Question 1

What is the texture of a rock?

Accepted Answer

A) How the rock feels to the touch 
B) The composition of minerals that make up the rock 
C) The shape of the rock 
D) The size, shape, and/or arrangement of minerals in a rock 
A) How the rock feels to the touch 
B) The composition of minerals that make up the rock 
C) The shape of the rock 
D) The size, shape, and/or arrangement of minerals in a rock D

Question 2

Which of the following Earth materials can be used to make interpretations about the nature and composition of the interior of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Meteorites 
B) Diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes 
C) Slivers of crustal and mantle rocks exposed at the surface 
D) Meteorites, kimberlite pipes, and slivers of crustal and mantle rocks 
E) Groundwater and vapors in geothermal systems 
A) Meteorites 
B) Diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes 
C) Slivers of crustal and mantle rocks exposed at the surface 
D) Meteorites, kimberlite pipes, and slivers of crustal and mantle rocks 
E) Groundwater and vapors in geothermal systems D

Question 3

Before a hypothesis can become an accepted part of scientific knowledge, it must pass objective testing and analysis.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

What caused our solar nebula to contract and spin, eventually creating the planets?

Accepted Answer

A) Gravitational interactions between particles 
B) Gravitational attraction from black holes 
C) Nuclear fusion joining atomic particles 
D) Solar winds from nearby stars 
A) Gravitational interactions between particles 
B) Gravitational attraction from black holes 
C) Nuclear fusion joining atomic particles 
D) Solar winds from nearby stars

Question 5

Geologic hazards are natural processes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

________ was an important eighteenth-century geologist who developed the concept of Uniformitarianism to explain the slow, steady changes responsible for shaping the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) Charles Lyell 
B) Isaac Newton 
C) James Hutton 
D) Charles Darwin 
A) Charles Lyell 
B) Isaac Newton 
C) James Hutton 
D) Charles Darwin

Question 7

Crystallization of molten rock can produce metamorphic rocks.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Compare and contrast the thickness of the material that makes up ocean basins and continents and how they sit on the mantle.(Which one sits higher on the mantle and why?)

Accepted Answer

Continental material is thicker (up to 7

Question 9

Both energy and matter will flow in and out of an open system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which of these statements best describes the lithosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) The lithosphere is the layer in the interior of the Earth that is just below the crust. 
B) The lithosphere is composed of the crust and the rigid part of the upper mantle. 
C) The lithosphere is a low-density part of the upper mantle. 
D) The lithosphere consists solely of the crust. 
A) The lithosphere is the layer in the interior of the Earth that is just below the crust. 
B) The lithosphere is composed of the crust and the rigid part of the upper mantle. 
C) The lithosphere is a low-density part of the upper mantle. 
D) The lithosphere consists solely of the crust.

Question 11

Which of the four spheres of Earth is the most extensive?

Accepted Answer

A) Geosphere 
B) Atmosphere 
C) Hydrosphere 
D) Biosphere 
A) Geosphere 
B) Atmosphere 
C) Hydrosphere 
D) Biosphere

Question 12

The rock that makes up ocean basins has a density of ________ and is made of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) 1.9 g/cm3; sandstone 
B) 4.5 g/cm3; gneiss 
C) 3.0 g/cm3; basalt 
D) 2.7 g/cm3; granite 
A) 1.9 g/cm3; sandstone 
B) 4.5 g/cm3; gneiss 
C) 3.0 g/cm3; basalt 
D) 2.7 g/cm3; granite

Question 13

Which of the following is a natural disaster?

Accepted Answer

A) A hurricane forming in the ocean 
B) A landslide striking a city 
C) A volcano erupting on an uninhabited island 
D) An earthquake occurring in the desert 
A) A hurricane forming in the ocean 
B) A landslide striking a city 
C) A volcano erupting on an uninhabited island 
D) An earthquake occurring in the desert

Question 14

What percentage of the Earth is covered by oceans?

Accepted Answer

A) 50% 
B) 17% 
C) 80% 
D) 71% 
A) 50% 
B) 17% 
C) 80% 
D) 71%

Question 15

The geologic rock cycle presents an orderly transition from igneous to sedimentary to metamorphic rocks.However, there are also some alternative transitions that bypass part of the rock cycle.Which of the following is the best example of one of those bypasses?

Accepted Answer

A) Igneous rocks are weathered and eroded to become sediments. 
B) Metamorphic rocks are melted to become magma. 
C) Magma cools and crystallizes to form igneous rocks. 
D) Sedimentary rocks are weathered into sediments, which become lithified into sedimentary rocks. 
A) Igneous rocks are weathered and eroded to become sediments. 
B) Metamorphic rocks are melted to become magma. 
C) Magma cools and crystallizes to form igneous rocks. 
D) Sedimentary rocks are weathered into sediments, which become lithified into sedimentary rocks.

Question 16

Which of the following is the definition of a scientific theory?

Accepted Answer

A) The gathering of data through observations 
B) A tentative explanation used to explain observed activities 
C) A well-tested and widely accepted view that explains observable facts 
D) An educated guess 
A) The gathering of data through observations 
B) A tentative explanation used to explain observed activities 
C) A well-tested and widely accepted view that explains observable facts 
D) An educated guess

Question 17

A ________ is the interior of a continental mass that has been relatively undisturbed for the last 600 million years.

Accepted Answer

A) mountain belt 
B) margin 
C) craton 
D) shield 
A) mountain belt 
B) margin 
C) craton 
D) shield

Question 18

The science of geology borrows principles and techniques from other sciences in order to determine what happened in the past.Which three sciences contribute knowledge and principles that geologists use to understand the natural world?

Accepted Answer

Biology, p

Question 19

On May 18, 1980, the volcano Mount St.Helens in Washington State erupted, devastating life and landscape for over 200 mi2 through ash falls, lahars, and other pyroclastic deposits.Explain how the eruption (part of the geosphere)affected the atmosphere and hydrosphere.

Accepted Answer

The eruption ejected large qua

Question 20

The interior of the Earth is divided into roughly spherical layers of differing ________.

Accepted Answer

A) density 
B) temperature 
C) pressure 
D) magma 
A) density 
B) temperature 
C) pressure 
D) magma

Exam 1: An Introduction to Geology

What is the texture of a rock?

Which of the following Earth materials can be used to make interpretations about the nature and composition of the interior of the Earth?

Before a hypothesis can become an accepted part of scientific knowledge, it must pass objective testing and analysis.

What caused our solar nebula to contract and spin, eventually creating the planets?

Geologic hazards are natural processes.

________ was an important eighteenth-century geologist who developed the concept of Uniformitarianism to explain the slow, steady changes responsible for shaping the Earth.

Crystallization of molten rock can produce metamorphic rocks.

Compare and contrast the thickness of the material that makes up ocean basins and continents and how they sit on the mantle.(Which one sits higher on the mantle and why?)

Both energy and matter will flow in and out of an open system.

Which of these statements best describes the lithosphere?

Which of the four spheres of Earth is the most extensive?

The rock that makes up ocean basins has a density of ________ and is made of ________.

Which of the following is a natural disaster?

What percentage of the Earth is covered by oceans?

The geologic rock cycle presents an orderly transition from igneous to sedimentary to metamorphic rocks.However, there are also some alternative transitions that bypass part of the rock cycle.Which of the following is the best example of one of those bypasses?

Which of the following is the definition of a scientific theory?

A ________ is the interior of a continental mass that has been relatively undisturbed for the last 600 million years.

The science of geology borrows principles and techniques from other sciences in order to determine what happened in the past.Which three sciences contribute knowledge and principles that geologists use to understand the natural world?

On May 18, 1980, the volcano Mount St.Helens in Washington State erupted, devastating life and landscape for over 200 mi2 through ash falls, lahars, and other pyroclastic deposits.Explain how the eruption (part of the geosphere)affected the atmosphere and hydrosphere.

The interior of the Earth is divided into roughly spherical layers of differing ________.

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Matter and Minerals

Magma, Igneous Rocks, and Intrusive Activity

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Weathering and Soil

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Geologic Time

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes

Earths Interior

Divergent Boundaries

Convergent Boundaries

Mass Wasting

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Global Climate Change

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

Energy and Mineral Resources

Touring Our Solar System

Filters

The rock that makes up ocean basins has a density of and is made of .

On May 18, 1980, the volcano Mount St.Helens in Washington State erupted, devastating life and landscape for over 200 mi² through ash falls, lahars, and other pyroclastic deposits.Explain how the eruption (part of the geosphere)affected the atmosphere and hydrosphere.