Question 1

The late Proterozoic Grenville orogeny 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 2

The Miocene Epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

Accepted Answer

A)  grasslands 
B)  angiosperm forests 
C)  gymnosperm forests 
D)  tree fern forests 
A)  grasslands 
B)  angiosperm forests 
C)  gymnosperm forests 
D)  tree fern forests

Question 3

The Cambrian explosion not only produced an abundance of new animal species but also gave rise to the first shells,spines,and active swimmers.This suggests the important influence of ________ in driving animal evolution.

Accepted Answer

A)  photosynthetic organisms 
B)  climate 
C)  carnivorous predators 
D)  filter-feeding organisms 
A)  photosynthetic organisms 
B)  climate 
C)  carnivorous predators 
D)  filter-feeding organisms

Question 4

Humans belong to a lineage of mammals called the

Accepted Answer

A)  carnivores. 
B)  primates. 
C)  odd-toed ungulates. 
D)  edentates. 
A)  carnivores. 
B)  primates. 
C)  odd-toed ungulates. 
D)  edentates.

Question 5

Which of the following would be considered evidence for an orogeny?

Accepted Answer

A)  folded strata 
B)  normal faulting 
C)  disconformities 
D)  continental rifting 
A)  folded strata 
B)  normal faulting 
C)  disconformities 
D)  continental rifting

Question 6

Did the dinosaurs walk on Pangaea?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yes,some of them did,because Pangaea did not break up until the Jurassic Period. 
B)  No,Pangaea broke apart at the end of the Permian before dinosaurs evolved. 
C)  Yes,Pangaea formed in the Permian and broke apart at the end of the Cretaceous. 
D)  Yes,the meteorite impact that killed the dinosaurs was responsible for breaking up Pangaea. 
A)  Yes,some of them did,because Pangaea did not break up until the Jurassic Period. 
B)  No,Pangaea broke apart at the end of the Permian before dinosaurs evolved. 
C)  Yes,Pangaea formed in the Permian and broke apart at the end of the Cretaceous. 
D)  Yes,the meteorite impact that killed the dinosaurs was responsible for breaking up Pangaea.

Question 7

Why were mammals able to become the dominant species at the beginning of the Cenozoic?

Accepted Answer

A)  The mammals were finally able to grow legs and come out of the ocean to populate the land. 
B)  The dinosaurs died off and the small rodent-like mammals of the Mesozoic evolved to fill the niche. 
C)  The amphibians that first walked on land died out because it was too cold for them,after which mammals with fur took over. 
D)  Mammals evolved from primates after the dinosaurs went extinct and became the top predators. 
A)  The mammals were finally able to grow legs and come out of the ocean to populate the land. 
B)  The dinosaurs died off and the small rodent-like mammals of the Mesozoic evolved to fill the niche. 
C)  The amphibians that first walked on land died out because it was too cold for them,after which mammals with fur took over. 
D)  Mammals evolved from primates after the dinosaurs went extinct and became the top predators.

Question 8

Chalk rock contains many tiny plankton shells.This is evidence of which depositional environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  river 
B)  forest 
C)  ocean 
D)  desert 
A)  river 
B)  forest 
C)  ocean 
D)  desert

Question 9

Which of the following provides evidence of past life and thus help geologists understand how living things,and the environments in which they lived,changed throughout the Earth's history?

Accepted Answer

A)  igneous rocks 
B)  fossils 
C)  faults 
D)  strata 
A)  igneous rocks 
B)  fossils 
C)  faults 
D)  strata

Question 10

__________ can be used to determine the position of a continent in the past.

Accepted Answer

A)  Evidence of an orogeny 
B)  Cratonic platforms 
C)  Isotopic signatures 
D)  Apparent polar wander paths 
A)  Evidence of an orogeny 
B)  Cratonic platforms 
C)  Isotopic signatures 
D)  Apparent polar wander paths

Question 11

Geographically,a shield and surrounding platform together are

Accepted Answer

A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out. 
B)  a low-lying 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 low-lying 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 12

The eon represented by abundant deposits of strata with shelly fossils is the

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

Where would you be most likely to see a piece of the earliest continental crust?

Accepted Answer

A)  southern California 
B)  iceland 
C)  the ocean floor 
D)  central Canada 
A)  southern California 
B)  iceland 
C)  the ocean floor 
D)  central Canada

Question 14

A shield is

Accepted Answer

A)  a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out. 
B)  a low-lying 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 low-lying 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 15

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

Accepted Answer

A)  North America 
B)  South America 
C)  Asia 
D)  Africa 
A)  North America 
B)  South America 
C)  Asia 
D)  Africa

Question 16

Present day orogens are identified by finding regions of high,rugged peaks.How can geologists identify orogens that have been eroded away? How might the age of these orogens be determined?

Accepted Answer

Ancient orogens can be identified by the

Question 17

The oldest terrestrial insect fossils are found in rocks from the ________ Period.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

Convergence along the western margin of North America during the Cenozoic gave way to rifting forces that created the characteristic topography of the

Accepted Answer

A)  Coast Ranges. 
B)  Basin and Range Province. 
C)  Colorado Plateau. 
D)  Columbia Plateau. 
A)  Coast Ranges. 
B)  Basin and Range Province. 
C)  Colorado Plateau. 
D)  Columbia Plateau.

Question 19

By the end of the Hadean,the Earth had a primitive atmosphere and early oceans.Contrast these with the oceans and atmosphere of today.

Accepted Answer

The atmosphere in the Hadean was toxic,c

Question 20

Which gas found in today's atmosphere was absent during the Hadean and Archean eons?

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrogen 
B)  water vapor 
C)  oxygen 
D)  carbon dioxide 
A)  nitrogen 
B)  water vapor 
C)  oxygen 
D)  carbon dioxide

Exam 13: A Biography of the Earth

The late Proterozoic Grenville orogeny is an event related to

The Miocene Epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

The Cambrian explosion not only produced an abundance of new animal species but also gave rise to the first shells,spines,and active swimmers.This suggests the important influence of ________ in driving animal evolution.

Humans belong to a lineage of mammals called the

Which of the following would be considered evidence for an orogeny?

Did the dinosaurs walk on Pangaea?

Why were mammals able to become the dominant species at the beginning of the Cenozoic?

Chalk rock contains many tiny plankton shells.This is evidence of which depositional environment?

Which of the following provides evidence of past life and thus help geologists understand how living things,and the environments in which they lived,changed throughout the Earth's history?

__________ can be used to determine the position of a continent in the past.

Geographically,a shield and surrounding platform together are

The eon represented by abundant deposits of strata with shelly fossils is the

Where would you be most likely to see a piece of the earliest continental crust?

A shield is

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

Present day orogens are identified by finding regions of high,rugged peaks.How can geologists identify orogens that have been eroded away? How might the age of these orogens be determined?

The oldest terrestrial insect fossils are found in rocks from the ________ Period.

Convergence along the western margin of North America during the Cenozoic gave way to rifting forces that created the characteristic topography of the

By the end of the Hadean,the Earth had a primitive atmosphere and early oceans.Contrast these with the oceans and atmosphere of today.

Which gas found in today's atmosphere was absent during the Hadean and Archean eons?

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

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

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

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

Filters