Question 1

What caused the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere at roughly 2.5 Ga?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthetic organisms produ

Question 2

What major change took place on the Earth at the beginning of the Paleozoic? What is the Cambrian explosion?

Accepted Answer

The beginning of the Paleozoic is marked

Question 3

Which of the following is true of the Earth's glacial history?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Earth's climate has remained relatively consistent throughout geologic time. 
B)  A glacial maximum at the end of the Proterozoic resulted in the great oxygenation event. 
C)  The term snowball Earth refers to a time in which the Earth's surface was almost entirely covered in glacial ice. 
D)  Increased glaciation at the end of the Cretaceous was partly responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. 
A)  The Earth's climate has remained relatively consistent throughout geologic time. 
B)  A glacial maximum at the end of the Proterozoic resulted in the great oxygenation event. 
C)  The term snowball Earth refers to a time in which the Earth's surface was almost entirely covered in glacial ice. 
D)  Increased glaciation at the end of the Cretaceous was partly responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Question 4

Through geologic time,continents have drifted over the surface of the Earth,but each continent has

Accepted Answer

A)  always been about as large as it is today. 
B)  grown by the addition of Precambrian shields. 
C)  grown by addition of crustal fragments. 
D)  grown by crustal stretching. 
A)  always been about as large as it is today. 
B)  grown by the addition of Precambrian shields. 
C)  grown by addition of crustal fragments. 
D)  grown by crustal stretching.

Question 5

The Taconic,Acadian,and Alleghenian orogenic events all led to uplift in the region of the modern

Accepted Answer

A)  Rockies. 
B)  Appalachians. 
C)  Alps. 
D)  Himalayas. 
A)  Rockies. 
B)  Appalachians. 
C)  Alps. 
D)  Himalayas.

Question 6

The Mesozoic Era is a time in the Earth's history when

Accepted Answer

A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life. 
A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life.

Question 7

The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves

Accepted Answer

A)  impact between the Earth and a protoplanet during the Hadean. 
B)  simultaneous formation of the Earth and the Moon in neighboring parts of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago. 
C)  gravitational capture of the Moon by the Earth during the Hadean. 
D)  gravitational capture of the Earth by the Moon during the Archean. 
A)  impact between the Earth and a protoplanet during the Hadean. 
B)  simultaneous formation of the Earth and the Moon in neighboring parts of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago. 
C)  gravitational capture of the Moon by the Earth during the Hadean. 
D)  gravitational capture of the Earth by the Moon during the Archean.

Question 8

The Hadean was a time in Earth history when

Accepted Answer

A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life. 
A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life.

Question 9

Animals and plants are both

Accepted Answer

A)  autotrophs. 
B)  eukaryotes. 
C)  Archaea. 
D)  prokaryotes. 
A)  autotrophs. 
B)  eukaryotes. 
C)  Archaea. 
D)  prokaryotes.

Question 10

Dinosaurs first appeared during the ________ Period.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

According to the graph below,continental crust was mostly done forming by

Accepted Answer

A)  the mid-Archean. 
B)  roughly 1 Ma. 
C)  roughly 4.5 Ga. 
D)  the early Proterozoic. 
A)  the mid-Archean. 
B)  roughly 1 Ma. 
C)  roughly 4.5 Ga. 
D)  the early Proterozoic.

Question 12

Why are rocks formed before 3.85 Ga so rare?

Accepted Answer

It is likely that the late heavy bombard

Question 13

How were mammals able to take over as the dominant class of organisms on the Earth?

Accepted Answer

Mammals were able to take over

Question 14

You find a sedimentary stratigraphic sequence that contains a marine limestone above an alluvial fan conglomerate.This sequence indicates

Accepted Answer

A)  a relative rise in sea level. 
B)  the presence of an orogeny. 
C)  ancestral glaciation. 
D)  a change in climate. 
A)  a relative rise in sea level. 
B)  the presence of an orogeny. 
C)  ancestral glaciation. 
D)  a change in climate.

Question 15

The Earth is approximately how old?

Accepted Answer

A)  14 billion years 
B)  4.6 billion years 
C)  40 million years 
D)  6,000 years 
A)  14 billion years 
B)  4.6 billion years 
C)  40 million years 
D)  6,000 years

Question 16

The Cambrian Period is a time in the Earth's history when

Accepted Answer

A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life. 
A)  the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record. 
B)  the Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted. 
C)  stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed. 
D)  the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life.

Question 17

An iridium-rich layer of clay,glass spherules,and shocked quartz grains strongly suggests that the K-T boundary extinctions were at least in part caused by

Accepted Answer

A)  a long trend of global warming. 
B)  a long trend of global cooling. 
C)  worldwide explosive volcanism. 
D)  the impact of a bolide (meteoroid or comet). 
A)  a long trend of global warming. 
B)  a long trend of global cooling. 
C)  worldwide explosive volcanism. 
D)  the impact of a bolide (meteoroid or comet).

Question 18

Use the graph of sea level below.When was sea level the highest?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous 
A)  Ordovician 
B)  Carboniferous 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous

Question 19

Describe how fossils can be used to interpret the geologic history of an area.

Accepted Answer

Fossils are evidence of past l

Question 20

Most DNA in the cells of animals and plants is housed within a nucleus; such cells are termed

Accepted Answer

A)  prokinetic. 
B)  prokaryotic. 
C)  eukaryotic. 
D)  analgesic. 
A)  prokinetic. 
B)  prokaryotic. 
C)  eukaryotic. 
D)  analgesic.

Exam 13: A Biography of the Earth

What caused the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere at roughly 2.5 Ga?

What major change took place on the Earth at the beginning of the Paleozoic? What is the Cambrian explosion?

Which of the following is true of the Earth's glacial history?

Through geologic time,continents have drifted over the surface of the Earth,but each continent has

The Taconic,Acadian,and Alleghenian orogenic events all led to uplift in the region of the modern

The Mesozoic Era is a time in the Earth's history when

The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves

The Hadean was a time in Earth history when

Animals and plants are both

Dinosaurs first appeared during the ________ Period.

According to the graph below,continental crust was mostly done forming by

Why are rocks formed before 3.85 Ga so rare?

How were mammals able to take over as the dominant class of organisms on the Earth?

You find a sedimentary stratigraphic sequence that contains a marine limestone above an alluvial fan conglomerate.This sequence indicates

The Earth is approximately how old?

The Cambrian Period is a time in the Earth's history when

An iridium-rich layer of clay,glass spherules,and shocked quartz grains strongly suggests that the K-T boundary extinctions were at least in part caused by

Use the graph of sea level below.When was sea level the highest?

Describe how fossils can be used to interpret the geologic history of an area.

Most DNA in the cells of animals and plants is housed within a nucleus; such cells are termed

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

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