What two factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils?
A) low temperatures; very dry
B) low temperatures; very moist
C) high temperatures; very dry
D) warm temperatures; very moist
The magnitude of a temperature increase due to greenhouse warming will probably be
smallest in the ________.
A) polar regions
B) lower middle-latitudes
C) higher middle-latitudes
D) subtropics
E) tropics
Tropical cyclones, which are called hurricanes in the Atlantic, are called ________ in
the western Pacific
A) cyclones
B) typhoons
C) tornadoes
D) willy willy’s
The spectra of most stars are dark-line spectra because ________.
A) elements in the Sun’s outer atmosphere emit radiation between these dark bands
B) elements in the Sun’s outer atmosphere absorb in these dark-line bands, blocking the
radiation in those bands
C) elements in the earth’s atmosphere absorb in these dark-line bands, blocking out the
frequencies in the dark bands
D) electrons decaying to a lower energy state emit a photon at a fixed energy, leaving
dark bands between the emissions
If all of the ice now stored in Antarctica’s glaciers melted, what would happen?
A) Sea water would become fresh enough to drink because glaciers are made of fresh
water.
B) Sea level would rise flooding many coastal cities.
C) Because glacial melt water is less dense than sea water, the glacial melt will float on
top of the ocean and not affect the land areas.
D) Ice bergs would float to the equatorial regions of the earth where they would lower
the temperature and cause the climate to become cooler.
The asthenosphere is actually a part of the ________ of the earth.
A) outer core
B) crust
C) inner core
D) mantle
Balance for a main sequence star is achieved when ________.
A) nuclear fusion and fission occur at the same rate
B) gas pressure matches temperature
C) temperature matches the rate of nuclear fusion
D) gravitational collapse matches gas pressure
E) all of the above
At a bend in a river, the main erosion is ________.
A) on the outside of the bend
B) on the inside of the bend
C) both outside and inside the bend
D) at an oxbow lake
The west coast of California is underlain by rocks that represent ________.
A) an ancient volcanic arc
B) an ancient Forearc Basin and accretionary wedge
C) a collisional orogenic belt
D) an oceanic plateau
In a dry climate, weathering is significantly less than in a humid climate because
________.
A) wind is not a significant weathering agent
B) there is a shortage of moisture and organic acids
C) rivers are ephemeral and do not cause weathering in the desert
D) sand covers much of the rock surface and protects them from weathering in a desert
Visualize five horizontal sedimentary strata exposed in a cliff or canyon wall identified
by consecutive numbers, 1 being the lowest bed and 5 being the highest. Which of the
following statements concerning the strata is true?
A) Bed 5 is the oldest.
B) Beds l and 3 are older than bed 4.
C) Bed 4 is older than bed 2.
D) Bed 3 is older than beds 2 and 4.
When Europeans first came to the new world they would typically sail south and west
to Canary Islands, then sail west to get to the West Indies and Spanish main. On their
return, however, they would go north to the “Leeward Islands” of the Caribbean, to the
Bahamas, Bermuda, etc. Why did they take this odd route rather than sail straight?
A) The ships were affected by the Coriolis effect, so this was the natural route.
B) Although this route was against the ocean currents, it followed the prevailing wind
direction so sailing ships could follow this route downwindhence the name “Leeward
Islands.”
C) They were attempting to follow the shortest distance, via what is called a great circle
route.
D) This route followed both the prevailing winds and ocean currents, speeding the trip
despite longer distances.
Use the Periodic table below to answer the following questions:
Element 17 (Cl) and 9 (F) ________.
A) are chemically very different because they lie directly below each other on the
periodic table
B) are chemically similar because they lie directly below each other on the periodic
table
C) behave as metals because they lie on the right side of the periodic table
D) are chemically relatively inert because they adjacent to the inert gases on the
periodic table
Asia has an intense monsoon, but North America also experiences a low-intensity
monsoon. What causes monsoons?
A) Heating of the polar regions in summer due to long days causes air to flow toward
the poles in summer, drawing moisture from warm ocean dominated air masses.
B) The heating of the continent during the summer produces a persistent low pressure
over the continent that draws warm moist air masses from adjacent oceans.
C) The oceans warm faster than the continents during the summer and spawn cyclonic
storms that move toward the continents.
D) The horse latitude high pressure system breaks down in summer, leading to
monsoon moisture in desert locations like southwestern North America and India.
Bacteria that thrive in oxygen free environments are called ________ bacteria.
Which of the following factors help determine whether a volcanic eruption will be
violent or relatively quiescent?
A) amount of dissolved gas in the magma
B) temperature of the magma
C) composition of the magma
D) all of these
Limestone is composed almost entirely of calcite which has the chemical formula
CaCO3. As a result, limestone is classified as ________.
A) a mineral
B) a rock
C) both a mineral and a rock
D) neither a mineral nor a rock because it is organic
Which of the following is typically not associated with the life cycle of a thunderstorm?
A) development of a cumulus cloud growing to a cumulonimbus
B) the development of stratus clouds and initiation of light rain
C) the development of strong downdrafts with heavy rain
D) strong vertical airflow with vertical motions as high as 100 km/hr
A main-sequence star like our sun is expected to be stable for approximately ________.
A) 100 billion years
B) 10 billion years
C) 1 billion years
D) 100 million years
E) 10 million years
If you live in southwestern North America and are experiencing drought conditions,
what do you hope will happen?
A) A La Nia period will begin.
B) An El Nio period will begin.
C) Conditions will return to a normal, with neither La Nia nor El Nio.
D) The temperatures will decrease in the eastern equatorial Pacific.
A river emerges from a valley onto a flat plain, but the river itself lies in a narrow,
shallow canyon as it crosses the plain, then plunges into a steep sided canyon as it flow
past the plain. A geologist floating down the canyon headed for the whitewater in the
canyon notices the river is flowing through lake deposits as it flows across the plain.
What happened in this area?
A) The river is at base level throughout its trace and has been for a long time.
B) The river used to flow into a lake, which formed a temporary base level, but in
recent geologic time the lakes dam broke, and the river is now downcutting in response
to the change in local base level.
C) The river has cut a deep canyon that crossed through a lake, and this process has
been continuous for a long time.
D) The geologist can’t be right; this is an impossible scenario.
________ is the maximum possible damage designation on the Mercalli scale.
A) XII
B) 3
C) X
D) 10
One important relationship between chemical and mechanical weathering is ________.
A) chemical weathering can produce smaller pieces of rock that can then be modified
by mechanical weathering
B) chemical weathering can form brittle materials that are easily broken into smaller
pieces by mechanical weathering
C) mechanical weathering can produce smaller pieces of rock that have more surface
area for chemical weathering to work on.
D) mechanical weathering forms more brittle materials that are easily broken down by
chemical weathering.
An artesian well is one in which ________.
A) the water is warm, fairly saline, and recharged by an affluent stream
B) pressurized groundwater rises from a deep, unsaturated aquifer
C) water rises above the top of the aquifer without any pumping
D) the well is horizontal and the water table is perched
Multibeam provides the best modern technique for obtaining seafloor bathymetry, so
why hasn’t it been used for the entire ocean?
A) It is too expensive, requiring many ships many years to survey the entire ocean.
B) It doesn’t work in deep water.
C) It doesn’t work where there is ice.
D) Oceanographers simply haven’t had time to process all the data.
When the daily tidal range is LEAST, it is called a ________ tide.
A) spring
B) ebb
C) neap
D) none of these
The finely divided, red, brown, and yellow soil-coloring minerals originate by what
process?
A) mechanical weathering of very fine-grained, blue-gray clays
B) chemical weathering of quartz and feldspars
C) precipitation of iron oxides during the chemical weathering process
D) mechanical weathering of the feldspars and micas in granite and rhyolite
At the base of a glacier, the ice moves by ________.
A) fracturing
B) fracturing and sliding
C) sliding and ductile flow
D) ductile flow and fracturing
Mt. Rainier in Washington State is often thought to be the most hazardous volcano in
the lower 48 states of the United States because ________.
A) it is close enough to Seattle and Tacoma, Washington that these cities could be
destroyed in a pyroclastic flow
B) the volcano is close enough to Seattle and Tacoma, Washington that a large
explosive eruption could bury the cities in a large rock avalanche similar to the Mt. St.
Helens eruption
C) large amounts of glacial ice on the mountain could be melted by even a small
eruption, potentially generating dangerous lahars that would travel rapidly down river
valleys to heavily populated areas
D) The statement is false; the volcano poses little hazard to humans except for the few
who live close to the volcano.
The low latitude dry regions coincide with ________.
A) the subtropical high pressure belts
B) the subtropical low pressure belts
C) the polar low pressure belt
D) the polar high pressure belt
E) the gulf stream
Two cities are located at the same latitude (40o). City A is in the Southern Hemisphere
and City B is in the Northern Hemisphere. Assume the two cities reflect the general
characteristics of the hemispheres where they are located. Which city should have the
largest annual temperature range?
A) City A
B) City B
C) Both cities should have nearly identical temperatures.
D) More information is required to answer the question.
The next large earthquake on the San Andreas Fault zone in California is considered
likely to be ________.
A) in San Francisco because large earthquakes there are thought to occur every 75 years
and the last large earthquake was in 1906
B) in northern California because the last major earthquake was in central California
and the plate boundary is moving the stress to the northwest.
C) in Southern California because it has been nearly 300 years since the last major
earthquake in that area
D) All of the fault system is considered equally likely because the plate motion is
uniform and all areas are affected equally.
What is the dew point for the conditions listed above?
A) 25oC
B) 20oC
C) 15oC
D) colder than 15oC
Slipher made the observation that galaxies rotated and moved relative to each other.
Hubble expanded on this work to show that ________.
A) the rates of rotation varied within galaxies
B) the relative motion between adjacent galaxies varies
C) galaxies within the Local Group rotate more than other galaxies
D) galaxies within the Local Group rotate less than other galaxies
E) all galaxies except those in the Local Group are moving away from the Milky Way
Studies of the chemistry of rocks from arc volcanos indicate the main source of the
magma is ________.
A) melting of subducted oceanic crust
B) melting of the subducted mantle lithosphere
C) melting of the asthenosphere above the subducting oceanic plate by frictional
heating on the subduction interface
D) melting of the asthenosphere above the subducting oceanic plate by fluids acting as
a flux to enhance melting
The Sun is composed almost entirely of two gases. They are ________ and ________.
Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the
relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit
the pattern.
Pyroclastic material
Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the
relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit
the pattern.
Kppen believed that the distribution of natural ________ was an excellent expression of
the totality of climate.
A(n) ________ is a closed depression formed by melting of an ice block buried in a
moraine or outwash plain.
The process by which water vapor changes directly to a solid is called ________.
Briefly describe some possible future changes in the shape and size of the African Plate.
The physical property denoting a mineral’s tendency to crack along parallel, planar
surfaces is known as ________.
A region is characterized by numerous anticlines and synclines. There are also several
faults present that appear to have formed at the same time as the folding. Without
looking at any details, what type of faults would be most likely? Why?
Should scientists be encouraged to make short term earthquake predictions even though
the current methods for such predictions are very unreliable?
As a geologist working in a foreign country for the first time, you are asked to assess
the potential for mass wasting in a particular region. What aspects or characteristics
(geologic, geographic, biologic, etc.) of the region are you interested in for your
assessment? Also, how could you possibly determine if mass wasting has been active in
the recent geologic past (100’s or 1000’s of years)?
Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the
relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit
the pattern.
Thunder and lightning are normally associated with ________ clouds.
Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the
relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit
the pattern.
The new generation of weather radar that is capable of detecting motion directly is
called ________ radar.