Question 1

Describe the Faint Young Sun Paradox.

Accepted Answer

Earth's early sun was only about 70-75% as luminous as it is now. If this is correct, Earth's surface should have been cold enough for all water to have frozen. However, there is evidence for liquid water during the Archean.

Question 2

By ____ years ago, much of Greenland, central Canada, and the north central United States formed one large craton.

Accepted Answer

A) 1.8 million 
B) 2.0 billion 
C) 1.6 billion 
D) 1.6 million 
E) 1.8 billion 
A) 1.8 million 
B) 2.0 billion 
C) 1.6 billion 
D) 1.6 million 
E) 1.8 billion E

Question 3

Why are ultramafic volcanics rare in rocks that are much younger than Archean in age?

Accepted Answer

Earth has cooled from its early stages because radiogenic heat production decreased. The Archean near-surface temperatures have not been high enough for ultramafic magma to reach the surface.

Question 4

Sandstone-carbonate-shale assemblages occur along continental rift margins and intracratonic basins.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Organisms are composed of simple monomers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The Ediacaran fauna include representatives of the modern phyla ____.

Accepted Answer

A) Proterozoa, Annelida, and Arthropoda 
B) Annelida, Arthropoda, and Cnidaria 
C) Proterozoa, Porifera, and Cnidaria 
D) Coelenterata, Annelida, and Cnidaria 
E) Coelenterata, Proterozoa, and Porifera 
A) Proterozoa, Annelida, and Arthropoda 
B) Annelida, Arthropoda, and Cnidaria 
C) Proterozoa, Porifera, and Cnidaria 
D) Coelenterata, Annelida, and Cnidaria 
E) Coelenterata, Proterozoa, and Porifera

Question 7

About one-fourth of modern day chrome reserves are in ____ rocks.

Accepted Answer

A) Hadean 
B) Archean 
C) Paleoproterozoic 
D) Mesoproterozoic 
E) Neoproterozoic 
A) Hadean 
B) Archean 
C) Paleoproterozoic 
D) Mesoproterozoic 
E) Neoproterozoic

Question 8

The earliest atmosphere of Earth was ____.

Accepted Answer

A) essentially the same as our modern atmosphere 
B) composed entirely of nitrogen 
C) composed of ozone and hydrogen 
D) blown into space by solar wind 
E) composed entirely of ozone 
A) essentially the same as our modern atmosphere 
B) composed entirely of nitrogen 
C) composed of ozone and hydrogen 
D) blown into space by solar wind 
E) composed entirely of ozone

Question 9

During the Archean, how long was the length of a day on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) 36 hours 
B) 10 hours 
C) The same as the length of a day on modern Earth 
D) The same as in the present but with no sunlight, i.e., all darkness 
E) The same as in the present but there no darkness, i.e., all daylight 
A) 36 hours 
B) 10 hours 
C) The same as the length of a day on modern Earth 
D) The same as in the present but with no sunlight, i.e., all darkness 
E) The same as in the present but there no darkness, i.e., all daylight

Question 10

The exposed part of the North American craton is the ____.

Accepted Answer

A) Pacific coast 
B) Appalachian Mountains 
C) Adirondack Mountains 
D) Canadian shield 
E) Great Lakes basin 
A) Pacific coast 
B) Appalachian Mountains 
C) Adirondack Mountains 
D) Canadian shield 
E) Great Lakes basin

Question 11

Early organisms played a role in the accumulation of free oxygen through the process of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Early organisms played a role in the...

Question 12

Besides iron, banded iron formations contain

Accepted Answer

A) quartz 
B) calcite 
C) magnetite 
D) chert 
E) shale 
A) quartz 
B) calcite 
C) magnetite 
D) chert 
E) shale

Question 13

Shield areas of continents are found in modern ____.

Accepted Answer

A) subduction zones 
B) continent-continent plate boundaries 
C) tectonically inactive regions 
D) divergent plate boundaries 
E) transform plate boundaries 
A) subduction zones 
B) continent-continent plate boundaries 
C) tectonically inactive regions 
D) divergent plate boundaries 
E) transform plate boundaries

Question 14

Before the appearance of cells capable of sexual reproduction, ____.

Accepted Answer

A) there was no life on Earth 
B) evolution was comparatively slow 
C) evolution was comparatively fast 
D) cells could not reproduce 
E) multicelled organisms existed 
A) there was no life on Earth 
B) evolution was comparatively slow 
C) evolution was comparatively fast 
D) cells could not reproduce 
E) multicelled organisms existed

Question 15

What two processes, which began during the Archean, can account for the introduction of free oxygen into the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

The two processes ar

Question 16

Continents are cored by large areas of exposed ancient rocks called ____________________, which are tectonically inactive regions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Continents are cored by large areas of...

Question 17

Stromatolites are the product of organic activity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Continental growth during the Early Proterozoic development of Laurentia was related to ____________________ of Archean age cratons.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Continental growth during the Early Proterozoic development...

Question 19

The Grenville orogen probably resulted from closure of a(n)__________, the final stage in a Wilson cycle.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Grenville orogen probably resulted from closure...

Question 20

All known Proterozoic animals were soft-bodied.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 19: Precambrian Earth and Life History

Describe the Faint Young Sun Paradox.

By ____ years ago, much of Greenland, central Canada, and the north central United States formed one large craton.

Why are ultramafic volcanics rare in rocks that are much younger than Archean in age?

Sandstone-carbonate-shale assemblages occur along continental rift margins and intracratonic basins.

Organisms are composed of simple monomers.

The Ediacaran fauna include representatives of the modern phyla ____.

About one-fourth of modern day chrome reserves are in ____ rocks.

The earliest atmosphere of Earth was ____.

During the Archean, how long was the length of a day on Earth?

The exposed part of the North American craton is the ____.

Early organisms played a role in the accumulation of free oxygen through the process of ____________________.

Besides iron, banded iron formations contain

Shield areas of continents are found in modern ____.

Before the appearance of cells capable of sexual reproduction, ____.

What two processes, which began during the Archean, can account for the introduction of free oxygen into the atmosphere?

Continents are cored by large areas of exposed ancient rocks called ____________________, which are tectonically inactive regions.

Stromatolites are the product of organic activity.

Continental growth during the Early Proterozoic development of Laurentia was related to ____________________ of Archean age cratons.

The Grenville orogen probably resulted from closure of a(n)__________, the final stage in a Wilson cycle.

All known Proterozoic animals were soft-bodied.

Understanding Earth: a Dynamic and Evolving Planet

Plate Tectonics: a Unifying Theory

Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks

Igneous Rocks and Plutons

Volcanoes and Volcanism

Weathering, Erosion, and Soil

Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Earthquakes and Earthapos;s Interior

Deformation, Mountain Building, and Earthapos;s Crust

Mass Wasting

Running Water--Streams and Rivers

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

The Work of Wind and Deserts

Oceans, Shorelines, and Shoreline Processes

Geologic Time: Concepts and Principles

Organic Evolution--The Theory and Its Supporting Evidence

Paleozoic Earth History

Paleozoic Life History

Mesozoic Earth and Life History

Cenozoic Earth and Life History

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