Deck 1: The Earth in Context

Question 1

The giant planets are

A) Mars,Mercury,and Venus.
B) Mars,Venus,and Jupiter.
C) Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune.
D) Uranus,Saturn,and Neptune.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is a characteristic shared by planets and asteroids?

A) It orbits a star.
B) It is nearly spherical in shape.
C) It has one or more moons.
D) It has cleared its neighborhood of other objects.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Aside from the Earth,the terrestrial planets are

A) Mars,Mercury,and Venus.
B) Mars,Venus,and Jupiter.
C) Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune.
D) Mars and Saturn.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following planets is MOST similar to the Earth?

A) Neptune
B) Mercury
C) Jupiter
D) Uranus

Question 5

A light year is a unit that measures

A) time.
B) distance.
C) mass.
D) luminous intensity.

Question 6

Ancient astronomers observed that the positions of _______ in the sky remain fixed relative to each other,while the locations of ________ move over time.

A) the Sun and Moon; the stars
B) the stars; the planets
C) the planets; the Sun and Moon
D) the Sun and Moon; the planets

Question 7

The study of the Universe,its structure,and its history is called __________.

A) cosmetology
B) cosmology
C) astrology
D) petrology

Question 8

Intermediate weight elements (heavier than helium but lighter than iron)form during the life cycles of ________.

A) stars
B) nebulae
C) asteroids
D) black holes

Question 9

When was the heliocentric model of the Universe,which asserts that the Sun sits at the center of our solar system and that the Earth is just one of several planets that orbit around the Sun,developed?

A) before the dawn of recorded history
B) during the time of the ancient Greeks 2000 years ago
C) during the Renaissance in the 15th century
D) about one hundred years ago during World War I

Question 10

By far the most common elements in the Universe and in our Solar System are

A) nitrogen and oxygen.
B) iron and manganese.
C) hydrogen and helium.
D) hydrogen and oxygen.

Question 11

When the Universe was very young,almost all matter consisted of the elements ______ and _________.

A) carbon; iron
B) uranium; lead
C) hydrogen,helium
D) oxygen,nitrogen

Question 12

The best estimate of when the Universe formed is

A) 13.8 Ma.
B) 13.8 Ga.
C) 4.57 Ma.
D) 4.57 Ga

Question 13

The idea that the Earth sits motionless in the Universe at the center of a revolving globe of stars,with the Moon and planets in orbit around the Earth,is the ___________ model of the Universe.

A) heliocentric
B) anthropomorphic
C) geocentric
D) volcanic

Question 14

The first generation of stars in our Universe formed from the collapse of ________.

A) protoplanets
B) nebulae
C) supernovae
D) the Big Bang

Question 15

Which of the following distinguishes moons from asteroids?

A) Moons orbit a star.
B) Moons orbit a planet.
C) Moons are stationary in space.
D) Moons are composed of rock.

Question 16

The current scientific explanation for the organizing of matter into planets,moons,asteroids,and comets in our Solar System is the

A) expanding Universe theory.
B) nebular theory.
C) Big Bang theory.
D) theory of plate tectonics.

Question 17

According to the Big Bang theory,

A) the Earth is much older than the rest of the Universe.
B) the Universe is much older than the Earth.
C) the Earth and the Universe formed at about the same time.
D) there is no way of knowing how old the Universe might be.

Question 18

According to the Big Bang theory,our Universe is ________.

A) expanding
B) contracting
C) static
D) periodically contracting and expanding

Question 19

In the heliocentric model,

A) the Earth orbits around the Sun.
B) the Sun orbits around the Earth.
C) the Earth is a stationary planet.
D) Mercury and Venus orbit around the Sun,but all other planets orbit around the Earth.

Question 20

Terrestrial planets are mainly composed of ________,while the giant planets are made predominantly of ________.

A) volatiles; rock and metals
B) rock and metals; volatiles
C) refractory materials; volatiles and metals
D) volatiles and metals; refractory materials

Question 21

Atoms that are heavier than iron are generally produced by

A) fission reactions within stars.
B) fusion reactions within stars.
C) explosions of supernovas.
D) the Big Bang.

Question 22

Why did the early Earth differentiate into core and mantle?

A) Gravity pulled denser material to the interior and left less dense material on the outside.
B) Nucleosynthesis created an outer mantle layer from fusion of the elements in the core.
C) Gravity first pulled denser material into a protoplanet,and only later was mantle material added.
D) Spinning on its axis caused less dense mantle material to float outside the core.

Question 23

When did our solar system organize from a collapsing solar nebula into a system of Sun,planets,moons,comets,and asteroids?

A) 13.8 Ga
B) 4.57 Ga
C) 2.25 Ga
D) 0.54 Ga

Question 24

Which of the following best describes how the Earth's Moon formed?

A) The Earth and the Moon formed at the same time when a protoplanet split apart.
B) Early in the history of our Solar System,an asteroid was captured by the Earth's gravity and became the Moon.
C) Early in the history of our Solar System,a protoplanet collided with the Earth,sending debris into orbit that coalesced to form the Moon.
D) Early in the history of our Solar System,a group of comets was captured by the Earth's gravity and coalesced to form the Moon.

Question 25

Atmospheric pressure is caused by __________.

A) the weight overlying air molecules pushing down from higher in the atmosphere
B) the increasing size of air molecules lower in the atmosphere
C) interactions between air molecules and the Earth's magnetic field
D) the solar wind pushing on the atmosphere

Question 26

The shape of the Earth's magnetic field is approximately that of a

A) monopole,as would be produced by just one pole of a magnet.
B) dipole,such as that produced by a bar magnet.
C) torus,a doughnut-shaped ring parallel to the Earth's equator.
D) sphere,following the shape of the Earth.

Question 27

How do the North Magnetic Pole and the North Geographic Pole relate to each other on the globe?

A) Both poles occur at exactly the same place.
B) The North Magnetic Pole is near the North Geographic Pole.
C) The North Magnetic Pole is on opposite side of the Earth from the North Geographic Pole.
D) The North Magnetic Pole is along the equator,far removed from the North Geographic Pole.

Question 28

The atmosphere is divided into several distinct layers.From the ground up they are,in order,

A) stratosphere,troposphere,mesosphere,and thermosphere.
B) troposphere,stratosphere,thermosphere,and mesosphere.
C) troposphere,stratosphere,mesosphere,and thermosphere.
D) stratosphere,troposphere,thermosphere,and mesosphere.

Question 29

How does the deepest part of the ocean compare with the height of Earth's tallest mountains?

A) The tallest mountains are much further above sea level than the deepest parts of the ocean are below sea level.
B) The deepest parts of the ocean are much further below sea level than the tallest mountains are above sea level.
C) The height of the tallest mountains is about the same as the deepest depths in the ocean.
D) We don't know because we have not yet found the deepest part of the ocean.

Question 30

Presently,the Earth's atmosphere is dominated by which two gases?

A) hydrogen and helium
B) oxygen and carbon dioxide
C) nitrogen and oxygen
D) carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide

Question 31

Volatile materials occur as _______,while refractory materials exist as ________.

A) gases; solids
B) moons; planets
C) red giant stars; supernovae
D) liquids; gases

Question 32

The great abundance of heavy elements on Planet Earth tells us that the Sun must be _______.

A) a first-generation star
B) a nebula
C) at least a third-generation star
D) nearing the end of its stellar life cycle

Question 33

The term for the separation of the Earth into internal layers early in our planet's history is _______.

A) accretion
B) differentiation
C) protoplanetary collapse
D) nucleosynthesis

Question 34

Why is it difficult if not impossible for towns and cities to exist much higher than 5 km in elevation?

A) because solar radiation kills most life above this elevation
B) because temperatures are too cold
C) because low air pressure leads to not enough oxygen for survival
D) because humans have never explored high elevation regions of the globe

Question 35

How does air temperature change with elevation in the troposphere,the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere?

A) It slowly rises with increasing elevation.
B) It becomes much lower at higher elevations,reaching well below the freezing point of water.
C) It remains constant regardless of elevation.
D) It becomes lower with increasing elevation,but never drops below the freezing point of water.

Question 36

The Earth's surface is protected from solar wind and cosmic radiation by

A) the Earth's gravitational field.
B) the Earth's magnetic field.
C) a large,metallic shield launched into orbit by NASA in the 1960s.
D) a powerful stream of ions emitted by the Sun.

Question 37

An aurora is produced when

A) charged particles flow toward the magnetic poles and excite atmospheric gases.
B) swamp gases rise from the Arctic tundra and react with the upper atmosphere.
C) radiation in the Van Allen belts can be seen on a clear,cold night.
D) lightning travels from cloud to cloud rather than cloud to ground.

Question 38

Differentiation of the core from the mantle early in the Earth's history was possible because the planet was ________ at the time.

A) very cold
B) very hot
C) very small
D) the only planet in the Solar System

Question 39

How much of the Earth's surface is occupied by the oceans?

A) 12%
B) 30%
C) 50%
D) 70%

Question 40

How does the volume of water in the oceans compare with the total volume of freshwater in lakes and rivers?

A) They are about equal in volume.
B) The oceans contain slightly more water than lakes and rivers do.
C) The oceans contain much less water than lakes and rivers do.
D) The oceans contain much more water than lakes and rivers do.

Question 41

The study of which process has proven very useful in determining the structure and layering of the Earth's interior?

A) earthquakes
B) magnetism
C) tides
D) glaciers

Question 42

Compared to oceanic crust,continental crust is

A) thicker.
B) thinner.
C) about the same thickness.
D) In some places continental crust is thicker; in some places oceanic crust is thicker.There is no consistent pattern.

Question 43

The most abundant elements in the Earth's crust are

A) oxygen and silicon.
B) carbon and nitrogen.
C) iron and nickel.
D) sodium and chlorine.

Question 44

What is the approximate radius of the Earth?

A) 1200 km
B) 3500 km
C) 4800 km
D) 6400 km

Question 45

The density of rocks is generally related to composition; rocks with higher silica contents tend to be less dense.Which of the following places rock compositions in order of increasing density?

A) felsic,intermediate,ultramafic,mafic
B) ultramafic,mafic,intermediate,felsic
C) felsic,intermediate,mafic,ultramafic
D) mafic,ultramafic,intermediate,felsic

Question 46

Briefly describe how our Solar System formed according to the nebular theory.

Question 47

The first atoms of the Universe (hydrogen and helium)formed within minutes of the Big Bang.How did the other elements form?

Question 48

What distinguishes the concepts "crust and mantle" from "lithosphere and asthenosphere"?

Question 49

Contrast the geocentric model of the universe with the heliocentric model of the universe.

Question 50

Where is the lithosphere relative to the asthenosphere?

A) The lithosphere is above the asthenosphere.
B) The lithosphere is below the asthenosphere.
C) The lithosphere is only below continents,and the asthenosphere is only below oceans.
D) The lithosphere is embedded within the asthenosphere.

Question 51

The __________ can flow while the __________ is a rigid solid.

A) crust; inner core
B) asthenosphere; lithosphere
C) mantle; crust
D) lithosphere; asthenosphere

Question 52

How do we know that the density of the Earth's interior is much greater than common rocks on the Earth's surface?

Question 53

What is a planet? List the three criteria that define a planet.Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet?

Question 54

The metal alloy that makes up the core of the Earth is ________ compared to the rocky mantle.

A) less dense
B) denser
C) very similar in chemistry and density
D) distinct in chemistry but of very similar density

Question 55

Draw a cross-section of the Earth showing its three primary layers.Label the layers and list the average composition (rock-type)of the layers.

Question 56

What have seismic waves taught us about the interior of our planet?

Question 57

Scientists have estimated the age of the Earth to be 4.57 Ga.What did they use to determine this age and why did they use it?

Question 58

Most minerals within the Earth contain the element _________

A) silicon.
B) nitrogen.
C) carbon.
D) hydrogen.

Question 59

Which of the following is a rock formed from solidifying of magma or lava?

A) igneous rock
B) sedimentary rock
C) metamorphic rock
D) differentiated rock