Question 1

When fine-grained sediment is blown away as shown in the figure below,the coarser sediment left behind is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a sabkha 
B)  ventifacts 
C)  a lag deposit 
D)  talus 
A)  a sabkha 
B)  ventifacts 
C)  a lag deposit 
D)  talus

Question 2

Most hot deserts ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  retain their high temperatures throughout the night because there is no vegetation to absorb heat from the sediment at the surface 
B)  cool off greatly at night because of sparse vegetation,dry air,and little cloud cover 
C)  cool off by no more than 8°C on most nights 
D)  gain additional heat at night because the desert air rises 
A)  retain their high temperatures throughout the night because there is no vegetation to absorb heat from the sediment at the surface 
B)  cool off greatly at night because of sparse vegetation,dry air,and little cloud cover 
C)  cool off by no more than 8°C on most nights 
D)  gain additional heat at night because the desert air rises

Question 3

Desert varnish consists of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  pesticide and other pollutant residues 
B)  thick coatings of iron and magnesium oxides 
C)  dust deposits affected by microorganisms 
D)  carbonate cements with iron impurities (e.g.,siderite) 
A)  pesticide and other pollutant residues 
B)  thick coatings of iron and magnesium oxides 
C)  dust deposits affected by microorganisms 
D)  carbonate cements with iron impurities (e.g.,siderite)

Question 4

Vegetation in the desert consists of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  cacti only 
B)  extensive grasslands with water-seeking deep roots 
C)  scattered succulents,such as cacti,with adaptations to obtain and retain as much water as they can 
D)  forests of tall,broad-leafed trees 
A)  cacti only 
B)  extensive grasslands with water-seeking deep roots 
C)  scattered succulents,such as cacti,with adaptations to obtain and retain as much water as they can 
D)  forests of tall,broad-leafed trees

Question 5

Which of the following human activities will lead to desertification?

Accepted Answer

A)  addition of fertilizer to soil 
B)  diversion of water from an area 
C)  over-irrigating an area 
D)  building a city in an area 
A)  addition of fertilizer to soil 
B)  diversion of water from an area 
C)  over-irrigating an area 
D)  building a city in an area

Question 6

Badlands are characterized by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  thick caliche crusts 
B)  closely spaced parallel drainages 
C)  sabkhas 
D)  perennial streams 
A)  thick caliche crusts 
B)  closely spaced parallel drainages 
C)  sabkhas 
D)  perennial streams

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT an adaptation of plants that helps them survive in deserts?

Accepted Answer

A)  a thick waxy outer coating and needlelike leaves 
B)  shallow,expansive root systems that can uptake infiltrated water over a broad area 
C)  succulence (tissues that retain moisture for a long period of time) 
D)  thin-skinned seeds that can quickly germinate when it rains 
A)  a thick waxy outer coating and needlelike leaves 
B)  shallow,expansive root systems that can uptake infiltrated water over a broad area 
C)  succulence (tissues that retain moisture for a long period of time) 
D)  thin-skinned seeds that can quickly germinate when it rains

Question 8

The Dust Bowl event in 1933 resulted from which natural event?

Accepted Answer

A)  overpopulation 
B)  long-term drought 
C)  global climate change 
D)  change in the course of rivers 
A)  overpopulation 
B)  long-term drought 
C)  global climate change 
D)  change in the course of rivers

Question 9

Contrast a lag deposit and desert pavement.

Accepted Answer

Lag deposits are formed by the removal o

Question 10

Coastal region deserts are most likely near ocean currents that are ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  warm 
B)  cold 
C)  flowing east 
D)  flowing west 
A)  warm 
B)  cold 
C)  flowing east 
D)  flowing west

Question 11

Areas with relatively scarce sand and constantly shifting winds will develop ________ dunes.

Accepted Answer

A)  star 
B)  barchans 
C)  parabolic 
D)  longitudinal 
A)  star 
B)  barchans 
C)  parabolic 
D)  longitudinal

Question 12

Talus aprons represent accumulations of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  angular debris at the base of a hill 
B)  lag deposits 
C)  coarse sediment in a deflation basin 
D)  loess at the edge of a desert 
A)  angular debris at the base of a hill 
B)  lag deposits 
C)  coarse sediment in a deflation basin 
D)  loess at the edge of a desert

Question 13

Deserts represent ________ of the Earth's land surface.

Accepted Answer

A)  less than 5% 
B)  about 10% 
C)  about 25% 
D)  more than 50% 
A)  less than 5% 
B)  about 10% 
C)  about 25% 
D)  more than 50%

Question 14

A mushroom-shaped landform consisting of a column of less-resistant rock supporting a broader extent of wind-resistant rock is termed a ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  blowout 
B)  ventifact 
C)  wadi 
D)  yardang 
A)  blowout 
B)  ventifact 
C)  wadi 
D)  yardang

Question 15

The most expansive hot deserts on the Earth occur in the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  tropics,at or near the equator 
B)  subtropics,between 20° and 30° north or south of the equator 
C)  temperate zone,between 30° and 50° north or south of the equator 
D)  latitudes higher than 50° north or south of the equator 
A)  tropics,at or near the equator 
B)  subtropics,between 20° and 30° north or south of the equator 
C)  temperate zone,between 30° and 50° north or south of the equator 
D)  latitudes higher than 50° north or south of the equator

Question 16

A salt-encrusted muddy tidal flat is known as a ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  wadi 
B)  pediment 
C)  sabkha 
D)  bajada 
A)  wadi 
B)  pediment 
C)  sabkha 
D)  bajada

Question 17

Desert climate associated with a rain shadow is found ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  on the windward side of mountain ranges 
B)  on the leeward side of mountain ranges 
C)  in the middle of flat plains 
D)  along continental coastlines 
A)  on the windward side of mountain ranges 
B)  on the leeward side of mountain ranges 
C)  in the middle of flat plains 
D)  along continental coastlines

Question 18

A rock that has been significantly reshaped on multiple surfaces by windborne particles and sometimes has a sharp edge is a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

A)  inselberg 
B)  ventifact 
C)  wadi 
D)  yardang 
A)  inselberg 
B)  ventifact 
C)  wadi 
D)  yardang

Question 19

Deserts are defined as regions with minimal precipitation and vegetation that covers no more than 15% of the land surface.How are any plants able to survive in the desert? Describe two different adaptations.

Accepted Answer

Student answers will vary but may includ

Question 20

The Atacama Desert in Chile is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  in the subtropics 
B)  near the South Pole 
C)  near the center of a large continent 
D)  next to a cold ocean current 
A)  in the subtropics 
B)  near the South Pole 
C)  near the center of a large continent 
D)  next to a cold ocean current

Exam 21: Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

When fine-grained sediment is blown away as shown in the figure below,the coarser sediment left behind is known as ________.

Most hot deserts ________.

Desert varnish consists of ________.

Vegetation in the desert consists of ________.

Which of the following human activities will lead to desertification?

Badlands are characterized by ________.

Which of the following is NOT an adaptation of plants that helps them survive in deserts?

The Dust Bowl event in 1933 resulted from which natural event?

Contrast a lag deposit and desert pavement.

Coastal region deserts are most likely near ocean currents that are ________.

Areas with relatively scarce sand and constantly shifting winds will develop ________ dunes.

Talus aprons represent accumulations of ________.

Deserts represent ________ of the Earth's land surface.

A mushroom-shaped landform consisting of a column of less-resistant rock supporting a broader extent of wind-resistant rock is termed a ________.

The most expansive hot deserts on the Earth occur in the ________.

A salt-encrusted muddy tidal flat is known as a ________.

Desert climate associated with a rain shadow is found ________.

A rock that has been significantly reshaped on multiple surfaces by windborne particles and sometimes has a sharp edge is a(n)________.

Deserts are defined as regions with minimal precipitation and vegetation that covers no more than 15% of the land surface.How are any plants able to survive in the desert? Describe two different adaptations.

The Atacama Desert in Chile is a desert primarily because it is located ________.

Cosmology and the Birth of the 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 Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the 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: the Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, Revisited: Seismic Layering, Gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Prelude: and Just What Is Geology

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