SSA Review

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Which of the following correctly lists the layers in order from oldest to youngest?

• A, B, C, D, E

• E, B, C, D, A

• E, D, C, B, A

• C, B, A, D, E

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Of the rock layers found in these three outcrops, which layer was likely to have formed most recently?

• 
• 
• 
• 

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which of the following 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.

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

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.