WorksheetsEarth Science SOL
Total questions: 39
Worksheet time: 39mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
In which of these general areas would you expect volcanoes to occur?
a)
Areas with limestone formations and water flowing underground
b)
Near areas of tectonic plate subduction such as the Pacific’s Ring of Fire
c)
Near continental-continental boundaries where mountain-building occurs
d)
At all kinds of tectonic plate boundaries
2.
All of the following are examples of mass movement EXCEPT
a)
Rockfalls
b)
Creep
c)
Seafloor spreading
d)
Mudslides
3.
In which of these general areas would you expect sinkholes to occur?
a)
Divergent tectonic plate boundaries such as mid-ocean ridges and continental rifts
b)
Anywhere there are slopes
c)
Areas with limestone formations and water flowing underground
d)
Near tectonic plate boundaries involving subduction, such as the Pacific’s Ring of Fire
4.
In which of these general areas would you expect tsunamis to be a danger?
a)
On the shores of oceans, especially oceans connected with the Pacific
b)
Anywhere there are slopes
c)
Divergent tectonic plate boundaries such as mid-ocean ridges and continental rifts
d)
Areas with limestone formations and water flowing underground
5.
Which kind of slope is most likely to fail (that is, to have a landslide or mudslide)?
a)
A granite cliff
b)
An area where sediment layers are parallel to the slope (a “dip slope”)
c)
An area where sediment layers are at an angle to the slope
d)
A flat plain
6.
How does building dams on rivers affect beaches and barrier islands in the ocean near the mouth of the river?
a)
The dams decrease the amount of sediment carried by the river, so less is available to replenish sand eroded away by wind, waves, and currents.
b)
Dams reduce the current from the river so there is less erosion of beaches and barrier islands
c)
Dams are in the river, and barrier islands are in the ocean. There is no effect.
7.
1.1.1 How long does it take the Earth to rotate once on its axis?
a)
24 hours
b)
28 days
c)
365 ¼ days
d)
26,000 years
8.
1.1.2 Which of the following is true about the Earth’s axis, the Earth’s revolution around the Sun, and the seasons?
a)
Changes in the direction of the Earth’s axis cause the seasons
b)
The Earth’s axis keeps pointing in the same direction, and as Earth travels around the Sun, the angle between the axis and the Sun changes, causing the seasons.
c)
Seasons are caused by the Earth’s elliptical orbit and its being closer to the Sun in January than it is in July
d)
Seasons are caused by the position of the moon relative to the Sun
9.
Foliations, or parallel bands of minerals, are typical of what kind of rocks?
a)
Intrusive igneous rocks
b)
Chemical sedimentary rocks
c)
Clastic sedimentary rocks
d)
Metamorphic rocks
10.
The four agents of erosion are water, _____, ice, and gravity. What goes in the blank?
a)
Bacteria
b)
Volcanoes
c)
Sunlight
d)
Wind
11.
In which of these general areas would you expect mass movement such as landslides and mudslides to occur?
a)
Near areas of tectonic plate subduction such as the Pacific’s Ring of Fire
b)
Areas with limestone formations and water flowing underground
c)
On the shores of oceans, especially those connected with the Pacific
d)
Anywhere there are slopes
12.
What appears to have occurred at the area labeled B?
a)
Sediment was deposited on sloped ground.
b)
Sediment was deposited on sloped ground that later became level.
c)
Sediment was deposited on level ground that later tilted.
d)
Sediment was deposited on level ground that stayed level.
13.
Igneous rocks are formed by -
a)
heat and pressure on existing rocks
b)
evaporation of water, leaving solids behind
c)
cooling and hardening of molten rock
d)
layers of mud on the bottom of a lake
14.
The point from which an earthquake originates is called the -
a)
focus
b)
epicenter
c)
fault line
d)
shockwave
15.
What is usually responsible for an earthquake?
a)
Pressure buildup within the mantle
b)
Slippage along faults within Earth's crust
c)
Weathering along coastlines
d)
Force changes from the moon pulling on Earth
16.
Cyanite (Al2SiO5), quartz (SiO2), and leucite (KAlSi2O6) may be grouped together because they all contain -
a)
aluminum
b)
carbon
c)
potassium
d)
silicon
17.
While on vacation, a student visits the area around a volcano that has recently erupted. The student can expect to find samples of -
a)
clastic sedimentary rock
b)
nonfoliated metamorphic rock
c)
chemical sedimentary rock
d)
extrusive igneous rock
18.
The folding and faulting found in the rocks of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia were created by -
a)
collisions of continental plates
b)
wave action of prehistoric oceans
c)
the Coriolis effect
d)
heating and cooling of the prehistoric atmosphere
19.
Which substance is a mixture of organic matter and weathered rock?
a)
Limestone
b)
Soil
c)
Schist
d)
Granite
20.
Which sequence best describes the construction of a delta from the youngest formation to the oldest formation?
a)
A-C-B-D
b)
C-A-D-B
c)
C-A-B-D
d)
B-D-A-C
21.
All of the following supports the theory of continental drift except that -
a)
the continents seem to fit together like pieces of a puzzle
b)
there are similar fossils on different continents
c)
mountain ranges in South America and Africa line up
d)
the North Pole and Antarctica are covered with ice
22.
Even though the Earth's inner core is hotter than the liquid outer core, it is still solid because -
a)
the heat rising from the inner core is melting the outer core
b)
there is more water in the outer core and it dilutes the materials
c)
the outer core is farther from the center, and there is less gravity
holding it together
holding it together
d)
the pressure from all of Earth's layers keeps it in a solid state
23.
Caves are found in Virginia's Valley and Ridge province because the area is underlain by -
a)
granite
b)
shale
c)
gneiss
d)
limestone
24.
The streak test that is used to identify minerals involves studying the -
a)
mineral's crystals with a microscope
b)
heated mineral's color as it cools
c)
appearance of the mineral under fluorescent light
d)
color of the powdered form of the mineral
25.
Which is a characteristic of all nonfoliated metamorphic rocks?
a)
presence of fossils
b)
cleavage planes
c)
lack of banding
d)
metallic luster
26.
Plant material that accumulates and hardens on the floor of a swamp is known as peat. If a layer of sediments accumulates on top of the peat, its weight, after thousands of years, can compress the peat to form coal. Which of the following types of coal probably formed from the greatest pressure?
a)
Anthracite (the hardest coal)
b)
Bituminous coal (softer than anthracite)
c)
Subbituminous coal (softer than bituminous)
d)
Lignite (the softest coal)
27.
Scientists use drill core samples to study the underlying rock structure. These two core samples were obtained from the ocean floor from locations separated by 10 km. Which layer in core sample one does not have a matching layer in core sample two?
a)
Basalt
b)
Clay
c)
Limestone
d)
Sandstone
28.
Geologists think that parts of the Appalachian Mountains formed originally from sediments accumulating in shallow swamps. The weight of the sediments caused the area beneath them to sink, allowing more sediments to accumulate. The process continued until many layers had formed. Then tectonic processes folded the layered sediments into a range of mountains. What evidence for this theory can be found in the current structure of these mountains?
a)
Some rocks making up these mountains show
signs of volcanism.
signs of volcanism.
b)
The form of these mountains is very eroded.
c)
The mountains exhibit folded layers of rocks
containing fossils from shallow water.
containing fossils from shallow water.
d)
The mountain range consists of parallel ridges
of different ages.
of different ages.
29.
During droughts, lack of rain can lead to wells drying up. This is because the drought has lowered the -
a)
water table
b)
water trough
c)
zone of aeration
d)
zone of porosity
30.
Which layer of the sun is the most dense?
a)
Chromosphere
b)
Photosphere
c)
Core
d)
Corona
31.
When the Earth is at its greatest distance from the sun, its Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, as shown in the drawing. What season takes place in the Southern Hemisphere at this time?
a)
Spring
b)
Summer
c)
Autumn
d)
Winter
32.
Periodically, there are spectacular meteor showers on Earth. These showers usually occur because the Earth's orbit passes through the remains of -
a)
a star
b)
a comet
c)
the rings of Saturn
d)
a solar flare
33.
Which planet rotates the fastest?
a)
Mercury
b)
Mars
c)
Jupiter
d)
Saturn
34.
During which portion of the Earth's revolution around the sun is the Northern Hemisphere tilted toward the sun?
a)
Vernal Equinox
b)
Summer Solstice
c)
Autumnal Equinox
d)
Winter Solstice
35.
The canyon shown in the picture was most likely formed by -
a)
a volcano
b)
high winds
c)
earthquakes
d)
running water
36.
Scientists use the rock cycle to describe the processes by which -
a)
all different types of fossils were transformed into rock
b)
one type of rock can be changed into another type of rock
c)
tectonic plates shift around the earth's surface
d)
mineral crystals and compositions are identified
37.
The mountain shown is composed of deformed sedimentary layers. They are located near a tectonic plate boundary and are still increasing in elevation due to -
a)
colliding tectonic plates
b)
seafloor spreading of tectonic plates
c)
subduction of a tectonic plate
d)
transform faulting of a tectonic plate
38.
Seawater is typically denser than freshwater due to seawater's -
a)
higher salinity
b)
lower freezing point
c)
smaller mass
d)
greater depth
39.
The label L indicates an area of low -
a)
temperatures
b)
pressure
c)
altitude
d)
rainfall
100 %
