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Earth Science 11 Final Exam

Instructor:

Mr. Steed

Name:
Date:

Read each question carefully, then print the letter of the correct answer on the line next to the question.

1.

The four major areas of earth science are

a. the solid earth, the mountains, the birds and the universe beyond space.
b. the solid earth, the oceans, the atmosphere and the universe beyond space.
c. the oceans, the animals, the universe beyond space and Mars
d. The animals, the solid earth, earthquakes and volcanoes

2.

This theory states that the Earths crust and rigid upper mantle are broken into
enormous slabs that move in different directions:
a. Tectonic plate theory
b. Seafloor spreading theory
c. The theory of Pangaea
d. The floating earth theory

3.

The movement and deposition of weathered materials from one location to another is
called:
a. Chemical weathering
b. Erosion
c. Exfoliation
d. Physical weathering

4.

Tectonic plates interact at places called plate

a. reversals
b. boundaries
c. regions
d. centres

5.

Which feature is associated with a continental-continental plate boundary?

a. A subduction zone
b. A mountain range
c. A deep-sea trench
d. A volcano

6.

A paper or computer record of earthquake waves is called a:

a. mass
b. seismometer
c. seismogram
d. gramme

7.

The major erosional agent in many areas with limited precipitation and high
temperatures is:
a. wind
b. rivers
c. human activity
d. glaciers

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8.

The repeated freezing and thawing of water in the cracks of rocks is called:
a. exfoliation
b. icing
c. abrasion
d. frost wedging

9.

The rotational motion in the mantle that moves the plates of the crust, creating
landforms is:
a. convection
b. conduction
c. platonism
d. vulcanism

10.

The amount of energy released by an earthquake is measure by its:

a. speed
b. magnitude
c. focus
d. intensity

11.

A problem with fossil fuels is that they are:

a. pretty
b. limited
c. abundant
d. overused

12.

Places where tectonic plates move apart are called:

a. Convergent boundaries
b. Transformation boundaries
c. Subduction zones
d. Divergent boundaries

13.

A line on a map that connects points of equal elevation is:

a. an azimuth line
b. a contour line
c. a relief line
d. an isotherm

14.

Wind power converts the movement of air into:

a. turbines
b. kinetic energy
c. electrical energy
d. potential energy

15.

Erosion by scraping, gouging and picking up large rocks and debris piles is caused
by:
a. wind
b. rivers
c. humans
d. glaciers

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16.

Polluted groundwater is difficult to clean up because:

a. groundwater is deep in the ground and dispersed through large areas of rock
b. pollutants cling to the materials that make up the aquifer and contaminate the
clean water
c. the recycling process of groundwater can take hundreds or thousands of years
d. All of the above

17.

Most of the Earth's freshwater is found in:

a. ice
b. aquifers
c. oceans
d. lakes

18.

Rocks are a solid mixture of:

a. magma
b. minerals
c. lava
d. sediment

19.

As the distance from an earthquakes epicenter increases:

a. intensity increases
b. intensity decreases
c. wave speed increases
d. the focus decreases

20.

the loose covering of weathered rock particles and decaying organic matter overlying
the bedrock of the Earth's surface is called:
a. humus
b. compost
c. sediment
d. soil

21.

Because of its hardness,

a. quartz
b. topaz
c. calcite
d. talc

22.

An object like the earth that is flattened at the poles and bulges at the equator has the
shape of
a. an ellipsis
b. an oblate spheroid
c. a hyperbolic paraboloid
d. a level playing field

23.

Matter is defined as anything that has:

a. mass and weight
b. weight and size
c. mass and volume
d. molecules

cannot scratch any other mineral.

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24.

Molten rock underground is:

a. sedimentary
b. plutonic
c. organic
d. magma

25.

A sedimentary rock made of rounded pebbles and sand grains is called:

a. conglomerate
b. porphyry
c. limestone
d. sandstone

26.

If sedimentary or igneous rocks are subjected to heat and pressure, they become:
a. limestone
b. magma
c. metamorphic
d. platonic

27.

Which of the following is not a source of fresh water?

a. oceans
b. lakes
c. rivers
d. ground

28.

A major problem when making a flat map from a sperical earth is:
a. magnetic declination
b. longitude
c. meridians
d. distortion

29.

The shortest distance between two points on earth is a:

a. equator
b. great-circle route
c. contour line
d. latitude

30.

The smallest part of an element that has all of the properties of the element is the:
a. ion
b. atom
c. proton
d. molecule

31.

Which is most likey to cause the water table to drop?

a. Salt water seeping into wells
b. Rainwater seeping into the ground
c. Pumping water from the ground
d. Pumping used water into the ground

32.

The source of energy for the water cycle is:

a. solar energy
b. gravity
c. running water
d. ocean tides

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33.

Water often rises on its own in an artesian well because it is:

a. under an impermeable layer
b. under a permeable layer
c. in a pipe
d. under pressure

34.

The top of the water saturated region of the ground is the:

a. sea level
b. bedrock
c. capillary fringe
d. water table

35.

A river, its tributaries and all the land drained by the river are known as the:
a. flood plain
b. drainage basin
c. gully
d. water gap

36.

The part of a river valley that is underwater during floods is the:

a. flood plain
b. drainage basin
c. gully
d. water gap

37.

Atoms that have lost electrons are:

a. metal ions
b. non-metal ions
c. noble gases
d. isotopes

38.

Placing sandbags on top of natural levees creates:

a. canyons
b. potholes
c. ice jams
d. artificial levees

39.

The balance between the rate of ice movement and melting in a glacier determines
its:
a. ice sheet
b. ice front
c. ice caps
d. snow line

40.

The farthest advance of a glacier is marked by the:

a. generation gap
b. recessional moraine
c. drumlin
d. terminal moraine

41.

Unsorted and unstratified rock materials deposited directly by a glacier is called:

a. till
b. outwash
c. kettles

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d. eskers
42.

The distance from the crest of one wave to the crest of the next is the:
a. period
b. fetch
c. wavelength
d. diverging boundary

43.

The process by which a block of a glacier breaks off and falls into the sea to form an
iceberg is called:
a. waving
b. halving
c. calving
d. caving

44.

The ratio of the weigh of a mineral to the weight of an equal volume of water is:
a. hardness
b. cleavage
c. density
d. specific gravity

45.

A small shallow depression formed by deflation is a:

a. carpet
b. blowout
c. carbonera
d. channel

46.

This earth science studies how human activities, such as oil spills, affect Earths
oceans:
a. astronomy
b. meteorology
c. geology
d. oceanography

47.

Which area of science studies Earths origin, history and structure?

a. astronomy
b. meteorology
c. geology
d. oceanography

48.

The science that deals with the atmosphere and weather is:
a. astronomy
b. meteorology
c. geology
d. oceanography

49.

The area of earth science that looks beyond Earth is:

a. astronomy
b. meteorology
c. geology
d. oceanography

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50.

Wind blows sand into piles called:

a. longshore bars
b. spits
c. sand dunes
d. barrier islands

51.

The continuous submarine mountain chain that encircles the globe is:
a. the mid-oceanic ridge system
b. the subduction system
c. the continental margin
d. the sea valley floor

52.

About 10,000 years ago, the earths oceans were __________ than today
a. higher
b. lower
c. saltier
d. less salty

53.

Magma that reaches the earths surface is called:

a. basilica
b. epicenter
c. tectonic
d. lava

54.

The point on the earths surface directly above where an earthquake occurs is the:
a. basilica
b. epicenter
c. focus
d. richter scale

55.

The place inside the earth where an eartquake occurs is the:

a. basilica
b. epicenter
c. focus
d. richter scale

56.

The Richter scale measures an earthquakes:

a. duration
b. rebound
c. s-wave
d. magnitude
Scientists believe that the earths core is composed of:
a. carbon and iron
b. helium and hydrogen
c. nickel and iron
d. carbon and helium

57.

58.

The theory of continental drift:

a. was based on the distribution of rock types, fossils and structures
b. was accepted by most geologist during Wegener's lifetime
c. was based on oceanic fossils and basalt
d. suggested that the original land forms were large islands

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59.

Tectonic plate move at a rate of 1 to 16 centimetres per:

a. million years
b. year
c. light year
d. hour

60.

The earths layers, listed from LEAST dense to MOST dense are:
a. core, crust, mantle
b. core, mantle, crust
c. mantle, core, crust
d. crust, mantle, core

61.

Subduction is:
a. where denser plates sink into the mantle
b. where ridge valleys form
c. occuring mostly in the Atlantic Ocean
d. most frequent when continental plates diverge

62.

In geology the term crystal refers to

a. any clear, sparkly substance
b. minerals with a random arrangement of atoms that causes light interference and
sparkle
c. minerals with an orderly arrangement of atoms with or without sparkle
d. clear volcanic glass that is faceted naturally

63.

A fault in which one side of the fault plane drops down relative to the other side is a:
a. normal fault
b. strike-slip fault
c. fault-block mountain
d. dip-slip fault

64.

When rocks on opposite sides of the fault plane move horizontally past each other, it
is a:
a. normal fault
b. strike-slip fault
c. fault-block mountain
d. dip-slip fault

65.

An upfold in rock layers caused by plate collisions is called:

a. a syncline
b. the San Andreas fault
c. an anticline
d. a reverse fault

66.

A relatively small volcano formed by moderate to explosive eruptions called a:

a. shield volcano
b. caldera
c. hot spot
d. cinder cone volcano

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67.

One possible result of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is

a. more nitrogen in the nitrogen cycle
b. more carnivores in an area
c. increase in rainfall in a region
d. increase in average temperature on Earth

68.

What is water vapour in the air called?

a. humidifier
b. evaporation
c. humidity
d. respiration

69.

Most of the earths weather occurs in the:

a. thermosphere
b. troposphere
c. mesosphere
d. atmosphere

70.

Which is true of refracting telescopes?

a. they use mirrors to focus starlight
b. they are cheaper to build than reflectors
c. many are larger than reflectors
d. most major refractors in observatories were built before the year 1900

71.

Which is observed with optical telescopes?

a. microwave light
b. visible light
c. x rays
d. ultraviolet rays

72.

A tool used to separate starlight into its colours is a:

a. spectroscope
b. radio telescope
c. charge-coupled device
d. interferometer

73.

Temperature and humidity are the same throughout an:

a. anemometer
b. ozone layer
c. air mass
d. line of longitude

74.

The continuous movement of water between the atmosphere and the earths surface is
the:
a. water table
b. water cycle
c. groundwater
d. circulatory system

75.

The shadow of the earth on the moon or the moon on the earth is an:
a. ellipse
b. orbit
c. eclipse

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d. octet
76.

Clouds that are at very high elevations and appear as thin, wispy streaks are:
a. cirrus
b. cumulus
c. stratus
d. bogus

77.

Our entire solar system is part of a star group called the:

a. Milky Way
b. Orion
c. Ursa Minor
d. North Star

78.

Dense invisible objects in space are known as:

a. galaxies
b. nebulae
c. pulsars
d. black holes

79.

Clouds of gas and dust in space are known as:

a. galaxies
b. nebulae
c. pulsars
d. black holes

80.

Flickering neutron stars formed in supernovas are known as:

a. galaxies
b. nebulae
c. pulsars
d. black holes

81.

The lower part of the suns outer atmosphere is the:

a. chromosphere
b. photosphere
c. corona
d. solar prominence

82.

A red flamelike arch in the suns corona is called a:

a. sunspot
b. solar flare
c. corona
d. solar prominence

83.

The scientist who developed the three laws of planetary motion was:
a. Kipling
b. Kepler
c. Tim
d. Moby

84.

The model of the solar system that has the sun in its center is:
a. hysterical
b. hermaneutic
c. heptodynamic

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d. heliocentric
85.

A body that revolves around a planet is a:

a. moon
b. booty
c. crater
d. asteroid

86.

When Earth crosses the orbit of a meteroid swarm, we experience:

a. apocalypse
b. satellite
c. meteor shower
d. solar eclipse
When a rock mass smashes into a planet or moon, it forms a:
a. meteor
b. impact crater
c. planetoid
d. greenhouse effect

87.

88.

An example of a terrestrial planet is:

a. Venus
b. Jupiter
c. Saturn
d. Uranus

89.

The farthest point from Earth of the moons orbit is its:

a. penumbra
b. apatow
c. solarium
d. apogee

90.

A partial shadow caused by a planet or moon during an eclipse is a:

a. penumbra
b. umbrella
c. neap tide
d. apollo

91.

The first American spacecraft to carry an astronaut into Earths orbit was the:
a. Space shuttle
b. Starship enterprise
c. Mercury
d. Galileo

92.

The sun is at its highest position in the sky at:

a. midnight
b. dawn
c. solar noon
d. winter solstice

93.

The effect that causes the apparent deflection of winds is the:

a. Coriolus effect
b. Axe effect
c. Summer solstice
d. Parallax effect

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94.

The imaginary line across which the date changes is the:

a. prime meridian
b. international date line
c. tropic of capricorn
d. equator

95.

The point in the sky directly over head is the:

a. altitude
b. zenith
c. parallax
d. greenwich

96.

Places that have the same temperature are connected on a weather map by:
a. degree
b. beaufort scale
c. temperature inversion
d. isotherm

97.

One degree of cooling per 160 metres of altitude is referred to as the:

a. normal lapse rate
b. mesosphere
c. greenhouse effect
d. ozone layer

98.

A thundercloud is:
a. dew point
b. cumulonimbus
c. relative humidity
d. hygrometer

99.

Solid condensation on a surface that is below zero degrees celsius is known as:
a. dew
b. sleet
c. cumulus
d. frost

100.

An instrument that measures wind speed is an:

a. axonometer
b. wind vane
c. anemometer
d. air pressure gauge

101.

A low pressure belt at the equator is known as the:

a. doldrums
b. millibar
c. coriolus effect
d. tornado alley