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Earth's Processes

Total questions: 80

Worksheet time: 43mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which layer is thought to to be composed of mostly iron and nickel?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

2.

The inner core of Earth is solid because of the...

a)

rate of rotation

b)

extreme temperatures

c)

amount of pressure

d)

magnetic field

3.

A student uses clay to construct a model of Earth. Which layer of the model should be the thinnest layer?

a)

the layer representing the mantle

b)

the layer representing the outer core

c)

the layer representing the inner core

d)

the layer representing the crust

4.

The diagram shows the composition of the surface of the Earth. Which best summarizes the composition of the surface of the Earth?

a)

three-fourths of Earth's surface is land

b)

one-fourth of Earth's surface is water

c)

Earth's surface contains more land than water

d)

Earth's surface contains more water than land

5.

When an earthquake occurs, the speed of the seismic waves changes as they

a)

move through different materials

b)

are pulled by the force of gravity

c)

lose energy to surrounding rocks

d)

reflect off boundaries

6.

The picture shows the layers of the Earth. When compared to the other layers of Earth, which layer has the lowest density?

a)

crust

b)

inner core

c)

mantle

d)

outer core

7.

Extreme conditions make Antarctica difficult for vegetative growth. Most of the plants that grow in Antarctica are simple plants, such as mosses. However, scientists found many fossils of broad-leaved plants that are now extinct. Which statement explains why extinct broad-leaved plants have been found in Antarctica?

a)

polar regions of Earth provided enough water to support plant life

b)

tsunamis carried rocks containing plant fossils to Antarctica over time

c)

Antarctica was once joined with other continents farther from the South Pole

d)

Earth's South Pole was located where the equator is today millions of years ago

8.

Seafloor spreading occurs along certain boundaries in the ocean. Which are MOST likely to form at the boundary where the seafloor is spreading?

a)

strike-slip faults

b)

subduction zones

c)

mid-ocean ridges

d)

continental shelves

9.

Between 40 and 50 million years ago, the landmass on the Indian Plate collided with the landmass on the Eurasian Plate. What formed when these landmasses collided?

a)

The Grand Canyon

b)

The Great Plains

c)

The Himalayan Mountains

d)

The Mariana Trench

10.

What causes the tectonic plates of Earth to continually move?

a)

convection currents in the mantle

b)

volcanic and seismic activity in the crust

c)

strong winds and storms

d)

rotation of the solid core

11.

Which event MOST likely caused the formation of folded mountain ranges on Earth?

a)

tectonic plates pulling apart

b)

tectonic plates pushing together

c)

tectonic plates sliding past each other

d)

tectonic plates breaking into small pieces

12.

Which is an example of a mixture?

a)

oxygen

b)

ice

c)

soil

d)

silver

13.

A sample of soil in an area of land has the following characteristics:


Surface Area: Flat

Soil Color: Dark brown

Soil Content: Humus, sand, and clay

Texture: Gritty


Which characteristic of this area indicates that the soil was formed as a result of the interaction between organisms and their environment?

a)

the area is flat

b)

the soil color is dark brown

c)

the soil contains humus

d)

the soil feels gritty

14.

The BEST soil mixture for plant growth and drainage is

a)

silt, pebbles, and clay

b)

sand, rocks, and clay

c)

humus, clay, and sand

d)

clay, silt, and rocks

15.

What is the source of the organic matter needed for MOST fertile soil?

a)

moving water

b)

eroded sand

c)

decaying plants

d)

weathered bedrock

16.

If soil is permeable

a)

water cannot flow through it

b)

water easily flows through it

c)

it contains many minerals

d)

it contains few minerals

17.

Which farming method involves planting different vegetables in different places each growing season to maintain soil quality?

a)

conservation plowing

b)

contour plowing

c)

terrace farming

d)

crop rotation

18.

Soil will pack down over time which decreases the ability of soil to hold water. Which animals would BEST help the soil hold water?

a)

earthworms making tunnels under the surface

b)

cattle making depressions with their hooves

c)

horses making trenches when they gallop

d)

sheet pulling up plants by their roots

19.

What MOST likely happens to soil when crops are NOT rotated form year to year?

a)

the soil nutrients are depleted

b)

the soil fertility increases

c)

the soil becomes more porous

d)

the soil erodes less rapidly

20.

This illustration shows how most of the recycling of rock from Earth's crust occurs. What is this process called?

a)

subduction

b)

congergence

c)

divergence

d)

faulting

21.

Where does the energy from an earthquake originate?

a)

from a sudden increase in solar radiation striking Earth

b)

from the Moon's gravitational pull during a close orbit

c)

from rocks under stress shifting deep below Earth's surface

d)

from the weight of sediments pushing down on bedrock

22.

The first person to introduce the idea of the continents moving around the surface of Earth was

a)

Niels Bohr

b)

Albert Einstein

c)

Charles Darwin

d)

Alfred Wegener

23.

To which of the following phenomena do humans contribute the least?

a)

plate tectonics

b)

soil erosion

c)

air pollution

d)

deforestation

24.

Scientists discovered the fossilized remains of a land reptile that lived 200 million years ago on the coasts of South America and Africa. Which claim is BEST supported by this discovery?

a)

New types of rock have formed in South America and Africa.

b)

All animals in South America and Africa are related to reptiles.

c)

South America and Africa are moving slowly away from each other.

d)

Sedimentation in South America and Africa has caused the fossilization of many reptiles.

25.

Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift around 1912. Which of these components of his theory is now known to be FALSE?

a)

Similar plants and animals live on continents separated by oceans.

b)

All existing continents were once joined into a supercontinent.

c)

The boundaries of many neighboring continents fit together.

d)

The Moon's gravity and Earth's spin can move the continents.

26.
The four layers that make-up the earth’s composition are
a)
Crust, Lithosphere, Mesosphere and Core
b)
Lithosphere, Asthenosphere, Mantle and Core
c)
Crust, Mantle, Outer Core and Inner Core
d)
Mantle, Outer Core, Lithosphere and Crust
27.
The hypothesis that land masses spread apart from each other and have done so in the past is known as
a)
Divergent Plate Boundary 
b)
Tension
c)
Uplift
d)
Continental drift
28.
Where does sea-floor spreading take place?
a)
Convergent Boundaries
b)
Transform Boundaries
c)
Land Boundaries
d)
Mid-Oceanic Ridges
29.
What is the thinnest layer of the earth’s composition?
a)
mantle
b)
inner core
c)
crust
d)
outer core
30.
The thickest layer of the earth is the 
a)
crust
b)
mantle
c)
inner core
d)
outer core
31.
The order of the earth’s compositional layers from most dense to least dense are
a)
Inner Core, Crust, Mantle and Outer Core
b)
Crust, Mantle, Outer Core and Inner Core
c)
Inner Core, Outer Core, Mantle and Crust
d)
Crust, Outer Core, Inner Core and Mantle.
32.
What describes the outer core?
a)
solid
b)
liquid
c)
viscous
d)
gas
33.
Which layer(s) of the Earth make up the asthenosphere?
a)
Part of the mantle
b)
Crust, mantle, Core
c)
Crust and upper mantle
d)
Only the crust
34.
Which layer of Earth is made up of tectonic plates?
a)
outer core
b)
inner core
c)
asthenosphere
d)
lithosphere
35.
The focus of an earthquake is...
a)
above ground
b)
along the edge of the ocean
c)
next to the nearest mountain range
d)
below ground
36.
The fastest seismic wave is the...
a)
p wave
b)
s wave
c)
l wave
37.
Scientists need to gather data from at least how many seismographs to plot the location of an earthquake?
a)
1
b)
2
c)
3
d)
4
38.
Scientists use the difference in arrival times between which two waves to determine the distance where the rocks fractured?
a)
P and L waves
b)
P and P waves
c)
S and S waves
d)
P and S waves
39.
This area is responsible for 90% of all earthquakes in  the world and contains numerous faults:
a)
Indian Ocean
b)
English Canal
c)
The Ring of Fire
d)
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
40.
Earthquakes under the water can cause _________________________________.
a)
tornadoes
b)
tsunamis
c)
lightening
d)
hailstorms
41.
What type of fault is this?
a)
Normal
b)
Reverse
c)
Strike-slip
42.
What type of fault is this?
a)
Normal
b)
Reverse
c)
Strike-slip
43.
Tension stress will form what type of fault?
a)
Normal Fault
b)
Strike-slip fault
c)
Reverse fault
d)
Divergent
44.
Compression stress is known to cause
a)
strike-slip faults
b)
normal faults
c)
compression faults
d)
reverse faults
45.
What type of mountain is formed by compression? 
a)
fault block mountain 
b)
folded mountain
c)
volcanic mountain
46.
A reverse fault would be found at what type of boundary?
a)
Compression
b)
Divergent
c)
Normal
d)
Convergent
47.
Boundaries that slide past each other in opposite directions are called...
a)
convergent
b)
divergent
c)
transform
d)
mountainous
48.
What occurs at transform boundaries?
a)
convection currents
b)
volcanoes
c)
earthquakes
d)
mountains
49.
Which plate boundary does not create volcanoes?
a)
transform
b)
convergent
c)
divergent
50.
All of the following are evidence of continental drift EXCEPT:
a)
similar rock layers on separate continents
b)
similar fossils on separate continents
c)
artifacts left by early humans
d)
tree fossils found in places trees do not grow
51.
The Earth's mantle is
a)
a layer of molten metal
b)
a layer of hot rock
c)
a dense ball of solid metal
d)
forms the Earth's crust
52.
What is the correct order of Earth's layers? Starting from surface
a)
Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
b)
outer core, inner core, crust, mantle
c)
crust, outer core, inner core, mantle
d)
mantle, outer core, inner core, crust
53.
When the heat source is removed from a fluid, convection currents in the fluid will
a)
change direction
b)
continue forever
c)
speed up
d)
eventually stop
54.
The Earth's inner core is 
a)
a layer of hot rock
b)
a dense ball of solid metal
c)
a layer of molten metal
d)
part of Earth's outer skin
55.
Most geologists think that the movement of Earth's plates is caused by 
a)
Earth's magnetic field
b)
conduction
c)
earthquakes
d)
convection currents in the mantle
56.
The name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago is called
a)
Wegener
b)
Pangaea
c)
Continental Crust
d)
Michael
57.
Heat transfer within a fluid takes place by 
a)
conduction
b)
density
c)
convection currents
d)
radiation
58.
The athenosphere is part of which layer?
a)
Inner core
b)
Outer Core
c)
Mantle
d)
Crust
59.
In which layer would you expect pressure to be the greatest?
a)
Outer core
b)
Mantle
c)
Crust
d)
Inner core
60.
Which layer of Earth is made up partly of crust and partly of mantle material?
a)
Asthenosphere
b)
Continental Crust
c)
Lithosphere
d)
Oceanic Crust
61.
The thinnest chemical layer of the Earth is?
a)
Mantle
b)
Lithosphere
c)
Athenosphere
d)
Crust
62.
The oceanic floor is made of?
a)
Granite
b)
Basalt
c)
Cookies
d)
Water
63.
The continental floor is made up of?
a)
Flowers and grass
b)
Basalt
c)
Granite
d)
Crust
64.
Which rock do you think is more dense basalt or granite?
a)
Basalt- oceanic rock
b)
Granite - continental rock
65.
What kind of plate boundary is shown here?
a)
divergent
b)
convergent
c)
transform
d)
strike slip
66.
What kind of plate boundary is shown here?
a)
divergent
b)
convergent
c)
transform
d)
strike slip
67.
What kind of plate boundary is shown here?
a)
divergent
b)
convergent
c)
transform
d)
strike slip
68.
What process is occurring at Z
a)
Convection currents       
b)
 Subduction 
c)
Two plates moving apart
d)
New ocean floor forming
69.
An ocean trench occurs when...
a)
plates divide and magma rises up
b)
oceanic crust subducts below continental crust
c)
we dig a hole in the ocean
d)
when plates slide past each other
70.
What is the term for a heavier, denser plate sliding under a less dense plate?
a)
plate boundary
b)
submersion
c)
accretion
d)
subduction
71.
Which type of boundary has plate moving together? 
a)
Divergent
b)
Convergent
c)
Transform
72.
Which type of boundary has plate moving apart? 
a)
Divergent
b)
Convergent
c)
Transform
73.
Which type of boundary has plate moving past each other? 
a)
Divergent
b)
Convergent
c)
Transform
74.
How many main types of plate boundaries are there? 
a)
2
b)
3
c)
4
d)
5
75.
What would you be most likely to find at a convergent boundary between two pieces of continental crust?
a)
Volcanos
b)
Mountains
c)
Rift valley
d)
Island Arc (chain of islands)
76.
What would you be most likely to find at a divergent boundary between two pieces of continental crust?
a)
Mid-Ocean Ridge
b)
Mountain
c)
Rift valley
d)
Island Arc (chain of islands)
77.
What would you be most likely to find at a divergent boundary between two pieces of oceanic crust?
a)
Rift
b)
Mid-Ocean Ridge
c)
Island Arc
d)
Flat land
78.
What would you be most likely to find at a transform boundary?
a)
(shallow) Earthquakes
b)
Volcanoes
c)
Mountains
d)
Rift valley
79.
Which type of evidence was NOT used by Alfred Wegener to support his continental drift hypothesis?
a)
evidence from landforms
b)
evidence from fossils
c)
evidence from human remains
d)
evidence from climate
80.
What is the primary cause of volcanoes and earthquakes?
a)
crustal plate movements
b)
Earth's gravitational force
c)
higher than usual tides
d)
solar magnetic storms