Midterm Review

Which factor is a primary cause of seasonal changes on Earth?

• change in Earth’s distance from the Sun

• change in the rate of Earth’s rotation

• wobble of Earth’s axis

• tilt of Earth’s axis

The time-exposure photograph shown below was taken by an observer in the Northern Hemisphere to record the apparent paths of stars. The name of the bright star near the center that the other stars appear to be circling is

• Polaris

• Alpha Centauri

• Betelgeuse

• Deneb

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Which mantle hot spot is correctly matched to its overlying tectonic plate?

• Tasman Hot Spot–Pacific Plate

• Canary Island Hot Spot–Eurasian Plate

• St. Helena Hot Spot–South American Plate

• Yellowstone Hot Spot–North American Plate

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

The map below shows the continent of Australia. Letters A and B indicate locations on Earth’s crustal surface. Australia Ocean A B Compared to the crust at A, the crust at B is

• thinner and less dense

• thinner and more dense

• thicker and less dense

• thicker and more dense

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which medium-grain-sized metamorphic rock is composed mostly of the same mineral as the sedimentary rock limestone?

• gneiss

• marble

• quartzite

• schist

What is the texture of an igneous rock formed from magma that cooled slowly deep underground?

• nonvesicular and coarse

• nonvesicular and glassy

• vesicular and fine

• vesicular and very coarse

Which rock is classified as an evaporite?

• clastic shale

• foliated phyllite

• nonfoliated marble

• crystalline rock salt

Which pair of elements makes up most of Earth’s crust by volume?

• nitrogen and potassium

• oxygen and silicon

• hydrogen and oxygen

• potassium and oxygen

Diagrams A and B represent magnified views of the arrangement of mineral crystals in a rock before and after being subjected to geologic processes. Which geologic processes are most likely responsible for the banding and alignment of mineral crystals represented in diagram B?

• melting and solidification

• heating and increasing pressure

• compaction and cementation

• weathering and erosion

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

The world map below shows Earth’s major tectonic plate boundaries. Letters A through D represent four surface locations. Which location is on a major rift valley?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3