Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Quiz

What was the name of the supercontinent that the continents were once joined together in?

• Laurasia

• Pangaea

• Gondwana

• Laurentia

How long ago did the continents begin drifting apart to their current positions?

• Thousands of years ago

• Hundreds of thousands of years ago

• Millions of years ago

• Billions of years ago

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

What are two pieces of evidence provided in the passage that support the continental drift hypothesis?

• Matching coastlines and similar rock types

• Matching coastlines and different fossils

• Similar fossils and similar rock types

• Matching coastlines and similar fossils

What are the three main layers that make up the interior of the Earth?

• Crust, mantle, core

• Lithosphere, asthenosphere, core

• Outer shell, inner shell, core

• Sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic

Which layer of the Earth provides evidence for the concept of moving tectonic plates?

• Crust

• Mantle

• Core

• Lithosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

What is the name of the rigid, outermost shell of the Earth that includes the crust and uppermost mantle?

• Asthenosphere

• Mesosphere

• Lithosphere

• Hydrosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

What is the name of the weaker, more ductile layer of the mantle that underlies the lithosphere?

• Asthenosphere

• Mesosphere

• Lithosphere

• Hydrosphere

How do the movements of the lithospheric plates over the asthenosphere enable continental drift and plate tectonics?

• The asthenosphere melts the lithosphere

• The lithosphere sinks into the asthenosphere

• The asthenosphere pushes the lithospheric plates

• The movement of the plates over the asthenosphere enables their drifting

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

What technological advances helped scientists map the seafloor and develop the seafloor spreading hypothesis?

• Telescopes and compasses

• Satellites and GPS

• Sonar and magnetometers

• Microscopes and seismometers

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

Where is new oceanic crust constantly being formed, and what happens to the older crust?

• New crust forms at subduction zones, older crust sinks back into the mantle

• New crust forms at mid-ocean ridges, older crust sinks back into the mantle

• New crust forms at volcanic hotspots, older crust is pushed away

• New crust forms at tectonic plate boundaries, older crust is pushed towards the continents

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1