Question 1

Which type of global change is reversible?

Accepted Answer

A) orogenic uplift 
B) melting and crystallization of sedimentary rock to form igneous rock 
C) evolution of life on Earth 
D) flooding of the continents because of global warming 
A) orogenic uplift 
B) melting and crystallization of sedimentary rock to form igneous rock 
C) evolution of life on Earth 
D) flooding of the continents because of global warming D

Question 2

Which modern sea do geologists believe might have filled very rapidly with ocean water when rising sea levels overtopped a small land bridge or a natural dam?

Accepted Answer

A) the Black Sea 
B) the Red Sea 
C) the Dead Sea 
D) the Caspian Sea 
A) the Black Sea 
B) the Red Sea 
C) the Dead Sea 
D) the Caspian Sea A

Question 3

The hole in the ozone layer has been brought about by anthropogenic emissions of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) carbon dioxide 
B) methane 
C) chlorofluorocarbons 
D) water vapor 
A) carbon dioxide 
B) methane 
C) chlorofluorocarbons 
D) water vapor C

Question 4

The amount of solar energy reflected by a surface is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A) albedo 
B) radiation 
C) the reflection coefficient 
D) the absorption coefficient 
A) albedo 
B) radiation 
C) the reflection coefficient 
D) the absorption coefficient

Question 5

Which of the following represents a unidirectional change in the nature of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) differentiation of the layers of Earth 
B) the supercontinent cycle 
C) the movement of water from one reservoir to another 
D) the rise and fall of global sea levels 
A) differentiation of the layers of Earth 
B) the supercontinent cycle 
C) the movement of water from one reservoir to another 
D) the rise and fall of global sea levels

Question 6

How are greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane different from other atmospheric gases like nitrogen and oxygen?

Accepted Answer

A) Greenhouse gases absorb thermal energy from the Sun and re-radiate it,whereas other atmospheric gases do not. 
B) Greenhouse gases are more efficient at absorbing thermal energy and re-radiating it than the other atmospheric gases. 
C) Greenhouse gases are found at higher levels of the atmosphere,where ozone is found. 
D) Greenhouse gases are found at lower levels of the atmosphere,where ozone is found. 
A) Greenhouse gases absorb thermal energy from the Sun and re-radiate it,whereas other atmospheric gases do not. 
B) Greenhouse gases are more efficient at absorbing thermal energy and re-radiating it than the other atmospheric gases. 
C) Greenhouse gases are found at higher levels of the atmosphere,where ozone is found. 
D) Greenhouse gases are found at lower levels of the atmosphere,where ozone is found.

Question 7

The ratio of oxygen-16 and oxygen-18 isotopes in plankton fossils in deep-sea sediments can be used to determine ________.

Accepted Answer

A) past carbon dioxide concentrations 
B) past temperatures 
C) the age of the fossils 
D) water depth 
A) past carbon dioxide concentrations 
B) past temperatures 
C) the age of the fossils 
D) water depth

Question 8

How are bicarbonate and carbon dioxide (CO₂)related to one another?

Accepted Answer

A) CO₂ forms when bicarbonate minerals break down. 
B) CO₂ forms when bicarbonate migrates from the atmosphere into soils. 
C) Bicarbonate forms when CO₂ molecules dissolve in water. 
D) Bicarbonate and CO₂ are the same thing. 
A) CO₂ forms when bicarbonate minerals break down. 
B) CO₂ forms when bicarbonate migrates from the atmosphere into soils. 
C) Bicarbonate forms when CO₂ molecules dissolve in water. 
D) Bicarbonate and CO₂ are the same thing.

Question 9

Based on the figure below,how is the solar energy reaching Earth's atmosphere likely to change in the next 10 years?

Accepted Answer

A) It will rise. 
B) It will remain steady. 
C) It will fall. 
D) The curve is not cyclical,so no prediction can be made. 
A) It will rise. 
B) It will remain steady. 
C) It will fall. 
D) The curve is not cyclical,so no prediction can be made.

Question 10

During most of the Mesozoic Era,Earth was ________.

Accepted Answer

A) about as warm as present 
B) cooler than present 
C) warmer than present 
D) experiencing wild temperature fluctuations 
A) about as warm as present 
B) cooler than present 
C) warmer than present 
D) experiencing wild temperature fluctuations

Question 11

The hydrologic cycle includes which of these?

Accepted Answer

A) the advance and retreat of glaciers 
B) the accumulation of methane in the atmosphere 
C) the secretion of carbonate shells by marine organisms 
D) photosynthesis 
A) the advance and retreat of glaciers 
B) the accumulation of methane in the atmosphere 
C) the secretion of carbonate shells by marine organisms 
D) photosynthesis

Question 12

Models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that by the year 2100,the sea level may rise by as much as ________.

Accepted Answer

A) 10-20 mm 
B) 20-60 cm 
C) 10-20 m 
D) 20-60 m 
A) 10-20 mm 
B) 20-60 cm 
C) 10-20 m 
D) 20-60 m

Question 13

How does the formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones effect the carbon dioxide (CO₂)concentration in Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) All three increase the total CO₂ in the atmosphere. 
B) All three decrease the total CO₂ in the atmosphere. 
C) The formation of limestones decreases total CO₂,while the formation of oil shale and coal increases total CO₂. 
D) The formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones has very little effect. 
A) All three increase the total CO₂ in the atmosphere. 
B) All three decrease the total CO₂ in the atmosphere. 
C) The formation of limestones decreases total CO₂,while the formation of oil shale and coal increases total CO₂. 
D) The formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones has very little effect.

Question 14

With the increased data collected in recent years,scientists have become increasingly certain that Earth's climate is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) not warming because carbon dioxide levels are decreasing 
B) not warming because the Sun's activity is at a minimum 
C) warming solely as a result of increased solar output 
D) warming as a result of human inputs of atmospheric greenhouse gases 
A) not warming because carbon dioxide levels are decreasing 
B) not warming because the Sun's activity is at a minimum 
C) warming solely as a result of increased solar output 
D) warming as a result of human inputs of atmospheric greenhouse gases

Question 15

A biogeochemical cycle refers to the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) long-term movement of biogeochemical minerals through the rock cycle 
B) exchange of chemicals among magmatic and solid-phase systems 
C) transitioning and the residence of specific chemicals among living and nonliving systems 
D) exchange of chemicals between landmasses and the oceans 
A) long-term movement of biogeochemical minerals through the rock cycle 
B) exchange of chemicals among magmatic and solid-phase systems 
C) transitioning and the residence of specific chemicals among living and nonliving systems 
D) exchange of chemicals between landmasses and the oceans

Question 16

Which greenhouse gases play the most significant role in influencing changes in global atmospheric temperature?

Accepted Answer

A) carbon dioxide and ozone 
B) nitrogen dioxide and ozone 
C) nitrogen dioxide and methane 
D) carbon dioxide and methane 
A) carbon dioxide and ozone 
B) nitrogen dioxide and ozone 
C) nitrogen dioxide and methane 
D) carbon dioxide and methane

Question 17

As more ice in the Arctic Ocean melts,what effect does this have on the water?

Accepted Answer

A) Heat absorption increases as the albedo increases. 
B) Heat absorption increases as the albedo decreases. 
C) Heat absorption decreases as albedo the decreases. 
D) There is no effect on heat absorption. 
A) Heat absorption increases as the albedo increases. 
B) Heat absorption increases as the albedo decreases. 
C) Heat absorption decreases as albedo the decreases. 
D) There is no effect on heat absorption.

Question 18

The greenhouse effect is caused by ________.

Accepted Answer

A) the oceans,which absorb heat from the sun 
B) anthropogenic gases,which absorb heat from the sun 
C) atmospheric gases,which trap heat radiated from Earth's surface 
D) solar energy reflected back into space by clouds 
A) the oceans,which absorb heat from the sun 
B) anthropogenic gases,which absorb heat from the sun 
C) atmospheric gases,which trap heat radiated from Earth's surface 
D) solar energy reflected back into space by clouds

Question 19

The warmest global temperatures since the last ice age occurred in the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) the recent period of human-induced global warming 
B) Younger Dryas,approximately 13,000 years ago 
C) Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
D) Holocene Maximum,approximately 6,000 years ago 
A) the recent period of human-induced global warming 
B) Younger Dryas,approximately 13,000 years ago 
C) Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
D) Holocene Maximum,approximately 6,000 years ago

Question 20

Which of the following processes releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) photosynthesis 
B) the weathering of silicate rocks 
C) volcanism 
D) the burial of organic matter 
A) photosynthesis 
B) the weathering of silicate rocks 
C) volcanism 
D) the burial of organic matter

Exam 23: Global Change in the Earth System

Which type of global change is reversible?

Which modern sea do geologists believe might have filled very rapidly with ocean water when rising sea levels overtopped a small land bridge or a natural dam?

The hole in the ozone layer has been brought about by anthropogenic emissions of ________.

The amount of solar energy reflected by a surface is known as ________.

Which of the following represents a unidirectional change in the nature of Earth?

How are greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane different from other atmospheric gases like nitrogen and oxygen?

The ratio of oxygen-16 and oxygen-18 isotopes in plankton fossils in deep-sea sediments can be used to determine ________.

How are bicarbonate and carbon dioxide (CO₂)related to one another?

Based on the figure below,how is the solar energy reaching Earth's atmosphere likely to change in the next 10 years?

During most of the Mesozoic Era,Earth was ________.

The hydrologic cycle includes which of these?

Models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that by the year 2100,the sea level may rise by as much as ________.

How does the formation of oil shale deposits,coals,and limestones effect the carbon dioxide (CO₂)concentration in Earth's atmosphere?

With the increased data collected in recent years,scientists have become increasingly certain that Earth's climate is ________.

A biogeochemical cycle refers to the ________.

Which greenhouse gases play the most significant role in influencing changes in global atmospheric temperature?

As more ice in the Arctic Ocean melts,what effect does this have on the water?

The greenhouse effect is caused by ________.

The warmest global temperatures since the last ice age occurred in the ________.

Which of the following processes releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the 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

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

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