Question 1

A rock that has been significantly reshaped on multiple surfaces by windborne particles and sometimes has a sharp edge is a ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) inselberg 
B) ventifact 
C) wadi 
D) yardang 
A) inselberg 
B) ventifact 
C) wadi 
D) yardang B

Question 2

Most regions that are now deserts have _____________.

Accepted Answer

A) been deserts throughout the geologic past 
B) experienced other climates in the geologic past 
A) been deserts throughout the geologic past 
B) experienced other climates in the geologic past B

Question 3

Calcrete (caliche)forms in desert climate through the dissolution and reprecipitation of ____________ during and after rainstorms.

Accepted Answer

A) manganese oxide 
B) quartz 
C) calcite 
D) iron oxide 
A) manganese oxide 
B) quartz 
C) calcite 
D) iron oxide C

Question 4

The highest recorded temperature on Earth was in a ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) tropical rainforest in Brazil 
B) low-latitude,high-elevation desert in Mexico 
C) high-latitude,high-elevation desert in Mongolia 
D) low-latitude,low-elevation desert in Libya 
A) tropical rainforest in Brazil 
B) low-latitude,high-elevation desert in Mexico 
C) high-latitude,high-elevation desert in Mongolia 
D) low-latitude,low-elevation desert in Libya

Question 5

Some of the physiographic features that cause extreme aridity may be found together within a single desert,but the deserts found in the western United States are primarily due to being located ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) in the subtropics 
B) within the rain shadow of one or more mountain ranges 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current 
A) in the subtropics 
B) within the rain shadow of one or more mountain ranges 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current

Question 6

To qualify as a desert,a region must ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) be hot,with a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C (77°F) 
B) be arid,with less than 15% of the ground surface vegetated 
C) have a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C and less than 5 cm annual rainfall 
D) have no rainfall three out of four seasons 
A) be hot,with a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C (77°F) 
B) be arid,with less than 15% of the ground surface vegetated 
C) have a mean annual temperature greater than 25°C and less than 5 cm annual rainfall 
D) have no rainfall three out of four seasons

Question 7

A(n)____________ consists of sand and gravel deposited by ephemeral distributary channels that occur where a gully or canyon discharges from a canyon mouth.

Accepted Answer

A) alluvial fan 
B) ventifact 
C) wadi 
D) yardang 
A) alluvial fan 
B) ventifact 
C) wadi 
D) yardang

Question 8

The most expansive hot deserts on Earth occur in the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) tropics,at or near the equator 
B) subtropics,between 20° and 30° north or south of the equator 
C) temperate zone,between 30° and 50° north or south of the equator 
A) tropics,at or near the equator 
B) subtropics,between 20° and 30° north or south of the equator 
C) temperate zone,between 30° and 50° north or south of the equator

Question 9

Most hot deserts ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) retain their high temperatures throughout the night,because there is no vegetation to absorb heat from the sediment at the surface 
B) cool off greatly at night,because of sparse vegetation,dry air,and little cloud cover 
C) cool off by no more than 8°C on most nights 
A) retain their high temperatures throughout the night,because there is no vegetation to absorb heat from the sediment at the surface 
B) cool off greatly at night,because of sparse vegetation,dry air,and little cloud cover 
C) cool off by no more than 8°C on most nights

Question 10

At 30° north latitude,at the northern edge of tropical (Hadley)cell convection in the northern hemisphere,____________.

Accepted Answer

A) cool,dry air sinks,becoming drier as it heats up 
B) warm,moist air rises,increasing in relative humidity as it rises 
C) warm,dry air rises,becoming cooler 
D) cool moist air sinks,providing abundant rainfall 
A) cool,dry air sinks,becoming drier as it heats up 
B) warm,moist air rises,increasing in relative humidity as it rises 
C) warm,dry air rises,becoming cooler 
D) cool moist air sinks,providing abundant rainfall

Question 11

Chimneys (also called hoodoos)and yardangs differ in that ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) yardangs are formed by erosion of water and chimneys by evaporation 
B) chimneys are formed by evaporation and yardangs by erosion of water 
C) chimneys are fossilized trunks of saguaro and other large cactus,and yardangs are not 
D) chimneys are remnants of physical erosion and yardangs are remnants of wind erosion 
A) yardangs are formed by erosion of water and chimneys by evaporation 
B) chimneys are formed by evaporation and yardangs by erosion of water 
C) chimneys are fossilized trunks of saguaro and other large cactus,and yardangs are not 
D) chimneys are remnants of physical erosion and yardangs are remnants of wind erosion

Question 12

Although deserts have historically been sparsely populated regions,the arid southwestern states have comprised one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States since World War II.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Native Americans produced petroglyphs by etching into ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) rocks that had been subjected to case hardening 
B) rocks that had been coated with desert varnish 
C) dark basalts 
D) obsidian 
A) rocks that had been subjected to case hardening 
B) rocks that had been coated with desert varnish 
C) dark basalts 
D) obsidian

Question 14

The Atacama of Chile is a desert primarily because it is located ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) in the subtropics 
B) near the South Pole 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current 
A) in the subtropics 
B) near the South Pole 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current

Question 15

Coastal region deserts are most likely near ocean currents that are ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) warm 
B) cold 
C) flowing east 
D) flowing west 
A) warm 
B) cold 
C) flowing east 
D) flowing west

Question 16

During heavy rainstorms,rates of physical weathering and erosion are ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) greater in humid climates than in deserts,because dry desert soils can soak up all of the available moisture 
B) greater in deserts than in humid climates,because soil tends to be more easily eroded in deserts than in humid regions 
C) greater in humid climates than in deserts,because vegetation tends to break up the soil 
D) about equally fast in deserts and in humid climates 
A) greater in humid climates than in deserts,because dry desert soils can soak up all of the available moisture 
B) greater in deserts than in humid climates,because soil tends to be more easily eroded in deserts than in humid regions 
C) greater in humid climates than in deserts,because vegetation tends to break up the soil 
D) about equally fast in deserts and in humid climates

Question 17

Desert climate associated with a rain shadow is found ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) on the windward side of mountain ranges 
B) on the leeward side of mountain ranges 
C) in the middle of flat plains 
D) along continental coastlines 
A) on the windward side of mountain ranges 
B) on the leeward side of mountain ranges 
C) in the middle of flat plains 
D) along continental coastlines

Question 18

Which statement about desert life is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) Mammals,unlike reptiles and birds,very rarely inhabit deserts. 
B) Mammals are the most common desert inhabitants among vertebrates,and are most active at midday. 
C) Mammals survive in deserts,but are less conspicuous than birds and reptiles because they are generally less active at midday. 
D) Herbivorous mammals are found in desert environments,whereas carnivorous mammals are not. 
A) Mammals,unlike reptiles and birds,very rarely inhabit deserts. 
B) Mammals are the most common desert inhabitants among vertebrates,and are most active at midday. 
C) Mammals survive in deserts,but are less conspicuous than birds and reptiles because they are generally less active at midday. 
D) Herbivorous mammals are found in desert environments,whereas carnivorous mammals are not.

Question 19

The Sahara is a desert primarily because it is located ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) in the subtropics 
B) within the rain shadow of a mountain range 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current 
A) in the subtropics 
B) within the rain shadow of a mountain range 
C) near the center of a large continent 
D) next to a cold ocean current

Question 20

A mushroom-shaped landform consisting of a column of less resistant rock supporting a broader extent of wind-resistant rock is termed a ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) blowout 
B) ventifact 
C) wadi 
D) yardang 
A) blowout 
B) ventifact 
C) wadi 
D) yardang

Exam 21: Dry Settings: the Geology of Deserts

A rock that has been significantly reshaped on multiple surfaces by windborne particles and sometimes has a sharp edge is a ____________.

Most regions that are now deserts have _____________.

Calcrete (caliche)forms in desert climate through the dissolution and reprecipitation of ____________ during and after rainstorms.

The highest recorded temperature on Earth was in a ____________.

Some of the physiographic features that cause extreme aridity may be found together within a single desert,but the deserts found in the western United States are primarily due to being located ____________.

To qualify as a desert,a region must ____________.

A(n)____________ consists of sand and gravel deposited by ephemeral distributary channels that occur where a gully or canyon discharges from a canyon mouth.

The most expansive hot deserts on Earth occur in the ____________.

Most hot deserts ____________.

At 30° north latitude,at the northern edge of tropical (Hadley)cell convection in the northern hemisphere,____________.

Chimneys (also called hoodoos)and yardangs differ in that ____________.

Although deserts have historically been sparsely populated regions,the arid southwestern states have comprised one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States since World War II.

Native Americans produced petroglyphs by etching into ____________.

The Atacama of Chile is a desert primarily because it is located ____________.

Coastal region deserts are most likely near ocean currents that are ____________.

During heavy rainstorms,rates of physical weathering and erosion are ____________.

Desert climate associated with a rain shadow is found ____________.

Which statement about desert life is correct?

The Sahara is a desert primarily because it is located ____________.

A mushroom-shaped landform consisting of a column of less resistant rock supporting a broader extent of wind-resistant rock is termed a ____________.

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 Rock

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: A Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Cracks, crags, 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

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Filters