Plate Tectonic Quiz

According to the information and diagram above, which force is responsible for the plate movement?

• Balanced

• Gravitational

• Frictional

• Unbalanced

Which explanation best describes the impact of Newton’s Laws on the movement of these plates?

• The North American Plate is subducting underneath the Eurasian Plate because equal and opposite forces are acting on them.

• The forces acting on both plates cause them to diverge until they are acted upon by another force.

• The Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate are converging because the forces acting on them are balanced.

• Balanced forces are acting the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate causing them to diverge.

Which of the following best explains why Pangea broke apart into modern-day continents?

• Earthquakes and volcanoes formed between the continents.

• Changing climate caused ice to form between the plates.

• Balanced forces caused a change in the motion of the plates.

• The plates underlying the continents were already in motion.

Scientists believe that convection currents within the____ are responsible for the movement of the plates that form the Earth's crust.

• Asthenosphere

• Lithosphere

• Inner Core

• Outer Core

Which two continents did Alfred Wegener think looked like they fit together like puzzle pieces?

• North America and South America

• Europe and Africa

• North America and Europe

• South America and Africa

Which scientist is credited for first proposing Continental Drift Theory?

• Albert Einstein

• Alfred Wegner

• Abraham Ortelius

• Harry Hess

Alfred Wegener noted that fossils from a particular type of reptile were found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Which of the following would be the best explanation of how this occurred?

• The reptiles swam across the ocean.

• The Atlantic Ocean did not exist in earlier times.

• The reptiles walked across a giant land bridge that has weathered away.

• The reptiles walked across an ice bridge located near the equator.

The discovery of trilobite fossils in Oklahoma and Morocco provide evidence of —

• plate tectonic movement

• volcanic eruptions

• weathering and erosion

• weathering and deposition

Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift was widely disbelieved by fellow scientists at the time because he was NOT able to —

• show others a map of the continents

• fit all the continents together

• explain the mechanism for the movement of continents

• show others fossil evidence

Which of these landforms is most likely to be found at a convergent boundary?

• Fault Line

• Mid-Ocean Ridge

• Mountian

• Rift Valley