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WorksheetsSem 2 Earth Science Final Exam SG
Total questions: 91
Worksheet time: 46mins
In what type of rock do we find fossils?
sedimentary
metamorphic
igneous
volcanic
What can we say about the geological processes that shape the Earth's features today?
they are much different today than in the past
they are basically the same as they were in the past
they did not operate in the past
they became important several thousand years ago
The dating process that puts geologic events in a proper sequence is known as
temporary dating
radiometric dating
relative dating
temporary dating
A sedimentary layer of sandstone contains inclusions of granite. Which rock is older, the sandstone or the granite
the sandstone
the granite
both are the same age
it's impossible to know
What is the oldest rock layer in this formation?
rock layer A
intrusion K
rock layer J
cross cut L
What is the youngest feature in this formation?
rock layer A
intrusion K
rock layer J
cross cut L
Dinosaur footprints are what type of fossil?
unaltered remains
mold
carbonized remains
trace fossil
What is the best environment for fossils to form?
slow burial and soft parts
rapid burial and hard parts
rapid burial and soft parts
slow burial and hard parts
The process by which atomic nuclei spontaneously decay is called
relative dating
radio active decay
erosion
deposition
A rock sample is brought to the lab and it is determined that 1/16th of the original parent isotope remains in the rock. Using the chart above, determine the age of the sample if the half-life is 1 million years.
1 million years old
2 million years old
3 million years old
4 million years old
The Earth is how old?
2 billion years old
4.56 billion years old
13.4 billion years old
4.56 million years old
The majority of the Earth's history is in what geologic time period?
Cenozoic
Mesozoic
Paleozoic
Precambrian
One of the most common Precambrian fossils are layered mounds of calcium carbonate called ....
prokaryotes
stromatolites
trilobites
chert
Which gas was not part of Earth's original atmosphere?
water vapor
nitrogen
oxygen
carbon dioxide
When did fossil evidence become abundant in the geologic record, also known as the Cambrian Explosion?
5 billion years ago
540 million years ago
65 million years ago
300 million years ago
In the early Paleozoic period of time, life was restricted to the
seas
air
continents
islands
The Mesozoic Era is also known as the Age of .....
Fishes
Mammals
Reptiles
Bacteria
What is the current geologic period of time?
Mesozoic
Tertiary
Quaternary
Silurian
What is the relationship between fossil fuels and the greenhouse effect?
burning fossil fuels decreases the absorption capacity of greenhouse gases
burning fossil fuels lowers the greenhouse effect
burning fossil fuels releases CO2 into the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect
burning fossil fuels decreases incoming solar radiation
During the 20th century, Earth's average surface temperature
increased
fluctuated wildly
stayed the same
decreased
Which of the following events would likely lead to a decrease in average global temperatures?
volcanic activity
increase in sunspots
increase in carbon dioxide concentration
all of these
What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
nitrogen
oxygen
argon
carbon dioxide
What layer of the atmosphere contains the Ozone Layer?
troposphere
stratosphere
mesosphere
thermosphere
What can be said about the solstices?
Days and nights are equal in length everywhere on Earth
The sun's vertical rays are directly striking the equator
The solstice occurs in March and September
The sun's vertical rays are striking either the Tropic of Cancer or Tropic of Capricorn
Using the diagram, which electromagnetic waves have the shortest wavelengths?
radio
gamma rays
microwave
visible
The heating of the lower layer of the atmosphere from radiation absorbed by certain heat absorbing gases is called..
the adiabatic effect
the greenhouse effect
the photosynthesis effect
the smog effect
Earth receives energy from the sun through what method of heat transfer?
convection
conduction
radiation
none of these
What has the greatest impact on temperatures on Earth?
altitude
cloud cover
latitude
proximity to water
Based on the picture, what is true about New York City?
It is farther south than Eureka
It is located on the windward coast
It is located on a leeward coast
It has cool summers and mild winters
Which of the following best describes the general air temperature on a cloudy night?
the same as on a clear night
lower than on a clear night
less predictiable than on a clear night
higher than on a clear night
Which is the most important gas in the atmosphere when it comes to understanding atmospheric processes?
water vapor
ozone
oxygen
nitrogen
The ratio of air's water vapor content to its holding capacity is called
vapor pressure
relative humidity
wet adiabatic rate
specific humidity
What is the dew point temperature?
the temp of the air at its lowest relative humidity
the point on the ground where dew most often forms
the temp decrease due to adiabatic expansion
the temp to which air would have to be cooled to reach saturation
When temperatures are higher in cities due to building materials, people and their activities, it is known as a(n)
temperature inversion
urban heat island
urban breeze
rural breeze
Tall clouds of vertical development are associated with
thunderstorms
light rain
clear skies
low relative humidity
Tiny water droplets join together in a cloud until they become large enough to form precipitation. This process that occurs in warm clouds is called.....
Bergeron process
Collision-coelescence process
Warm air that is saturated with water vapor
contains less water vapor than cold air
contains the same amount of water vapor as cold air
does not contain any water vapor
contains more water vapor than cold air
The force exerted by the weight of the air is called
convergence
divergence
air pressure
the Coriolis effect
The ULTIMATE energy source for most wind is.......
Earth's rotation
tides
The sun's solar radiation
Earth's revolution
In this picture, the lines on the weather map that connect points of equal pressure are called
isobars
isogrids
contour lines
isotherms
In this picture, the farther apart the lines are .....
the lighter the winds
the stronger the winds
the colder the winds
the warmer the winds
High pressure systems are usually associated with which of the following
clear weather
descending air
relatively dry conditions
all of these are correct
Which surface winds blow between the subtropical high and the equator?
trade winds or easterlies
polar easterlies
westerlies
sea breezes
The deserts of the world are associated with the
polar high
subpolar low
subtropical high
equatorial low
Winds in a high pressure system blow
counterclockwise, up and in
counterclockwise, down and out
clockwise, down and out
clockwise, up and in
Winds are names according to
their source region
the surface over which they formed
for the direction they are coming from
their base temperature
An immense body of air characterized by similar properties at any given altitude is known as a(n)
cyclone
air mass
anticyclone
front
Which two properties characterize an air mass?
temperature and location
moisture level and pressure
temperature and moisture level
temperature and pressure
On a weather map, which type of front is shown like the one pictured here?
cold
stationary
warm
occulded
Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with which type of front?
stationary
cold
warm
occulded
Spiraling air which is forced into a vertical position by the updraft of a thunderstorm is called a(n)
mesocyclone
cyclone
typhoon
anticyclone
When do tornadoes happen the most frequently?
July to August
January to March
October to December
April to June
What causes a hurricane to lose energy when it moves onto land?
lack of warm, moist air
friction
heating from below by land
both friction and lack of warm, moist air
In a hurricane, the fastest winds are found
in the eye wall
in the eye
in the outer bands
in the lower quadrant of the storm
The apparent westward movement of a planet against the background of stars is called
universal gravitation
rotation
revolution
retrograde motion
The geocentric model of the universe stated that
Earth revolved around the celestial sphere
the sun was the center of the universe
Earth was a "wanderer"
Earth was the center of the universe
Which scientist was the first to use the telescope to observe the moon, identify the four largest moons of Jupiter and determined that the sun was rotation based on the movement of sunspots?
Newton
Galileo
Copernicus
Kepler
According to the Laws of Planetary Motion, what is the shape of a planet's orbit?
circular
irregular
parbolic
elliptical
What must happen for a solar eclipse to occur?
the moon must pass behind Earth
the moon's orbit must cross through the Earth's shadow or umbra
the moon's orbit must cross in between the sun and the Earth
the moon must be full
What phase of the moon is it when the moon is between the sun and the Earth?
full moon
1st quarter moon
new moon
3rd quarter moon
Why do we only see one side of the moon?
the period of rotation is greater than the period of revolution
the period of rotation is less than the period of revolution
the period of rotation is equal to the period of revolution
the moon doesn't rotate on it's axis
When the moon's phases are changing from full to new, the moon is
waning
waxing
exhibiting retrograde rotation
approaching Earth
Round depressions on the moon's surface are called
meteorites
highlands
maria
craters
The theory of how our solar system formed is called the
nebular theory
protoplanet theory
solar theory
planetesimal theory
Olympus Mons, is the largest volcano in our solar system and is located on which planet?
Mercury
Mars
Venus
Earth
The Jovian planets have atmospheres that consist mainly of
nitrogen
hydrogen
helium
both hydrogen and helium
The planet that is closest to the sun is
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Earth
Which feature on Mars points to the possibility of liquid water on the planet?
mountain ranges with faults
gullies and stream like channels
volcanic cones with craters
impact craters with sharp rims
Why isn't Pluto considered a planet?
Pluto's orbit around the sun is larger than any of the other 8 planets
Pluto's gravity is too weak to pull in smaller debris, so it hasn't cleared its orbital path
Pluto has a moon, Charon, which is more than half its size
Pluto is smaller than all of the other eight planets
Most asteroids lie between the orbits of
Venus and Earth
Earth and Mars
Mars and Jupiter
Jupiter and Saturn
The small particles that produce a streak of light when they enter Earth's atmosphere are called
asteriods
satellites
meteors
comets
Many meteor showers are associated with the orbits of
comets
satellites
meteorites
planets
Light is behaves like
a wave
a particle
a wave and a particle
a proton beam
When looking at a star's spectrum we can tell the following...
the size of the star
the chemical composition of the star
the age of the star
if it is part of a binary system
The Doppler effect tells us what about objects in space?
if they are moving towards or away from us
if they are part of a constellation
if they are stars or asteroids
how old the object is
What does a reflection telescope use to produce an image?
an antenna
a computer
a concave mirror
a lens
The first space telescope launched by NASA was the
Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Hubble Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope
Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory
Why do sunspots appear to be darker than the surrounding surface of the sun?
they are larger than anything else around it
they are very deep inside the sun
they are solid parts of the surface of the sun
they are relatively cooler than the rest of the sun's surface
Where does the sun's energy come from?
hydrogen atoms fusing together to form helium and a lot of energy
hydrogen atoms splitting apart to form helium and a lot of energy
chemical reactions of carbon and iron
photosynthesis of carbon dioxide and oxygen
Which of the following is the most explosive event on the sun?
solar winds
prominences
solar flares
umbras
Our sun will be able to exist in its present stable state for another
100 billion years
5.5 billion years
10 billion years
15.5 billion years
When we measure the distance to objects outside our solar system, we use the following unit of measure....
A.U.'s
kilometers
light-years
giga-bytes
The color of a star is based on it's surface temperature. What is the coolest star color?
yellow
blue
red
orange
If star A is farther from Earth than star B, but both stars have the same absolute magnitude, what is true about their apparent magnitude?
both stars have the same apparent magnitude
star B has the greater apparent magnitude (brighter)
star A has the greater apparent magnitude (birghter)
it's impossible to tell from this information
Using the HR diagram, which main sequence stars are the brightest?
the hottest
the coolest
the white dwarfs
the smaller stars
When is a star "born"?
after the protostar stage and fusion begins
when the red giant collapses in on itself
when a dark interstellar cloud begins to contract
during the supernova stage
When a super massive star reaches the end of it's life and explodes in a brilliant explosion it is in what stage?
the red giant stage
the protostar stage
a supernova stage
a neutron star stage
All stars, regardless of size, eventually....
turn in to black dwarfs
explode
run out of fuel and collapse
become black holes
Light cannot escape the intense gravitational pull of a
black dwarf
black hole
red giant
main-sequence star
Where is our sun located in the Milky Way?
in the very center of the galaxy
in the galactic halo
our sun is not located in the Milky Way
within one of the spiral arms of the galaxy
According to the Big Bang Theory, the universe began about how long ago?
13.7 billion years ago
130 billion years ago
4.5 billion years ago
50 billion years ago
