Question 1

An aurora (shown below)is produced when ________.

Accepted Answer

A) solar wind particles are directed toward the magnetic poles and excite atmospheric gases 
B) swamp gases rise from the arctic tundra and react with the upper atmosphere 
C) radiation in the Van Allen belts can be seen on a clear,cold night 
D) lightning travels from cloud to cloud rather than cloud to ground 
A) solar wind particles are directed toward the magnetic poles and excite atmospheric gases 
B) swamp gases rise from the arctic tundra and react with the upper atmosphere 
C) radiation in the Van Allen belts can be seen on a clear,cold night 
D) lightning travels from cloud to cloud rather than cloud to ground A

Question 2

Most continental topography lies within a range of altitude between ________.

Accepted Answer

A) sea level and 1 km below sea level 
B) sea level and 1 km above sea level 
C) 2 to 5 km above sea level 
D) 3 to 6 km above sea level 
A) sea level and 1 km below sea level 
B) sea level and 1 km above sea level 
C) 2 to 5 km above sea level 
D) 3 to 6 km above sea level B

Question 3

The atmosphere is divided into several distinct layers.Beginning with the layer in which we live,they are,in order,________.

Accepted Answer

A) stratosphere,troposphere,mesosphere,and thermosphere 
B) troposphere,stratosphere,thermosphere,and mesosphere 
C) troposphere,stratosphere,mesosphere,and thermosphere 
D) stratosphere,troposphere,thermosphere,and mesosphere 
A) stratosphere,troposphere,mesosphere,and thermosphere 
B) troposphere,stratosphere,thermosphere,and mesosphere 
C) troposphere,stratosphere,mesosphere,and thermosphere 
D) stratosphere,troposphere,thermosphere,and mesosphere C

Question 4

Compared to oceanic crust,continental crust is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) thicker 
B) thinner 
C) about the same thickness 
D) Sometimes continental crust is thicker;sometimes oceanic crust is thicker.There is no consistent pattern. 
A) thicker 
B) thinner 
C) about the same thickness 
D) Sometimes continental crust is thicker;sometimes oceanic crust is thicker.There is no consistent pattern.

Question 5

When you are warmed by the Sun,you are experiencing ________;when you burn yourself touching a metal object whose other end is being heated you are experiencing ________.

Accepted Answer

A) advection;conduction 
B) radiation;conduction 
C) radiation;convection 
D) advection;convection 
A) advection;conduction 
B) radiation;conduction 
C) radiation;convection 
D) advection;convection

Question 6

If you were measuring the elevation of a mountain,you would be measuring variation in ________,whereas if you were doing the same on a mid-ocean ridge,you would be measuring variation in ________.

Accepted Answer

A) bathymetry;topography 
B) bathymetry;isostasy 
C) topography;isostasy 
D) topography;bathymetry 
A) bathymetry;topography 
B) bathymetry;isostasy 
C) topography;isostasy 
D) topography;bathymetry

Question 7

A mixture of copper and tin would be called a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

A) metal 
B) alloy 
C) melt 
D) volatile 
A) metal 
B) alloy 
C) melt 
D) volatile

Question 8

The boundary between the crust and the mantle is marked by an abrupt change in seismic velocity called the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) transition zone 
B) Moho 
C) low-velocity zone 
D) crantle 
A) transition zone 
B) Moho 
C) low-velocity zone 
D) crantle

Question 9

The shape of Earth's magnetic field is approximately that of a ________.

Accepted Answer

A) monopole,as would be produced by just one pole of a magnet 
B) dipole,such as that produced by a bar magnet 
C) torus,a doughnut-shaped ring parallel to Earth's equator 
D) sphere,following the shape of Earth 
A) monopole,as would be produced by just one pole of a magnet 
B) dipole,such as that produced by a bar magnet 
C) torus,a doughnut-shaped ring parallel to Earth's equator 
D) sphere,following the shape of Earth

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT true about comets and asteroids?

Accepted Answer

A) Comets are icy while asteroids are rocky. 
B) Both are planetesimals. 
C) Both are numerous in our Solar System. 
D) Both originate in the Kuiper belt. 
A) Comets are icy while asteroids are rocky. 
B) Both are planetesimals. 
C) Both are numerous in our Solar System. 
D) Both originate in the Kuiper belt.

Question 11

The image below shows ________,where a hot liquid rises into a cooler material,and heat then conducts from the hot liquid into the cooler material.

Accepted Answer

A) advection 
B) conduction 
C) convection 
D) radiation 
A) advection 
B) conduction 
C) convection 
D) radiation

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT required for a substance to be considered a mineral?

Accepted Answer

A) It must be solid. 
B) It must be naturally occurring. 
C) It must contain carbon. 
D) It must have atoms arranged in an orderly pattern. 
A) It must be solid. 
B) It must be naturally occurring. 
C) It must contain carbon. 
D) It must have atoms arranged in an orderly pattern.

Question 13

The image below shows Earth's magnetic field.Earth's magnetic field lines are distorted (i.e.,not symmetrical)because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) Earth is rapidly rotating around the Sun 
B) Earth is rotating on an internal axis 
C) convection is occurring in the outer core 
D) solar wind deflects Earth's magnetic field lines 
A) Earth is rapidly rotating around the Sun 
B) Earth is rotating on an internal axis 
C) convection is occurring in the outer core 
D) solar wind deflects Earth's magnetic field lines

Question 14

Which of the following is most representative of Earth's hydrosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) lakes and rivers only 
B) surficial freshwater,oceans,groundwater,and atmospheric water 
C) a layer of hydrogen gas in the outer reaches of the atmosphere 
D) oceans,but not rivers or lakes 
A) lakes and rivers only 
B) surficial freshwater,oceans,groundwater,and atmospheric water 
C) a layer of hydrogen gas in the outer reaches of the atmosphere 
D) oceans,but not rivers or lakes

Question 15

A fracture in the crust,where rocks slide past one another,is termed a ________.

Accepted Answer

A) fold 
B) fault 
C) sliding layer 
D) joint 
A) fold 
B) fault 
C) sliding layer 
D) joint

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the rocks gabbro and basalt?

Accepted Answer

A) Both are common in the oceanic crust. 
B) Both have small grains/crystals. 
C) Both are igneous rocks. 
D) Both are denser than granite. 
A) Both are common in the oceanic crust. 
B) Both have small grains/crystals. 
C) Both are igneous rocks. 
D) Both are denser than granite.

Question 17

Where can icy bodies left over from the protoplanetary disk that formed our Solar System long after the Big Bang be found?

Accepted Answer

A) heliosphere 
B) Oort cloud 
C) Kuiper belt 
D) interplanetary space 
A) heliosphere 
B) Oort cloud 
C) Kuiper belt 
D) interplanetary space

Question 18

A silica-rich igneous rock that has large crystals and makes up much of the continental crust is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) peridotite 
B) granite 
C) gabbro 
D) basalt 
A) peridotite 
B) granite 
C) gabbro 
D) basalt

Question 19

Which of the following lists compositions in order of increasing silica content?

Accepted Answer

A) felsic,intermediate,ultramafic,mafic 
B) ultramafic,mafic,intermediate,felsic 
C) felsic,intermediate,mafic,ultramafic 
D) mafic,ultramafic,intermediate,felsic 
A) felsic,intermediate,ultramafic,mafic 
B) ultramafic,mafic,intermediate,felsic 
C) felsic,intermediate,mafic,ultramafic 
D) mafic,ultramafic,intermediate,felsic

Question 20

In general,the mantle is made of the rock ________ and has a(n)________ composition.

Accepted Answer

A) granite;intermediate 
B) basalt;mafic 
C) gabbro;mafic 
D) peridotite;ultramafic 
A) granite;intermediate 
B) basalt;mafic 
C) gabbro;mafic 
D) peridotite;ultramafic

Exam 2: Journey to the Center of the Earth

An aurora (shown below)is produced when ________.

Most continental topography lies within a range of altitude between ________.

The atmosphere is divided into several distinct layers.Beginning with the layer in which we live,they are,in order,________.

Compared to oceanic crust,continental crust is ________.

When you are warmed by the Sun,you are experiencing ________;when you burn yourself touching a metal object whose other end is being heated you are experiencing ________.

If you were measuring the elevation of a mountain,you would be measuring variation in ________,whereas if you were doing the same on a mid-ocean ridge,you would be measuring variation in ________.

A mixture of copper and tin would be called a(n)________.

The boundary between the crust and the mantle is marked by an abrupt change in seismic velocity called the ________.

The shape of Earth's magnetic field is approximately that of a ________.

Which of the following is NOT true about comets and asteroids?

The image below shows ________,where a hot liquid rises into a cooler material,and heat then conducts from the hot liquid into the cooler material.

Which of the following is NOT required for a substance to be considered a mineral?

The image below shows Earth's magnetic field.Earth's magnetic field lines are distorted (i.e.,not symmetrical)because ________.

Which of the following is most representative of Earth's hydrosphere?

A fracture in the crust,where rocks slide past one another,is termed a ________.

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the rocks gabbro and basalt?

Where can icy bodies left over from the protoplanetary disk that formed our Solar System long after the Big Bang be found?

A silica-rich igneous rock that has large crystals and makes up much of the continental crust is ________.

Which of the following lists compositions in order of increasing silica content?

In general,the mantle is made of the rock ________ and has a(n)________ composition.

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, revisited: Seismic Layering, gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters

When you are warmed by the Sun,you are experiencing ;when you burn yourself touching a metal object whose other end is being heated you are experiencing .

If you were measuring the elevation of a mountain,you would be measuring variation in ,whereas if you were doing the same on a mid-ocean ridge,you would be measuring variation in .

In general,the mantle is made of the rock and has a(n) composition.