Quiz about Geology Test

Question 1

The branch of science that studies the structure and history of the Universe is ______.

Accepted Answer

cosmology

Answer

cosmetology

Answer

Scientology

Answer

universalism

Question 2

The change in wavelength (and, therefore, frequency) of waves that happens if the source of the waves is moving is explained by the _______.

Accepted Answer

Doppler effect

Answer

Big Bang theory

Answer

nebular theory

Answer

expanding Universe theory

Question 3

Strong evidence that the Universe is expanding comes from the fact that the light emitted from nearly all distant galaxies appears to be _______.

Accepted Answer

red-shifted

Answer

blue-shifted

Answer

green-shifted

Answer

yellow-shifted

Question 4

Which of the following is true about blue-shifted light that we detect from the cosmos?

Accepted Answer

it signifies a source that is moving towards us

Answer

it is common for galaxies to emit this type of light

Answer

the detected light has a longer wavelength than at the source

Answer

the detected light has a lower frequency than at the source

Question 5

According to the Big Bang theory, ______.

Accepted Answer

the Universe is much older than Earth

Answer

Earth is much older than the rest of the Universe

Answer

Earth and the Universe formed at about the same time

Answer

there is no way of knowing how old the Universe might be

Question 6

Atoms that are heavier than iron are generally produced by ________.

Accepted Answer

explosions of supernovas

Answer

fission reactions within stars

Answer

fusion reactions within stars

Answer

explosion of comics

Question 7

By far the most common elements in the Universe and in our Solar System are_______.

Accepted Answer

iron and manganese

Answer

nitrogen and oxygen

Answer

hydrogen and helium

Answer

hydrogen and oxygen

Question 8

Our Sun belongs to a galaxy known as _______.

Accepted Answer

the Milky Way

Answer

Andromeda

Answer

Cepheus

Answer

the Stratosphere

Question 9

The current scientific explanation for the origin of planets, moons, asteroids, and the comets is the _________.

Accepted Answer

nebular theory

Answer

expanding Universe theory

Answer

Big Bang theory

Question 10

In the heliocentric model _____.

Accepted Answer

Earth orbits around the Sun

Answer

the Sun orbits around Earth

Answer

Earth is a stationary planet

Answer

Mercury and Venus orbit around the Sun, but all other planets orbit around Earth

Question 11

According to the currently accepted scientific model, which of the following is NOT correct about the formation of the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A large comet collided with the newborn Earth

Answer

A large part of the Earth's mantle disintegrated

Answer

The Earth developed a ring, like those found around Saturn and Jupiter

Answer

The colliding body disintegrated

Question 12

Differentiation of the core from the mantle early in Earth's history was possible because the planet was ______ at the time.

Accepted Answer

very hot

Answer

very cold

Question 13

Which of the following bodies is the smallest?

Accepted Answer

planetesimal

Answer

planet

Answer

star

Answer

protoplanet

Question 14

Humans first realized that the Earth was spherical ________.

Accepted Answer

during the time of Aristotle in ancient Greece

Answer

as a result of the voyages of Christopher Columbus

Answer

when Magellan's crew was able to sail completely around the world

Answer

during the Renaissance

Question 15

The process of differentiation results in all of the following EXCEPT_________.

Accepted Answer

planets forming atmospheres

Answer

denser materials becoming concentrated near the cores of planets

Answer

rocky materials forming the mantles of planets

Answer

planets becoming approximately spherical

Question 16

The metal alloy that makes up the core of Earth is _____, as compared to the rocky mantle.

Accepted Answer

denser

Answer

less dense

Answer

very similar in chemistry and density

Answer

distinct in Chemistry but of very similar density

Question 17

Terrestrial planets are mainly composed of _____ while Jovian planets are made dominantly of _______.

Accepted Answer

rock and metals; volatiles

Answer

volatiles; rock and minerals

Answer

refractory materials; volatiles and metals

Answer

volatiles and metals; refractory materials

Question 18

Scientist believe that the Moon formed due to a large planetesimal colliding with the Earth because it has a composition similar to ________.

Accepted Answer

Earth's mantle

Answer

other meteors

Answer

other comets

Answer

Earth's crust

Question 19

The circumference of Earth is most nearly _______.

Accepted Answer

40,000 km

Answer

400 km

Answer

4,000 km

Answer

4,000,000 km

Question 20

A great boost in seafloor exploration and a greater understanding of seafloor bathymetry was a result of ________.

Accepted Answer

military needs in World War II

Answer

scientific advances in the 1950's

Answer

scientific advances in the 1920's

Answer

military needs in World War I

Question 21

According to the figure below. Earth's magnetic poles move constantly. About how far from the geographic poles do the magnetic poles move?

Accepted Answer

They remain in the high latitudes

Answer

They move as far south as the equator

Answer

They move as far south as the tropics

Answer

They remain less than a kilometer from the geographic poles

Question 22

According to the figure below, marine magnetic anomalies lay roughly ________ to mid-ocean ridges.

Accepted Answer

perpendicular

Answer

parallel

Answer

adjacent

Answer

at an obtuse angle

Question 23

All basalts younger than 700,000 years old ________.

Accepted Answer

have normal magnetic polarity

Answer

have reverse magnetic polarity

Answer

are found on the ocean floor very far from mid-ocean ridges

Answer

are found on the continents

Question 24

As shown below, Wegener proposed continental drift after he observed evidence from fossils, glacial deposits, and the fit of the continents that suggested all of the continents were once ________.

Accepted Answer

combined to form a supercontinent he termed Pangaea

Answer

aligned north to south along the prime meridian

Answer

aligned east to west along the equator

Answer

combined to form a supercontinent he termed Radinia

Question 25

Beneath a blanket of sediments, oceanic crust is primarily composed of ________

Accepted Answer

basalt

Answer

granite

Answer

limestone

Answer

coal

Question 26

By deep-sea drilling, the Glomar Challenger proved the theory that if the model of seafloor spreading was correct, then seafloor sediment should be ________ and ________ as one moves away from the spreading axis.

Accepted Answer

thicker; older

Answer

thicker; younger

Answer

thinner; younger

Answer

thinner; older

Question 27

Consult the figure below. Abundant swamps led to the formation of coal during the Late Paleozoic in which of the following places?

Accepted Answer

North America

Answer

India

Answer

southern Africa

Answer

Antartica

Question 28

Consult the figure below. Marine magnetic anomaly belts are widest when and where ________

Accepted Answer

seafloor spreading rates are relatively rapid

Answer

continents are joined to form supercontinents

Answer

seafloor spreading rates are relatively slow

Answer

supercontinents first began to rift apart

Question 29

Currently, most geologist __________.

Accepted Answer

agree that continental drift occurs due to mechanisms at work in the ocean basins and upper mantle

Answer

continue to reject continental drift

Answer

agree that continental drift occurs, but they still do not understand why it occurs

Answer

agree that continental drift occurs due to mechanism at work in the lower mantle and outer core

Question 30

Deep-ocean trenches are found predominantly along the perimeter of the ________

Accepted Answer

Pacific Ocean

Answer

Indian Ocean

Answer

Atlantic Ocean

Answer

Arctic Ocean

Question 31

Distinctive rock sequences on South America terminate at the Atlantic Ocean but reappear on the continent of

Accepted Answer

Africa

Answer

Europe

Answer

North America

Answer

Australia

Question 32

Evidence of paleomagnetism can be found in ________.

Accepted Answer

All of the above are correct

Answer

basalt that has cooled from lava

Answer

any rocks with magnetic minerals present

Answer

sedimentary rocks where minerals form from ion-bearing groundwater

Question 33

Evidence that glaciers once covered an area might include ________.

Accepted Answer

till and striations

Answer

backwash and striations

Answer

till and grabens

Answer

backwash and grabens

Question 34

Evidence that the South American and African continents were once joined includes evidence from their coastlines such as ________.

Accepted Answer

matching fossil distributions

Answer

shared anthropological evidence

Answer

identical mineral properties

Answer

symmetrical earthquake patterns

Question 35

If a geologist discovered coal in a modern-day cold, snowy location, he or she could conclude that ________.

Accepted Answer

the area was once covered with swamps and/or jungles

Answer

a meteorite must have struck the area

Answer

the area was once covered with an ocean

Answer

this discovery was anomalous

Question 36

If you were using both a compass and a map marked with latitude and longitude to navigate, you might note the angle difference between your compass and what is marked on the map, called ________.

Accepted Answer

magnetic declination

Answer

magnetic inclination

Answer

magnetic dipole

Answer

magnetic reversal

Question 37

Late Paleozoic glacial deposits are NOT found in which of the following places?

Accepted Answer

North America

Answer

India

Answer

southern Africa

Answer

South America

Question 38

Limestone reefs and salt deposits are important rocks in the reconstruction of Earth history because they ________.

Accepted Answer

can be used to infer the ancient climate of the Earth; they are deposited in environments that are restricted to warm climate

Answer

automatically provide age information; all such deposits occurred between 200 and 400 million years ago

Answer

are deposited in warm climates today, but there is good reason to think that they were deposited in cold climates millions of years ago

Answer

pinpoint the locations of old subduction zones

Question 39

Marine magnetic anomalies result from seafloor spreading in conjunction with ________

Accepted Answer

magnetic polarity reversals

Answer

global warming

Answer

magnetic storms on the surface of the Sun

Answer

apparent wander of the magnetic poles

Question 40

Marine magnetic anomaly belts run parallel to ________.

Accepted Answer

mid-ocean ridges

Answer

fracture zones

Answer

continental coastlines

Answer

continental shelves

Question 41

A fracture in the crust, where rocks slide past one another, is termed a ______.

Accepted Answer

fault

Answer

flying layer

Answer

friciional discontinuity

Answer

fold

Question 42

A silica-rich igneous rock that has large crystals and makes up much of the continental crust is ________.

Accepted Answer

granite

Answer

gabbro

Answer

basalt

Answer

peridotite

Question 43

A mixture of copper and tin would be called a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

an alloy

Answer

a melt

Answer

a volatile

Answer

a metal

Question 44

An aurora (shown below) is produced when ________

Accepted Answer

solar wind particles are directed toward the poles and excite atmospheric gases

Answer

swamp gases rise upward from the arctic tundra

Answer

lightning travels from cloud to cloud rather than cloud to ground

Answer

radiation in the Van Allen belts can be seen on a clear, cold night

Question 45

As compared to the asthenosphere, the lithosphere is __

Accepted Answer

cooler and less able to flow

Answer

cooler and more able to flow

Answer

hotter and more able to flow

Answer

hotter and less able to flow

Question 46

As compared to ultramafic rocks, mafic rocks have a ________.

Accepted Answer

greater proportion of silica

Answer

lesser proportion of silca

Answer

greater proportion of iron and magnesium atoms

Question 47

As compared to the rocks that make up the crust, Earth as a whole is ________

Accepted Answer

considerably more dense

Answer

considerably less dense

Answer

slightly mess dense

Answer

about the same density

Question 48

Earth's surface is protected from solar wind and cosmic radiation by _______.

Accepted Answer

Earth's magnetic field

Answer

a large, metallic shield launched into orbit by NASA in the 1960's

Answer

a powerful stream of ions emitted by the Sun

Answer

Earth's gravitational field

Question 49

During a journey to the center of the Earth, one would experience temperature ________.

Accepted Answer

and pressure both increasing

Answer

and pressure both decreasing

Answer

increasing, but pressure staying nearly the same

Answer

remaining remarkably constant, but pressure increasing

Question 50

If you were measuring the elevation of a mountain, you would be measuring variation in ________, whereas if you were doing the same on a mid-ocean ridge, you would be measuring variation in ________.

Accepted Answer

topography; bathymetry

Answer

bathymetry; isostasy

Answer

topography; isostasy

Answer

bathymetry; topography

Question 51

From left to right, correctly label each section of this slice of the Earth.

Accepted Answer

crust, upper mantle, transition zone, lower mantle, liquid outer core, solid inner core

Answer

transition zone, crust, liquid outer core, solid inner core, upper mantle, lower mantle

Answer

transition zone, crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, liquid outer core, solid inner core

Answer

crust, liquid outer core, transition zone, solid inner core, upper mantle, lower mantle

Question 52

If one were to see a comet passing by Earth, it is likely that this comet originated from ________.

Accepted Answer

the Kuiper belt

Answer

interplanetary space

Answer

the asteroid belt

Answer

the heliosphere

Question 53

Presently, Earth's atmosphere is dominated by which two gases?

Accepted Answer

nitrogen and oxygen

Answer

hydrogen and oxygen

Answer

carbon dioxide and methane

Answer

nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide

Question 54

Most continental topography lies within a range of altitude between ____________.

Accepted Answer

sea level and 1 km above sea level

Answer

3 to 6 km above sea level

Answer

sea level and 1 km below sea level

Answer

2 to 5 km above sea level

Question 55

In the whole Earth, the four most common elements are oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and ____________.

Accepted Answer

iron

Answer

copper

Answer

lead

Answer

zinc

Question 56

In general, the mantle is made of the rock ________ and has a(n) ________ composition.

Accepted Answer

peridotite; ultramafic

Answer

granite; igneous

Answer

volcanic; igneous

Answer

basalt; sedimentary

Question 57

If one were to ride a hot air balloon up into the atmosphere, one would experience the concentration of gases ________.

Accepted Answer

becoming less dense

Answer

become more dense

Question 58

Earth's geothermal gradient is the rate of temperature change incurred by ________.

Accepted Answer

traversing down within Earth's interior

Answer

moving towards the solar system

Answer

moving towards the sun

Answer

traversing through the world

Question 59

In general, seismic (earthquake-generated) waves travel ________ in the mantle compared to the shallow crust.

Accepted Answer

faster

Answer

slower

Question 60

Most of the ocean floor is made up of _______

Accepted Answer

abyssal plains (4 to 5 km below sea level)

Answer

lublinite plains (2 to 8 km above sea levels)

Question 61

Of the three primary compositional layers of the Earth (crust, mantle, core), which is the thickest layer?

Accepted Answer

core

Answer

crust

Answer

mantle

Question 62

Compared to oceanic crust, continental crust is ________.

Accepted Answer

thicker

Answer

thinner

Question 63

At a subduction zone, the downgoing (subducting) plate ________.

Accepted Answer

is always composed of oceanic lithosphere

Answer

is always composed of continental lithosphere

Answer

may be composed of either oceanic or continental lithosphere

Answer

is composed entirely of asthenosphere

Question 64

At a subduction zone, the overriding plate ________.

Accepted Answer

may be composed of either oceanic or continental lithosphere

Answer

is always composed of continental lithosphere

Answer

is always composed of oceanic lithosphere

Answer

is composed entirely of asthenosphere

Geology Test

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