SSA Review (Rocks & Fossils)

Which of the following best explains how minerals get into streams?

• Rainwater that is high in minerals from the atmosphere falls into the stream.

• The stream absorbs minerals from the plants growing in and around its banks.

• Rainwater dissolves minerals out of the rocks and soil along the stream during runoff.

• When water evaporates from the ocean, it takes minerals with it and redeposits them as rainwater into the stream. 

Jada often visits a beach near her home. She notices that some areas of the beach are shrinking while other areas are growing. Which statement best explains the cause of these changes?

• Both processes are due to erosion.

• Both processes are due to deposition.

• Some areas are shrinking due to erosion and other areas are growing due to deposition.

• Some areas are shrinking due to deposition and other areas are growing due to erosion.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Shoals are raised landforms made of sand and gravel that are commonly found in Florida.  They are often called sandbars and are located in and around bodies of water such as oceans, rivers, and lakes.  Which factor most commonly causes shoals to form or change shape?

• the motion of glaciers

• the motion of large boats

• the motion of wind and waves

• the motion of Earth’s mantle and crust

In the rock cycle, one form of rock can be changed into another through various events that occur in the layers of Earth.  Which statement describes the connection between plate tectonics and the rock cycle?

• As the plates move, particles are broken off from the plates and form the basis of sedimentary rocks.

• The uplifting of metamorphic rocks and the added heat of conduction causes the plates to move at a slower pace.

• As rock particles are moved out to sea and deposited as igneous rock, they cause the tectonic plates to move apart faster.

• The movement of tectonic plates causes an increase in magma production by volcanoes leading to the development of sedimentary rocks.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Fossilized teeth from an extinct shark were found embedded in a rock layer at the base of a mountain, several hundred kilometers (km) from the nearest ocean.  Which of the following statements best explains why the rock layer cannot be igneous rock?

• The melting process would have destroyed the fossil.

• Weathering and erosion would have broken up the fossil.

• The rock was found at an inland location away from heat and pressure.

• Repeated volcanic eruptions would have buried the fossil too deeply to be found.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A geologist wants to determine the age of rock formations.  In which of these locations would it NOT be helpful to use the law of superposition to date a rock formation?

• on a wall of limestone in Florida because the chemical weathering would change the composition of the layers of sediment

• on the walls of the Grand Canyon above the Colorado River because the process of erosion would have worn away the layers

• in a subsurface canyon off the coastline of Cuba because the ocean current would smooth the surface making the layers hard to see

• on a mountain formed by the upthrust of magma in California because the mountain building process would have disturbed the rock layers

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Scientists discovered fossil evidence of the same types of plants and animals on different continents. In addition, some of the fossil evidence found are from organisms that could not possibly have lived in an environment that is now established on the continent in which the fossil was found.  What conclusion could scientists make concerning the fossil evidence found and the evolution of Earth over geologic time?

• Each continent has similar plants and animals because they have adapted to their environment.

• During early voyages, plants and animals must have come over on the ships used for exploration.

• The location of continents on Earth’s surface must have changed over time due to tectonic movement.

• Early mapmakers had the original locations of the continents wrong and they are located exactly where they have always been.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

A scientist collected a sample of sedimentary rock from a high elevation in the Himalaya Mountains. Using what he knows about the rock cycle and how major landforms are created on Earth, what could the scientist infer about how the sedimentary rock became part of this mountain range?

• Pressure from when the mountain formed created the sedimentary rock

• A seabed was lifted up and the sedimentary rock became part of the mountain range.

• Water or wind carried the sedimentary rock from another location and deposited it in the mountain range.

• Several lava flows from the top of the mountain cooled and enclosed the sedimentary rock in the mountain range.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Shannon wants to investigate how erosion happens along shorelines. She researches the topic and learns that atmospheric events, such as storms, can change the landscape of beaches. Shannon decides to investigate further by conducting systematic observations. Which plan would help Shannon investigate erosion through systematic observation?

• photographing and comparing the beaches before and after storms

• collecting shells from different beaches and arranging them in size order

• using a hose with different amounts of force to spray sand and studying the differences

• creating a model shoreline, changing the wind speeds, and measuring changes in the landscape

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Scientists have found fossils of tropical plants in Antarctica. How could tropical plants have grown in Antarctica?

• At one time, Antarctica was located closer to the equator.

• At one time, Earth’s entire surface was a tropical rain forest.

• The rotation of Earth has increased, causing cooling of the atmosphere.

• Catastrophic volcanic eruptions melted the ice and exposed the soil to sunlight.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1