Question 1

What could cause this stream to begin carving into the landscape?

Accepted Answer

A) if base level is lowered, such as a drop in sea level 
B) if the land is uplifted relative to the sea 
C) if a change in climate weathers and weakens the rocks 
D) All of these. 
A) if base level is lowered, such as a drop in sea level 
B) if the land is uplifted relative to the sea 
C) if a change in climate weathers and weakens the rocks 
D) All of these.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about streams is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A) Base level is the lowest elevation to which a stream can erode. 
B) A steep stream high above base level generally will be eroding its channel. 
C) Some streams can simply transport material instead of eroding or depositing material. 
D) Streams typically do not respond to a change in climate. 
A) Base level is the lowest elevation to which a stream can erode. 
B) A steep stream high above base level generally will be eroding its channel. 
C) Some streams can simply transport material instead of eroding or depositing material. 
D) Streams typically do not respond to a change in climate.

Question 3

How is an alluvial fan formed?

Accepted Answer

A) A stream erodes down through older terraces and entrenched meanders. 
B) Sediment is deposited by debris flows and streams that decrease in velocity along the mountain front. 
C) A landslide blocks the stream, causing sediment to accumulate upstream. 
D) A dam increases the speed of currents below the dam. 
A) A stream erodes down through older terraces and entrenched meanders. 
B) Sediment is deposited by debris flows and streams that decrease in velocity along the mountain front. 
C) A landslide blocks the stream, causing sediment to accumulate upstream. 
D) A dam increases the speed of currents below the dam.

Question 4

What is the mostly likely setting for this drainage pattern?

Accepted Answer

A) The rocks have a relatively equal resistance to erosion. 
B) Drainages have followed a series of fractures that branch off of one another. 
C) The area has folded or faulted rocks with different resistances to erosion. 
D) A volcano once existed here but has been partly eroded away. 
A) The rocks have a relatively equal resistance to erosion. 
B) Drainages have followed a series of fractures that branch off of one another. 
C) The area has folded or faulted rocks with different resistances to erosion. 
D) A volcano once existed here but has been partly eroded away.

Question 5

What would happen if the amount of ice in this area increases?

Accepted Answer

A) The land near the ice would rise. 
B) The area near the ice would experience isostatic rebound. 
C) The weight of the ice depresses the land, possibly causing river to change direction. 
D) None of these. 
A) The land near the ice would rise. 
B) The area near the ice would experience isostatic rebound. 
C) The weight of the ice depresses the land, possibly causing river to change direction. 
D) None of these.

Question 6

What happens to a river as it flows through a delta and encounters the sea?

Accepted Answer

A) The discharge and water velocity increase. 
B) The maximum sediment grain size carried by the river increases. 
C) The total sediment load carried by the river decreases. 
D) All of these. 
A) The discharge and water velocity increase. 
B) The maximum sediment grain size carried by the river increases. 
C) The total sediment load carried by the river decreases. 
D) All of these.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a common site for deposition of sediment?

Accepted Answer

A) point bar 
B) distributary system 
C) levee 
D) cutbank 
E) floodplain 
A) point bar 
B) distributary system 
C) levee 
D) cutbank 
E) floodplain

Question 8

Which of the following sites is most likely to be flooded if all other factors are held constant?

Accepted Answer

A) a site that is higher but closer to the river than a site that is lower but farther from the river 
B) a site next to the river where the main channel is wider and deeper than other segments of the river 
C) a site on the floodplain instead of a site on an older terrace 
D) All of these. 
A) a site that is higher but closer to the river than a site that is lower but farther from the river 
B) a site next to the river where the main channel is wider and deeper than other segments of the river 
C) a site on the floodplain instead of a site on an older terrace 
D) All of these.

Question 9

At which site along this stream would a point bar form?

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D

Question 10

The lowest notch shown on this figure is 9 meters wide and 5 meters high from its base.The river has a velocity of 0.7 meters per second when it fills the notch.Based on the accompanying graph, what is the probability each year that the notch will be filled to the top?

Accepted Answer

A) 80 to 95% 
B) 60 to 70% 
C) 40 to 45% 
D) less than 40% 
E) None of these. 
A) 80 to 95% 
B) 60 to 70% 
C) 40 to 45% 
D) less than 40% 
E) None of these.

Question 11

Comparing these two curves on this hydrograph, the solid curve could record

Accepted Answer

A) a shorter but more intense precipitation event. 
B) the response of the stream to urbanization. 
C) a more rapid spring snowmelt. 
D) All of these. 
A) a shorter but more intense precipitation event. 
B) the response of the stream to urbanization. 
C) a more rapid spring snowmelt. 
D) All of these.

Question 12

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Accepted Answer

A) braided stream 
B) a stream whose channel has a low sinuosity 
C) meandering stream 
D) a stream that lacks point bars 
E) All of these. 
A) braided stream 
B) a stream whose channel has a low sinuosity 
C) meandering stream 
D) a stream that lacks point bars 
E) All of these.

Question 13

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

Accepted Answer

A) small, low density particles 
B) pebbles of average density 
C) sand and gravel of relatively high density 
D) dissolved ions in solution 
E) All of these. 
A) small, low density particles 
B) pebbles of average density 
C) sand and gravel of relatively high density 
D) dissolved ions in solution 
E) All of these.

Question 14

Which of the features on this aerial photograph is a cutbank?

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D

Question 15

What is NOT true about terraces?

Accepted Answer

A) Most terraces were once part of a floodplain. 
B) According to superposition, the lowest terrace is the oldest. 
C) Terraces develop along a river that is incising (eroding)downward. 
D) A river can have more than one level of terraces. 
A) Most terraces were once part of a floodplain. 
B) According to superposition, the lowest terrace is the oldest. 
C) Terraces develop along a river that is incising (eroding)downward. 
D) A river can have more than one level of terraces.

Question 16

Compared with curve 2 on this hydrograph, what is a possible explanation for curve 1?

Accepted Answer

A) the basin for curve 1 has steeper slopes than the basin for curve 2 
B) the storm recorded by curve 1 was shorter and more intense than the storm represented by curve 2 
C) curve 1 shows the same area as curve 2 but after urbanization 
D) All of these are possible. 
A) the basin for curve 1 has steeper slopes than the basin for curve 2 
B) the storm recorded by curve 1 was shorter and more intense than the storm represented by curve 2 
C) curve 1 shows the same area as curve 2 but after urbanization 
D) All of these are possible.

Question 17

Which of the following is true of a 100-year flood?

Accepted Answer

A) A 100-year flood occurs every 100 years on a given stream. 
B) The probability of a 100-year flood occurring on any given year is 1:100. 
C) A 100-year flood cannot occur twice within 10 years. 
D) The probability of a 100-year flood is related to how recently the last 100-year flood occurred. 
A) A 100-year flood occurs every 100 years on a given stream. 
B) The probability of a 100-year flood occurring on any given year is 1:100. 
C) A 100-year flood cannot occur twice within 10 years. 
D) The probability of a 100-year flood is related to how recently the last 100-year flood occurred.

Question 18

Using this plot of annual peak discharge, which of the following sizes of flood is most likely to be exceeded in any given year?

Accepted Answer

A) 4,000 cubic meters per second 
B) 1,000 cubic meters per second 
C) 200 cubic meters per second 
D) 100-year flood 
A) 4,000 cubic meters per second 
B) 1,000 cubic meters per second 
C) 200 cubic meters per second 
D) 100-year flood

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

Accepted Answer

A) Major rivers, like the upper Mississippi near the Great Lakes, must be relatively old rivers. 
B) The boundary between hard rocks and soft rocks can be marked by waterfalls. 
C) Loading and unloading of the crust by ice sheets can change the direction that rivers flow. 
D) Different parts of a river can be different ages. 
A) Major rivers, like the upper Mississippi near the Great Lakes, must be relatively old rivers. 
B) The boundary between hard rocks and soft rocks can be marked by waterfalls. 
C) Loading and unloading of the crust by ice sheets can change the direction that rivers flow. 
D) Different parts of a river can be different ages.

Question 20

In the accompanying hydrograph for a major river, a flood was caused by a single episode of heavy rainfall 50 kilometers upstream.When did the rain most likely occur?

Accepted Answer

A) at time A 
B) at time B 
C) at time C 
D) at time D 
A) at time A 
B) at time B 
C) at time C 
D) at time D

What could cause this stream to begin carving into the landscape?

Which of the following statements about streams is NOT true?

How is an alluvial fan formed?

What is the mostly likely setting for this drainage pattern?

What would happen if the amount of ice in this area increases?

What happens to a river as it flows through a delta and encounters the sea?

Which of the following is NOT a common site for deposition of sediment?

Which of the following sites is most likely to be flooded if all other factors are held constant?

At which site along this stream would a point bar form?

The lowest notch shown on this figure is 9 meters wide and 5 meters high from its base.The river has a velocity of 0.7 meters per second when it fills the notch.Based on the accompanying graph, what is the probability each year that the notch will be filled to the top?

Comparing these two curves on this hydrograph, the solid curve could record

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

Which of the features on this aerial photograph is a cutbank?

What is NOT true about terraces?

Compared with curve 2 on this hydrograph, what is a possible explanation for curve 1?

Which of the following is true of a 100-year flood?

Using this plot of annual peak discharge, which of the following sizes of flood is most likely to be exceeded in any given year?

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

In the accompanying hydrograph for a major river, a flood was caused by a single episode of heavy rainfall 50 kilometers upstream.When did the rain most likely occur?

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Exam 13: Streams and Flooding

What could cause this stream to begin carving into the landscape?

Which of the following statements about streams is NOT true?

How is an alluvial fan formed?

What is the mostly likely setting for this drainage pattern?

What would happen if the amount of ice in this area increases?

What happens to a river as it flows through a delta and encounters the sea?

Which of the following is NOT a common site for deposition of sediment?

Which of the following sites is most likely to be flooded if all other factors are held constant?

At which site along this stream would a point bar form?

The lowest notch shown on this figure is 9 meters wide and 5 meters high from its base.The river has a velocity of 0.7 meters per second when it fills the notch.Based on the accompanying graph, what is the probability each year that the notch will be filled to the top?

Comparing these two curves on this hydrograph, the solid curve could record

What type of stream is shown in this figure?

Which particles of sediment are most likely to be transported as suspended load?

Which of the features on this aerial photograph is a cutbank?

What is NOT true about terraces?

Compared with curve 2 on this hydrograph, what is a possible explanation for curve 1?

Which of the following is true of a 100-year flood?

Using this plot of annual peak discharge, which of the following sizes of flood is most likely to be exceeded in any given year?

Which of the following is NOT true about rivers?

In the accompanying hydrograph for a major river, a flood was caused by a single episode of heavy rainfall 50 kilometers upstream.When did the rain most likely occur?

The Nature of Physical Geography

Energy and Matter in the Atmosphere

Atmospheric Motion

Atmospheric Moisture

Weather Systems and Severe Weather

Atmosphere - Ocean - Crysophere Interactions

Climates Around the World

Water Resources

Understanding Landscapes

Plate Tectonics and Regional Features

Volcanoes, Deformation, and Earthquakes

Weathering and Mass Wasting

Glaciers and Glacial Landforms

Coasts and Changing Sea Levels

Soils

Ecosystems and Biogeochemical Cycles

Biomes

Filters