Question 1

The rate of motion of lithospheric plates is comparable to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  fingernail growth 
B)  stream flow 
C)  highway traffic 
D)  grass growth 
A)  fingernail growth 
B)  stream flow 
C)  highway traffic 
D)  grass growth

Question 2

Why would a box on a shelf have a higher potential energy than that of a box on a lower shelf?

Accepted Answer

A)  The box on the higher shelf is heavier 
B)  The box on the lower shelf was placed there after the higher box. 
C)  The box on the higher shelf experiences less gravitational pull; with less gravitational pull comes more weight, thus more potential energy. 
D)  It took more work to move the box to the high shelf than to the low shelf 
A)  The box on the higher shelf is heavier 
B)  The box on the lower shelf was placed there after the higher box. 
C)  The box on the higher shelf experiences less gravitational pull; with less gravitational pull comes more weight, thus more potential energy. 
D)  It took more work to move the box to the high shelf than to the low shelf

Question 3

It is appropriate to criticize a scientific theory by saying "it's only a theory" because it is a tentative explanation that accounts for the existing data.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Geochemical studies of rocks show that earth is approximately ________ years old.

Accepted Answer

A)  500 million 
B)  6 thousand 
C)  30 billion 
D)  4.56 billion 
A)  500 million 
B)  6 thousand 
C)  30 billion 
D)  4.56 billion

Question 5

Why are supernatural explanations excluded from scientific theories?

Accepted Answer

A)  Scientists dislike them. 
B)  They provide too much data, thus drawing out experiments for too long. 
C)  It is dangerous to study them. 
D)  They cannot be observed or measured by scientific procedures. 
A)  Scientists dislike them. 
B)  They provide too much data, thus drawing out experiments for too long. 
C)  It is dangerous to study them. 
D)  They cannot be observed or measured by scientific procedures.

Question 6

Which factor is not a geologic factor in soil quality in an area?

Accepted Answer

A)  slope 
B)  rock type 
C)  reactions with acid rain 
D)  age of rock 
A)  slope 
B)  rock type 
C)  reactions with acid rain 
D)  age of rock

Question 7

What is the lithosphere's role in plate tectonics?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is at the center of the earth and causes the earthquakes that move the plates. 
B)  It is the source of the heaviest metals. 
C)  It is the outermost layer of the earth broken into plates. 
D)  It is the less rigid layer beneath the asthenosphere. 
A)  It is at the center of the earth and causes the earthquakes that move the plates. 
B)  It is the source of the heaviest metals. 
C)  It is the outermost layer of the earth broken into plates. 
D)  It is the less rigid layer beneath the asthenosphere.

Question 8

The potential energy of water decreases as it flows downhill in stream channels to the ocean.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Why are hot spots so strange?

Accepted Answer

A)  They occur at plate boundaries, 
B)  The volcanoes at hot spots erupt once a year. 
C)  They only occur near transform boundaries. 
D)  Molten material rises from deep in the mantle below the moving lithosphere as a result of processes not explained by plate tectonics, 
A)  They occur at plate boundaries, 
B)  The volcanoes at hot spots erupt once a year. 
C)  They only occur near transform boundaries. 
D)  Molten material rises from deep in the mantle below the moving lithosphere as a result of processes not explained by plate tectonics,

Question 10

Geologic processes have been active in the past that humans have not witnessed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Why is water the most fundamental resource derived from the planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  It has high surface tension. 
B)  Its solid form is ice, another fundamental resource. 
C)  Water is used for drinking and irrigating crops. 
D)  Water weathers rock to form valleys and canyons. 
A)  It has high surface tension. 
B)  Its solid form is ice, another fundamental resource. 
C)  Water is used for drinking and irrigating crops. 
D)  Water weathers rock to form valleys and canyons.

Question 12

Using the principle of Uniformitarianism, which makes the most sense?

Accepted Answer

A)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the ancient crater probably wasn't caused by an impact however. 
B)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the ancient crater was probably also caused by an impact. 
C)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the ancient crater must not be as ancient as scientists thought. 
D)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the new crater must be a lot older than scientists thought. 
A)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the ancient crater probably wasn't caused by an impact however. 
B)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the ancient crater was probably also caused by an impact. 
C)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the ancient crater must not be as ancient as scientists thought. 
D)  A crater from 4 million years ago is similar to one from an impact last year; the new crater must be a lot older than scientists thought.

Question 13

Which of the following was not a revolutionary advance in science?

Accepted Answer

A)  plate tectonic theory 
B)  the pasteurization process 
C)  the gasoline engine 
D)  discovery of the genetic code 
A)  plate tectonic theory 
B)  the pasteurization process 
C)  the gasoline engine 
D)  discovery of the genetic code

Question 14

Mt. Everest is 29,028 feet tall, while K2 is 28,251 feet tall. Which has more potential energy, and why? (Potential energy).

Accepted Answer

Considerable work must be done to raise

Question 15

The scientific method is a description of how scientists measure natural phenomena and rigorously test new ideas about how some part of the natural world works.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Why must the process of mountain building be inferred through the principle of Uniformitarianism?

Accepted Answer

A)  Uniformitarianism is a law so it must be so. 
B)  Mountain building occurs over millions of years so geologists must assume what takes place during the process. 
C)  Mountain building occurs very quickly. 
D)  Uniformitarianism describes mountain building word for word. 
A)  Uniformitarianism is a law so it must be so. 
B)  Mountain building occurs over millions of years so geologists must assume what takes place during the process. 
C)  Mountain building occurs very quickly. 
D)  Uniformitarianism describes mountain building word for word.

Question 17

The higher rocks are uplifted as mountains, the greater the work required in overcoming the downward gravitational pull.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Scientific research always leads immediately to correct explanations of natural phenomena.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Why can geologists observe the breaking of the ground during an earthquake much easier than other geologic events?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ground breaking during an earthquake is much more violent than other events. 
B)  Geologists have better equipment to measure earthquakes than other geologic events. 
C)  Ground breaking during an earthquake occurs much faster than other events in the geologic history of the earth. 
D)  Geologists enjoy earthquakes more than other geologic events. 
A)  Ground breaking during an earthquake is much more violent than other events. 
B)  Geologists have better equipment to measure earthquakes than other geologic events. 
C)  Ground breaking during an earthquake occurs much faster than other events in the geologic history of the earth. 
D)  Geologists enjoy earthquakes more than other geologic events.

Question 20

How does the asthenosphere differ from the lithosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  The asthenosphere is the outermost layer made of solid rock while the lithosphere is the innermost layer made of molten rock. 
B)  The asthenosphere is the innermost layer made of molten rock while the lithosphere is the outermost layer made of solid rock. 
C)  The asthenosphere is at the core of the earth and the lithosphere surrounds it. 
D)  The hundred-kilometer plates of the lithosphere rest upon the weaker and less rigid rock of the asthenosphere. 
A)  The asthenosphere is the outermost layer made of solid rock while the lithosphere is the innermost layer made of molten rock. 
B)  The asthenosphere is the innermost layer made of molten rock while the lithosphere is the outermost layer made of solid rock. 
C)  The asthenosphere is at the core of the earth and the lithosphere surrounds it. 
D)  The hundred-kilometer plates of the lithosphere rest upon the weaker and less rigid rock of the asthenosphere.

Exam 1: Why Study Earth

The rate of motion of lithospheric plates is comparable to ________.

Why would a box on a shelf have a higher potential energy than that of a box on a lower shelf?

It is appropriate to criticize a scientific theory by saying "it's only a theory" because it is a tentative explanation that accounts for the existing data.

Geochemical studies of rocks show that earth is approximately ________ years old.

Why are supernatural explanations excluded from scientific theories?

Which factor is not a geologic factor in soil quality in an area?

What is the lithosphere's role in plate tectonics?

The potential energy of water decreases as it flows downhill in stream channels to the ocean.

Why are hot spots so strange?

Geologic processes have been active in the past that humans have not witnessed.

Why is water the most fundamental resource derived from the planet?

Using the principle of Uniformitarianism, which makes the most sense?

Which of the following was not a revolutionary advance in science?

Mt. Everest is 29,028 feet tall, while K2 is 28,251 feet tall. Which has more potential energy, and why? (Potential energy).

The scientific method is a description of how scientists measure natural phenomena and rigorously test new ideas about how some part of the natural world works.

Why must the process of mountain building be inferred through the principle of Uniformitarianism?

The higher rocks are uplifted as mountains, the greater the work required in overcoming the downward gravitational pull.

Scientific research always leads immediately to correct explanations of natural phenomena.

Why can geologists observe the breaking of the ground during an earthquake much easier than other geologic events?

How does the asthenosphere differ from the lithosphere?

Minerals: Building Blocks of the Planet

Rocks and Rock-Forming Processes

Formation of Magma and Igneous Rocks

Formation of Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks

Formation of Metamorphic Rocks

Earth Materials As Time Keepers

Earth Materials As Time Keepers

Making Earth

Motion Inside Earth

Deformation of Rocks

Global Tectonics: Plates and Plumes

Tectonics and Surface Relief

Soil Formation and Landscape Stability

Mass Movements: Landscapes in Motion

Streams: Flowing Water Shapes the Landscape

Water Flowing Underground

Glaciers: Cold-Climate Sculptors of Continents

Shorelines: Changing Landscapes Where Land Meets Sea

Wind: a Global Geologic Process

Global Warming: Real Time Change in the Earth System

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