedimentary rocks (e.g. ,proportion of sands/sandstones vs.muds/mudstones [such as shales]) 
C) due to or related to changes in sea level 
A) in fossil content 
B) in the coarseness of clastic sediments/sedimentary rocks (e.g. ,proportion of sands/sandstones vs.muds/mudstones [such as shales]) 
C) due to or related to changes in sea level

Question 12

How much has atmospheric CO₂ increased in approximately the last 50 years,according to the record for Hawaii's Mauna Loa observatory,in the figure below?

Accepted Answer

A) from about 220 to 320 ppm (parts per million) 
B) from about 360 to 400 ppm 
C) from about 320 to 400 ppm 
D) from about 220 to 400 ppm 
A) from about 220 to 320 ppm (parts per million) 
B) from about 360 to 400 ppm 
C) from about 320 to 400 ppm 
D) from about 220 to 400 ppm

Question 13

A crater in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula is about the right age to be a result of an impact that brought about the extinction of numerous species at the end of the ____________ Period.

Accepted Answer

A) Silurian 
B) Jurassic 
C) Cretaceous 
D) Tertiary 
A) Silurian 
B) Jurassic 
C) Cretaceous 
D) Tertiary

Question 14

How much CO₂ is pulled out of the atmosphere each year by various life forms?

Accepted Answer

A) about 63 million cubic yards,measured at STP (standard temperature and pressure) 
B) about 63 billion molecules 
C) about 63 thousand tons,when measured at STP (standard temperature and pressure) 
D) about 63 billion tons 
A) about 63 million cubic yards,measured at STP (standard temperature and pressure) 
B) about 63 billion molecules 
C) about 63 thousand tons,when measured at STP (standard temperature and pressure) 
D) about 63 billion tons

Question 15

The figure below shows the transmission,absorption,and reflection of radiation from various sources.In which layer (of the three layers labeled A,B,and C on the figure)do greenhouse gasses accumulate?

Accepted Answer

A) layer A 
B) layer B 
C) layer C 
A) layer A 
B) layer B 
C) layer C

Question 16

Change within the Earth system is unidirectional and cannot be reversed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Which three features on the figure below are best considered carbon (e.g. ,CO₂)sinks?

Accepted Answer

A) A,B,and C 
B) A,B,and D 
C) A,D,and E 
D) C,D,and E 
A) A,B,and C 
B) A,B,and D 
C) A,D,and E 
D) C,D,and E

Question 18

Natural carbon "sinks" (processes that take CO₂ from the atmosphere,such as the chemical weathering of rocks,the growth of vegetation,and the solution of atmospheric CO₂ into the oceans)appear to have generally matched the production of CO₂ until ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) the end of the last ice age,approximately 16,000 years ago 
B) the Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
C) approximately 1900 
D) the Eocene,approximately 50 million years ago 
A) the end of the last ice age,approximately 16,000 years ago 
B) the Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
C) approximately 1900 
D) the Eocene,approximately 50 million years ago

Question 19

Pollen species CANNOT be used to interpret ancient environments because most species inhabit all environments.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

How are bicarbonate and carbon dioxide related to one another?

Accepted Answer

A) carbon dioxide (CO₂)forms when bicarbonate minerals break down 
B) carbon dioxide forms when bicarbonate migrates from a gaseous state in the atmosphere into soils 
C) bicarbonate forms when CO₂ molecules enter into water 
D) Bicarbonate and CO₂ are the same thing. 
A) carbon dioxide (CO₂)forms when bicarbonate minerals break down 
B) carbon dioxide forms when bicarbonate migrates from a gaseous state in the atmosphere into soils 
C) bicarbonate forms when CO₂ molecules enter into water 
D) Bicarbonate and CO₂ are the same thing.

Exam 23: Global Change in the Earth System

Which two features on the figure below are sources of CO₂ and hence probable contributors to global warming?

The factors that affect Earth's long-term climate are different from those that affect climate on shorter time scales.

The formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones has what overall effect on CO₂ in the Earth's atmosphere?

The hole in the ozone layer has been brought about by anthropogenic emissions of ____________.

Oxygen-18 and oxygen-16 are useful in studying the geologic past,including gathering information about past climate,because ____________.

In the last few decades,global warming has been most strongly affecting the climate and wildlife of ____________ regions.

The last ice age ended approximately 16,000 years ago.The warmest global temperatures since then occurred in the ____________.

The presence of liquid water on Earth's surface is ____________.

A blogger writes that global warming is not real,noting that his or her city had its coldest ever-recorded temperature last winter.Which statement(s)about his or her blog is/are correct?

In this chapter,"sedimentary sequences" refers to variations ____________ within stratigraphic sequences.

How much has atmospheric CO₂ increased in approximately the last 50 years,according to the record for Hawaii's Mauna Loa observatory,in the figure below?

A crater in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula is about the right age to be a result of an impact that brought about the extinction of numerous species at the end of the ____________ Period.

How much CO₂ is pulled out of the atmosphere each year by various life forms?

The figure below shows the transmission,absorption,and reflection of radiation from various sources.In which layer (of the three layers labeled A,B,and C on the figure)do greenhouse gasses accumulate?

Change within the Earth system is unidirectional and cannot be reversed.

Which three features on the figure below are best considered carbon (e.g. ,CO₂)sinks?

Natural carbon "sinks" (processes that take CO₂ from the atmosphere,such as the chemical weathering of rocks,the growth of vegetation,and the solution of atmospheric CO₂ into the oceans)appear to have generally matched the production of CO₂ until ____________.

Pollen species CANNOT be used to interpret ancient environments because most species inhabit all environments.

How are bicarbonate and carbon dioxide related to one another?

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rock

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: A Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Cracks, crags, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: 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

An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Settings: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

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