Deck 1: Introduction to Earth

Question 1

A nebula is ________.

A) a bright star
B) a black hole
C) a faded star
D) a cloud of gas and dust
E) none of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The ________ is a basic unit of distance in the Système International (metric system).

A) mole
B) kilogram
C) ampere
D) degree Celsius
E) meter

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Earth is ________.

A) one of the biggest planets
B) one of the largest planets
C) the smallest planet
D) one of the inner planets
E) one of the planets having the most gas

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Pluto is now classified as a ________.

A) comet
B) moon
C) plutoid
D) meteorite
E) protostar

Question 5

Geography has much to offer to the study of globalization because it ________.

A) is the best discipline
B) ignores science to focus on understanding
C) is not a narrow discipline
D) has a sharp focus on cultural affairs
E) is the most mathematical of disciplines

Question 6

Which of the following is out of order in the ideal application of the scientific method?

A) observe a phenomenon that stimulates a question
B) design an experiment
C) observe the outcome of an experiment
D) formulate a rule
E) make a hypothesis

Question 7

The surfaces of the inner, terrestrial planets of our solar system are composed of ________.

A) gases
B) frozen water
C) frozen carbon dioxide
D) molten lava
E) mineral matter

Question 8

The Earth is one of ________ planets in the solar system.

A) four
B) eight
C) twenty
D) thirty six
E) over one hundred

Question 9

Which of the following subsystems includes all living things on Earth?

A) atmosphere
B) biosphere
C) hydrosphere
D) lithosphere
E) stratosphere

Question 10

The solid, inorganic portion of the Earth system is known as the ________.

A) Earth
B) lithosphere
C) hydrosphere
D) atmosphere
E) biosphere

Question 11

The acceptance of a theory or hypothesis is based on ________.

A) a preponderance of evidence
B) a hunch
C) a belief
D) the pronouncements of authorities
E) the Big Bang

Question 12

The shape of the Milky Way is similar to a(n) ________.

A) circle
B) sphere
C) spiral-shaped disk
D) pancake
E) oblate spheroid

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a topic of study in a physical geography course?

A) landforms
B) soil
C) climate
D) plants
E) capital cities

Question 14

In science, the term "theory" is ________.

A) a first guess
B) an unsupported hunch
C) revolution around Earth
D) not relevant
E) the highest order of understanding

Question 15

The ________ is a basic Système International (metric system) unit of mass.

A) ton
B) gram
C) ampere
D) mole
E) meter

Question 16

Earth's "life zone" in the atmosphere extends from Earth's surface to an altitude of approximately ________ kilometers.

A) 5
B) 50
C) 500
D) 5,000
E) 50,000

Question 17

The word geography comes from the Greek, meaning ________.

A) the study of rocks
B) Earth description
C) planet measurement
D) drawing of maps
E) the study of human culture

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a major topic taught in a course of introductory physical geography?

A) climate
B) plants
C) soil
D) landforms
E) population

Question 19

The Sun is a star in the ________ galaxy.

A) Orion
B) Milky Way
C) Proxima Centauri
D) Alpha Centauri
E) Betelgeuse

Question 20

Geography is ________.

A) a physical science
B) a social science
C) an art, not a science
D) much the same as geology
E) a combination of physical and social sciences

Question 21

A cross section of Earth cut from pole to pole would reveal which shape?

A) circle
B) parabola
C) sine curve
D) ellipse
E) crescent

Question 22

Earth's diameter is ________ kilometers.

A) 13
B) 130
C) 1,300
D) 13,000
E) 130,000

Question 23

The birth of the solar system occurred ________.

A) about 500 million years ago
B) about 5 billion years ago
C) about 40 billion years ago
D) about 500 billion years ago
E) about 5 million years ago

Question 24

________ is the deepest spot in the ocean.

A) The Hudson Canyon
B) The Grand Canyon
C) The Mariana Trench
D) The middle of the Atlantic Ocean
E) Just offshore of California

Question 25

Eratosthenes was the first to accurately measure the Earth's ________.

A) radius
B) polarity
C) circumference
D) crust
E) hemisphere

Question 26

The origin of the universe is incompletely understood and is called ________.

A) the "Big Bang"
B) Earth Day
C) the "nebula"
D) primordial solar system
E) the "worm hole"

Question 27

The altitudinal difference (relief) between the top of the tallest mountain and the bottom of the deepest ocean trench is ________ kilometers.

A) 20
B) 200
C) 2,000
D) 20,000
E) 200,000

Question 28

The best description of the actual shape of the Earth is as a(n) ________.

A) circle
B) sphere
C) spheroid
D) oblate spheroid
E) centroid

Question 29

________ is considered a dwarf planet.

A) Earth
B) Venus
C) Neptune
D) Mars
E) Pluto

Question 30

The size of the Universe is best described ________.

A) as 100,000 light years across
B) as small
C) in terms of the width of 5 galaxies across
D) as 1 astronomical unit across
E) as vast beyond comprehension

Question 31

The solar system's Jovian planets are most likely composed of ________.

A) gas
B) interstellar dust
C) granite
D) basalt
E) water

Question 32

The first nearly correct measurement of the Earth's circumference was made by ________.

A) Newton
B) Einstein
C) Eratosthenes
D) Columbus
E) Plato

Question 33

Pluto was long thought to be a planet. New discoveries in the Kuiper Belt have changed its official designation to ________.

A) asteroid
B) meteoroid
C) planetesimal
D) nebula
E) plutoid

Question 34

The response to Earth's rotation is ________.

A) wind
B) polar flattening
C) equatorial flattening
D) Death Valley
E) Mt. Everest

Question 35

After it was part of a nebula and before it was the Sun, our Sun was a ________.

A) star
B) galaxy
C) asteroid
D) comet
E) protostar

Question 36

The Moon is some ________ kilometers distant from Earth.

A) 3.85
B) 385
C) 3,850
D) 385,000
E) 38,500,000

Question 37

The Milky Wave is one of over ________ galaxies in the universe.

A) one hundred
B) one thousand
C) one hundred thousand
D) one million
E) many billions

Question 38

The Universe is thought to be on the order of ________ billion years old.

A) )37
B) 3.7
C) 13.7
D) 137
E) 1370

Question 39

The Milky Way is a galaxy some ________ light years in diameter.

A) 10
B) 100
C) 1,000
D) 10,000
E) 100,000

Question 40

The Milky Way is one of, at least, ________ galaxies in the Universe.

A) two thousand
B) two hundred thousand
C) two million
D) two hundred billion
E) two trillion

Question 41

Our earthly grid system is also referred to as a ________ and consists of lines of latitude and longitude.

A) gnomon
B) meridian
C) plane coordinate system
D) graticule
E) great circle system

Question 42

Of the following, which is a great circle?

A) Tropic of Capricorn
B) Tropic of Cancer
C) Equator
D) Arctic Circle
E) Antarctic Circle

Question 43

Near the North Pole, one degree of latitude extends ________ kilometer(s) on the ground.

A) 1
B) 11
C) 111
D) 1,111
E) 11,111

Question 44

Which of the following distances is CLOSEST TO the actual distance associated with one degree of latitude?

A) 1 km
B) 10 km
C) 100 km
D) 1,000 km
E) 10,000 km

Question 45

Which of the following best describes the latitude and longitude of North America?

A) northern and southern hemispheres
B) eastern and western hemispheres
C) northern and eastern hemispheres
D) eastern and southern hemispheres
E) northern and western hemispheres

Question 46

The geographic grid line 180 degrees of longitude from the Prime Meridian is the ________.

A) Tropic of Cancer
B) 90th meridian
C) 180th meridian
D) 320th meridian
E) Tropic of Capricorn

Question 47

Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth and its altitude is CLOSEST to ________ meters.

A) 90
B) 900
C) 9,000
D) 90,000
E) 900,000

Question 48

At the Equator, one degree of latitude is approximately equal to ________.

A) one degree of longitude
B) 1,000 kilometers of longitude
C) a great circle
D) the Tropic of Cancer
E) one second of angular arc

Question 49

One degree of longitude equals 0 miles on the ground at the ________.

A) Tropic of Capricorn
B) North Pole
C) Tropic of Cancer
D) Antarctic Circle
E) Arctic Circle

Question 50

Which of the following is also an entire great circle?

A) any line of latitude
B) any parallel
C) the Equator
D) any numbered meridian
E) the Prime Meridian

Question 51

How many degrees of latitude are there between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn?

A) 0
B) 23.5
C) 47
D) 90
E) 180

Question 52

A ________ separates Earth into two hemispheres.

A) solstice
B) great circle
C) small circle
D) perihelion
E) loxodrome

Question 53

The line connecting the points of maximum flattening on Earth's surface is called the ________.

A) radius
B) Plane of the Ecliptic
C) Equator
D) Arctic Circle
E) axis

Question 54

The Earth's polar and equatorial diameters vary by ________ percent.

A) 0
B) 0.3
C) 7.5
D) 10
E) 27

Question 55

The graticule of the Earth is also known as ________.

A) a great circle
B) latitude and longitude
C) the perihelion
D) a standard time zone
E) analemma

Question 56

The Greenwich Meridian is also known as the ________.

A) Perihelion
B) Aphelion
C) Prime Meridian
D) Equator
E) Small Circle

Question 57

The 0° Meridian is the same line as the ________.

A) International Date Line
B) Equator
C) Perihelion
D) Prime Meridian
E) geographic grid

Question 58

In angular measurement, a minute contains ________ seconds.

A) 0
B) 10
C) 60
D) 360
E) 3,600

Question 59

At the North Pole, one degree of longitude extends ________ kilometers on the ground.

A) 0
B) 10
C) 100
D) 1,000
E) 10,000

Question 60

The highest numbered latitude used in the geographic grid is ________.

A) 90°
B) 100°
C) 180°
D) 360°
E) 365°

Question 61

The speed of Earth's rotation is closest to 1,600 kph at the ________.

A) poles
B) Equator
C) Tropic of Cancer
D) Antarctic Circle
E) middle latitudes

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT defined by latitude?

A) parallel
B) Arctic Circle
C) Antarctic Circle
D) North Pole
E) meridian

Question 63

Rotation of the Earth DOES NOT cause ________.

A) tides
B) Coriolis effect
C) local variations in temperature
D) day and night
E) seasons

Question 64

Numbered meridians ________.

A) are semicircles
B) are east-west lines
C) diverge as they near the poles
D) are the same thing as parallels
E) are numbered from 0-100 in three hemispheres

Question 65

The ________ is the name of the orbital plane on which the Earth revolves.

A) aphelion
B) perihelion
C) ecliptic
D) prime meridian
E) great circle

Question 66

The north end of Earth's axis points towards ________.

A) the Moon
B) Mars
C) Venus
D) Ork
E) Polaris

Question 67

The constant angle between Earth's axis and the Plane of the Ecliptic is called Earth's ________.

A) polarity
B) Mean Time
C) perihelion
D) aphelion
E) praxis

Question 68

The fact that at any time during the year, the Earth's axis is parallel to its orientation at all other times is called its parallelism, or ________.

A) revolution
B) rotation
C) polarity
D) aphelion
E) perihelion

Question 69

The "natural" baseline which serves as a baseline to measure longitude (such as the Equator, which is used as a baselines for latitude) ________.

A) is the Prime Meridian
B) is the International Date Line
C) runs near London, England
D) is at the same latitude as the Equator
E) does not exist

Question 70

The angular inclination of the Earth's axis with respect to a line perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic ________.

A) varies through the year
B) is 0°
C) is 23.5°
D) is 66.5°
E) is 90°

Question 71

The perihelion is during the month of ________.

A) January
B) March
C) July
D) September
E) December

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT contained within Earth's system of latitude and longitude?

A) a longitude of 5°W
B) a longitude of 185°E
C) a latitude of 0°
D) a longitude of 165°W
E) a latitude of 36°N

Question 73

The closest position taken by the Earth relative to the Sun is ________ million kilometers.

A) 10
B) 47
C) 147
D) 1,470
E) 14,700

Question 74

What would happen to seasons if Earth's axis were to change to perpendicular to the Plane of the Ecliptic?

A) Each season would become longer.
B) Each season would become shorter.
C) The perihelion would change seasons.
D) The aphelion would change seasons.
E) Seasons would end.

Question 75

The shape of Earth's orbit around the Sun is a(n) ________.

A) ellipse
B) circle
C) spheroid
D) oblate spheroid
E) parabola

Question 76

The Earth rotates about its ________.

A) great circle
B) revolution
C) inclination
D) axis
E) Equator

Question 77

The cause of Earth's seasons is the ________.

A) varying output of the Sun
B) polarity of the axis
C) shape of the Earth
D) varying distance between Earth and Sun
E) cold experienced each wintertime

Question 78

The Earth/Sun aphelion occurs once per year during the month of ________.

A) January
B) March
C) July
D) December
E) September

Question 79

The most important physical effect of the Earth's rotation is ________.

A) to cause continents to "drift"
B) seasonal change
C) the alternation of sunlight and darkness
D) Daylight Saving Time
E) the blue appearance of clear sky

Question 80

The plane of the ecliptic is ________.

A) the same as the plane of the Equator
B) not important in physical geography
C) another way of describing the latitude of the vertical sun
D) the same thing as the Tropic of Cancer
E) at an angle from the plane of the Equator