Question 1

The most recent interval of Quaternary glaciation gave way to warmer, interglacial conditions __________ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A) 1 million 
B) 200,000 
C) 75,000 
D) 11,000 
A) 1 million 
B) 200,000 
C) 75,000 
D) 11,000 D

Question 2

Relatives of the living ferns, club mosses, and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the _________ Period.

Accepted Answer

A) Ordovician 
B) Carboniferous 
C) Jurassic 
D) Cretaceous 
A) Ordovician 
B) Carboniferous 
C) Jurassic 
D) Cretaceous B

Question 3

Which of the following organisms first evolved during the Cambrian Explosion?

Accepted Answer

A) cyanobacteria 
B) dinosaurs 
C) trilobites 
D) mammals 
A) cyanobacteria 
B) dinosaurs 
C) trilobites 
D) mammals C

Question 4

The evolution of shells was important for the diversification of life because shells

Accepted Answer

A) provide a food source for organisms higher on the food chain. 
B) protect organisms from predators and environmental conditions. 
C) provide protection from the highly acidic ocean water of the time. 
D) provide a habitat for organisms and protect them from sunlight. 
A) provide a food source for organisms higher on the food chain. 
B) protect organisms from predators and environmental conditions. 
C) provide protection from the highly acidic ocean water of the time. 
D) provide a habitat for organisms and protect them from sunlight.

Question 5

Oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is derived from

Accepted Answer

A) volcanic outgassing. 
B) photosynthesis. 
C) animal respiration. 
D) evaporation. 
A) volcanic outgassing. 
B) photosynthesis. 
C) animal respiration. 
D) evaporation.

Question 6

The heavy bombardment was a time in which Earth was struck by many

Accepted Answer

A)  meteorites. 
B)  protoplanets. 
C) comets. 
D) asteroids. 
A)  meteorites. 
B)  protoplanets. 
C) comets. 
D) asteroids.

Question 7

The Taconic, Acadian, and Alleghenian orogenic events all led to uplift in the region of the modem

Accepted Answer

A) Rockies. 
B) Appalachians. 
C) Alps. 
D) Himalayas 
A) Rockies. 
B) Appalachians. 
C) Alps. 
D) Himalayas

Question 8

Fault-block mountains, like those in the Basin and Range Province, are created when blocks rotate and slip __________ along __________ faults.

Accepted Answer

A) upward; reverse 
B) upward; normal 
C) downward; reverse 
D) downward; normal 
A) upward; reverse 
B) upward; normal 
C) downward; reverse 
D) downward; normal

Question 9

The Himalayas were produced during the Cenozoic by the collision of southern Asia with

Accepted Answer

A) India. 
B) Australia. 
C) Africa. 
D) South America. 
A) India. 
B) Australia. 
C) Africa. 
D) South America.

Question 10

How do gradual change and catastrophic change impact the Earth system? Provide an example of each.

Accepted Answer

Gradual change happens slowly over long

Question 11

What major change took place on Earth at the beginning of the Paleozoic? What is the Cambrian explosion?

Accepted Answer

The beginning of the Paleozoic is marked

Question 12

How were mammals able to take over as the dominant class of organisms on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Mammals were able to take over

Question 13

The late Proterozoic Grenville orogeny is an event related to

Accepted Answer

A) uplift of the modern Rocky Mountains. 
B) uplift of the ancestral Rocky Mountains. 
C) assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea. 
D) assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. 
A) uplift of the modern Rocky Mountains. 
B) uplift of the ancestral Rocky Mountains. 
C) assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea. 
D) assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia.

Question 14

Why were mammals able to become the dominant species at the beginning of the Cenozoic?

Accepted Answer

A) The mammals were finally able to grow legs and come out of the ocean to populate the land. 
B) The dinosaurs died off and the small rodentlike mammals of the Mesozoic evolved to fill the niche. 
C) The amphibians that first walked on land died out because it was too cold for them, after which mammals with fur took over. 
D) Mammals evolved from primates after the dinosaurs went extinct and became the top predator. 
A) The mammals were finally able to grow legs and come out of the ocean to populate the land. 
B) The dinosaurs died off and the small rodentlike mammals of the Mesozoic evolved to fill the niche. 
C) The amphibians that first walked on land died out because it was too cold for them, after which mammals with fur took over. 
D) Mammals evolved from primates after the dinosaurs went extinct and became the top predator.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a likely reason for global sea level change in the Proterozoic?

Accepted Answer

A) changes in the volume of water in the Earth system 
B) changes in the capacity of ocean basins 
C) tectonic events that cause continental land masses to rise or fall 
D) the formation of large amounts of glacial ice 
A) changes in the volume of water in the Earth system 
B) changes in the capacity of ocean basins 
C) tectonic events that cause continental land masses to rise or fall 
D) the formation of large amounts of glacial ice

Question 16

True continental crust did not form until the __________ Eon, when Earth had finally cooled enough for protocontinents to form.

Accepted Answer

A) Hadean 
B) Archean 
C) Mesozoic 
D) Proterozoic 
A) Hadean 
B) Archean 
C) Mesozoic 
D) Proterozoic

Question 17

After Rodinia separated, North America was included on the continent of

Accepted Answer

A) Gondwana. 
B) Pangaea. 
C) Pannotia 
D) Taconia. 
A) Gondwana. 
B) Pangaea. 
C) Pannotia 
D) Taconia.

Question 18

Earth is approximately how old?

Accepted Answer

A) 14 billion years 
B) 4.54 billion years 
C) 40 million years 
D) 6,000 years 
A) 14 billion years 
B) 4.54 billion years 
C) 40 million years 
D) 6,000 years

Question 19

The presence of inland seas results in

Accepted Answer

A) deposition of strata. 
B) erosion of strata. 
C) erosion of cratons. 
D) the formation of glaciers 
A) deposition of strata. 
B) erosion of strata. 
C) erosion of cratons. 
D) the formation of glaciers

Question 20

The Basin and Range Province contains an alternating series of fault-block mountains and basins created by __________ of the continent.

Accepted Answer

A) compression 
B) transpression 
C) extension 
D) collision 
A) compression 
B) transpression 
C) extension 
D) collision

Exam 10: A Biography of Earth

The most recent interval of Quaternary glaciation gave way to warmer, interglacial conditions __________ years ago.

Relatives of the living ferns, club mosses, and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the _________ Period.

Which of the following organisms first evolved during the Cambrian Explosion?

The evolution of shells was important for the diversification of life because shells

Oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is derived from

The heavy bombardment was a time in which Earth was struck by many

The Taconic, Acadian, and Alleghenian orogenic events all led to uplift in the region of the modem

Fault-block mountains, like those in the Basin and Range Province, are created when blocks rotate and slip __________ along __________ faults.

The Himalayas were produced during the Cenozoic by the collision of southern Asia with

How do gradual change and catastrophic change impact the Earth system? Provide an example of each.

What major change took place on Earth at the beginning of the Paleozoic? What is the Cambrian explosion?

How were mammals able to take over as the dominant class of organisms on Earth?

The late Proterozoic Grenville orogeny is an event related to

Why were mammals able to become the dominant species at the beginning of the Cenozoic?

Which of the following is NOT a likely reason for global sea level change in the Proterozoic?

True continental crust did not form until the __________ Eon, when Earth had finally cooled enough for protocontinents to form.

After Rodinia separated, North America was included on the continent of

Earth is approximately how old?

The presence of inland seas results in

The Basin and Range Province contains an alternating series of fault-block mountains and basins created by __________ of the continent.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

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

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

Filters

Fault-block mountains, like those in the Basin and Range Province, are created when blocks rotate and slip along faults.