2009 Fall Semester Study Guide
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____1.Which of the following is NOT part of scientific methods?
a. / form a hypothesis / c. / ask a questionb. / draw conclusions / d. / become a scientist
____2.Earth scientists help us better understand the world around us by studyinghow
a. / animals interact with humans.b. / natural forces shape our environment.
c. / war impacts society.
d. / genealogy and astrology impact society.
____3.Which of the following is NOT a possible source of Earth’s magnetic field?
a. / sun’s magnetic field / c. / magnetosphereb. / moon’s magnetic field / d. / Earth’s core
____4.Which of the following is NOT an important energy source for Earth systems?
a. / sun / c. / gravityb. / nitrogen / d. / convection
____5.Energy is transferred between systems, but it cannot be created or destroyed, according to the
a. / energy budget. / c. / second law of thermodynamics.b. / first law of thermodynamics. / d. / third law of thermodynamics.
____6.Plants capture and transfer solar energy in a process called
a. / oikos. / c. / transpiration.b. / ecology. / d. / photosynthesis.
____7.Who was the first to explain the effects of gravity in his law of gravitation?
a. / Mohorovicic / c. / Mohob. / Oikos / d. / Isaac Newton
____8.A community of organisms and their abiotic environment is called a(n)
a. / biosphere. / c. / ecology.b. / ecosystem. / d. / hydrosphere.
____9.Approximately 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by the
a. / continental crust. / c. / mantle.b. / Moho. / d. / global ocean.
____10.What is the prime meridian?
a. / the only line of longitude that is also a great circleb. / the international date line
c. / the only line of latitude that is also a great circle
d. / the line of longitude designated as 0°
____11.What symbol is used to show the cardinal directions?
a. / compass point / c. / compass needleb. / compass rose / d. / compass legend
____12.Latitude and longitude can locate a place on Earth’s surface by describing its position in degrees, minutes, and seconds
a. / east or west of the prime meridian and north or south of the equator.b. / north or south of 180° latitude and east or west 180° longitude.
c. / east or west of the international date line and north or south of the poles.
d. / north or south of the prime meridian and east or west of the equator.
____13.Longitude indicates positions using
a. / parallel circles east and west of the prime meridian.b. / semicircles east and west of the prime meridian.
c. / semicircles north and south of the prime meridian.
d. / parallel circles north and south of the equator.
____14.What is the term that describes a specific location’s height above sea level?
a. / relief / c. / topographyb. / contour / d. / elevation
____15.What is the geomagnetic north pole?
a. / the geographic North Poleb. / the place toward which a compass needle points
c. / the magnetic declination of the North Pole
d. / the prime meridian
____16.Magnetic patterns on the ocean floor were puzzling because they
a. / showed alternating bands of normal and reversed polarity.b. / indicated that all ocean rocks had reversed polarity.
c. / were not symmetrical.
d. / contradicted the idea of sea-floor spreading.
____17.The Pacific Ring of Fire is
a. / a mid-ocean ridge. / c. / a zone of active volcanoes.b. / a chain of volcanic islands. / d. / a rift valley.
____18.An example of a transform boundary is the
a. / San Andreas Fault in California.b. / Nazca plate on the west coast of South America.
c. / Eurasian plate at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
d. / island arc of Japan.
____19.Modern climates are a result of past movements of
a. / populations of organisms. / c. / heat in Earth’s interior.b. / tectonic plates. / d. / rain and snow.
____20.According to Wegener, what happened about 250 million years ago?
a. / The South America and Nazca plates collided.b. / The supercontinent began breaking into smaller continents.
c. / Magma rose to Earth’s surface and solidified.
d. / The continents drifted to their present locations.
____21.The study of paleomagnetism was key in proving Wegener’s hypothesis because
a. / it provided evidence of sea-floor spreading.b. / it proved that fossils in Africa and South America were identical.
c. / it indicated that tropical swamps covered areas that are now cold.
d. / it showed that mountains were formed by continental drift.
____22.The theory that explains why and how continents move is called
a. / continental drift. / c. / plate tectonics.b. / paleomagnetism. / d. / sea-floor spreading.
____23.What is one way tectonic plate movement affects climate?
a. / It creates mountains that affect wind patterns.b. / It changes the location of the equator and the poles.
c. / It keeps ice sheets from melting.
d. / It keeps air temperatures constant.
____24.The most conclusive proof for continental drift was provided by
a. / the coastlines of continents on a map.b. / evidence of sea-floor spreading.
c. / identical fossils found on two separate continents.
d. / changes in climatic patterns.
____25.Tectonic plates are blocks of
a. / magma. / c. / asthenosphere.b. / magnetic rock. / d. / lithosphere.
____26.What occurs at a transform boundary?
a. / Oceanic lithosphere collides with continental lithosphere.b. / Magma rises to the surface and forms a mid-ocean ridge.
c. / Two plates slide past each other horizontally.
d. / Two plates collide and crumple.
____27.The asthenosphere is
a. / in the lithosphere. / c. / in the mantle.b. / in the core. / d. / in the stratosphere.
____28.When the oceanic and continental lithospheres collide,
a. / the oceanic plate subducts. / c. / their momentum stops each other.b. / the continental plate subducts. / d. / they reach isostasy.
____29.What happens when two oceanic plates collide?
a. / The denser plate fractures. / c. / The less dense plate subducts.b. / The less dense plate fractures. / d. / The denser plate subducts.
____30.What happens when two continental plates collide?
a. / Large mountains can form. / c. / The plates subduct beneath each other.b. / Dome mountains are likely to form. / d. / The impact can cause huge earthquakes.
____31.Earthquakes generally occur at plate boundaries, where
a. / stress on rocks is greatest. / c. / stress on rocks is low.b. / the most rock is found. / d. / magnetic pull is greatest.
____32.A modern seismograph consists of
a. / three sensing devices. / c. / two sensing devices.b. / four sensing devices. / d. / 10 sensing devices.
____33.What happens to tsunamis as they move toward shore?
a. / The decrease in height. / c. / They turn into riptides.b. / They die out. / d. / They increase in height.
____34.During a major earthquake, buildings
a. / always remain standing. / c. / may sway or collapse.b. / do not move. / d. / are never damaged.
____35.At what location does the first motion of an earthquake occur?
a. / the focus / c. / the mantleb. / the seismic gap / d. / the epicenter
____36.How does the structure of Earth’s interior affect seismic waves?
a. / It can increase the power of seismic waves exponentially.b. / It can send seismic waves into shadow zones and seismic gaps.
c. / It can affect the speed and direction of seismic waves.
d. / It can change seismic waves into dangerous earthquakes.
____37.Which of the following are studied to forecast earthquakes?
a. / movements of the planets, bird migration, air temperatureb. / barometric pressure, ocean currents, glacial patterns
c. / animal behavior, environmental changes, weather patterns
d. / seismic gaps, foreshocks, rock changes
____38.Why do earthquakes usually occur at plate boundaries?
a. / The rock on the edges of tectonic plates is soft and gives in easily to various pressures.b. / Rock in environments near tectonic plate boundaries experience great stress.
c. / The boundaries between tectonic plates have been seismically active for millions of years.
d. / Rock in environments near tectonic plate boundaries experience little stress.
____39.What is the epicenter of an earthquake?
a. / the location along a fault where the first motion of an earthquake occursb. / a seismic wave that travels along the surface of Earth
c. / the point on Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake’s focus
d. / the last place that motion in an earthquake is detected
____40.When seismologists record arrival times of P waves and S waves at several seismograph stations, they are looking for the earthquake’s
a. / magnitude. / c. / epicenter.b. / intensity. / d. / focus.
____41.Which of the following does NOT signal a volcanic eruption?
a. / increase in thunderstorms near the volcanob. / changes in earthquake activity
c. / bulging of volcano surface
d. / changes in the amount and composition of volcanic gases
____42.A large depression formed by the collapse of a volcanic cone is called a
a. / crater. / c. / pluton.b. / caldera. / d. / trench.
____43.Which of the following is NOT a major volcano cone type?
a. / cinder cone / c. / shieldb. / composite / d. / mantle plume
____44.The eruption of Mount St. Helens was
a. / an oceanic volcano. / c. / an explosive eruption.b. / a quiet eruption. / d. / a stratovolcano.
____45.Which of the following is NOT a tectonic setting where volcanoes form?
a. / boundaries of tectonic plates / c. / mid-ocean ridgesb. / glacier-formed crater lakes / d. / subduction zones
____46.Any activity that includes the movement of magma to Earth’s surface is called
a. / a vent. / c. / volcanism.b. / a volcano. / d. / lava.
____47.To see the bottom of the ocean for himself or herself while remaining connected to a research ship, a scientist would use
a. / a submarine robot. / c. / sonar.b. / a bathysphere. / d. / a bathyscaph.
____48.The flattest regions on Earth are
a. / trenches. / c. / mid-ocean ridges.b. / seamounts. / d. / abyssal plains.
____49.The deepest place in Earth’s crust is a(n)
a. / abyssal plain. / c. / trench.b. / seamount. / d. / submarine canyon.
____50.Biogenic sediments come from
a. / oxides of minerals. / c. / silt and clay.b. / marine plants and animals. / d. / glaciers and icebergs.
____51.A continental shelf is part of the
a. / continent. / c. / deep-ocean basin.b. / abyssal plain. / d. / continental rise.
____52.The Mariana Trench is best known for its
a. / length. / c. / height.b. / depth. / d. / volcanic activity.
____53.Most oxygen enters the ocean from
a. / underwater volcanoes. / c. / the atmosphere.b. / streams and rivers. / d. / sea life.
____54.Ocean water temperature depends on the solar energy an area receives and the water’s
a. / movement. / c. / salinity.b. / organisms. / d. / mineral content.
____55.Two factors that affect the salinity of ocean water are
a. / density and light. / c. / density and chemicals.b. / density and energy. / d. / density and temperature.
____56.What is called the foundation of life in the ocean?
a. / whales / c. / saltb. / minerals / d. / plankton
____57.Most offshore oil and petroleum deposits are found
a. / on the abyssal floor. / c. / along continental margins.b. / on the continental shelf. / d. / under the ocean basin.
____58.The two principal gases dissolved in ocean water are
a. / carbon dioxide and oxygen. / c. / hydrogen and nitrogen.b. / oxygen and hydrogen. / d. / nitrogen and oxygen.
____59.Oceans are often referred to as a carbon sink. How many times more carbon is contained in the ocean than in the atmosphere?
a. / 20 times / c. / 60 timesb. / 40 times / d. / 80 times
____60.What is the name for the movement of deep, cold an nutrient-rich water to the surface?
a. / upwelling / c. / thermoclineb. / benthos / d. / desalination
____61.When surface ocean water is warmed by solar energy, its density
a. / increases. / c. / is unchanged.b. / decreases. / d. / triples.
____62.Although most wavelengths of visible light are absorbed at varying degrees by ocean water and microscopic sea life, the one color that is most reflected is
a. / red. / c. / violet.b. / green. / d. / blue.
____63.Which of the following factors does NOT control the movement of surface currents?
a. / salinity / c. / Earth’s rotationb. / location of the continents / d. / winds
____64.As water carried on to a beach by breaking waves is pulled back into deeper water, an irregular current is formed, called a(n)
a. / trough. / c. / under tow.b. / rip current. / d. / breaker.
____65.If high tide is at 4:00 p.m. today, at about what time will high tide occur tomorrow?
a. / 4:00 a.m. / c. / 4:25 p.m.b. / 3:10 p.m. / d. / 4:50 p.m.
____66.Which of the following forms when water from large breakers returns to the ocean through channels that cut through underwater sandbars?
a. / undertow / c. / longshore currentb. / rip current / d. / turbidity current
____67.What happens to a water particle in a wave during a single wave period?
a. / It moves in the direction of the wave. / c. / It moves in one complete circle.b. / It moves in a half circle. / d. / It does not move.
____68.Atmospheric pressure is measured with a(n)
a. / altimeter. / c. / scale.b. / barometer. / d. / thermometer.
____69.Energy from the sun travels to Earth as
a. / visible light. / c. / ultraviolet rays.b. / infrared rays. / d. / radiation.
____70.A delay between Earth’s absorption of solar energy and an increase in temperature makes the warmest part of a day
a. / morning. / c. / afternoon.b. / noon. / d. / evening.
____71.The narrow bands of high-speed winds that blow in the upper atmosphere are called
a. / trade winds. / c. / horse latitudes.b. / convection cells. / d. / jet streams.
____72.What kind of wind blows cool air from land to water?
a. / sea breeze / c. / land breezeb. / mountain breeze / d. / valley breeze
____73.Solar radiation that is not reflected back into the atmosphere
a. / is destroyed by ozone. / c. / is changed to radio waves.b. / is absorbed by surface materials. / d. / becomes visible.
____74.All of the following are particulates in the atmosphere EXCEPT
a. / dust. / c. / pollen.b. / salt. / d. / gases.
____75.Which processes remove water vapor from the air?
a. / evaporation and transpiration / c. / condensation and precipitationb. / transpiration and condensation / d. / precipitation and evaporation
____76.Which of the following is NOT a common source of particulates?
a. / volcanic dust / c. / chlorofluorocarbonsb. / salt particles / d. / pollen
____77.Radiation whose wavelengths are among the shortest are
a. / X rays. / c. / infrared waves.b. / visible light. / d. / radio waves.
____78.In general, the Coriolis effect is noticeable only on objects that move very fast or travel
a. / long distances. / c. / from north to south.b. / during daylight hours. / d. / along a wind belt.
____79.The mass of water vapor contained in a given volume of air is
a. / humidity. / c. / relative humidity.b. / absolute humidity. / d. / dew point.
____80.From where does most evaporation come?
a. / plants / c. / equatorial oceansb. / burning fuels / d. / lakes
____81.Precipitation in the form of lumps of ice is
a. / sleet. / c. / drizzle.b. / glaze ice. / d. / hail.
____82.What can form if rain falls through a layer of freezing air near the ground?
a. / snow / c. / sleetb. / hail / d. / big raindrops
____83.The most common form of solid precipitation is
a. / snow. / c. / glaze ice.b. / sleet. / d. / hail.
____84.What might happen if enough energy is absorbed by liquid water?
a. / Condensation will occur. / c. / The water will change to a gas.b. / The water will change to ice. / d. / The water will never change.
____85.Some clouds form when a body of moist air combines with another body of moist air with a different temperature is a process called
a. / adiabatic cooling. / c. / lifting.b. / mixing. / d. / advective cooling.
____86.The mass of water vapor in a unit of air relative to the mass of the dry air is called the
a. / absolute humidity. / c. / adiabatic lapse rate.b. / relative humidity. / d. / mixing ratio.
____87.When the air temperature decreases, the rate of evaporation
a. / decreases. / c. / may increase or decrease.b. / increases. / d. / remains constant.
____88.Clouds that often bring thunderstorms are
a. / nimbostratus. / c. / altocumulus.b. / stratocumulus. / d. / cumulonimbus.
____89.Condensation nuclei are
a. / ice and dust particles. / c. / bodies of moist air.b. / large solid surfaces. / d. / icy clouds.
____90.Technology that can save lives by warning people of an approaching storm is
a. / radiosonde. / c. / a rain gauge.b. / a Psychrometer. / d. / Doppler radar.
____91.Where would the air contain the most moisture?
a. / over Hawaii / c. / over the Arctic Circleb. / over Arizona / d. / over the Rocky Mountains
____92.As lower layers of air are warmed,
a. / the air rises. / c. / the air dries.b. / winds form. / d. / the air sinks.
____93.Weather map symbols H and L indicate
a. / precipitation. / c. / temperature range.b. / air pressure centers. / d. / wind velocity.
____94.When air moves slowly, it takes on the temperature and humidity of its region, becoming a(n)
a. / occluded front. / c. / air mass.b. / hurricane. / d. / storm surge.
____95.Which of the following is NOT a type of air mass?
a. / maritime continental / c. / maritime polarb. / continental polar / d. / continental tropical
____96.A front that forms when a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass and lifts the warm air mass off the ground and over another air mass is called a(n)
a. / occluded front. / c. / stationary front.b. / warm front. / d. / cold front.
____97.Which of the following affects the angle at which the sun’s rays hit Earth?
a. / weather / c. / latitudeb. / sea level / d. / wind
____98.Two major factors used to identify climate are
a. / longitude and latitude. / c. / latitude and temperature.b. / temperature and precipitation. / d. / precipitation and longitude.
____99.Specific heat is the amount of energy needed to change the temperature of 1 g of substance by
a. / 22.2°C / c. / 10°Cb. / 12.5°C / d. / 1°C
____100.Over the last 100 years, global temperatures have increased approximately
a. / 12.5°C / c. / 5°Cb. / 10°C / d. / 1°C
2009 Fall Semester Final Exam
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
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