Question 1

A delta forms when:

Accepted Answer

A)  ocean waves, especially during storms, pile up sediment along the coast 
B)  a steep mountain front collapses sending sediment out into the sea 
C)  a river slows and deposits sediment as it enters a lake or sea 
D)  windblown dust slides down steep hillsides and into a lake 
A)  ocean waves, especially during storms, pile up sediment along the coast 
B)  a steep mountain front collapses sending sediment out into the sea 
C)  a river slows and deposits sediment as it enters a lake or sea 
D)  windblown dust slides down steep hillsides and into a lake

Question 2

The amount of sediment carried by a stream is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  sediment load 
B)  suspended load 
C)  saltation load 
D)  traction load 
A)  sediment load 
B)  suspended load 
C)  saltation load 
D)  traction load

Question 3

The feature formed when a river dumps its sediment near its mouth is called a:

Accepted Answer

A)  delta 
B)  meander 
C)  point bar 
D)  oxbow lake 
A)  delta 
B)  meander 
C)  point bar 
D)  oxbow lake

Question 4

What was the cause of flooding in the 1993 upper Mississippi River flood?

Accepted Answer

A)  Heavy snowmelt in Canada sent large volumes of water down the river in the spring. 
B)  A dam failed because it had been built in a risky place near a fault. 
C)  Persistent thunderstorms caused large amounts of rainfall over a several-state region. 
D)  Winter produced rain that melted snow that was on the ground. 
A)  Heavy snowmelt in Canada sent large volumes of water down the river in the spring. 
B)  A dam failed because it had been built in a risky place near a fault. 
C)  Persistent thunderstorms caused large amounts of rainfall over a several-state region. 
D)  Winter produced rain that melted snow that was on the ground.

Question 5

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

Accepted Answer

A)  small, low density particles 
B)  pebbles of average density 
C)  sand and gravel of relatively high density 
D)  dissolved ions in solution 
E)  all of these 
A)  small, low density particles 
B)  pebbles of average density 
C)  sand and gravel of relatively high density 
D)  dissolved ions in solution 
E)  all of these

Question 6

Which of the following sediment sizes is likely to be transported mostly on the bottom of the stream bed?

Accepted Answer

A)  fine sand 
B)  sticky clay particles 
C)  pebbles and cobbles 
D)  dissolved materials 
A)  fine sand 
B)  sticky clay particles 
C)  pebbles and cobbles 
D)  dissolved materials

Question 7

The gradient of the stream between the two ends on the accompanying figure is:

Accepted Answer

A)  1 meter per kilometer 
B)  10 meters per kilometer 
C)  100 meters per kilometer 
D)  1 to 1 
E)  6 to 1 
A)  1 meter per kilometer 
B)  10 meters per kilometer 
C)  100 meters per kilometer 
D)  1 to 1 
E)  6 to 1

Question 8

Which of the following features are generally NOT associated with mountain streams and rivers?

Accepted Answer

A)  waterfalls 
B)  rapids 
C)  canyons incised into bedrock 
D)  meanders 
A)  waterfalls 
B)  rapids 
C)  canyons incised into bedrock 
D)  meanders

Question 9

Based on the accompanying hydrograph, what was the stream discharge when the data period shown in the graph ended?

Accepted Answer

A)  1.8 meters per second 
B)  4 meters per second 
C)  4 cubic meters per second 
D)  9 cubic meters per second 
E)  10 cubic meters per second 
A)  1.8 meters per second 
B)  4 meters per second 
C)  4 cubic meters per second 
D)  9 cubic meters per second 
E)  10 cubic meters per second

Question 10

What is formed when a river meets the sea and slows down and deposits its load of sediments?

Accepted Answer

A)  a delta 
B)  a beach 
C)  meanders 
A)  a delta 
B)  a beach 
C)  meanders

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

Accepted Answer

A)  major rivers, like the upper Mississippi near the Great Lakes, must be relatively old rivers 
B)  the boundary between hard rocks and soft rocks can be marked by waterfalls 
C)  loading and unloading of the crust by ice sheets can change the direction rivers flow 
D)  different parts of a river can be different ages 
A)  major rivers, like the upper Mississippi near the Great Lakes, must be relatively old rivers 
B)  the boundary between hard rocks and soft rocks can be marked by waterfalls 
C)  loading and unloading of the crust by ice sheets can change the direction rivers flow 
D)  different parts of a river can be different ages

Question 12

If erosion and deposition occur at the same rate, how can we best describe the particles of sediment on a streambed?

Accepted Answer

A)  only very small particles will be present along the stream bottom 
B)  particles neither move in, nor move out of this part of the stream 
C)  as the sediment moves downstream, it is replaced by a similar volume of sediment 
D)  pebbles and cobbles carried away are replaced by the same number of smaller particles 
A)  only very small particles will be present along the stream bottom 
B)  particles neither move in, nor move out of this part of the stream 
C)  as the sediment moves downstream, it is replaced by a similar volume of sediment 
D)  pebbles and cobbles carried away are replaced by the same number of smaller particles

Question 13

How is an alluvial fan formed?

Accepted Answer

A)  a stream erodes down through older terraces and entrenched meanders 
B)  sediment is deposited by debris flows and streams that decrease in velocity along the mountain front 
C)  a landslide blocks the stream, causing sediment to accumulate upstream 
D)  a dam increases the speed of currents below the dam 
A)  a stream erodes down through older terraces and entrenched meanders 
B)  sediment is deposited by debris flows and streams that decrease in velocity along the mountain front 
C)  a landslide blocks the stream, causing sediment to accumulate upstream 
D)  a dam increases the speed of currents below the dam

Question 14

What is the pattern of discharge shown by this hydrograph?

Accepted Answer

A)  discharge gradually increases and quickly decreases 
B)  discharge quickly increases and gradually decreases 
C)  discharge gradually decreases and quickly increases 
D)  discharges quickly decreases and gradually increases 
A)  discharge gradually increases and quickly decreases 
B)  discharge quickly increases and gradually decreases 
C)  discharge gradually decreases and quickly increases 
D)  discharges quickly decreases and gradually increases

Question 15

What is the term for small, shifting channels that carry water away from the main river channel and distribute it over the surface of the delta?

Accepted Answer

A)  Distributaries 
B)  Braided streams 
C)  Flood plains 
D)  Alluvial fans 
A)  Distributaries 
B)  Braided streams 
C)  Flood plains 
D)  Alluvial fans

Question 16

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Accepted Answer

A)  braided stream 
B)  a stream whose channel has a low sinuosity 
C)  meandering stream 
D)  a stream that lacks point bars 
E)  all of these 
A)  braided stream 
B)  a stream whose channel has a low sinuosity 
C)  meandering stream 
D)  a stream that lacks point bars 
E)  all of these

Question 17

Which of the following typically decreases downstream in a river?

Accepted Answer

A)  flow velocity 
B)  discharge 
C)  channel size 
D)  maximum sediment grain size 
E)  none of these 
A)  flow velocity 
B)  discharge 
C)  channel size 
D)  maximum sediment grain size 
E)  none of these

Question 18

The profile of a stream is steeper at its:

Accepted Answer

A)  headwaters 
B)  mouth 
C)  capacity level 
D)  delta 
A)  headwaters 
B)  mouth 
C)  capacity level 
D)  delta

Question 19

The accompanying figure shows a series of river terraces. Which two of these terraces are probably closest in age?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

What is the most important geologic agent in eroding, transporting, and depositing sediment?

Accepted Answer

A)  Flowing water 
B)  Glaciers 
C)  Wind 
D)  Ocean waves 
A)  Flowing water 
B)  Glaciers 
C)  Wind 
D)  Ocean waves

A delta forms when:

The amount of sediment carried by a stream is the:

The feature formed when a river dumps its sediment near its mouth is called a:

What was the cause of flooding in the 1993 upper Mississippi River flood?

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

Which of the following sediment sizes is likely to be transported mostly on the bottom of the stream bed?

The gradient of the stream between the two ends on the accompanying figure is:

Which of the following features are generally NOT associated with mountain streams and rivers?

Based on the accompanying hydrograph, what was the stream discharge when the data period shown in the graph ended?

What is formed when a river meets the sea and slows down and deposits its load of sediments?

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

If erosion and deposition occur at the same rate, how can we best describe the particles of sediment on a streambed?

How is an alluvial fan formed?

What is the pattern of discharge shown by this hydrograph?

What is the term for small, shifting channels that carry water away from the main river channel and distribute it over the surface of the delta?

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Which of the following typically decreases downstream in a river?

The profile of a stream is steeper at its:

The accompanying figure shows a series of river terraces. Which two of these terraces are probably closest in age?

What is the most important geologic agent in eroding, transporting, and depositing sediment?

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Exam 16: Streams and Flooding

A delta forms when:

The amount of sediment carried by a stream is the:

The feature formed when a river dumps its sediment near its mouth is called a:

What was the cause of flooding in the 1993 upper Mississippi River flood?

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

Which of the following sediment sizes is likely to be transported mostly on the bottom of the stream bed?

The gradient of the stream between the two ends on the accompanying figure is:

Which of the following features are generally NOT associated with mountain streams and rivers?

Based on the accompanying hydrograph, what was the stream discharge when the data period shown in the graph ended?

What is formed when a river meets the sea and slows down and deposits its load of sediments?

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

If erosion and deposition occur at the same rate, how can we best describe the particles of sediment on a streambed?

How is an alluvial fan formed?

What is the pattern of discharge shown by this hydrograph?

What is the term for small, shifting channels that carry water away from the main river channel and distribute it over the surface of the delta?

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Which of the following typically decreases downstream in a river?

The profile of a stream is steeper at its:

The accompanying figure shows a series of river terraces. Which two of these terraces are probably closest in age?

What is the most important geologic agent in eroding, transporting, and depositing sediment?

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments

Deformation and Metamorphism

Geologic Time

Seafloor and Continental Margins

Mountains, Basins, and Continents

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Climate and Weathering

Glaciers, Shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, Soil, and Unstable Slopes

Water Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources

Geology of the Solar System

Filters