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  1. The classical planets in order from the Sun are:
  2. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
  3. Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Earth, Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
  4. Mars, Venus, , Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury Neptune, Uranus
  5. Venus, Mars, Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
  6. None of the above
  7. Nuclear fusion
  8. Is the source of Sun’s energy
  9. Occurs when the nucleus of an atom fissions and releases energy
  10. Radiates throughout the universe
  11. Is the reason that Jupiter has no solid surface
  12. All the above
  13. Mercury, Venus, and Mars are different than Earth because:
  14. They are closer to the Sun.
  15. Earth has volcanoes and they don’t.
  16. Earth currently has liquid water and they don’t.
  17. Earth is the only planet with ice this close to the Sun.
  18. None of the above.
  19. The largest storm in the Solar System is found on which planet?
  20. Uranus
  21. Earth
  22. Mars
  23. Jupiter
  24. Pluto
  25. The basic structure of the Solar System is described as
  26. the ecliptic.
  27. the Oort Cloud.
  28. inner terrestrial and outer gaseous planets.
  29. the asteroid filter.
  30. rotating nuclear fission.
  31. Why do the outer planets and their moons consist mostly of ice and gas while the inner planets are made up mostly of rock and metal?
  32. The solar wind stripped the inner planets of volatile compounds.
  33. The outer gas giants had greater volcanism, which produced large quantities of gases.
  34. Gravity sucked the gases from the inner planets into the Sun.
  35. Solar heat is so limited in the outer portion of the Solar System that solids turn into gas.
  36. All of the above.
  37. The dwarf planets are:
  38. Mercury, Earth, and Mars
  39. Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, and Mercury
  40. Eris, Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, and Makemake
  41. There are no “dwarf” planets, only moons
  42. None of the above
  43. What is planetesimal accretion?
  44. The collapse of the Kuiper Belt into the core region.
  45. Collisions of bits of ice, gas, and dust grew into planetesimals, and planetary embryos, and eventually planets.
  46. Jupiter, with its huge mass, broke into pieces that eventually became the major planets.
  47. The solar wind tore the young planets into smaller pieces called planetesimals, and these later grew together to form the present planets.
  48. All of the above.
  49. Which of the following is the name of a hypothesis explaining the origin of the Solar System?
  50. planetesimal collision
  51. nebular expansion
  52. solar nebula
  53. nuclear fusion
  54. solar objects
  55. The major gases in the Solar System include
  56. Ice, argon, methane, and carbon.
  57. Water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, helium, hydrogen, carbon monoxide
  58. Lithium, carbon dioxide, carbon, hydrogen, carbon monoxide
  59. Ammonia, oxygen, helium, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and water
  60. Water, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, helium, lithium, carbon monoxide
  61. Comets are made of:
  62. Molten rock
  63. Ice and mineral grains
  64. Gas and ice
  65. Rock and a thin atmosphere of water
  66. None of the above
  67. Extraterrestrial impacts
  68. Probably occurred in two waves
  69. May have delivered water to Earth and an early atmosphere
  70. May have originated at the Oort cloud and Kuiper belt regions
  71. Produced the scars on the Moons surface
  72. All the above
  73. The primary source of Earths heat is a combination of
  74. Extraterrestrial impacts, gravitational energy, radioactivity
  75. Nuclear fusion, volcanism, compression
  76. Compression, volcanism, solar wind
  77. Solar wind, radioactivity, gravitational energy
  78. None of the above
  79. During the Hadean Era, which of the following is thought to have occurred?
  80. Growth of the modern seas
  81. Formation of modern continents
  82. The “iron catastrophe”
  83. Origin of life on Earth
  84. All the above
  85. How does the chemical differentiation of Earth today reflect the influence of the “iron catastrophe”?
  86. There is more iron in the core than in the crust.
  87. The lower lithosphere stores most of Earth’s iron.
  88. Much of Earth’s iron has escaped as a result of extraterrestrial impacts.
  89. Iron is largely rare on Earth
  90. None of the above
  91. What are the principal differences between the average chemistry of the crust and the average chemistry of Earth as a whole?
  92. The crust is relatively enriched in less dense compounds and relatively depleted in iron.
  93. The crust is relatively enriched in magnesium and relatively depleted in oxygen.
  94. Earth as a whole has a greater abundance of silicon than does the crust.
  95. The crust contains a greater abundance of heavier elements than does Earth as a whole.
  96. None of the above
  97. How is Earth organized?
  98. Earth has an inner and outer core, a mantle, and a crust.
  99. Earth has an inner mantle and an outer lithosphere, with a liquid inner core.
  100. Earth’s crust rests atop the liquid mantle and the solid outer core.
  101. The inner core is solid, the mantle is solid, and the crust is solid under the continents and they are all liquid under the oceans.
  102. None of the above
  103. Subduction occurs:
  104. When one plate crashes into another
  105. When a lithospheric plate is recycled into Earth’s interior
  106. When a plate enters the inner core
  107. When a continent is recycled beneath an overriding plate
  108. During orogenesis
  109. Oceanic crust
  110. Is formed by asteroid impact.
  111. Is enriched in iron and magnesium compared to continental crust.
  112. Forms from sea salt.
  113. Is made of metamorphic rock.
  114. None of the above
  115. Magnetic reversals are caused by:
  116. Lunar gravitational effects.
  117. Changes in the rate at which Earth orbits the Sun.
  118. Impacts of extraterrestrial objects.
  119. Unknown causes.
  120. Faster subduction rates across Earth
  121. Evidence that the polarity of Earth’s geomagnetic field has reversed in the past is found:
  122. As magnetic striping in volcanic arcs
  123. In magnetic reversals recorded by iron minerals in oceanic crust
  124. In accretionary prisms
  125. Where magma develops above a subducting slab
  126. All of the above
  127. Three plate boundaries, defined by relative motion, are:
  128. Converging, diverging, and lateral.
  129. Convergent, divergent, and transform.
  130. Strike slip, hotspot, and spreading center.
  131. Spreading center, transform, and divergent.
  132. All of the above
  133. The three types of convergent plate boundaries are:
  134. Convergent, divergent, and volcanic.
  135. Ocean-ocean, ocean-continent, and continent-continent.
  136. Subducting, divergent, and shearing.
  137. Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
  138. None of the above.
  139. At ocean-ocean convergent boundaries:
  140. Younger, less dense crust tends to subduct
  141. Island arcs tend to subduct
  142. Transform faults will typically develop
  143. There are rarely earthquakes
  144. None of the above.
  145. The Himalayan Mountains are an example of:
  146. Extraterrestrial impact.
  147. Continent-ocean convergence.
  148. A subduction zone.
  149. Continent-continent convergence.
  150. All the above
  151. At the San Andreas transform fault,
  152. Lithosphere is subducted as one plate dives below another.
  153. New lithosphere is formed as two plates pull away from each other.
  154. Decompression melting recycles old crust.
  155. The Pacific Plate moves to the north relative to the North American Plate
  156. All of the above.
  157. Earthquakes occur at:
  158. Divergent plate boundaries.
  159. Ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries.
  160. Ocean-continent plate boundaries.
  161. Transform boundaries.
  162. All of the above
  163. The rock cycle is a concept that
  164. Has no relationship to plate tectonics.
  165. Is not a well-accepted hypothesis.
  166. Describes the recycling of rock.
  167. Was first described only two decades ago.
  168. All of the above
  169. Which of the following is part of the definition of a mineral?
  170. Liquid
  171. Electrically charged
  172. Inorganic
  173. Synthetic
  174. None of the above
  175. Many minerals are useful in everyday life. Some examples include:
  176. Feldspar and quartz
  177. Clay and gypsum
  178. Graphite and chalcopyrite
  179. Copper and titanium
  180. All of the above
  181. To quickly identify a mineral sample, geologists use
  182. Physical size
  183. Color
  184. Physical properties
  185. Laboratory analysis
  186. None of the above
  187. “Fool’s gold” is
  188. Hematite
  189. Calcite
  190. Pyrite
  191. Native gold
  192. None of the above
  193. One of the isotopes of the element carbon (atomic number 6) has a mass number of 13. How many neutrons does this isotope have in its nucleus?
  194. 5
  195. 6
  196. 7
  197. 14
  198. None of the above
  199. What are formed when sodium ions and chlorine ions combine to produce NaCl?
  200. Ionic bonds
  201. Covalent bonds
  202. Organic structures
  203. Isotopes
  204. Native elements
  205. What property causes the mineral biotite to break into flat sheets?
  206. Its density
  207. Its electrical charge
  208. Its crystalline structure
  209. Its hardness
  210. None of the above
  211. Silicates are constructed by
  212. Carbon and hydrogen.
  213. Iron and oxygen.
  214. Silica and feldspar.
  215. Silicon and oxygen.
  216. None of the above
  217. Single substitution occurs during crystallization because
  218. Neutral compounds attract ions.
  219. The number of leftover ions must be balanced.
  220. A charged compound is formed.
  221. Ions of similar size can substitute for one another.
  222. To form a dense compound.
  223. The two most abundant elements in the crust form
  224. Oxides.
  225. Sulfates.
  226. Silicates.
  227. Carbonates.
  228. Halides
  229. The important rock-forming minerals include
  230. Feldspars, biotite, and goingouttonight.
  231. Calcite, feldspars, biotite, and amphiboles.
  232. Amphiboles, feldspars, quartz, and rutile.
  233. Rutile, amphibole, calcite, and garnet.
  234. Quartz, feldspar, granite, basalt
  235. The silica compound takes the shape of
  236. A rectangle.
  237. A tetrahedron.
  238. A polygon.
  239. A polymer.
  240. Magma
  241. Plagioclase feldspar is a
  242. Mineral element.
  243. Type of carbon compound.
  244. Mineral
  245. All of the above
  246. Type of quartz
  247. What is igneous rock?
  248. Rock produced by melting
  249. Rock composed of sediments
  250. Rock derived from pressure
  251. Rock that mixes the mantle and crust
  252. None of the above
  253. Most melting in the mantle is a result of
  1. High-pressure melting.
  2. Decompression melting.
  3. Sudden increases in temperature.
  4. Turbulent mantle plumes.
  5. None of the above
  1. In most cases, magma differentiation produces magma with higher ______content than the parent magma.
  1. iron
  2. silica
  3. calcium
  4. mineral
  5. None of the above
  1. Magma that is cooling undergoes
  1. Crystallization.
  2. Recrystallization.
  3. Partial melting.
  4. Refractionation.
  5. Erosion
  1. Bowen’s reaction series describes
  1. the sequence in which minerals melt in rapidly heating magma.
  2. the sequence in which plutons are formed in migrating magma.
  3. the sequence in which rocks are formed in average continental crust.
  4. The sequence in which minerals crystallize in cooling magma.
  5. None of the above
  1. The order of mineral crystallization is typically
  1. felsic, mafic, intermediate, ultramafic.
  2. felsic, intermediate, mafic, ultramafic.
  3. ultramafic, mafic, intermediate, felsic.
  4. mafic, ultramafic, felsic, intermediate.
  5. All of the above
  1. Mafic means______; felsic means______.
  1. high in iron, magnesium, and calcium; high in silicon and oxygen
  2. high in calcium and magnesium; high in silicon, oxygen, and iron
  3. high in iron and oxygen; high in silicon, calcium, and magnesium
  4. high in silicon, oxygen, and calcium; high in iron and magnesium
  5. Volcanic; plutonic
  1. The composition of dark igneous rock is likely to be
  1. Felsic
  2. Mafic
  3. Rhyolitic
  4. Plutonic
  5. None of the above
  1. Which of the following best describes igneous evolution?
  1. All rocks evolved as a result of partial melting.
  2. All rocks evolved as a result of hotspot volcanism.
  3. All rocks evolved as a result of differentiation of recent metamorphic rocks.
  4. All rocks are a result of meteorite impacts.
  5. None of the above
  1. Which of the following is correct?
  2. Granite is formed at spreading centers.
  3. Andesite is formed at subduction zones.
  4. Basalt is a mineral commonly in granite.
  5. Gabbro is formed by chemical weathering.
  6. None of the above
  7. Volcanic arcs are primarily composed of
  1. granite and phyllite.
  2. gabbro and gneiss.
  3. basalt and pyroxenite.
  4. andesite and diorite.
  5. All of the above
  1. Plutons are
  1. magma bodies within the deep crust.
  2. intrusive igneous rocks in the lower mantle.
  3. magma bodies produced by volcanism.
  4. igneous rocks produced by fissure eruptions.
  5. made by contact metamorphism
  1. Plate tectonics is important to igneous evolution because:
  1. Plate tectonics formed the first igneous rock billions of years ago.
  2. Melting does not occur at plate boundaries
  3. Mantle plumes only occur at spreading centers
  4. Plate tectonics provides for many igneous environments
  5. Plate tectonics does not allow for partial melting
  1. Spheroidal weathering is caused by
  2. sand abrasion in running water.
  3. crystal growth in cold climates.
  4. chemical weathering of angular rocks.
  5. a combination of slaking and mass wasting.
  6. None of the above
  7. The chemical interaction of oxygen with other substances is known as
  1. Dissolution
  2. Hydrolysis
  3. Saturation
  4. Oxidation
  5. None of the above
  1. The most important form of chemical weathering of silicate minerals is
  1. Crystal growth
  2. Slaking
  3. Hydrolysis
  4. Dissolution
  5. Frost wedging
  1. Insoluble residues are:
  1. Minerals produced by weathering
  2. Dissolved compounds resulting from chemical weathering
  3. Soils that are rich in organics
  4. All the above
  5. Typically dissolved in hydraulic acid
  1. The tendency of silicates to weather on Earth’s surface is predicted by
  1. Mineral texture
  2. Rock color and environment of deposition
  3. Bowens Reaction Series
  4. Tectonic setting
  5. Their roundness
  1. The variable that most affect the weathering process are rock composition and ______.
  1. Topography
  2. Surface area
  3. Living things
  4. Climate
  5. None of these
  1. Which of the following statements about soil erosion is true?
  1. It is a form of pollution that affects biological communities.
  2. It is a major problem affecting millions of acres of cropland.
  3. It threatens to impact food production.
  4. It takes centuries to make soil and only minutes to erode it
  5. All the above
  1. Karst topography is the result of
  1. Soil erosion
  2. Biological weathering of silicate rock
  3. Chemical weathering of carbonate rock
  4. Spheroidal weathering
  5. All the above
  1. Aluminum ore comes from
  1. Spheroidal weathering
  2. Tundra environments
  3. Humid tropical settings
  4. Physical weathering
  5. All the above
  1. Weathering consists of
  2. Erosion, tectonics, and uplift.
  3. Chemical, biological, and physical degradation.
  4. crust age, chemistry and sedimentary minerals
  5. Sedimentary quartz, hematite, and sillimanite.
  6. None of the above
  7. Geologists study sedimentary rocks because
  1. They provide a record of Earth’s history.
  2. They are sources of fossil fuels.
  3. They may contain important mineral resources.
  4. They may contain fossils, providing a history of life including human evolution
  5. All of the above
  1. Sediments produced by the action of living organisms are called
  1. Chemical sediments.
  2. Physical sediments.
  3. Clastic sediments.
  4. Biogenic sediments.
  5. None of the above
  1. Well-sorted and well-rounded sand grains indicate that sediment
  1. Came from a nearby source area.
  2. Was deposited at the location where it was found.
  3. Traveled from a distant source area.
  4. Have not been influenced by weathering
  5. None of the above
  1. Lithification refers to
  1. the set of natural processes that turn sediment into rock.
  2. the processes of erosion and tectonic uplift.
  3. the effects of chemical weathering.
  4. erosion
  5. None of the above
  1. After being created by weathering, sediments may
  1. Experience more weathering
  2. Combine with chemical sediments
  3. Combine with biogenic sediments
  4. Experience sorting and abrasion
  5. All of the above
  1. The sedimentary cycle refers to
  1. The continual erosion of sediments from mountainsides.
  2. The process of recycling sediments.
  3. The formation of rock through compaction of sediments.
  4. The formation of rock through chemical precipitation of sediments.
  5. None of the above
  1. Which of the following statements is correct?
  1. Clastic sedimentary rocks include sandstone.
  2. Biochemical sedimentary rocks include Andesite
  3. Biochemical sedimentary rocks include shale and mudstone.
  4. Clastic sedimentary rock includes chert and coal.
  5. All of the above
  1. Biochemical sedimentary rocks may form by
  1. Evaporation
  2. Erosion
  3. Metamorphism
  4. Floods
  5. None of the above
  1. Rock fragments are known as
  1. Clasts
  2. Bioclastic sediments.
  3. Evaporites
  4. Natural cements.
  5. None of the above
  1. Particle sizes are described using the following terms
  1. Sand, gravel, lithic fragments, and natural cements.
  2. Gravel, sand, silt, and clay.
  3. Conglomerate, sandstone, arkose, and shale.
  4. Abraded, sorted, rounded, and spherical.
  5. High grade and low grade
  1. Organisms play a significant role in the origin of _____ sedimentary rock.
  1. Clastic
  2. Biogenic
  3. Chemical
  4. Lithologic
  5. None of the above
  1. Sedimentary rocks are classified by
  1. Mineralogy and fossils.
  2. Cementation and compaction.
  3. Environment of precipitation and environment of deposition.
  4. Composition and texture.
  5. All the above
  1. Primary sedimentary structures are
  1. Physical features of a rock related to the environment of deposition.
  2. Physical features of a rock related to the process of cementation.
  3. Chemical features of a rock produced by the motion of water and wind.
  4. Sediment forms produced by biogenic processes.
  5. Related to plate convergence
  1. Metamorphic rocks are formed by increased
  2. Pressure and cementation.
  3. Heat and melting.
  4. Pressure and heat.
  5. Cooling and solidification.
  6. None of the above
  7. Metamorphism occurs when
  1. Minerals partially melt and quickly recrystallize.
  2. Recrystallization occurs in the solid state.
  3. Loose sediments grow new crystals that cement grains together.
  4. Igneous minerals have solidified.
  5. None of the above
  1. What type of metamorphism is local in extent and results from the rise in temperature in country rock surrounding an igneous intrusion?
  1. Regional
  2. Contact
  3. Burial
  4. Metasomatism
  5. Plutonism
  1. The metamorphic index minerals are:
  1. Kaolinite, garnet, quartz, chlorite, biotite, and schist.
  2. Chlorite, garnet, sillimanite, hornfels, schist, and muscovite.
  3. Slate, phyllite, schist, chlorite, greenschist, and gneiss.
  4. Chlorite, muscovite, biotite, garnet, and sillimanite.
  5. Gneiss, slate, chlorite, quartz
  1. Foliated metamorphic rocks, in order of increasing metamorphic grade, are:
  1. Clay, chlorite, muscovite, biotite, garnet, and sillimanite.
  2. Marble, quartzite, mylonite, and gneiss.
  3. Slate, phyllite, schist, and gneiss.
  4. Shale, slate, quartzite, marble, and schist.
  5. Gneiss, slate, schist, chlorite, and phyllite
  1. Marble is related to limestone in the same way that
  1. Basalt is related to granite.
  2. Slate is related to shale.
  3. Gravel is related to siltstone.
  4. Gneiss is related to marble.
  5. Sandstone is related to basalt.
  1. Which of the following statements about foliated rocks is correct?
  1. They reflect the influence of directed stress in the crust.
  2. They are usually formed within intruded country rock.
  3. They are the product of metasomatism.
  4. They rarely develop at convergent margins.
  5. None of the above
  1. Which of the following tectonic processes is (are) most important to metamorphism?
  1. Plate rotation
  2. Sediment accumulation and erosion
  3. Subduction and plate convergence
  4. Paleomagnetic wandering
  5. Plate tectonics is not related to metamorphism
  1. Common contact metamorphic rocks include
  1. Zeolite, hornfels, and shale.
  2. Slate, gneiss, and marble.
  3. Quartzite, marble
  4. Basalt, granulite, and blueschist.
  5. None of the above
  1. Regional metamorphosis of shale occurs in the following sequence:
  1. Zeolite, gneiss, slate
  2. Slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss
  3. Gneiss, marble, schist, hornfels
  4. Greenschist, slate, hornfels, basalt
  5. None of the above

Answers