Question 1

According to most estimates,Earth is approximately

Accepted Answer

A) 4.5 thousand years old. 
B) 4.5 million years old. 
C) 4.5 billion years old. 
D) 45 billion years old. 
A) 4.5 thousand years old. 
B) 4.5 million years old. 
C) 4.5 billion years old. 
D) 45 billion years old.

Question 2

In a sequence of rock layers we find trilobite and dinosaur fossils.The dinosaur fossils are at the bottom of the rock sequence and the trilobites are at the top.This sequence tells us that

Accepted Answer

A) dinosaurs are older than trilobites. 
B) the beds are overturned. 
C) trilobites survived the age of the dinosaurs. 
D) the beds are folded. 
A) dinosaurs are older than trilobites. 
B) the beds are overturned. 
C) trilobites survived the age of the dinosaurs. 
D) the beds are folded.

Question 3

The break-up of Pangaea had worldwide consequences-how did this impact climate and sea level?

Accepted Answer

The separation of landmasses away from b

Question 4

The numerical dates associated with events on the geologic time scale were determined by

Accepted Answer

A) relative dating. 
B) superposition. 
C) radiometric dating. 
D) fossil assemblages through time. 
A) relative dating. 
B) superposition. 
C) radiometric dating. 
D) fossil assemblages through time.

Question 5

In a sedimentary rock that contains inclusions of metamorphic rock,the inclusions must be

Accepted Answer

A) older than the sedimentary rock. 
B) younger than the sedimentary rock. 
C) on top of the sedimentary rock. 
D) below the sedimentary rock. 
A) older than the sedimentary rock. 
B) younger than the sedimentary rock. 
C) on top of the sedimentary rock. 
D) below the sedimentary rock.

Question 6

Glacial striations on the continental landmasses provide evidence

Accepted Answer

A) that Hawaii was once joined to Alaska. 
B) of the direction of Pleistocene ice flow. 
C) that the Cenozoic was a very cool time. 
D) that Baja California was once joined to Mexico. 
A) that Hawaii was once joined to Alaska. 
B) of the direction of Pleistocene ice flow. 
C) that the Cenozoic was a very cool time. 
D) that Baja California was once joined to Mexico.

Question 7

The laws of physics,chemistry,and geology have operated unchanged through time to shape Earth as we know it today.This statement can be summed up by the idea of

Accepted Answer

A) evolution. 
B) everlasting change. 
C) uniformitarianism. 
D) natural history. 
A) evolution. 
B) everlasting change. 
C) uniformitarianism. 
D) natural history.

Question 8

Organisms with the ability to be easily preserved as fossils began to flourish about

Accepted Answer

A) 4.6 billion years ago. 
B) 3.8 billion years ago. 
C) 543 million years ago. 
D) 65 million years ago. 
A) 4.6 billion years ago. 
B) 3.8 billion years ago. 
C) 543 million years ago. 
D) 65 million years ago.

Question 9

During the Cenozoic,animals grew to great sizes and proportions.The woolly mammoth and the saber tooth tiger were much larger than animals we see today.Some of the causes for their extinction may be

Accepted Answer

A) the emergence of man and competition for food. 
B) burning of the grasslands,severe climatic change,and man's emergence. 
C) dwindling food supplies,extreme climatic variation,and man's emergence. 
D) the extensive ice sheets that covered the land surface. 
A) the emergence of man and competition for food. 
B) burning of the grasslands,severe climatic change,and man's emergence. 
C) dwindling food supplies,extreme climatic variation,and man's emergence. 
D) the extensive ice sheets that covered the land surface.

Question 10

The oldest rocks that have been dated by radioactivity are approximately

Accepted Answer

A) 2 million years old. 
B) 200 million years old. 
C) 4 billion years old. 
D) 10 billion years old. 
A) 2 million years old. 
B) 200 million years old. 
C) 4 billion years old. 
D) 10 billion years old.

Question 11

The fundamental time unit representing a major change in life forms is the

Accepted Answer

A) eon subdivision. 
B) era subdivision. 
C) period subdivision. 
D) epoch subdivision. 
A) eon subdivision. 
B) era subdivision. 
C) period subdivision. 
D) epoch subdivision.

Question 12

The isotope most useful for dating rocks from the late Pleistocene is

Accepted Answer

A) uranium-238. 
B) uranium-235. 
C) potassium-40. 
D) carbon-14. 
A) uranium-238. 
B) uranium-235. 
C) potassium-40. 
D) carbon-14.

Question 13

The Cenozoic era represents a period of

Accepted Answer

A) almost continuous tectonic activity. 
B) relative tectonic stability. 
C) worldwide tropical climates. 
D) great diversification of fish species. 
A) almost continuous tectonic activity. 
B) relative tectonic stability. 
C) worldwide tropical climates. 
D) great diversification of fish species.

Question 14

Sediments deposited in an even,horizontal manner illustrate the principle of

Accepted Answer

A) superposition. 
B) original horizontality. 
C) succession. 
D) conformity. 
A) superposition. 
B) original horizontality. 
C) succession. 
D) conformity.

Question 15

Relative dating tells us the

Accepted Answer

A) time gaps that occur during deposition. 
B) age of rock layers. 
C) sequence of rock layers-which formed first,second,and last. 
D) actual date of formation for a rock layer. 
A) time gaps that occur during deposition. 
B) age of rock layers. 
C) sequence of rock layers-which formed first,second,and last. 
D) actual date of formation for a rock layer.

Question 16

The Precambrian witnessed the development of

Accepted Answer

A) the first atmosphere. 
B) the ozone layer. 
C) photosynthesis. 
D) photosynthesis,an oxygenated atmosphere,and the ozone layer. 
A) the first atmosphere. 
B) the ozone layer. 
C) photosynthesis. 
D) photosynthesis,an oxygenated atmosphere,and the ozone layer.

Question 17

What types of events ended the Paleozoic era?

Accepted Answer

The formation of Pangaea-which

Question 18

In dating a mineral,what is meant by "resetting of the mineral's time clock"?

Accepted Answer

The "time clock" can be reset

Question 19

The birth of the San Andreas Fault corresponds to the collision of

Accepted Answer

A) the Pacific Plate and the Hawaiian islands. 
B) the Pacific ridge system and North America. 
C) the movement of the Pacific Plate over a turbulent zone. 
D) India and Eurasia. 
A) the Pacific Plate and the Hawaiian islands. 
B) the Pacific ridge system and North America. 
C) the movement of the Pacific Plate over a turbulent zone. 
D) India and Eurasia.

Question 20

Which isotopes are most appropriate for dating formations from the following ages: (a)the early Precambrian; (b)the Mesozoic; (c)the late Pleistocene?

Accepted Answer

For the early Precambrian,use

Exam 23: Geologic Time - Reading the Rock Record

According to most estimates,Earth is approximately

In a sequence of rock layers we find trilobite and dinosaur fossils.The dinosaur fossils are at the bottom of the rock sequence and the trilobites are at the top.This sequence tells us that

The break-up of Pangaea had worldwide consequences-how did this impact climate and sea level?

The numerical dates associated with events on the geologic time scale were determined by

In a sedimentary rock that contains inclusions of metamorphic rock,the inclusions must be

Glacial striations on the continental landmasses provide evidence

The laws of physics,chemistry,and geology have operated unchanged through time to shape Earth as we know it today.This statement can be summed up by the idea of

Organisms with the ability to be easily preserved as fossils began to flourish about

During the Cenozoic,animals grew to great sizes and proportions.The woolly mammoth and the saber tooth tiger were much larger than animals we see today.Some of the causes for their extinction may be

The oldest rocks that have been dated by radioactivity are approximately

The fundamental time unit representing a major change in life forms is the

The isotope most useful for dating rocks from the late Pleistocene is

The Cenozoic era represents a period of

Sediments deposited in an even,horizontal manner illustrate the principle of

Relative dating tells us the

The Precambrian witnessed the development of

What types of events ended the Paleozoic era?

In dating a mineral,what is meant by "resetting of the mineral's time clock"?

The birth of the San Andreas Fault corresponds to the collision of

Which isotopes are most appropriate for dating formations from the following ages: (a)the early Precambrian; (b)the Mesozoic; (c)the late Pleistocene?

Patterns of Motion and Equilibrium

Newtons Laws of Motion

Momentum and Energy

Gravity, Projectiles, and Satellites

Fluid Mechanics

Thermal Energy and Thermodynamics

Heat Transfer and Change of Phase

Static and Current Electricity

Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction

Waves and Sound

Light

Atoms and the Periodic Table

The Atomic Nucleus and Radioactivity

Elements of Chemistry

How Atoms Bond and Molecules Attract

Mixtures

How Chemicals React

Two Classes of Chemical Reactions

Organic Compounds

Rocks and Minerals

Plate Tectonics and Earths Interior

Shaping Earths Surface

The Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climatic Effects

Driving Forces of Weather

The Solar System

Stars and Galaxies

The Structure of Space and Time

Prologue: The Nature of Science

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