Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

The "time clock" can be reset

Question 2

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 3

The extensive glaciation of the Pleistocene caused sea level to

Accepted Answer

A) drop because a great deal of water was bound in glaciers. 
B) rise because a great deal of water was tied up in glaciers. 
C) drop because of increased ablation and reduced accumulation. 
D) rise because of increased accumulation and reduced ablation. 
A) drop because a great deal of water was bound in glaciers. 
B) rise because a great deal of water was tied up in glaciers. 
C) drop because of increased ablation and reduced accumulation. 
D) rise because of increased accumulation and reduced ablation.

Question 4

The beginning of the Paleozoic is marked by the emergence of

Accepted Answer

A) organisms with hard parts. 
B) fish and fungi. 
C) extensive glaciated deposits. 
D) none of these 
A) organisms with hard parts. 
B) fish and fungi. 
C) extensive glaciated deposits. 
D) none of these

Question 5

If a radioactive element has a half-life of 704 million years, and the amount of parent material remaining is one-eighth of the original amount, the specimen is about

Accepted Answer

A) 2,112,000,000 years old. 
B) 1,408,000,000 years old. 
C) 2,816,000,000 years old. 
D) 3,520,000,000 years old. 
A) 2,112,000,000 years old. 
B) 1,408,000,000 years old. 
C) 2,816,000,000 years old. 
D) 3,520,000,000 years old.

Question 6

The Mesozoic era is known as the age of the

Accepted Answer

A) dinosaur. 
B) reptile. 
C) fishes. 
D) synapsids. 
A) dinosaur. 
B) reptile. 
C) fishes. 
D) synapsids.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT true of the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

A) The fossil record spans 3 billion years of Earth's 4.6 billion year age. 
B) The most common fossils are from organisms that had hard parts like shells and bones. 
C) Similar to present day stromatolites, the first fossils were simple, anaerobic algal plants. 
D) The Paleozoic era is credited with the emergence of life. 
A) The fossil record spans 3 billion years of Earth's 4.6 billion year age. 
B) The most common fossils are from organisms that had hard parts like shells and bones. 
C) Similar to present day stromatolites, the first fossils were simple, anaerobic algal plants. 
D) The Paleozoic era is credited with the emergence of life.

Question 8

What types of events ended the Paleozoic era?

Accepted Answer

The formation of Pangaea-which

Question 9

The principle of superposition states that the top layer of rock is

Accepted Answer

A) igneous. 
B) the youngest. 
C) sedimentary. 
D) the oldest. 
A) igneous. 
B) the youngest. 
C) sedimentary. 
D) the oldest.

Question 10

The great height of the Himalayas is due to

Accepted Answer

A) continental-continental convergence where neither plate undergoes subduction. 
B) the continuing after affect of the collision between the Alps and the Urals. 
C) convergence of the Farallon Plate with India. 
D) the subduction of India beneath Asia. 
A) continental-continental convergence where neither plate undergoes subduction. 
B) the continuing after affect of the collision between the Alps and the Urals. 
C) convergence of the Farallon Plate with India. 
D) the subduction of India beneath Asia.

Question 11

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 12

Fossils are found in

Accepted Answer

A) sedimentary rocks. 
B) metamorphic rock. 
C) igneous rocks. 
D) sedimentary and some metamorphic rocks. 
A) sedimentary rocks. 
B) metamorphic rock. 
C) igneous rocks. 
D) sedimentary and some metamorphic rocks.

Question 13

During the Precambrian, the development of the ozone layer helped

Accepted Answer

A) primitive organisms on Earth's surface to nucleate. 
B) shield Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation. 
C) promote the emergence of stromatolites. 
D) promote the development of anaerobic organisms. 
A) primitive organisms on Earth's surface to nucleate. 
B) shield Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation. 
C) promote the emergence of stromatolites. 
D) promote the development of anaerobic organisms.

Question 14

The resetting of a mineral's time clock means that

Accepted Answer

A) a mineral can be formed and reformed again and again. 
B) the date obtained will be the date of the metamorphic event, not the date of the rock's formation. 
C) the date obtained will be the date of the rock's formation, not the date of the metamorphic event. 
D) minerals can tell time just like a clock can tell time. 
A) a mineral can be formed and reformed again and again. 
B) the date obtained will be the date of the metamorphic event, not the date of the rock's formation. 
C) the date obtained will be the date of the rock's formation, not the date of the metamorphic event. 
D) minerals can tell time just like a clock can tell time.

Question 15

The high concentration of iridium at the Cretaceous Tertiary boundary is most likely attributed to

Accepted Answer

A) a worldwide rise in sea level. 
B) meteorite bombardment. 
C) an out flux of iridium from Earth's interior. 
D) none of the above. 
A) a worldwide rise in sea level. 
B) meteorite bombardment. 
C) an out flux of iridium from Earth's interior. 
D) none of the above.

Question 16

The theory that different forms of animals throughout Earth's past occurred in a definite order is called the principle of

Accepted Answer

A) fossil assemblage. 
B) faunal succession. 
C) conformable fossils. 
D) fossil determination. 
A) fossil assemblage. 
B) faunal succession. 
C) conformable fossils. 
D) fossil determination.

Question 17

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 18

The Devonian period is most noted for the

Accepted Answer

A) ability of certain fishes to breath air. 
B) ability of certain fishes to move onto land. 
C) first amphibians. 
D) great diversification of fishes-some developed lungs, some moved to land, and some became amphibians. 
A) ability of certain fishes to breath air. 
B) ability of certain fishes to move onto land. 
C) first amphibians. 
D) great diversification of fishes-some developed lungs, some moved to land, and some became amphibians.

Question 19

Coal is composed of

Accepted Answer

A) petrified wood. 
B) buried plant material that has partially decayed. 
C) buried animal material that has partially decayed. 
D) a combination of oil-rich sediments and calcareous ooze. 
A) petrified wood. 
B) buried plant material that has partially decayed. 
C) buried animal material that has partially decayed. 
D) a combination of oil-rich sediments and calcareous ooze.

Question 20

The most important event during the Cambrian period was the

Accepted Answer

A) emergence of the fishes. 
B) ability of organisms to form an outer skeleton. 
C) emergence of the trilobite. 
D) ability of organisms to develop lungs. 
A) emergence of the fishes. 
B) ability of organisms to form an outer skeleton. 
C) emergence of the trilobite. 
D) ability of organisms to develop lungs.

Exam 23: Geologic Timereading the Rock Record

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

The oldest rocks that have been dated by radioactivity are approximately

The extensive glaciation of the Pleistocene caused sea level to

The beginning of the Paleozoic is marked by the emergence of

If a radioactive element has a half-life of 704 million years, and the amount of parent material remaining is one-eighth of the original amount, the specimen is about

The Mesozoic era is known as the age of the

Which of the following is NOT true of the fossil record?

What types of events ended the Paleozoic era?

The principle of superposition states that the top layer of rock is

The great height of the Himalayas is due to

According to most estimates, Earth is approximately

Fossils are found in

During the Precambrian, the development of the ozone layer helped

The resetting of a mineral's time clock means that

The high concentration of iridium at the Cretaceous Tertiary boundary is most likely attributed to

The theory that different forms of animals throughout Earth's past occurred in a definite order is called the principle of

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

The Devonian period is most noted for the

Coal is composed of

The most important event during the Cambrian period was the

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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