Deck 13: A Biography of Earth

Question 1

Oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is derived from ________.

A)volcanic outgassing
B)photosynthesis
C)animal respiration
D)water from the oceans breaking down into hydrogen and oxygen during evaporation

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which gas found in today's atmosphere was absent during the Hadean and Archean eons?

A)nitrogen
B)water vapor
C)oxygen
D)carbon dioxide

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Stromatolites are layered structures produced by the activity of ________.

A)dinosaurs
B)methanogens
C)cyanobacteria
D)green algae

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Banded-iron formations were abundantly produced during the ________.

A)Archean Eon
B)Hadean Eon
C)Proterozoic Eon
D)Paleozoic Era

Question 5

A greenhouse climate on Earth was associated with relatively high atmospheric levels of which gas?

A)nitrogen
B)water vapor
C)oxygen
D)carbon dioxide

Question 6

A shield is ________.

A)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out
B)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata
C)a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin
D)synonymous with "craton"

Question 7

Earth became internally differentiated,with a metallic core distinct from the rocky mantle,during the ________.

A)Archean Eon
B)Hadean Eon
C)Proterozoic Eon
D)Paleozoic Era

Question 8

A fold-thrust belt is ________.

A)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out
B)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata
C)a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin
D)synonymous with "craton"

Question 9

Toward the end of the Archean Eon,________.

A)the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record
B)Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted
C)stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed
D)the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life

Question 10

The Hadean was a time in Earth history when ________.

A)the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record
B)Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted
C)stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed
D)the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life

Question 11

Through geologic time,continents have drifted over the surface of Earth,but each continent has ________.

A)always been about as large as it is today
B)grown by the addition of Precambrian shields
C)grown by addition of crustal fragments
D)grown by crustal stretching

Question 12

Archean greenstones are formed from ________.

A)basalts produced at hot spots
B)sand and clay eroded from volcanic areas
C)the precipitation of silica in the deep sea
D)metamorphosed relicts of ocean crust

Question 13

Earth is approximately how old?

A)14 billion years
B)4.57 billion years
C)40 million years
D)6,000 years

Question 14

A platform is ________.

A)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out
B)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata
C)a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin
D)synonymous with "craton"

Question 15

Geographically,a shield and surrounding platform together are ________.

A)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks crop out
B)a low-lying region where Precambrian rocks are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary strata
C)a region of compressed rock located behind a volcanic arc at a convergent continental margin
D)synonymous with "craton"

Question 16

The generally accepted scientific theory for the origin of our Moon involves ________.

A)impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body during the Hadean
B)simultaneous formation of Earth and the Moon in neighboring parts of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago
C)gravitational capture of the Moon by Earth during the Hadean
D)gravitational capture of Earth by the Moon during the Archean

Question 17

A crustal rock dated to 150 Ma is how old?

A)15,000 years
B)150,000 years
C)150 million years
D)150 billion years

Question 18

A crustal rock dated to 1.9 Ga is how old?

A)1,900 years
B)190,000 years
C)1,900,000 years
D)1,900,000,000 years

Question 19

Earth was hotter than today during the Hadean for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ________.

A)impacts with other objects added heat to Earth
B)differentiation of the core from the mantle added heat to Earth's interior
C)the Sun was much more luminous than it is today
D)carbon dioxide was more abundant in the atmosphere than it is today

Question 20

How have climates changed over time?

A)Regions on the continents that are experiencing warm climates today have generally experienced colder climates in the past,and vice versa.
B)Regions on the continents that are experiencing warm climates today generally experienced even warmer climates in the past,and vice versa.
C)Most continents have experienced consistently cold climates from the past to the present.
D)Most continents have experienced consistently warm climates from the past to the present.

Question 21

Where today would you expect to find rocks deposited by late Paleozoic glaciers?

A)United States
B)western Russia
C)central Europe
D)India

Question 22

Most DNA in the cells of animals and plants is housed within a nucleus;such cells are termed ________.

A)prokinetic
B)prokaryotic
C)eukaryotic
D)analgesic

Question 23

The earliest forests containing woody trees appeared during the ________.

A)Late Proterozoic
B)Early Paleozoic (Ordovician)
C)Middle Paleozoic (Devonian)
D)Late Paleozoic (Permian)

Question 24

Once an ancient mountain range is destroyed by erosion,what evidence can geologists look for to learn of its past existence?

A)high,rugged peaks
B)crust containing igneous activity,deformation,and metamorphism
C)fossils of mountain-dwelling plants and animals
D)there is no detectable record of destroyed mountain ranges

Question 25

The small cells of bacteria lack nuclei and are termed ________.

A)prokinetic
B)prokaryotic
C)eukaryotic
D)analgesic

Question 26

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

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

Question 27

The first mammals appeared during the ________ Period.

A)Cambrian
B)Devonian
C)Permian
D)Triassic

Question 28

Dinosaurs first appeared during the ________ Period.

A)Cambrian
B)Devonian
C)Permian
D)Triassic

Question 29

The Cambrian Period is a time in Earth history when ________.

A)the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record
B)Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted
C)stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed
D)the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life

Question 30

The Chicxulub crater is located on which continent?

A)North America
B)South America
C)Asia
D)Africa

Question 31

The Cambrian explosion not only produced an abundance of new animal species but also gave rise to the first shells,spines,and active swimmers.This suggests the important influence of ________ in driving animal evolution.

A)photosynthetic organisms
B)climate
C)carnivorous predators
D)filter-feeding organisms

Question 32

Animals and plants are both ________.

A)autotrophs
B)eukaryotes
C)archea
D)prokaryotes

Question 33

The first terrestrial vertebrates (with an amphibian life cycle)are represented by fossils that are Late ________ in age.

A)Cambrian
B)Devonian
C)Permian
D)Triassic

Question 34

An iridium-rich layer of clay,glass spherules,and shocked quartz grains strongly suggest that the K-T boundary extinctions were at least in part caused by ________.

A)a long trend of global warming
B)a long trend of global cooling
C)worldwide explosive volcanism
D)the impact of a bolide (meteoroid or comet)

Question 35

Rodinia and Pangaea are supercontinents that assembled during the ________ and ________,respectively.

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

Question 36

The late Proterozoic Grenville orogeny is an event related to ________.

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 37

The eon represented by abundant deposits of strata with shelly fossils is the ________.

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

Question 38

The oldest terrestrial insect fossils are found in rocks from the ________ Period.

A)Cambrian
B)Devonian
C)Permian
D)Triassic

Question 39

The fossil fish Tiktaalik made headlines in 2005 because it ________.

A)was preserved with a hook in its mouth and represents the oldest evidence of human fishing
B)was the largest shark ever recovered from the fossil record
C)represents a transitional form between lobe-finned fish and terrestrial vertebrates
D)was found alive in the modern deep ocean;previously,the fish was thought to be extinct

Question 40

Tree-sized relatives of the living ferns,club mosses,and scouring rushes were common in environments termed coal swamps during the ________ Period.

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

Question 41

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

A)1 million years
B)200,000 years
C)75,000 years
D)12,000 years

Question 42

The Western Interior Seaway reached its greatest level of continental inundation during the ________ Period.

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

Question 43

The Miocene Epoch saw the spread of which new vegetative zone?

A)grasslands
B)angiosperm forests
C)gymnosperm forests
D)tree fern forests

Question 44

Which flying reptiles,first appearing during the Triassic,were the earliest flying vertebrates?

A)birds
B)aerogekkos
C)pterosaurs
D)phytosaurs

Question 45

The Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T)boundary event took place how many millions of years ago?

A)540
B)245
C)65
D)25

Question 46

The Mesozoic Era is a time in Earth history when ________.

A)the first abundant shelly organisms appeared in the fossil record
B)Earth's interior was so hot that a solid outer crust,if present,was likely being extensively remelted
C)stable continental interiors,termed cratons,first formed
D)the dinosaurs appeared and came to dominate large-scale terrestrial life

Question 47

During the Cenozoic Era,most large-bodied terrestrial animals inhabiting regions of temperate climate have been ________.

A)birds
B)dinosaurs
C)mammals
D)crocodiles

Question 48

Permian,Triassic,and Jurassic forests were dominated by large ________.

A)angiosperms (flowering plants)
B)mosses
C)conifers and cycads
D)club mosses and scouring rushes

Question 49

When did the human genus,Homo,first appear on Earth?

A)200 million years ago
B)2.4 million years ago
C)100,000 years ago
D)10,000 years ago

Question 50

Humans belong to a lineage of mammals called the ________.

A)carnivores
B)primates
C)odd-toed ungulates
D)edentates

Question 51

Tyrannosaurus rex,one of the largest carnivorous dinosaur species,lived during the ________ Period.

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

Question 52

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

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

Question 53

Which closely related genus has a more ancient fossil record than Homo?

A)Australopithecus
B)Gorilla
C)Tyrannosaurus
D)Thylacosmilus

Question 54

Convergence along the western margin of North America during the Cenozoic gave way to rifting forces that created the characteristic topography of the ________.

A)Coast Ranges
B)Basin and Range Province
C)Colorado Plateau
D)Columbia Plateau