WorksheetsWeathering and Soil Review
Total questions: 25
Worksheet time: 13mins
This mechanical weathering agent weathers a rock by grinding it down
abrasion
erosion
ice wedging
cracking
Ice wedging causes mechanical weathering of rock by means of
heating and cooling
plant growth
animal action
freezing and thawing of water
What kind of weathering causes the mineral composition of rocks to change?
mechanical
chemical
permeable
general weathering
The most important factors in determining the rate of weathering are
carbon dioxide and acid rain
abrasion and acids from plant roots
animal actions and oxygen
rock type and climate
In soil, decomposers
store moisture in the soil
break down and digest the remains of dead organisms
break down bedrock
burrow deep below the topsoil
Soil that is not protected by plant cover (moss, trees, grass) will
chemically weather
erode by water or wind
mechanically weather
contain too many organisms in the soil
Plowing removed the grass from the Great Plains and exposed the soil. What effect did this have when a drought struck the Great Plains during the 1930s?
It had no effect
It increased the soil's fertility
It helped to cause the Dust Bowl
It prevented sod from developing
What term describes the management of soil to prevent its destruction?
soil exhaustion
soil decomposition
soil conservation
soil fertility
The practice of plowing fields along the curves of a slope is called
drought plowing
contour plowing
no-till plowing
sod plowing
The type of soil called loam is made up of
pure humus
mostly clasy
nearly equal amounts of silt, sand, and clay
sand and gravel
A marble statue is left exposed to the weather. Within a few years, the details on the statue have begun to weather away. This weathering probably is caused by:
oxygen in the air.
acid rain
lichens
abrasion
In conservation plowing, why are dead weeds and stalks of the previous year’s crop left in the ground?
to keep the soil from becoming too fertile
to reduce the amount of seed needed for the next year's crop
to retain moisture and hold the soil in place
to keep more organisms out of the soil
The diagram below shows how a rock changes in flowing water. The diagram below shows how a rock changes in flowing water.
deposition
metamorphism
condensation
weathering
The diagram below shows granite bedrock with cracks. Water has seeped into the cracks and frozen. The arrows represent the directions in which the cracks have widened due to weathering. Which statement best describes the physical weathering shown by the diagram?
Enlargement of the cracks occurs because water expands when it freezes.
This type of weathering occurs only in bedrock composed of granite.
The cracks become wider because of chemical reactions between water and the rock.
This type of weathering is common in regions of primarily warm and humid climates.
In which climate would the chemical weathering of limestone occur most rapidly?
cold and dry
cold and humid
warm and dry
warm and humid
Which activity demonstrates chemical weathering?
freezing of water in the cracks of a sandstone sidewalk
abrasion of a streambed by tumbling rocks
grinding of talc into a powder
dissolving of limestone by acid rain
The diagram below shows the stump of a tree whose root grew into a small crack in bedrock and split the rock apart.
The action of the root splitting the bedrock is an example of
chemical weathering.
deposition.
erosion.
mechanical weathering.
The four limestone samples illustrated below have the same composition, mass, and volume. Under the same climatic conditions, which sample will weather fastest?
1
2
3
4
The diagram below shows a soil profile formed in an area of granite bedrock. Four different soil horizons, A, B, C, and D, are shown.
Which soil horizon contains the greatest amount of material formed by biological (plant & animal) activity?
A
B
C
D
Rapid chemical weathering can be caused by a type of rain combined with pollutants. What is this type of rain called?
abrasion
acid rain
oxidation
sulfuric acid
Humus makes soil rich in nutrients that plants need to grow. What is soil called when it is rich in nutrients?
carbon dioxide
fertile
oxidation
sterile
In which soil layer would you find loam that is rich in humus?
A Horizon (zone 1 above)
B Horizon (zone 2 above)
C Horizon (zone 3 above)
bedrock (zone 4 above)
This horizon forms as bedrock weathers.
A Horizon (zone 1 above)
B Horizon (zone 2 above)
C Horizon (zone 3 above)
bedrock (zone 4 above)
This horizon develops as rainwater washes clay and minerals from the horizon above it.
A Horizon (zone 1 above)
B Horizon (zone 2 above)
C Horizon (zone 3 above)
bedrock (zone 4 above)
What material would you expect to find in zone number 4?
decomposers
humus
bedrock
topsoil
