Question 1

Gyres ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere 
B)  rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere 
C)  are caused by the Coriolis effect 
D)  Both a and c are correct. 
A)  rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere 
B)  rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere 
C)  are caused by the Coriolis effect 
D)  Both a and c are correct.

Question 2

Which type of coastline usually has a broader continental shelf?

Accepted Answer

A)  a passive continental margin 
B)  an active continental margin 
A)  a passive continental margin 
B)  an active continental margin

Question 3

What do you think the origin of the broad,flat surface is above the coastal cliffs shown below?

Accepted Answer

A)  a wave-cut bench at an emergent coastline 
B)  a river terrace at a submergent coastline 
C)  a wave-cut bench at a submergent coastline 
D)  a river terrace at an emergent coastline 
A)  a wave-cut bench at an emergent coastline 
B)  a river terrace at a submergent coastline 
C)  a wave-cut bench at a submergent coastline 
D)  a river terrace at an emergent coastline

Question 4

Major surface ocean currents travel ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  parallel to the prevailing wind direction in the region 
B)  in direct opposition to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect 
C)  at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect 
D)  at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Doppler effect 
A)  parallel to the prevailing wind direction in the region 
B)  in direct opposition to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect 
C)  at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect 
D)  at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Doppler effect

Question 5

It is believed that global warming will result in higher sea levels and warmer ocean surface waters.How will this affect the Gulf Coast and southeast coast of the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)  Flooding from combinations of storms and high tides will be more common. 
B)  Hurricanes will become more common. 
C)  Coral reefs within Lake Okeechobee and other lakes of the region suffer from increased acidity of waters around the globe. 
D)  Both a and b are correct. 
A)  Flooding from combinations of storms and high tides will be more common. 
B)  Hurricanes will become more common. 
C)  Coral reefs within Lake Okeechobee and other lakes of the region suffer from increased acidity of waters around the globe. 
D)  Both a and b are correct.

Question 6

Black sand beaches are composed of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  magnetite grains 
B)  dolomite fragments 
C)  iron ore fragments 
D)  basalt fragments 
A)  magnetite grains 
B)  dolomite fragments 
C)  iron ore fragments 
D)  basalt fragments

Question 7

Mt.Saint-Michel is separated from mainland Europe by approximately 1000 ft of relatively shallow water at high tide (as shown at left),but at low tide it is part of the wide,exposed intertidal zone (as shown at right).What might you infer about the size the sediment clasts found on the exposed surface at low tide?

Accepted Answer

A)  The clasts are large because waves would remove small clasts. 
B)  The clasts are small because the wide, gently-sloped bottom would diminish wave strength, thus decreasing the waves' erosive power. 
C)  The clasts are large because the rough seas of the area routinely move large cobbles across the shallow bottom. 
D)  The clasts are salt particles that precipitate and grow when the tide is out and quickly dissolve when the tide comes in. 
A)  The clasts are large because waves would remove small clasts. 
B)  The clasts are small because the wide, gently-sloped bottom would diminish wave strength, thus decreasing the waves' erosive power. 
C)  The clasts are large because the rough seas of the area routinely move large cobbles across the shallow bottom. 
D)  The clasts are salt particles that precipitate and grow when the tide is out and quickly dissolve when the tide comes in.

Question 8

What effect do most ocean waves have on silt and mud particles that are near-shore or on the beach?

Accepted Answer

A)  suspend them and carry them away 
B)  loft them into the air when the waves break, where enough of them are carried inland by winds to form sand dunes 
C)  concentrate them to make gentle, muddy or soft beaches 
D)  cause lithification into weak shales and mudstones because of interaction with salts (ions) in seawater 
A)  suspend them and carry them away 
B)  loft them into the air when the waves break, where enough of them are carried inland by winds to form sand dunes 
C)  concentrate them to make gentle, muddy or soft beaches 
D)  cause lithification into weak shales and mudstones because of interaction with salts (ions) in seawater

Question 9

When the sea level rises,the ocean may invade a river valley,producing a nearshore body of water of mixed and variable salinity termed a(n)____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  atoll 
B)  lagoon 
C)  estuary 
D)  jetty 
A)  atoll 
B)  lagoon 
C)  estuary 
D)  jetty

Question 10

Lagoons are richer in sand than barrier islands.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The worldwide average tidal range (difference in elevation between high and low tide)is approximately ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  0.5 m 
B)  0.5 to 1 m 
C)  1 to 3 m 
D)  >3 m 
A)  0.5 m 
B)  0.5 to 1 m 
C)  1 to 3 m 
D)  >3 m

Question 12

Rip currents flow ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  directly toward the shoreline 
B)  directly away from the shoreline 
C)  parallel to the shoreline 
A)  directly toward the shoreline 
B)  directly away from the shoreline 
C)  parallel to the shoreline

Question 13

A wave will disturb the water to a depth equal to ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  its wavelength 
B)  its surface amplitude 
C)  the bottom of the sea floor 
D)  one-half of its wavelength 
A)  its wavelength 
B)  its surface amplitude 
C)  the bottom of the sea floor 
D)  one-half of its wavelength

Question 14

The shallowest portions of ocean found along the margins of continents are the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  abyssal plains 
B)  continental rises 
C)  continental shelves 
D)  continental slopes 
A)  abyssal plains 
B)  continental rises 
C)  continental shelves 
D)  continental slopes

Question 15

Most of the igneous rocks within oceanic abyssal plains are ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  exposed at the surface of the sea floor 
B)  covered by sand and gravel introduced by rivers at deltas 
C)  covered by clay and the skeletal remains of microplankton 
D)  covered by limestones made up of the fragments of large invertebrate shells 
A)  exposed at the surface of the sea floor 
B)  covered by sand and gravel introduced by rivers at deltas 
C)  covered by clay and the skeletal remains of microplankton 
D)  covered by limestones made up of the fragments of large invertebrate shells

Question 16

The average depth of the abyssal plains below sea level is about ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  1 km 
B)  2.5 km 
C)  4.5 km 
D)  8 km 
A)  1 km 
B)  2.5 km 
C)  4.5 km 
D)  8 km

Question 17

Which statement is NOT true about living coral reefs?

Accepted Answer

A)  Coral reefs are generally restricted to water temperatures of 18°C or less. 
B)  Coral reefs are generally restricted to depths of 60 m below sea level. 
C)  The calcite reef skeleton is built by algae. 
D)  Algae provide oxygen that a key reef organism uses in order to secrete calcite. 
A)  Coral reefs are generally restricted to water temperatures of 18°C or less. 
B)  Coral reefs are generally restricted to depths of 60 m below sea level. 
C)  The calcite reef skeleton is built by algae. 
D)  Algae provide oxygen that a key reef organism uses in order to secrete calcite.

Exam 15: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

Gyres ____________.

Which type of coastline usually has a broader continental shelf?

What do you think the origin of the broad,flat surface is above the coastal cliffs shown below?

Major surface ocean currents travel ____________.

It is believed that global warming will result in higher sea levels and warmer ocean surface waters.How will this affect the Gulf Coast and southeast coast of the United States?

Black sand beaches are composed of ____________.

What effect do most ocean waves have on silt and mud particles that are near-shore or on the beach?

When the sea level rises,the ocean may invade a river valley,producing a nearshore body of water of mixed and variable salinity termed a(n)____________.

Lagoons are richer in sand than barrier islands.

The worldwide average tidal range (difference in elevation between high and low tide)is approximately ____________.

Rip currents flow ____________.

A wave will disturb the water to a depth equal to ____________.

The shallowest portions of ocean found along the margins of continents are the ____________.

Most of the igneous rocks within oceanic abyssal plains are ____________.

The average depth of the abyssal plains below sea level is about ____________.

Which statement is NOT true about living coral reefs?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

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