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Earth's Major Spheres, Evolution of Earth, & Plate Tectonics

Total questions: 37

Worksheet time: 19mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which spheres are interacting in a volcanic eruption?

a)

hydrosphere and atmosphere

b)

atmosphere and biosphere

c)

atmosphere and geosphere

d)

geosphere and cryosphere

2.

Which of earth's spheres includes the oceans, groundwater, lakes, and glaciers?

a)

the atmosphere

b)

the hydrosphere

c)

the biosphere

d)

the geosphere

3.

The life forms of the biosphere are located in the the ________.

a)

geosphere only

b)

hydrosphere and atmosphere only

c)

atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere

d)

hydrosphere only

4.

Energy from the sun is stored by plants. When animals eat the plants, they acquire the energy originally captured by the plants. Between which two spheres is this interaction?

a)

Hydrosphere and biosphere

b)

Atmosphere and biosphere

c)

Biosphere and biosphere

d)

Geosphere and biosphere

5.

When plants draw nutrients from the soil, the interaction is between which two spheres?

a)

The atmosphere and the geosphere

b)

The geosphere and the hydrosphere

c)

The hydrosphere and atmosphere

d)

The biosphere and the geosphere

6.

During daylight hours, a plant takes carbon dioxide from the air and emits oxygen into the air. Which spheres are interacting in this activity?

a)

Biosphere and atmosphere

b)

Geosphere and atmosphere

c)

Hydrosphere and atmosphere

d)

Atmosphere and atmosphere

7.

When a whale breathes, which of Earth's spheres are interacting?

a)

Geosphere

b)

Atmosphere

c)

Hydrosphere

d)

Bioshphere

8.

Water evaporating from the surface of a lake moves from the ...

a)

atmosphere to the geosphere

b)

geosphere to the hydrosphere

c)

hydrosphere to the atmosphere

d)

atmosphere to the hydrosphere

9.

4.54 billion years ago, __________.

a)

the Earth was created

b)

the moon was created

c)

the Sun was created

d)

a young planet called Theia collides with Earth

10.

3.9 billion years ago, __________.

a)

meteors containing water impacted the Earth

b)

photosynthesizing bacteria came into existence

c)

the Earth is a boiling ball of liquid rock

d)

the Earth's crust formed

11.

3.8 billion years ago, __________.

a)

the Earth's surface is covered with water and tiny islands formed by erupting volcanoes

b)

single-cell photosynthesizing bacteria came into existence

c)

the Earth is a boiling ball of liquid rock

d)

the Earth's crust formed

e)

a violent new phase of meteor bombardment brought minerals, carbon, and primitive amino acids.

12.

3.5 billion years ago, __________.

a)

stromatolites (colonies of bacteria) filled the ocean with oxygen and transforms the atmosphere.

b)

photosynthesizing bacteria came into existence

c)

the Earth is a boiling ball of liquid rock

d)

the Earth's crust formed

13.

1.5 billion years ago, __________.

a)

stromatolites (colonies of bacteria) are still pumping oxygen into the atmosphere.

b)

The Earth's crust broke into large plates that moved and brought all the islands together to form the supercontinent known as Rodinia.

c)

photosynthesizing bacteria came into existence

d)

the sun's ultraviolet light reacted with chemicals in ice to produce hydrogen peroxide.

14.

750 million years ago, __________.

a)

heat from the Earth's molten core broke the Earth's supercontinent known as Rodinia into two.

b)

The Earth's crust broke into large plates that moved and brought all the islands together to form a supercontinent known as Rodinia.

c)

intense geological activity gave rise to a large group of erupting volcanoes.

d)

a high concentration of oxygen levels in the atmosphere lead to huge animals such as dragon flies the size of an eagle.

15.

650 million years ago, _____________ brought the ice age known as "Snow Ball Earth" to an end.

a)

sunlight

b)

heat from erupting volcanoes

c)

an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere trapped heat and

d)

the shift of the Earth's axis of rotation towards the sun

16.

540 million years ago, after "Snow Ball Earth" in the ocean filled with oxygen_____________.

a)

primitive bacteria evolved to multicellular plants and animals in the ocean

b)

an asteroid hits Earth destroying most of life. Mammals survive

c)

200 people cross out of Africa, and they multiply and spread out

d)

life on Earth migrates from the ocean to land

17.

360 million years ago, _____________.

a)

Tiktaalik fish ventured into the land where plant life was exploding

b)

earth's continent known as Gondwana formed

c)

200 people cross out of Africa, and they multiply and spread out

d)

the ozone layer is formed

18.

65 million years ago, _____________.

a)

An asteroid collision killed most life on Earth, including the dinosaurs.

b)

layers of dead plants that made the coal that we used today were created.

c)

200 people cross out of Africa, and they multiply and spread out

d)

the Permian extinction took place

19.

What layer of Earth’s geosphere is labeled A?

a)

inner core

b)

outer core

c)

mantle

d)

crust

20.

What layer of Earth’s geosphere is labeled C?

a)

crust

b)

upper mantle

c)

lower mantle

d)

outer core

21.

What layer of Earth’s geosphere is labeled D?

a)

inner core

b)

outer core

c)

upper mantle

d)

lithosphere

22.

What layer of Earth’s geosphere is labeled E?

a)

inner core

b)

outer core

c)

upper mantle

d)

lithosphere

23.

What layer of Earth’s geosphere is labeled B?

a)

inner core

b)

outer core

c)

upper mantle

d)

lithosphere

24.

What layer of Earth’s geosphere is labeled F?

a)

inner core

b)

outer core

c)

upper mantle

d)

lithosphere

25.

What are the three main parts of the geosphere?

a)

atmosphere, crust, core

b)

lithosphere, mantle, core

c)

crust, mantle, core

d)

asthenosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere

26.

According to the plate tectonics model, what layers form Earth's rigid, mobile plates?

a)

inner and outer core

b)

upper and lower mantle

c)

crust only

d)

crust and uppermost mantle

27.

What type of plate boundary is illustrated in this figure?

a)

divergent boundary

b)

convergent oceanic-continental boundary

c)

convergent continental-continental boundary

d)

convergent oceanic-oceanic boundary

28.

What type of plate boundary is illustrated in this figure?

a)

divergent boundary

b)

convergent oceanic-continental boundary

c)

convergent continental-continental boundary

d)

convergent oceanic-oceanic boundary

29.

What layer of Earth is labeled D?

a)

Asthenosphere

b)

Continental Crust

c)

Oceanic Crust

d)

Continental Crust

30.

What feature is labeled B?

a)

Trench

b)

Oceanic Ridge

c)

Volcanic Island Arc

d)

Subduction Zone

31.

Which of the following is a geographic example of a transform fault boundary?

a)

the East African Rift valley

b)

the San Andreas Fault

c)

the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

d)

the Andes Mountains

32.

Which of the following results when divergence occurs between two oceanic plates?

a)

seafloor spreading

b)

a subduction zone

c)

an ocean trench

d)

a volcanic island arc

33.

An example of a divergent plate boundary on oceanic lithosphere would be ____.

a)

the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

b)

East Pacific Rise

c)

the East African Rift Valley

d)

the Andes Mountains

34.

New ocean crust is formed at __________.

a)

divergent boundaries

b)

convergent boundaries

c)

continental volcanic arcs

d)

transform fault boundaries

35.

An example of a convergent oceanic-continental plate boundary in South America would be ____.

a)

the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

b)

East Pacific Rise

c)

the East African Rift Valley

d)

the Andes Mountains

36.

Continental volcanic arcs are associated with what type of plate boundary?

a)

convergent continental-continental boundary

b)

convergent oceanic-continental boundary

c)

transform fault boundary

d)

convergent oceanic-oceanic boundary

37.

Volcanic island arcs are associated with what type of plate boundary?

a)

divergent boundary

b)

convergent continental-continental boundary

c)

convergent oceanic-continental boundary

d)

convergent oceanic-oceanic boundary