Virtual Lab – Meteoritics

Content Test Booklet

While digging, a person found that most of the rocks were igneous rock. What can be concluded?
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  1. The rocks were probably carried there by ancient people.
  2. The area was once covered by an ocean.
  3. A glacier passed through at one time.
  4. A volcano was nearby at one time.

©Oregon Department of Education (Science Sample Test 2003-2005)

The formation of metamorphic rocks depends on all of the following EXCEPT
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  1. the composition of the parent rocks.
  2. Earth’s magnetic field.
  3. Temperature.
  4. Pressure.

©Oregon Department of Education (Science Sample Test 2002-2003)

Use the following diagram to answer questions 3 and 4.

The erosion and deposition phase of the rock cycle is shown by which numeral?
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  1. II
  2. III
  3. IV
  4. V

©Oregon Department of Education (Science Sample Test 2003-2005)
The numeral III indicates the process of
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  1. compaction and cementation.
  2. heating and melting.
  3. erosion and deposition.
  4. cooling and crystallization.

©Oregon Department of Education (Science Sample Test 2003-2005)

Which of the following is made primarily of pieces of rock or iron that enter Earth’s atmosphere?
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  1. pulsars
  2. comets
  3. solar flares
  4. meteorites

©Maine Department of Education (MEA Released Items March 2004)

Sam made the key below while studying rocks in third grade. Use it to help decide what types of rocks are described below.

This rock has particles stuck together, is glassy and is shiny. According to Sam’s key it is:
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  1. metamorphic
  2. igneous
  3. sedimentary
  4. mineral

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How are sedimentary rocks typically formed?
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  1. from materials the settle
  2. from volcanic eruptions
  3. from materials under great pressure
  4. from magma below Earth’s surface

©Oregon Department of Education (Science Sample Test 2002-2003)

Which statement is the best description of what happens in the rock cycle?
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  1. Rocks on old mountains are gradually weathered away while mountain building and volcanism form new mountains.
  2. Once formed, rocks stay in place until rocks above them are weathered away, and they reach the surface.
  3. As sedimentary rocks are buried deep below other rocks, they are changed by heat and pressure, eventually return to the surface, and are weathered again.
  4. Younger sedimentary rocks are always deposited on top of older metamorphic or igneous rocks.

©Louisiana Department of Education (LEAP Released Items July 2001)

A probe from Earth has landed on an unknown object. Information sent to Earth describes the object as; mostly rock, some traces of metal, irregular shaped, and orbiting around the sun. From the following information, what would you conclude this object might be?
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  1. A comet
  2. An asteroid
  3. A meteorite
  4. A star

©Utah Test Item Pool Service

If you found an igneous rock with large crystals, what would the crystals tell you about how that rock was formed?
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  1. Cooled quickly above the surface.
  2. Cooled quickly below the surface.
  3. Cooled slowly above the surface.
  4. Cooled slowly below the surface.

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Rocks found on Earth are classified as sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous based on
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  1. where the rocks were found.
  2. how the rocks were formed.
  3. the composition of the rocks.
  4. the color and shape of the rocks.

©Massachusetts Department of Education (MCAS Released Items Spring 2001)

When a volcano erupts, lava flows out from the top. What type of rock is formed as the lava cools?
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  1. magma
  2. igneous
  3. sedimentary
  4. metamorphic

©Massachusetts Department of Education (MCAS Released Items Spring 2005)


If you found a rock with very large crystal grains, what type of rock would it be?
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  1. Gabbro
  2. Granite
  3. Obsidian
  4. Rhyolite

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Why are some rocks smoother and rounder than others?
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  1. They have the shapes of the minerals from which they are made.
  2. They were smoothed by the action of wind and water.
  3. They were squeezed up through the soil.
  4. They hardened in rounded pockets of soil.

©Massachusetts Department of Education (MCAS Released Items Spring 2001)

Gavin has two rocks. Both rocks are made up entirely of the same mineral. What other property of his two rocks is most likely to be the same?
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  1. size
  2. shape
  3. color
  4. weight

©Massachusetts Department of Education (MCAS Released Items Spring 2003)

Which form of energy is needed to transform igneous rock into metamorphic rock?
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  1. heat
  2. chemical
  3. magnetic
  4. light

©Massachusetts Department of Education (MCAS Released Items Spring 2001)

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