Plate Tectonics - BrainPop
Authored by Patricia McAuliffe
Science
6th - 8th Grade
NGSS covered
Used 560+ times
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About
This quiz comprehensively covers plate tectonics, targeting middle school students at the 6th to 8th grade level. The questions assess fundamental concepts including continental drift theory, Earth's internal structure, and plate boundary interactions. Students need to understand the layered structure of Earth (crust, mantle, core), recognize that tectonic plates move continuously due to convection currents driven by heat from the core, and connect Alfred Wegener's continental drift theory to modern plate tectonics. The quiz requires students to analyze cause-and-effect relationships between convection currents and plate movement, understand how different types of plate boundaries (convergent, transform, and subduction zones) create distinct geological features, and recognize that density differences between plates determine geological outcomes like mountain formation and volcanic activity. Created by Patricia McAuliffe, a Science teacher in the US who teaches grades 6-8. This quiz serves as an excellent assessment tool for measuring student understanding of plate tectonics fundamentals and can be effectively used as a formative assessment following instruction, a review activity before summative tests, or homework to reinforce key concepts. The questions progress logically from basic continental drift evidence to more complex plate boundary interactions, making it suitable for both practice sessions and pre-assessment to gauge student readiness. This assessment aligns with NGSS standards 5-ESS1-2 and MS-ESS1-4, which focus on Earth's systems and the role of water and rock cycles in shaping Earth's surface features through plate tectonics.
Content View
Student View
10 questions
Show all answers
1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Based on the current position of the continents, in what general direction did South America drift away from Pangaea?
North
South
East
West
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support his theory of continental drift?
Fossil discoveries
The Himalaya Mountains
Ancient maps of the world
Charts of seismic activity
Tags
NGSS.HS-ESS1-5
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
45 sec • 1 pt
What is true of tectonic plates
They are constantly moving
Earthquakes cause them to move
They don't move for centuries at a time
There are fewer and fewer of them
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Where is Earth's heat energy most concentrated?
The mantle
The lithosphere
The core
The crust
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
45 sec • 1 pt
Which of the following best describes the location of the mantle?
Above the crust
Between the crust and the lithosphere
Between the crust and the core
Beneath the core
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What is the underlying force that drives plate tectonics?
Ocean tides
Volcanic eruptions
The rock cycle
Convection currents
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
45 sec • 1 pt
Which of the following is true of Earth's landmasses?
They are the upper part of the crust
They are made of a single tectonic plate
They are the densest part of the crust
They were formed by earthquakes
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
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