Question 1

A ______ mechanism, such as heavy rains or an earthquake, are sometimes instrumental in causing mass wasting to occur.

Accepted Answer

A)  triggering 
B)  filtering 
C)  mitigating 
D)  saturating 
A)  triggering 
B)  filtering 
C)  mitigating 
D)  saturating

Question 2

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  creep 
B)  rockslide 
C)  debris flow 
D)  slump 
A)  creep 
B)  rockslide 
C)  debris flow 
D)  slump

Question 3

In terrain with steep hill slopes, which crop and cultivation technique will minimize soil erosion?

Accepted Answer

A)  apples; land between the trees is planted in grass and not cultivated 
B)  bean; rows are spaced wider than on a level field 
C)  winter wheat; after the harvest, the field is plowed and left idle until next fall 
D)  corn; rows trending straight down the slope, frequent cultivation 
A)  apples; land between the trees is planted in grass and not cultivated 
B)  bean; rows are spaced wider than on a level field 
C)  winter wheat; after the harvest, the field is plowed and left idle until next fall 
D)  corn; rows trending straight down the slope, frequent cultivation

Question 4

After the drought of the 1930's farmers in the Great Plains were encouraged to plant rows of trees across fields to decrease soil erosion. How would this reduce soil erosion?

Accepted Answer

A)  The trees helped shade the ground, retaining moisture. 
B)  Tree roots would retard runoff and prevent erosion. 
C)  The trees can serve as windbreaks to slow wind erosion. 
D)  The trees had no effect; they were just used to improve the land appearance after the great depression. 
A)  The trees helped shade the ground, retaining moisture. 
B)  Tree roots would retard runoff and prevent erosion. 
C)  The trees can serve as windbreaks to slow wind erosion. 
D)  The trees had no effect; they were just used to improve the land appearance after the great depression.

Question 5

What is the greatest danger from earthflow?

Accepted Answer

A)  loss of water quality by mud flowing into river drainages, polluting the water 
B)  loss of life by rapid downslope movement of the earthflow 
C)  loss of property along the path of the earthflow 
D)  deforestation along the earthflow path 
A)  loss of water quality by mud flowing into river drainages, polluting the water 
B)  loss of life by rapid downslope movement of the earthflow 
C)  loss of property along the path of the earthflow 
D)  deforestation along the earthflow path

Question 6

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  B horizon 
B)  E horizon 
C)  A horizon 
D)  C- horizon 
A)  B horizon 
B)  E horizon 
C)  A horizon 
D)  C- horizon

Question 7

How does deforestation by fire or human activity contribute to mass wasting?

Accepted Answer

A)  It allows the wind to blow across the slopes, imparting a stress that triggers landslides. 
B)  It kills tree roots that help hold the slopes in place, allowing mass movement. 
C)  It allows excess rainfall runoff to erode the landscape, triggering mass wasting. 
D)  It allows farming activity that exposes soil to erosion and mass wasting. 
A)  It allows the wind to blow across the slopes, imparting a stress that triggers landslides. 
B)  It kills tree roots that help hold the slopes in place, allowing mass movement. 
C)  It allows excess rainfall runoff to erode the landscape, triggering mass wasting. 
D)  It allows farming activity that exposes soil to erosion and mass wasting.

Question 8

What is the feature labeled "A" in the diagram below? Also, how did it form?

Accepted Answer

Talus slope. Rocks fell from t

Question 9

All of the following are factors affecting mass wasting except for ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  slope angle 
B)  geologic age 
C)  gravity 
D)  water 
A)  slope angle 
B)  geologic age 
C)  gravity 
D)  water

Question 10

A mass wasting process that involves slip of solid rock above a distinct sliding surface is called______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  a slump 
B)  a rock avalanche 
C)  a rock fall 
D)  a rock slide 
A)  a slump 
B)  a rock avalanche 
C)  a rock fall 
D)  a rock slide

Question 11

Which one of the following statements best describes erosion?

Accepted Answer

A)  disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals at the surface 
B)  movement of weathered rock and regolith toward the base of a slope 
C)  the combined processes of leaching, eluviation, and mass wasting 
D)  the process by which weathered rock and mineral particles are removed from one area and transported elsewhere 
A)  disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals at the surface 
B)  movement of weathered rock and regolith toward the base of a slope 
C)  the combined processes of leaching, eluviation, and mass wasting 
D)  the process by which weathered rock and mineral particles are removed from one area and transported elsewhere

Question 12

Slump describes the very ______of soil and regolith.

Accepted Answer

A)  fast downhill motion 
B)  fast weathering 
C)  deposition 
D)  slow downhill motion 
A)  fast downhill motion 
B)  fast weathering 
C)  deposition 
D)  slow downhill motion

Question 13

What two factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils?

Accepted Answer

A)  warm temperatures; very moist 
B)  high temperatures; very dry 
C)  low temperatures; very moist 
D)  low temperatures; very dry 
A)  warm temperatures; very moist 
B)  high temperatures; very dry 
C)  low temperatures; very moist 
D)  low temperatures; very dry

Question 14

Why is soil structure important to know?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is an indicator of future climate. 
B)  It is an indicator of how susceptible the soil is to erosion. 
C)  It reveals composition. 
D)  It is not that critical; what matters is organic content. 
A)  It is an indicator of future climate. 
B)  It is an indicator of how susceptible the soil is to erosion. 
C)  It reveals composition. 
D)  It is not that critical; what matters is organic content.

Question 15

Chemical weathering rates are highest in ______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  cold wet climates 
B)  cold dry climates 
C)  hot dry climates 
D)  hot wet climates 
A)  cold wet climates 
B)  cold dry climates 
C)  hot dry climates 
D)  hot wet climates

Question 16

A mass wasting process that involves rapid down- slope movement of debris aided by a cushion of air is called______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  a slump 
B)  a rock avalanche 
C)  a rock fall 
D)  a rock slide 
A)  a slump 
B)  a rock avalanche 
C)  a rock fall 
D)  a rock slide

Question 17

______involves the downslope movement of a block or blocks of unconsolidated soil and regolith along a curved, slip surface.

Accepted Answer

A)  Debris pile 
B)  Slump 
C)  Talus 
D)  Alluvium 
A)  Debris pile 
B)  Slump 
C)  Talus 
D)  Alluvium

Question 18

All of the following are factors that affect rates of weathering except for______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  geologic age of Earth materials 
B)  climate 
C)  rock characteristics 
D)  surface area 
A)  geologic age of Earth materials 
B)  climate 
C)  rock characteristics 
D)  surface area

Question 19

Which term denotes the true soil above the zone of partly weathered bedrock?

Accepted Answer

A)  humus 
B)  regolith 
C)  loam 
D)  solum 
A)  humus 
B)  regolith 
C)  loam 
D)  solum

Question 20

Limestone and marble weather faster than granite because______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  limestone and marble can be dissolved by weak acids in rain 
B)  granite is more resistant to physical weathering because of its large crystals 
C)  granite does not react with rainwater and only weathers by physical erosion 
D)  limestone has many cracks and holes that allow water to infiltrate and weather the rock 
A)  limestone and marble can be dissolved by weak acids in rain 
B)  granite is more resistant to physical weathering because of its large crystals 
C)  granite does not react with rainwater and only weathers by physical erosion 
D)  limestone has many cracks and holes that allow water to infiltrate and weather the rock

Exam 8: Weathering, Soil, and Mass Movement

A ______ mechanism, such as heavy rains or an earthquake, are sometimes instrumental in causing mass wasting to occur.

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

In terrain with steep hill slopes, which crop and cultivation technique will minimize soil erosion?

After the drought of the 1930's farmers in the Great Plains were encouraged to plant rows of trees across fields to decrease soil erosion. How would this reduce soil erosion?

What is the greatest danger from earthflow?

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

How does deforestation by fire or human activity contribute to mass wasting?

What is the feature labeled "A" in the diagram below? Also, how did it form?

All of the following are factors affecting mass wasting except for ______.

A mass wasting process that involves slip of solid rock above a distinct sliding surface is called______ .

Which one of the following statements best describes erosion?

Slump describes the very ______of soil and regolith.

What two factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils?

Why is soil structure important to know?

Chemical weathering rates are highest in ______ .

A mass wasting process that involves rapid down- slope movement of debris aided by a cushion of air is called______ .

______involves the downslope movement of a block or blocks of unconsolidated soil and regolith along a curved, slip surface.

All of the following are factors that affect rates of weathering except for______ .

Which term denotes the true soil above the zone of partly weathered bedrock?

Limestone and marble weather faster than granite because______ .

Introduction to Earth Science

Matter and Minerals

Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Running Water and Groundwater

Glaciers, Deserts, and Wind

Geologic Time

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

The Ocean Floor

Ocean Water and Ocean Life

The Dynamic Ocean

The Atmosphere: Composition, Structure, and Temperature

Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Wind

Weather Patterns and Severe Storms

World Climates and Global Climate Change

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Touring Our Solar System

Light, Telescopes, and the Sun

Beyond Our Solar System

Filters