Earth Science Check

Does Earth represent an open environmental system or a closed environmental system?

• Earth is a closed environmental system because energy can enter or leave the system but no significant amount of matter can enter or leave the system.

• Earth is a closed environmental system because no significant amount of energy or matter can enter or leave the system.

• Earth is an open environmental system because energy can enter or leave the system even though no significant amount of matter can enter or leave the system.

Which sentence best describes the Earth system?

• It is a very stable, simple system that does not change much over time.

• It is an isolated system that does not gain or lose energy to other systems.

• It is a dynamic system with parts that interact with each other over short and long periods of time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Which of these is an example of different scales in system interactions?

• A drought in an area causes farmers to need to irrigate their fields.

• A decreased amount of rain results in decreased crop heights in a backyard garden, leading to smaller produce

• The global atmosphere is warmer one winter, leading to a decreased snow pack in a mountain region, leading to a decreased water level of a lake in the region in the spring.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

A meteorologist claims that the unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean during an El Niño year affects the number of tornadoes in Alabama. El Niño events occur approximately every 2 to 7 years. The graph show tornado data for Alabama over a number of years. Which statement could the meteorologist use to support the claim?

• There are fewer tornadoes than average in years there is no documented El Niño event.

• There was a documented El Niño in 1982-1983, and the number of tornadoes was above the average the next few years.

• There was a greater-than-average number of tornadoes in 1972 and 1982, so those must have been greater El Niño years.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which arguments best state the reasons that maps are typically designed to serve one purpose instead of multiple purposes? Include all Correct Answers.

• Maps are too small to include multiple pieces of information.

• Maps are designed to be used or viewed for a matter of seconds.

• Maps can become easily cluttered if they contain too much information.

• Maps often are designed to share specific information or details people are looking for.

What is the best definition of a system?

• Can be opened, closed, simple, or dynamic

• All the parts of the universe interacting as one

• Contains components of matter and energy and exhibits interactions between the components.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-3

The sun and Earth form a system in space in which different factors interact to drive processes. Which answer correctly matches the driving factor of each process?

• heat drives the motion of Earth's orbit and Gravity drives the formation of clouds

• Gravity drives the motion of Earth's orbit and rotation drives the formation of clouds

• rotation drives the motion of Earth's orbit and heat drives the formation of clouds

• Gravity drives the motion of Earth's orbit and heat drives the formation of clouds

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Why is it important for scientists to study multiple systems on Earth at the same time instead of studying them separately?

• They save time by studying similar parts of more than one system

• They get a better sense of what the boundaries of the systems are

• They avoid errors because processes are similar in different systems

• They can observe how parts of the different systems affect each other.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Rainwater washing away sediment on a hillside is primarily an interaction between which of Earth’s spheres?

• Biosphere and hydrosphere

• Atmosphere and biosphere

• Geosphere and atmosphere

• Hydrosphere and geosphere

How can you determine which way a river is flowing on a topographic map?

• It flows parallel to the curves on the map

• It flows perpendicular to the curves on the map

• It flows from lines that are closer together to lines that farther apart

• It flows from lines that are farther apart to lines that are closer