chapter 2 (plate tectonics) practice test

What did Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift propose?

• The continents were once joined together in a single landmass.
• The continents were once completely separate from one another
• Earth’s surface is slowly cooling and getting smaller.
• Earth’s surface is made up of seven major landmasses.

What is the name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago?

• Pangaea
• Wegener
• Glossopteris
• Mesosaurus

Any trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock is called a _____.

• fossil
• coal imprint
• landform
• landmass

Evidence about ancient climates indicates that _____.

• glacial ice once covered much of what is now South Africa
• North America was once centered over the South Pole
• Antarctica was once centered over the North Pole
• no continents occupied the Southern Hemisphere

What does the geographic distribution of the swimming reptile Mesosaurusprovide evidence for?

• South America and Africa were once joined.
• A land bridge existed between Australia and India.
• Europe was covered by a shallow sea when Mesosaurus
• The Atlantic Ocean was wider when Mesosaurus

Which of the following was used in support of the continental drift hypothesis?

• fossil evidence
• composition of meteorites
• convection currents
• fit of South America and Australia

What was the main reason Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis was rejected?

• He could not satisfactorily identify what caused the continents to move.
• He was not well liked by other scientists.
• He could provide only illogical explanations for the movement of the continents.
• His evidence was incorrect.

Evidence that supported _____ included the fit of the continents, similar fossils on different continents, matching mountain belts, and climate evidence.

• the theory of continental drift
•  the theory of evolution
• inner core convection currents
• the cause of Earth’s magnetic field

The geological features of mid-ocean ridges provide evidence for _____.

• continental drift
• evolution
• volcanic islands
• climate change

Where does sea-floor spreading occur?

• at mid-ocean ridges
• on seamounts
• near the ocean surface
• at convergent plates