Question 1

Compared with humid climates, the rates of chemical weathering in deserts are

Accepted Answer

A) much faster. 
B) much slower. 
C) very similar. 
D) too variable to understand.

Question 2

Physical weathering produces piles of broken rocks called

Accepted Answer

A) inselbergs. 
B) arroyos. 
C) caliche. 
D) talus.

Question 3

What is the dominant erosional force in deserts, wind or water? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the dominant erosional force in...

Question 4

Today, continental glaciers are limited to Antarctica and

Accepted Answer

A) Alaska. 
B) Greenland. 
C) Canada. 
D) Siberia.

Question 5

Piles of sand that form simple, wavelike shapes are called __________ dunes.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

Imagine you are a farmer moving into the Great Plains area after the Dust Bowl of 1933. What can you do to make the land fertile enough for farming again? What about grazing of livestock?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine you are a farmer moving into...

Question 7

Cirques, horns, and arêtes form from glacial __________ , whereas moraines, erratics, and till form from glacial __________ .

Accepted Answer

A) erosion; deposition 
B) deposition; carving 
C) retreat; advance 
D) erosion; sublimation

Question 8

Which of the following scenarios would lead to glacial advance during a time of global warming?

Accepted Answer

A) glacier in a depression that lies in shadows most of the day 
B) glacier in a valley on the leeward side of a mountain range 
C) glacier that caps the highest mountain on the planet 
D) continental glacier that covers an entire continent

Question 9

The deserts found in the western United States are primarily the result of being located

Accepted Answer

A) in the subtropics. 
B) within rain-shadows of mountains. 
C) near the center of a large continent. 
D) next to a cold ocean current.

Question 10

The Mars rover Curiosity has recently found evidence that there was liquid water on the planet's surface at some point in its history. Because we have not found any liquid water on the planet today, what does this imply about Mars?

Accepted Answer

A) The planet was once covered entirely in liquid water. 
B) A drought must have removed all the water from the surface. 
C) The climate was once warm enough that the polar ice caps melted. 
D) The interior of Mars must be made entirely of liquid water.

Question 11

Draw a representative eustatic sea level curve you would expect to see for a world that experienced two glacials and three interglacials. Make sure to label your axes and the glacials and interglacials on the graph.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Draw a representative eustatic sea level curve...

Question 12

You are hiking in your favorite forest when you encounter a surface that appears to have very fine directional scratches in it. What are these features?

Accepted Answer

A) glacial till 
B) moraines 
C) striations 
D) scour marks

Question 13

During the last ice age, a __________ glacier covered much of the northern United States.

Accepted Answer

A) piedmont 
B) cirque 
C) mountain 
D) continental

Question 14

Which of the following hazards could lead to desertification?

Accepted Answer

A) climate change 
B) earthquakes 
C) landslides 
D) flooding

Question 15

Why do deserts form in polar regions?

Accepted Answer

A) Increased albedo prevents evaporation. 
B) There is no vegetation to release CO2. 
C) There are no sources of water to evaporate. 
D) Cold air does not hold much moisture.

Question 16

What do geologists call the process that describes how continental glaciers melt away and the surface of the underlying continent rises back up?

Accepted Answer

A) glacial subsidence 
B) ground patterning 
C) glacial rebound 
D) terminal moraine

Question 17

The desertification of the Sahel region in Africa was the result of

Accepted Answer

A) overcrowding by nomadic people. 
B) removal of grasses from the soil. 
C) drying out of the area by overpopulation. 
D) diversion of rivers to larger cities.

Question 18

Explain why the deposits made by glacial outwash are stratified.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why the deposits made by glacial...

Question 19

A glacier will always advance from its source area if the rate of accumulation is greater than the rate of

Accepted Answer

A) subsidence. 
B) erosion. 
C) ablation 
D) uplift.

Question 20

Which of the images below shows the oldest snow?

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D

Exam 14: Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes