Exam
Name___________________________________
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1)
A(n) ________ system is one in which energy moves freely in and out, but no matter enters or
leaves the system.
1)
A)
equilibrated
B)
feedback
C)
open
D)
closed
2)
The ________ is not a part of the Earth’s physical environment.
2)
A)
atmosphere
B)
solid Earth
C)
hydrosphere
D)
astrosphere
3)
The continental shelf is located ________.
3)
A)
between the continental slope and continental rise
B)
landward of the continental slope
C)
between the continental rise and the abyssal plains
D)
seaward of the continental slope
4)
________, a popular natural philosophy of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, was
based on a firm belief in a very short geologic history for Earth.
4)
A)
Exoschism
B)
Uniformitarianism
C)
Ecospherism
D)
Catastrophism
5)
Compared to the age of the Earth accepted as correct today, how did seventeenth and eighteenth
century proponents of catastrophism envision the Earth‘s age?
5)
A)
They believed it to be about the same as current estimates, give or take a few million years.
B)
They believed Earth to be much older than current estimates.
C)
They believed Earth to be much younger than current estimates.
D)
None of the abovethey didn’t really address the age of Earth.
6)
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, direct observations showed that a glacier
in Switzerland flowed forward in the downhill direction while its snout (terminus) was retreating
higher up the valley. Which of the following explains these observations in a rational, scientific
way?
6)
A)
Rocky debris in the valley downhill from the snout was deposited by Noah’s flood.
B)
The melting rate of ice in the glacier exceeded the rate at which new snow and ice were added
to the glacier.
C)
The glacial hypothesis was finally accepted as a scientific theory.
D)
Cooler temperatures meant slower forward glacier flow resulting in snout retreat.
B
7)
The most prominent feature on the ocean floor are the ________.
7)
A)
oceanic ridges
B)
seamounts
C)
lava plateaus
D)
deep–ocean trenches
A
8)
The ________ forms the relatively cool, brittle plates of plate tectonics.
8)
A)
astrosphere
B)
asthenosphere
C)
eosphere
D)
lithosphere
D
C
9)
Which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of superposition?
9)
A)
Older strata generally are deposited on younger strata without intervening, intermediate age
strata.
B)
Any sedimentary deposit accumulates on older rock or sediment layers.
C)
Older fossils in younger strata indicate a locally inverted geologic time scale.
D)
Strata with fossils are generally deposited on strata with no fossils.
10)
The asthenosphere ________.
10)
A)
is a zone of strong material
B)
exists below a depth of 700 kilometers
C)
is a subdivision of the outer core
D)
exists below a depth of 100 kilometers
11)
________ is the process by which rocks break down in place to produce soils and sediments.
11)
A)
Metamorphism
B)
Subduction
C)
Lithification
D)
Weathering
12)
The asthenosphere is actually a part of the ________ of the Earth.
12)
A)
mantle
B)
crust
C)
outer core
D)
inner core
13)
The composition of the core of the Earth is thought to be ________.
13)
A)
solid iron–nickel alloy
B)
granite
C)
peridotite
D)
basalt
14)
What are the basic differences between the disciplines of physical and historical geology?
14)
A)
Physical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and deposition in relation to plate
movements in the geologic past; historical geology charts how and where the plates were
moving in the past.
B)
Physical geology is the study of fossils and sequences of rock strata; historical geology is the
study of how rocks and minerals were used in the past.
C)
Historical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and geologic events, utilizing the
geologic time scale as a reference; physical geology includes the study of how rocks form and
of how erosion shapes the land surface.
D)
None of the abovephysical geology and historical geology are essentially the same.
15)
________ rocks form by crystallization and consolidation of molten magma.
15)
A)
Igneous
B)
Primary
C)
Sedimentary
D)
Indigenous
A
16)
The ________ refers to the sum total of all life on Earth.
16)
A)
asthenosphere
B)
biosphere
C)
hydrosphere
D)
atmosphere
B
17)
All of the following are possible steps of scientific investigation EXCEPT for ________.
17)
A)
the collection of scientific facts through observation and measurement
B)
the development of one or more working hypotheses or models to explain facts
C)
development of observations and experiments to test the hypotheses
D)
assumption of conclusions without prior experimentation or observation
D
C
18)
The Geologic Time Scale divisions are based on ________.
18)
A)
doctrine of catastrophism
B)
major climatic shifts
C)
equal divisions of 1 million (era), 50,000 (period), and 5,000 (epoch) intervals
D)
none of the above
19)
The ________ is the thinnest layer of the Earth.
19)
A)
crust
B)
mantle
C)
outer core
D)
inner core
20)
________ was an important eighteenth century English geologist and proponent of
uniformitarianism.
20)
A)
James Hutton
B)
Charles Lyell
C)
James Ussher
D)
Isaac Newton
21)
The ________ division of the geologic time scale is an era of the Phanerozoic eon.
21)
A)
Proterozoic
B)
Paleozoic
C)
Paleocene
D)
Permian
22)
________ rocks always originate at the surface of the solid Earth.
22)
A)
Igneous
B)
Sedimentary
C)
Metamorphic
D)
Secondary
23)
Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
23)
A)
Magmas crystallize to form igneous rocks.
B)
Metamorphic rocks may melt to magma.
C)
Sedimentary rocks may weather to igneous rocks.
D)
Igneous rocks can undergo metamorphism.
24)
In correct order from the center outward, Earth includes which units?
24)
A)
core, inner mantle, outer mantle, crust
B)
inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
C)
core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
D)
inner core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere
B
25)
________ was the highly influential, ancient Greek philosopher noted for his writings and teachings
on natural philosophy and on the workings of the Earth.
25)
A)
Pappagapolis
B)
Nero
C)
Aristotle
D)
Odysseus
C
26)
Active mountain belts are most likely to be found ________.
26)
A)
scattered throughout continents
B)
along only the eastern margins of continents
C)
along the margins of continents
D)
in the interior regions of continents
C
27)
The currently accepted age of the Earth is ________ years.
27)
A)
6.4 million
B)
4.6 thousand
C)
4.6 billion
D)
6.4 trillion
C
C
28)
The ________ proposes that the bodies of our solar system formed at essentially the same time from
a rotating cloud of gases and dust.
28)
A)
Big Bang theory
B)
Nebular hypothesis
C)
Plate Tectonics theory
D)
Heliocentric theory
29)
In sedimentary rocks, lithification includes ________.
29)
A)
crystallization and cooling
B)
compaction and cementation
C)
compaction and transportation
D)
cementation and weathering
30)
A ________ is a well–tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific
observations.
30)
A)
theory
B)
law
C)
hypothesis
D)
generalization
31)
The ________ is thought to be a liquid, metallic region in the Earth’s interior.
31)
A)
inner core
B)
outer core
C)
lithosphere
D)
mantle
32)
________ is often paraphrased as “the present is the key to the past.”
32)
A)
Aristotelian logic
B)
Uniformitarianism
C)
Biblical prophecy
D)
Catastrophism
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the
majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.
33)
a. hydrosphere b. biosphere c. atmosphere d. solid Earth
33)
34)
a. abyssal plain b. seamount c. oceanic ridge d. continental
slope
34)
35)
The ________ is the solid, rocky shell between the crust and outer core.
35)
36)
The ________ states that fossil organisms succeed one another in a definite and
determinable order.
36)
37)
What type of rock comprises most of the exposed surface of Earth (roughly 75%)?
37)
38)
Moving from the shoreline towards the deep–ocean basin, the continental margin may
include the ________, ________, and the ________.
38)
39)
The ________ is the relatively rigid zone above the asthenosphere that includes the crust
and upper mantle.
39)
40)
The convective flow of liquid, metallic iron in the ________ is thought to generate Earth‘s
magnetic field.
40)
Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the
majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.
41)
a. protosun b. Oort cloud c. protoplanets d. meteorites
41)
42)
The thin, outer layer of Earth, from 7 to 40 km in thickness, is called the ________.
42)
43)
The statement, “the present is the key to the past,” describes what basic geologic concept or
doctrine?
43)
Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the
majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.
44)
a. crust b. mantle c. lithosphere d. core
44)
TRUE/FALSE. Write ‘T’ if the statement is true and ‘F’ if the statement is false.
45)
Aristotle and other prominent Greek philosophers were the first ones to promote the doctrine of
uniformitarianism.
45)
46)
Oceans cover slightly less than half of the Earth’s surface.
46)
47)
Internally, the Earth consists of spherical shells with different compositions and densities.
47)
48)
According to the nebular hypothesis, all of the bodies in the universe evolved from a rotating cloud
of gases and dust about 5 billion years ago.
48)
49)
Igneous rocks are produced largely by the deposition and consolidation of surface materials like
sand and mud.
49)
50)
The currently accepted age of the Earth is approximately 4.5 million years.
50)
51)
In an open system both energy and matter flow into and out of the system.
51)
52)
According to the rock cycle, any type of rock (igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic) may be
transformed into another type of rock, given enough time.
52)
53)
The asthenosphere is a relatively cool and rigid shell that overlies the lithosphere.
53)
54)
The lithosphere, asthenosphere, and mesosphere are all layers of Earth defined by their
composition.
54)
55)
A scientific theory is a tentative or untested explanation that is proposed to explain scientific
observations.
55)
56)
Much of our modeling of Earth’s interior comes from the study of seismic or earthquake waves.
56)
57)
The law of superposition applies primarily to sedimentary rocks and lava flows.
57)
ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper.
Critical thinking and discussion questions. Use complete sentences, correct spelling, and the information presented in
chapter 1 to answer the questions below.
58)
Catastrophism obviously influenced seventeenth and eighteenth century thought by implying that Earth only
needed to be a few thousand years old in order to explain landscapes and geologic features. However,
catastrophic and often sudden changes are at least a part of the rock record that geologists attempt to interpret.
List three geologic catastrophes that would most likely affect landscapes or features on Earth and be recorded in
rocks. How might these events be explained in the rock record using only uniformitarianism (or the implication
of slow, gradual change)?
59)
Label the layers of Earth’s interior on the diagram below.
60)
Earth’s physical environment is traditionally divided into the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and the solid Earth.
Remembering the scientific method, why do you think that scientists tend to categorize and classify various
features, phenomena, and characteristics of the natural world into groups or subdivisions? Also, are there
potential pitfalls or problems if we only consider the natural world as individual groups or categories rather
than as a whole?
Answer Key
Testname: C1
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