Plate Motion End of Unit Assessment
Authored by Alexis Morris
Science
7th Grade
NGSS covered
Used 548+ times
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This end-of-unit assessment covers plate tectonics and Earth's structure, targeting 7th-grade earth science students. The quiz evaluates students' understanding of Earth's lithosphere composition, cross-sectional analysis skills, and the three types of plate boundaries (divergent, convergent, and transform). Students must demonstrate conceptual knowledge of how tectonic plates move over geological time scales, the mechanisms behind seafloor spreading and subduction, and the relationship between plate boundaries and seismic activity. To succeed, students need to understand that Earth's outer layer consists of hard, solid rock beneath both continents and oceans, recognize how fossil and rock evidence supports continental drift theory, and explain plate motion through the addition of new material at divergent boundaries and the recycling of crustal material at convergent boundaries. The assessment requires students to interpret diagrams, analyze GPS tracking data, and connect geological evidence to plate tectonic processes. Created by Alexis Morris, a Science teacher in US who teaches grade 7. This comprehensive assessment serves as an excellent summative evaluation tool following a complete plate tectonics unit, allowing teachers to gauge student mastery of fundamental earth science concepts before moving to new topics. The quiz works effectively as a formal assessment for grading purposes, but individual questions can also be extracted for warm-up activities, exit tickets, or homework assignments throughout the unit. Teachers can use this assessment to identify students who need additional support with spatial reasoning skills or those who struggle to connect evidence to scientific explanations. The variety of question formats, from fossil distribution patterns to GPS data interpretation, makes this quiz valuable for formative assessment during instruction as well. This assessment aligns with NGSS standards 5-ESS1-2 and MS-ESS1-4, which focus on analyzing geoscience data and developing models of Earth's surface changes over time.
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17 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Which statement best describes what Earth's outer layer is like underneath the surface in the image?
Earth's outer layer is made of sand and water.
Earth's outer layer is made of hard, solid rock.
Underneath the soil, Earth's outer layer is made of hard, solid rock. Underneath the ocean, Earth's outer layer is made of sand.
Earth's outer layer is made of water.
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-1
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Which of the diagrams properly shows a Cross-Section?
Diagram A
Diagram B
Diagram C
Diagram D
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
NGSS.MS-ESS1-4
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Fossil remains of Lystrosaurus have been found in India and South Africa. When they were living, all the Lystrosaurus lived together on land, and they could not swim. However, now there is an ocean between the fossils. What could explain how these fossils got so far apart?
India and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates floated away from each other across the ocean.
India and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved far apart as soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates over millions of years.
India and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved apart as new plates from underneath got added between them over millions of years.
India and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates were sometimes pushed far apart by earthquakes, and soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates.
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
NGSS.MS-ESS2-2
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Where will geologists be able to find hard, solid rock?
Neither under 1 nor 2, because there is sand and gravel under both places.
Neither under 1 nor 2, because there is water under both places.
Under 1 and 2, because Earth's entire outer layer is made of hard, solid rock.
Only under 1, because Earth's outer layer is made of hard, solid rock under continents but not under the ocean.
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Patterns on this map tell us that...
Volcanic activity and earthquakes can cause damage to buildings and hurt people.
Volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in similar areas.
Volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in random locations all over the map.
Volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in the following order: volcanic activity, earthquake, volcanic activity, earthquake, and so on.
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-2
NGSS.MS-ESS3-2
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What type of plate boundary is this?
Divergent
Convergent
Transform
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What type of plate boundary is this?
Divergent
Convergent
Transform
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS2-3
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