Review for Prologue test

1. Which temperature zone of Earth’s atmosphere contains the most water vapor?

  1. mesosphere
  2. stratosphere
  3. thermosphere
  4. troposphere

2.

According to the graph, what happens to the density of a mass of air when its water vapor content increases?

  1. Density decreases.
  2. Density increases.
  3. Density remains the same

3. The diagram represents a solid object with a mass of 120 grams. What is the density of the object?

  1. 0.50 g/cm3
  2. 2.0 g/cm3
  3. 5.0 g/cm3
  4. 6.0 g/cm3

4. The Earth's actual shape is most correctly described as

  1. a circle
  2. a perfect sphere
  3. an oblate sphere
  4. an eccentric ellipse

5. The best evidence that the Earth has a spherical shape is provided by

  1. photographs of the Earth taken from space satellites
  2. the amount of daylight received at the North Pole on June 21
  3. the changing orbital speed of the earth in its orbit around the Sun
  4. the cyclic change of seasons

6. An object's weight at sea level at 90° North latitude is slightly more than the weight of the same object at sea level at 0° latitude. Which statement about Earth can best be inferred from this evidence?

  1. Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical.
  2. Earth's axis is tilited 23½° to the plane of its orbit.
  3. Earth's shape is slightly bulged at the Equator.
  4. Earth rotates counterclockwise as viewed from above the Equator

7. Scientists often use classification systems in order to

  1. extend their powers of observation
  2. organize their observations in a meaningful way
  3. make direct comparisons with standard units of measurement
  4. make more accurate interpretations

8. Which statement about a stream is an inference rather than an observation?

  1. It is clear enough to see the bottom.
  2. The velocity is 38 cm/sec.
  3. The water temperature is 15°C.
  4. It will dry up next summer.

9. A student examined a patch of mud and recorded several statements about footprints in the mud. Which statement is most likely an inference?

  1. There are five footprints in the mud.
  2. The depth of the deepest footprint is 3 centimeters.
  3. The footprints were made by a dog.
  4. The footprints are orientated in an east-west direction

10.  The diagrams represent four systems of imaginary lines that could be used to locate positions on a planet. Which system is most similar to the latitude-longitude system used on the Earth?

11. The diagram shows observations of the star Polaris. What is the latitude of point A in the diagram?

  1. 8° N
  2. 41° N
  3. 49° N
  4. 59° N

12. Which statement provides the best evidence that Earth has a nearly spherical shape?

  1. The Sun has a spherical shape.
  2. The altitude of Polaris changes in a definite pattern as an observer's latitude changes.
  3. Star trails photographed over a period of time show a circular pattern.
  4. The lengths of noontime shadows change throughout the year

13. The diagram below shows an observer on Earth measuring the altitude of Polaris

What is the latitude of this observer?

  1. 90° N
  2. 66.5° N
  3. 43° N
  4. 23.5° N

14.  Base your answer to the question on the diagram below which shows the latitude-longitude grid on a model of Earth. Points W, X, Y, and Z are locations on Earth’s surface.

Which point on the diagram correctly locates 15° S 30° W?

  1. W
  2. X
  3. Y
  4. Z

15. A student incorrectly converted 20°C to 64°F instead of 68°F. What is the student's approximate percent error?

  1. 44%
  2. 5.9%
  3. 6.3%
  4. 4%

16. A student determines the mass of a rock to be 196 grams, but the actual mass of the rock is 200 grams. The student's approximate percent deviation (percentage of error) is

  1. 1.0%
  2. 2.0%
  3. 1.5%
  4. 4.0%

17. The diagrams below represent two differently shaped blocks of ice floating in water. Which diagram most accurately shows the blocks of ice as they would actually float on water?

18. Under the same conditions of temperature and pressure, three different samples of the same uniform substance will have the same

  1. shape
  2. density
  3. mass
  4. volume

19. As air on the surface of Earth warms, the density of the air

  1. decreases
  2. increases
  3. remains the same

20. The solid rock material that directly underlies the sediments on the ocean floor is part of the Earth's

  1. lithosphere
  2. hydrosphere
  3. troposphere
  4. outer core

21. The cross section below shows a drill rig used to collect rock samples from below Earth’s surface.

The rock samples collected from the bottom of the drill hole came from which Earth layer?

  1. lithosphere
  2. hydrosphere
  3. asthenosphere
  4. stiffer mantle

Answers

1. 4 / 12. 2
2. 1 / 13. 2
3. 2 / 14. 2
4. 3 / 15. 2
5. 1 / 16. 2
6. 3 / 17. 3
7. 2 / 18. 2
8. 4 / 19. 1
9. 3 / 20. 1
10. 1 / 21. 1
11. 2