Question 1

An unconformity in which the strata on either side are essentially parallel is termed a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

disconformity

Question 2

After three half-lives, one-ninth of an original, radioactive parent isotope remains and eight-ninths has decayed into the daughter isotope.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

Which of the following is an essential characteristic of an index fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)  The organism lived only in specific environments such as beaches or estuaries. 
B)  The organism only lived for a short period of geologic time. 
C)  The fossils are exceptionally abundant and well preserved. 
D)  The fossils occur in deep-water marine sediments, but the organism actually lived in the sunlit, surface layer of the ocean. 
A)  The organism lived only in specific environments such as beaches or estuaries. 
B)  The organism only lived for a short period of geologic time. 
C)  The fossils are exceptionally abundant and well preserved. 
D)  The fossils occur in deep-water marine sediments, but the organism actually lived in the sunlit, surface layer of the ocean. B

Question 4

When a radioactive isotope decays by electron capture, the electron ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  combines with a neutron in the nucleus, raising the mass number of the daughter isotope by one 
B)  combines with a proton in the nucleus; the atomic number of the daughter is one less than the parent 
C)  makes the parent isotope into an ion with a charge of negative one 
D)  makes the daughter isotope into an ion with a charge of positive one 
A)  combines with a neutron in the nucleus, raising the mass number of the daughter isotope by one 
B)  combines with a proton in the nucleus; the atomic number of the daughter is one less than the parent 
C)  makes the parent isotope into an ion with a charge of negative one 
D)  makes the daughter isotope into an ion with a charge of positive one

Question 5

Compare and contrast relative age dating with radiometric age dating. What is a limitation (if any) of each?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast relative age dating with...

Question 6

Correlation of rock units between continents or widely separated areas is accomplished by using physical features such as color, texture, and thickness of units.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The term Paleozoic describes the era of ancient life forms.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  superposition 
B)  correlation 
C)  original horizontality 
D)  inclusions 
A)  superposition 
B)  correlation 
C)  original horizontality 
D)  inclusions

Question 9

The subdivision of the geologic time scale that represents the longest time span is called a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  epoch 
B)  era 
C)  period 
D)  eon 
A)  epoch 
B)  era 
C)  period 
D)  eon

Question 10

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  electron capture 
B)  alpha emission 
C)  delta capture 
D)  beta emission 
A)  electron capture 
B)  alpha emission 
C)  delta capture 
D)  beta emission

Question 11

Examine the illustration below (a cross section through the Earth as you might observe on the wall of a quarry or a road cut). Give two reasons why the granite must be older than the sedimentary layers.

Accepted Answer

The sedimentary layers are deposited on

Question 12

The phrase, "The present is the key to the past," refers to the doctrine of ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The phrase, "The present is the key...

Question 13

What are the mass and charge of an alpha particle?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the mass and charge of...

Question 14

The term Mesozoic refers to life forms intermediate in complexity between early and much later, more modern-looking life forms.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Who made the first clear statement of the law of superposition? When?

Accepted Answer

A)  John Wesley Powell, nineteenth century 
B)  William Smith, eighteenth century 
C)  John Stuart Priestly, nineteenth century 
D)  Nicolaus Steno, seventeenth century 
A)  John Wesley Powell, nineteenth century 
B)  William Smith, eighteenth century 
C)  John Stuart Priestly, nineteenth century 
D)  Nicolaus Steno, seventeenth century

Question 16

Assume that you have just examined several flat-lying sedimentary layers. After much study you determine that there is a considerable span of time for which no sedimentary rock layer exists at this site. You have just discovered a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  angular unconformity 
B)  series of conformable strata 
C)  disconformity 
D)  example of cross-cutting relationships 
A)  angular unconformity 
B)  series of conformable strata 
C)  disconformity 
D)  example of cross-cutting relationships

Question 17

If the ratio of radioactive parent to stable daughter isotope is 1:3, how many half-lives have elapsed?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If the ratio of radioactive parent to...

Question 18

In a given area where you have little knowledge of the local geology (rocks types, fossils, etc.), what type of unconformity would be the most difficult to recognize in an exposed sequence of rocks? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a given area where you have...

Question 19

Catastrophism ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  was a philosophy that was first expounded by the early Greeks 
B)  was based upon the belief that Earth was millions of years old 
C)  helped man understand the true nature of the forces that shaped the Grand Canyon 
D)  is a modern term used to describe earthquakes and volcanic activity 
A)  was a philosophy that was first expounded by the early Greeks 
B)  was based upon the belief that Earth was millions of years old 
C)  helped man understand the true nature of the forces that shaped the Grand Canyon 
D)  is a modern term used to describe earthquakes and volcanic activity

Question 20

________ is an erosional contact between tilted, older strata below and horizontal, younger strata above.

Accepted Answer

A)  Inverse bedding 
B)  An angular unconformity 
C)  A disconformity 
D)  Cross cutting 
A)  Inverse bedding 
B)  An angular unconformity 
C)  A disconformity 
D)  Cross cutting

Exam 11: Geologic Time

An unconformity in which the strata on either side are essentially parallel is termed a(n) ________.

After three half-lives, one-ninth of an original, radioactive parent isotope remains and eight-ninths has decayed into the daughter isotope.

Which of the following is an essential characteristic of an index fossil?

When a radioactive isotope decays by electron capture, the electron ________.

Compare and contrast relative age dating with radiometric age dating. What is a limitation (if any) of each?

Correlation of rock units between continents or widely separated areas is accomplished by using physical features such as color, texture, and thickness of units.

The term Paleozoic describes the era of ancient life forms.

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.

The subdivision of the geologic time scale that represents the longest time span is called a(n) ________.

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.

Examine the illustration below (a cross section through the Earth as you might observe on the wall of a quarry or a road cut). Give two reasons why the granite must be older than the sedimentary layers.

The phrase, "The present is the key to the past," refers to the doctrine of ________.

What are the mass and charge of an alpha particle?

The term Mesozoic refers to life forms intermediate in complexity between early and much later, more modern-looking life forms.

Who made the first clear statement of the law of superposition? When?

Assume that you have just examined several flat-lying sedimentary layers. After much study you determine that there is a considerable span of time for which no sedimentary rock layer exists at this site. You have just discovered a(n) ________.

If the ratio of radioactive parent to stable daughter isotope is 1:3, how many half-lives have elapsed?

In a given area where you have little knowledge of the local geology (rocks types, fossils, etc.), what type of unconformity would be the most difficult to recognize in an exposed sequence of rocks? Why?

Catastrophism ________.

________ is an erosional contact between tilted, older strata below and horizontal, younger strata above.

Introduction to Earth Science

Minerals: Building Blocks of Rocks

Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Weathering, Soil, and Mass Wasting

Running Water and Groundwater

Glaciers, Deserts, and Winds

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Theory Unfolds

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

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 Weather

Climate

Origin of Modern Astronomy

Touring Our Solar System

Light, Astronomical Observations, and the Sun

Beyond Our Solar System

Filters