Question 1

The American and African/European continents are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean, which is approximately 4,000 km wide. Assuming a continental drift rate of 2 cm/year, how long has it been since they were one land mass?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The American and African/European continents are now...

Question 2

What would you study in order to determine the timescale on which the Earth's magnetic field reverses direction?

Accepted Answer

A)  a spreading center on the sea floor 
B)  a volcano in the middle of a continental plate 
C)  a fault at the border between two plates 
D)  a subduction zone on the sea floor 
E)  the rate of motion of tectonic plates

Question 3

Figure 3
-Which layer in Figure 3 represents the Earth's liquid core?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

The Mars rovers named Spirit and Opportunity found evidence in the chemical makeup of the rocks that proves Mars had liquid water on its surface in the past.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

The Moon has a diameter that is approximately one-fourth that of Earth. If these objects' interiors are heated by radioactive decays, and the total amount of energy in decays is proportional to the object's volume, then how does the amount of heat the Moon has compare to that of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Moon has 0.016 times that of Earth's. 
B)  The Moon's heating rate is 8 times that of the Earth's. 
C)  The Moon's heating rate is 0.5 times that of Earth's. 
D)  The Moon's heating rate is 4 times that of the Earth's. 
E)  The heating rates are about the same.

Question 6

Which of the following are NOT sites of frequent volcanic and earthquake activity on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  local hot spots 
B)  spreading centers 
C)  subduction zones 
D)  transform faults 
E)  inactive faults

Question 7

On Mars, water ice is present primarily at its polar ice caps.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The fact that Earth's interior is differentiated suggests that:

Accepted Answer

A)  it formed first from denser material and then afterward accreted lighter material 
B)  it has both a liquid and solid core 
C)  it was entirely liquid at some point in the past 
D)  only the crust is solid; the rest of Earth's interior is liquid 
E)  it formed first from lighter material, then afterward accreted heavier material

Question 9

Figure 1
-Which picture in Figure 1 illustrates an example of volcanism occurring on Earth?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

If the Himalaya mountain range is presently 8,000 meters in height and is rising at a rate of 0.5 meters per century because of the convergence of two continental plates, how long did it take to create this mountain range?

Accepted Answer

A)  1,600 years 
B)  160,000 years 
C)  1.6 million years 
D)  160 million years 
E)  1.6 billion years

Question 11

Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the rate of cratering in the early Solar System was strongly dependent on location 
B)  Mars, Venus, and Earth have thicker atmospheres 
C)  Earth and Venus were shielded from impacts by the Moon, and Mars was protected by the asteroid belt 
D)  Mars, Venus, and Earth were geologically active for a longer period of time than Mercury and the Moon 
E)  Mars, Venus, and Earth are much larger in size than Mercury and the Moon

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a factor that helps explain Earth's lack of craters compared to the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A)  wind erosion 
B)  larger atmosphere 
C)  higher density interior 
D)  liquid water on surface 
E)  active tectonics and volcanism

Question 13

To survive passage through the Earth's atmosphere without burning or breaking up before it hits the ground, an asteroid must be:

Accepted Answer

A)  at least 1 meter in size 
B)  at least 10 meters in size 
C)  at least 100 meters in size 
D)  at least 1 kilometer in size 
E)  at least 1,000 kilometers in size

Question 14

The feature on Mars shown in the figure below is _________ named _________.

Accepted Answer

A)  an impact crater; Meteor Crater 
B)  a volcano; Olympus Mons 
C)  a canyon ; Valles Marineris 
D)  a canyon: Caloris Basin 
E)  a mountain; Mount Neil Armstrong

Question 15

Figure 1
-Which picture in Figure 1 is an example of impacts occurring on Earth?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

Figure 4
-The large feature spanning the surface of Mars in Figure 4 is _________ and probably was created by _________.

Accepted Answer

A)  an impact crater; an asteroid or comet 
B)  a dry riverbed; flowing water 
C)  a canyon; a rapid cooling of the crust 
D)  a canyon; flowing water 
E)  a highway; an extinct civilization

Question 17

Figure 2
-Which of these three lunar surfaces shown in Figure 2 is the oldest?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  A and C are probably about the same age and are older than B. 
E)  It is impossible to tell without radioactive dating.

Question 18

Which is NOT a reason that we suspect that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a large impact by a large object?

Accepted Answer

A)  Many dinosaur fossils are found below the K-T boundary, but none above it. 
B)  The material in the K-T boundary is rich in iridium. 
C)  Soot is found in the material in the K-T boundary, which probably came from fires caused by the impact. 
D)  An impact crater has been found near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. 
E)  The remaining meteorite has been identified on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

Question 19

Examine the figure below that shows the continental plates of the Earth and the locations of volcanoes and earthquakes. Which statement is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Earth's crust is broken up into 13 separate continental plates. 
B)  Volcanoes occur more often where two plates are coming together rather than spreading apart. 
C)  Earthquakes happen where two plates come together and when they spread apart. 
D)  The Atlantic Ocean is getting smaller with time. 
E)  Southern California in the United States and Baja in Mexico are sliding northeastward relative to the rest of the North American Plate.

Question 20

If there is water on Mars today, where is it likely to be? Name two separate pieces of evidence we have that Mars once had flowing water on its surface and how this evidence was obtained.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If there is water on Mars today,...

Exam 8: The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

The American and African/European continents are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean, which is approximately 4,000 km wide. Assuming a continental drift rate of 2 cm/year, how long has it been since they were one land mass?

What would you study in order to determine the timescale on which the Earth's magnetic field reverses direction?

Figure 3 -Which layer in Figure 3 represents the Earth's liquid core?

The Mars rovers named Spirit and Opportunity found evidence in the chemical makeup of the rocks that proves Mars had liquid water on its surface in the past.

The Moon has a diameter that is approximately one-fourth that of Earth. If these objects' interiors are heated by radioactive decays, and the total amount of energy in decays is proportional to the object's volume, then how does the amount of heat the Moon has compare to that of Earth?

Which of the following are NOT sites of frequent volcanic and earthquake activity on Earth?

On Mars, water ice is present primarily at its polar ice caps.

The fact that Earth's interior is differentiated suggests that:

Figure 1 -Which picture in Figure 1 illustrates an example of volcanism occurring on Earth?

If the Himalaya mountain range is presently 8,000 meters in height and is rising at a rate of 0.5 meters per century because of the convergence of two continental plates, how long did it take to create this mountain range?

Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that:

Which of the following is NOT a factor that helps explain Earth's lack of craters compared to the Moon?

To survive passage through the Earth's atmosphere without burning or breaking up before it hits the ground, an asteroid must be:

The feature on Mars shown in the figure below is _ named _.

Figure 1 -Which picture in Figure 1 is an example of impacts occurring on Earth?

Figure 4 -The large feature spanning the surface of Mars in Figure 4 is _ and probably was created by _.

Figure 2 -Which of these three lunar surfaces shown in Figure 2 is the oldest?

Which is NOT a reason that we suspect that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a large impact by a large object?

Examine the figure below that shows the continental plates of the Earth and the locations of volcanoes and earthquakes. Which statement is FALSE?

If there is water on Mars today, where is it likely to be? Name two separate pieces of evidence we have that Mars once had flowing water on its surface and how this evidence was obtained.

Exam 8: The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

The American and African/European continents are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean, which is approximately 4,000 km wide. Assuming a continental drift rate of 2 cm/year, how long has it been since they were one land mass?

What would you study in order to determine the timescale on which the Earth's magnetic field reverses direction?

Figure 3 -Which layer in Figure 3 represents the Earth's liquid core?

The Mars rovers named Spirit and Opportunity found evidence in the chemical makeup of the rocks that proves Mars had liquid water on its surface in the past.

The Moon has a diameter that is approximately one-fourth that of Earth. If these objects' interiors are heated by radioactive decays, and the total amount of energy in decays is proportional to the object's volume, then how does the amount of heat the Moon has compare to that of Earth?

Which of the following are NOT sites of frequent volcanic and earthquake activity on Earth?

On Mars, water ice is present primarily at its polar ice caps.

The fact that Earth's interior is differentiated suggests that:

Figure 1 -Which picture in Figure 1 illustrates an example of volcanism occurring on Earth?

If the Himalaya mountain range is presently 8,000 meters in height and is rising at a rate of 0.5 meters per century because of the convergence of two continental plates, how long did it take to create this mountain range?

Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that:

Which of the following is NOT a factor that helps explain Earth's lack of craters compared to the Moon?

To survive passage through the Earth's atmosphere without burning or breaking up before it hits the ground, an asteroid must be:

The feature on Mars shown in the figure below is _________ named _________.

Figure 1 -Which picture in Figure 1 is an example of impacts occurring on Earth?

Figure 4 -The large feature spanning the surface of Mars in Figure 4 is _________ and probably was created by _________.

Figure 2 -Which of these three lunar surfaces shown in Figure 2 is the oldest?

Which is NOT a reason that we suspect that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a large impact by a large object?

Examine the figure below that shows the continental plates of the Earth and the locations of volcanoes and earthquakes. Which statement is FALSE?

If there is water on Mars today, where is it likely to be? Name two separate pieces of evidence we have that Mars once had flowing water on its surface and how this evidence was obtained.

The feature on Mars shown in the figure below is _ named _.

Figure 4 -The large feature spanning the surface of Mars in Figure 4 is _ and probably was created by _.