Which of the following materials is most readily dissolved by water?
A) Clay minerals
B) Silica
C) Feldspars
D) Calcite
As of 2015, which of the following earthquakes was observed to have the greatest
displacement, exceeding 40 meters?
A) Christchurch, New Zealand (2010)
B) Sumatra (2004)
C) Tohoku, Japan (2011)
D) New Madrid, Missouri (1812)
Which of the following locations is a likely place to find a braided stream?
A) Flowing across a stream delta
B) Flowing across a desert
C) Flowing through a karst region
D) Flowing from the terminus of a glacier
What is permeability?
A) Volume of pore space in a material
B) Ability to transmit water
C) When ice crystals deform and slide past each other
D) Dissolution of carbonate rock due to acid
________ is considered the most influential control of soil formation
A) Parent material
B) Plants
C) Climate
D) Time
The most common type of gas hydrate is ________.
A) oxygen hydrate
B) methane hydrate
C) iron hydrate
D) copper hydrate
Compared to Earth’s atmosphere, the Martian atmosphere has surface pressures that are
________.
A) 50 times those on Earth
B) 32.1 times those on Earth
C) 1.5 times those on Earth
D) 0.1 times those on Earth
What level of sorting is visible in the above image?
A) Well sorted
B) Moderately sorted
C) Poorly sorted
Match the steps of the scientific method with the appropriate order from first to last.
1. First
2. Second
3. Third
4. Fourth
5. Fifth
6. Sixth
A) Observations and experiments are developed to test the hypothesis.
B) Data is collected that relates to the question.
C) Hypotheses are rejected, modified, or accepted.
D) Results are shared with the scientific community.
E) A question is proposed about the natural world.
F) Questions are posed and a hypothesis is developed.
Why would increasing acidity of the ocean be a problem?
A) Acid would dissolve calcium carbonate shells or sea organisms
B) Acid will increase the rate of seafloor spreading
C) Acid decreases the stability of basaltic rocks on the ocean floor
D) Acid would be evaporated and create clouds that precipitate acid rain
A mountain range with peaks as high as 14,000 feet above sea level has formed. As
time passes, erosion wears down the mountains. How will isostacy affect the crust?
A) The surrounding landscape will sink
B) The mountain range will rise
C) The mountain range will be depressed
D) Nothing will change the elevation of the area
In terms of competence, if the velocity of the stream triples, the impact force of the
water will increase ________ times.
A) two
B) three
C) nine
D) eighteen
Which era are we currently in?
A) Mesozoic
B) Precambrian
C) Paleozoic
D) Cenozoic
This image shows the annual per capita consumption of various economically important
materials. Based on this figure, which of the following categories does the average
American consume the most from every year?
A) Nonmetallic resources
B) Metallic resources
C) Energy resources
Give a location of where one might find the continental margin in this image.
A) Off the coast of southern California
B) Eastern margin of North America
C) Western margin of South America
D) Northern margin of North America
Which form of renewable energy is produced by power plants in Iceland, accounting for
66 percent of Iceland’s primary energy use?
A) Hydroelectric power
B) Solar power
C) Tidal energy
D) Geothermal power
During which period did the break-up of Pangaea begin?
A) Permian
B) Tertiary
C) Triassic
D) Jurassic
The dominant plant group in the Cenozoic Era is ________.
A) exosperms
B) methanogens
C) angiosperms
D) gymnosperms
Which part of the wind’s sediment load is visible in this image?
A) Bed load
B) Saltated load
C) Dissolved load
D) Suspended load
How will increasing atmospheric CO2 affect the properties of seawater?
A) Seawater will have higher salinity
B) Seawater will have lower density
C) Seawater will have higher surface tension
D) Seawater will have lower pH
Match the sediment size with the appropriate rock. (Answers may be used more than
once.)
A) Sand
B) Gravel
C) Clay
D) Silt
1. Breccia
2. Arkose
3. Quartz sandstone
4. Siltstone
5. Claystone
Deeply weathered tropical soils that develop in warm, rainy climates are called
________.
A) tillites
B) placers
C) laterites
D) methane hydrates
In what year did Parcutin form in a Mexican cornfield?
A) 1935
B) 1939
C) 1943
D) 1952
What gas makes up 97 percent of Venus’s atmosphere?
A) Carbon dioxide
B) Methane
C) Hydrogen
D) Helium
There are many names for ephemeral desert streams that remain empty for most of the
year. Which of the following is not another name for an ephemeral desert stream?
A) Arroyo
B) Wadi
C) Playa
D) Wash
What is the definition of relative dating?
A) Putting events in order from first to last
B) Using radioactive materials to determine an age
C) Counting tree rings to determine an age
D) Calculating dates based on the theory of relativity
Rainwater will combine with which atmospheric gas in order to create carbonic acid?
A) Methane
B) Oxygen
C) Carbon dioxide
D) Carbon monoxide
What period had the greatest amount of cratonic formation?
A) Hadean
B) Proterozoic Eon
C) Archean Eon
D) Phanerozoic Eon
How will melting permafrost in polar regions lead to a positive feedback loop that will
continue to warm the climate, which will allow for more permafrost to melt?
A) Buried CFCs will be released from contaminants in frozen vegetation
B) Methane will be released as the vegetation thaws
C) Nitrous oxide will be trapped in the meltwater generated and pulled out of the
atmosphere
D) Carbon dioxide is sequestered in the water infiltrating the landscape
The partial melting of mafic rocks would produce what composition of magma?
A) Ultramafic
B) Mafic
C) Intermediate
D) Felsic
What kind of unconformity is visible in this figure? The unconformity in the question is
indicated by the Arrow B.
A) Disconformity
B) Nonconformity
C) Angular unconformity
Mountain ranges such as the Appalachians and the Himalayas are examples of
mountains that formed as a result of ________ faulting.
A) thrust
B) normal
C) strike-slip
D) transform
What feature develops if a well is withdrawing more groundwater than an aquifer can
naturally replace, resulting in a dimple in the water table?
A) Cone of depression
B) Subsidence
C) Contamination
D) Saltwater encroachment