Question 1

An array of panels situated in sunlight that can produce electricity are called

Accepted Answer

A) household solar collectors. 
B) solar turbines. 
C) photovoltaic cells. 
D) sunlight collectors. 
A) household solar collectors. 
B) solar turbines. 
C) photovoltaic cells. 
D) sunlight collectors. C

Question 2

Nuclear fission produces a large yield of energy; however, this energy is not in the form of electricity. What form of energy is produced by fission?

Accepted Answer

A)  mechanical 
B)  thermal 
C) chemical 
D) gravitational 
A)  mechanical 
B)  thermal 
C) chemical 
D) gravitational B

Question 3

A black, organic-rich shale could likely serve as either of which two necessary types of rocks within oil fields?

Accepted Answer

A) source rock or seal rock 
B) reservoir rock or seal rock 
C) source rock or reservoir rock 
D) reservoir rock but not source rock 
A) source rock or seal rock 
B) reservoir rock or seal rock 
C) source rock or reservoir rock 
D) reservoir rock but not source rock A

Question 4

U-235, the isotope of uranium commonly used in nuclear power plants, is

Accepted Answer

A) the most common of the naturally occurring isotopes of uranium. 
B) heavier than the other well-known isotope of uranium. 
C) rare even in uranium-rich deposits and must be enriched to use as fuel. 
D) only found in quartz veins in granite plutons. 
A) the most common of the naturally occurring isotopes of uranium. 
B) heavier than the other well-known isotope of uranium. 
C) rare even in uranium-rich deposits and must be enriched to use as fuel. 
D) only found in quartz veins in granite plutons.

Question 5

A landowner is looking to develop a coal mine on their property. She determines that a surface mine is the best option, as the coal seam she is targeting is close to the surface. The cost to start the mine is $20 million and the annual cost to operate is $16 million. She estimates that they can remove 450,000 tons of coal a year and sell the coal for $38.50 per ton. How long will it take before she is able to pay off her investment and start to make a profit?

Accepted Answer

A) 15 months 
B) 15 years 
C) 1.15 years 
D) 115 months 
A) 15 months 
B) 15 years 
C) 1.15 years 
D) 115 months

Question 6

What type of power uses flowing water to produce energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  wind 
B)  geothermal 
C) hydroelectric 
D) nuclear 
A)  wind 
B)  geothermal 
C) hydroelectric 
D) nuclear

Question 7

Consult the figure below. In what kind of terrain would you expect to find a placer deposit?

Accepted Answer

A) a dry lake bed 
B) a mountain peak 
C) the ocean floor 
D) a streambed 
A) a dry lake bed 
B) a mountain peak 
C) the ocean floor 
D) a streambed

Question 8

What type of energy would NOT be as useful in the Pacific Northwest as it would be in Texas?

Accepted Answer

A) wind 
B) solar 
C) nuclear 
D) geothermal 
A) wind 
B) solar 
C) nuclear 
D) geothermal

Question 9

Geothermal energy is used extensively in Iceland and New Zealand because both countries host multiple

Accepted Answer

A) rivers. 
B) mountains. 
C) volcanoes. 
D) coastlines. 
A) rivers. 
B) mountains. 
C) volcanoes. 
D) coastlines.

Question 10

Explain how coal forms and how this process is different from the ones that yield oil and gas.

Accepted Answer

Coal forms primarily from organic matter

Question 11

Most mineral resources are considered to be	and may present a strategic challenge globally because.

Accepted Answer

A) nonrenewable; they are not uniformly distributed on Earth 
B) nonrenewable; all nations possess roughly equal and significant reserves 
C) renewable; they are not uniformly distributed on Earth 
D) renewable; all nations possess roughly equal and significant reserves 
A) nonrenewable; they are not uniformly distributed on Earth 
B) nonrenewable; all nations possess roughly equal and significant reserves 
C) renewable; they are not uniformly distributed on Earth 
D) renewable; all nations possess roughly equal and significant reserves

Question 12

Solar energy uses sunlight to induce a flow of ____________ between two wafers in a photovoltaic cell.

Accepted Answer

A) water 
B) oxygen 
C) light 
D) electrons 
A) water 
B) oxygen 
C) light 
D) electrons

Question 13

The principal concern with storing nuclear waste is

Accepted Answer

A) allowing sufficient time for short-lived radioactive atoms to decay. 
B) ensuring access to groundwater to keep the waste cool. 
C) keeping spent fuel rods separated from other waste. 
D) making biodegradable waste containers. 
A) allowing sufficient time for short-lived radioactive atoms to decay. 
B) ensuring access to groundwater to keep the waste cool. 
C) keeping spent fuel rods separated from other waste. 
D) making biodegradable waste containers.

Question 14

Most energy for human consumption in the industrial world comes from

Accepted Answer

A) fossil fuels. 
B) wind. 
C) nuclear power. 
D) water. 
A) fossil fuels. 
B) wind. 
C) nuclear power. 
D) water.

Question 15

Chemically, oil and gas are both

Accepted Answer

A) pure forms of carbon. 
B) carbohydrates. 
C) hydrocarbons. 
D) carbonate minerals. 
A) pure forms of carbon. 
B) carbohydrates. 
C) hydrocarbons. 
D) carbonate minerals.

Question 16

A resource is considered renewable if

Accepted Answer

A) it is used at rates greater than it is naturally replaced. 
B)  nature can replace it within a short time span relative to human life. 
C)  nature can replace it within hundreds or thousands of years. 
D) nature can replace it within a million years. 
A) it is used at rates greater than it is naturally replaced. 
B)  nature can replace it within a short time span relative to human life. 
C)  nature can replace it within hundreds or thousands of years. 
D) nature can replace it within a million years.

Question 17

The image below is of a limestone quarry in Illinois. On the wall at the very back of the quarry you can see geologic strata that appear to curve upward. What type of depositional environment do these layers represent?

Accepted Answer

A) lines made by the miners as they remove material 
B) cross-bedding produced at eolian sand dunes 
C) layers of deep marine, sedimentary basin deposits 
D) layers of shallow marine, continental shelf deposits 
A) lines made by the miners as they remove material 
B) cross-bedding produced at eolian sand dunes 
C) layers of deep marine, sedimentary basin deposits 
D) layers of shallow marine, continental shelf deposits

Question 18

Blocks of rock used in construction are termed

Accepted Answer

A) dimension stone. 
B) gemstone. 
C) ore. 
D) lodestone 
A) dimension stone. 
B) gemstone. 
C) ore. 
D) lodestone

Question 19

What creates an easy route for oil to follow from the rock to a well?

Accepted Answer

A) hydrofracturing 
B) seismic reflection 
C) drilling mud 
D) pumps 
A) hydrofracturing 
B) seismic reflection 
C) drilling mud 
D) pumps

Question 20

In the subsurface, natural gas

Accepted Answer

A) consists of longer carbon chains compared with oil. 
B) is denser than oil and thus will float. 
C) is generated at higher temperatures than oil. 
D) is generated at higher temperatures than graphite. 
A) consists of longer carbon chains compared with oil. 
B) is denser than oil and thus will float. 
C) is generated at higher temperatures than oil. 
D) is generated at higher temperatures than graphite.

Exam 11: Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

An array of panels situated in sunlight that can produce electricity are called

Nuclear fission produces a large yield of energy; however, this energy is not in the form of electricity. What form of energy is produced by fission?

A black, organic-rich shale could likely serve as either of which two necessary types of rocks within oil fields?

U-235, the isotope of uranium commonly used in nuclear power plants, is

What type of power uses flowing water to produce energy?

Consult the figure below. In what kind of terrain would you expect to find a placer deposit?

What type of energy would NOT be as useful in the Pacific Northwest as it would be in Texas?

Geothermal energy is used extensively in Iceland and New Zealand because both countries host multiple

Explain how coal forms and how this process is different from the ones that yield oil and gas.

Most mineral resources are considered to be and may present a strategic challenge globally because.

Solar energy uses sunlight to induce a flow of ____________ between two wafers in a photovoltaic cell.

The principal concern with storing nuclear waste is

Most energy for human consumption in the industrial world comes from

Chemically, oil and gas are both

A resource is considered renewable if

The image below is of a limestone quarry in Illinois. On the wall at the very back of the quarry you can see geologic strata that appear to curve upward. What type of depositional environment do these layers represent?

Blocks of rock used in construction are termed

What creates an easy route for oil to follow from the rock to a well?

In the subsurface, natural gas

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

A Biography of Earth

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

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