Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

earth science midterm

Total questions: 80

Worksheet time: 40mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of these is a pure substance?

a)

solid aluminum

b)

the air

c)

granite

d)

whipped cream

2.

for an object to have kinetic energy, it must be...

a)

electrically charged

b)

a solid

c)

under tension

d)

moving

3.

few drops result from water...

a)

melting

b)

freezing

c)

boiling

d)

condensing

4.

by definition a force is...

a)

a push

b)

a pull

c)

a push and pull

d)

a push or a pull

5.

matter is defined as anything that...

a)

can be seen and has density

b)

is organic and uniform

c)

occupies space and has mass

d)

responds to gravity and has color

6.

in which state of matter do the particles posses the most energy

a)

gas

b)

solid

c)

plasma

d)

liquid

7.

which force(s) is/are significant in producing a snow avalanche?

a)

gravity

b)

friction

c)

neither a or b

d)

both a and b

8.

an object's weight results from...

a)

it mass

b)

gravity

c)

both a and b

d)

neither a or b

9.

which of these would not be considered a fluid

a)

nitrogen gas in a tank

b)

a bar of pure gold

c)

liquid mercury

d)

ocean water

10.

boiling is a form of...

a)

melting

b)

freezing

c)

vaporization

d)

condensation

11.

which of these is a field force?

a)

compression

b)

magnetism

c)

friction

d)

shear

12.

a substance's state of matter is most directly affected by its....

a)

electrical charge

b)

field forces

c)

atomic number

d)

temperature

13.

liters, cubic inches, quarts, and milliliters are all measures of....

a)

volume

b)

weight

c)

density

d)

mass

14.

the first law of thermodynamics states that....

a)

energy in the universe is continually coming into existence

b)

energy in the universe is continually going out of existence

c)

total energy in the universe

d)

energy in the universe is both coming into and out of existence

15.

what is operationally defined as " the ability to work"?

a)

energy

b)

potential

c)

mechanics

d)

thermodynamics

16.

sweetened tea would be an example of a....

a)

pure substance

b)

condesnate

c)

mixture

d)

plasma

17.

if a substance has a fixture (unchanging) volume but not a definite shape, it is in the state

a)

plasma

b)

liquid

c)

gas

d)

solid

18.

if you are in charge of creating the route for a new hiking trail through a mountanious region, you should by using a map

a)

geographic

b)

contour

c)

topographic

d)

political

19.

if you were standing at a point that has 0 latitude, you would be standing on

a)

the equator

b)

the north pole

c)

the south pole

d)

the tropic of cancer

20.

the arrow on many maps points

a)

south

b)

north

c)

to the prime meridian

d)

to the equator

21.

which of these would most accurately show the true shape of a continent?

a)

a aerial map

b)

a globe

c)

an oblique view map

d)

there is no difference.

22.

a map of the united states that is shaded to show the ranges of the grey wolf and red wolf would be considered a map

a)

geographic

b)

political

c)

topographic

d)

thematic

23.

which of these choices is true about any map that shows the entire world?

a)

some direction exists somewhere in the map

b)

land is always brown and the ocean is always blue

c)

lines of latitude and longitude are always perpendicular

d)

the map is always rectangular

24.

what is highest possible number for a longitude reading?

a)

45

b)

90

c)

180

d)

360

25.

the international date line passes through

a)

the western pacific ocean

b)

the eastern atlantic ocean

c)

the center asia

d)

none of these

26.

a person who creates maps is called a....

a)

geometer

b)

map analyst

c)

mapographer

d)

cartographer

27.

north, south, east, west are known as the directions

a)

ordinal

b)

equatorial

c)

cardinal

d)

polar

28.

scientists believe that the earth's core is composed most

a)

iron

b)

aluminum

c)

steel

d)

copper

29.

if the earth's axis was perpendicular to its orbital plane,

a)

the equatorial zone would be cooler than it is

b)

the polar zones would be warmer than they are

c)

the zone between the equatorial region and the poles would be much broader

d)

there would be wide, hot equatorial belt and very cold polar zones

30.

what would happen if the earth orbited the sun beyond the habitability zone?

a)

too little sunlight would reach the earth, stunting plant growth

b)

carbon dioxide clouds would form

c)

most water on the earth's surface would freeze over

d)

all the above would occur

31.

which planet's gravity is most responsible for keeping asteroids away from earth?

a)

venus

b)

jupiter

c)

mars

d)

saturn

32.

which of these layers of the earth is the thinnest?

a)

asthenosphere

b)

crust

c)

mantle

d)

core

33.

which of these statements are true?

a)

all renewable natural resources are biological natural sources

b)

all renewable natural resources are non biological natural resources

c)

some biological and some non biological resources are renewable

34.

what property or properties can make a resource precious or valuable

a)

its usefulness

b)

how rare is is

c)

both a and b

d)

neither a or b

35.

the earth's crust is

a)

thicker under oceans than under the continents

b)

thinner under oceans than under the continents

c)

about the same thickness not matter where you measure it

d)

constantly changing in thickness over time

36.

what strange property of water helps animals survive cold winters in a pond

a)

water sinks when it becomes a solid

b)

water floats when it becomes a solid

c)

water never becomes a solid

d)

water becomes denser when it gets colder

37.

which of these is a biological natural resource?

a)

soil

b)

seawater

c)

sunlight

d)

shrimp

38.

who is considered to be the father of geology

a)

alfred wegener

b)

charles darwin

c)

charles lyell

d)

james hutton

39.

the word geology literally means the study of the

a)

earth

b)

core

c)

crust

d)

ocean

40.

among other things, the earths atmosphere protects us from

a)

ozone

b)

sunspots

c)

solar wind

d)

meteors

41.

the earth's crust is made up of large divisions known as

a)

continents

b)

tectonic plates

c)

geoshields

d)

cores

42.

which of the following is the least dangerous location in a large galaxy like ours?

a)

in the dense galatic center

b)

inside a dense, dusty spiral arm with lots of stars

c)

in the space between the arms of the galaxy

d)

inside a star cluster located between the arms of the galaxy

43.

which of these questions would fall within the limits of historical geology?

a)

what causes earthquakes

b)

where can we look for new iron ore deposits

c)

how thick is the earth's crust

d)

how did the grand canyon form

44.

a resource manager who is concerned with sustainable yields would be working with.......

a)

a renewable source

b)

a nonrenewable source

c)

either a nonrenewable source or a renewable source

d)

a polluted source

45.

our seasons are most directly caused by......

a)

the earth's tilt

b)

the earth rotation

c)

the earth's gravity

d)

the earth's atmosphere

46.

according to most secular geologists which of these was caused by a collision

a)

the earth

b)

the moon

c)

both a and b

d)

neither a or b

47.

secular geologists believe pangaea was......

a)

a single continental plate

b)

first super continent

c)

made of many continental plates

d)

the global sea surrounding the last supercontinent

48.

geologically the term stratum refers to

a)

a long period of time

b)

a rare fossil

c)

a large plate of the earth's crust

d)

a layer of rock

49.

scientists who study layers of rocks and their relationships are working in a field called

a)

tectonics

b)

paleontology

c)

stratigraphy

d)

radiometry

50.

which of the following is necessary for a glacial period to begin?

a)

a gradual cooling of both continents and oceans

b)

a rapid cooling of continents surrounded by very warm water

c)

a rapid cooling of both continents and oceans

d)

a gradual cooling of oceans surrounding warm continents

51.

the flood described in the book of genesis......

a)

affected only the people living in the middle east

b)

marked the beginning of all civilizations in secular histories

c)

lasted 40 days and 40 nights

d)

was an exaggeration by ancient historians who described the black sea flooding in the mediterranean sea a long time ago

52.

which one of the following is a creationary scientist who studied meteorology and proposed a hypothesis on how a single ice age could have occurred after the flood?

a)

alfred wegner

b)

john baumgardner

c)

michael oard

d)

tasman walker

53.

a creationary scientist's explanation for what caused the extinction of the wooly mammoths includes all of the following except......

a)

lack of food

b)

plate tectonics

c)

rising seas

d)

dust storms

54.

the bottom level of a diluvial geologic column would be......

a)

the creation event

b)

the flood

c)

the lost world era

d)

the new world era

55.

geosynclines are......

a)

the small folds of strata you see along roads cut through rock

b)

large uplifted sections of rock forming structures called domes

c)

associated with volcanoes

d)

large sunken regions of rock many miles across

56.

alfred wehner was a german meteorologist and geophysicist who proposed the.....

a)

principle of superposition

b)

nebular hypothesis

c)

catastrophic plate tectonics theory

d)

continental displacement theory

57.

if you were a geologist interested in studying the earth's most recently formed crust where would you go?

a)

the rift at mid ocean ridge

b)

a asthenosphere

c)

the middle of a geosyncline

d)

atop a glacier

58.

sea floor spreading is thought to be driven by the movement of......

a)

glaciers

b)

synclines

c)

the mantle

d)

sediments

59.

tectonic plates

a)

contain only continets

b)

contain only oceanic crust

c)

may contain both continental crust and oceanic crust

d)

make up a conceptual model for explaining the history of the earth's surface but are not real things

60.

catastropic plate tectonics

a)

has no experimental support for the theory

b)

resulted in rapid movements of tectonic plates during a short amount of times

c)

would have generated so much heat that the entire earth's crust would have melted

d)

was described in genesis 7 and 8

61.

an instrument that simply measures earth waves is.....

a)

seismoscope

b)

seismograph

c)

seismometer

d)

seismotracker

62.

which of these can cause earthquakes?

a)

slipping of a fault

b)

eruption of a volcanoe

c)

a landslide

d)

all of these

63.

which of these is an example involving the stress force known as tension?

a)

the force of a rock exerts as it strikes a roadway after tumbling down a hill

b)

a force a rock climber exerts on the rope as he rappels down a cliff

c)

the sliding of two layers of rock across each other during a mudslide

d)

the rolling of a rock along the bottom of a raging river

64.

subduction would most likely be occurring at a boundary

a)

convergent

b)

divergent

c)

normal

d)

transform

65.

most major faults in the united states are found in.....

a)

coastal plains

b)

inland prairies

c)

mountain ranges

d)

southwestern deserts

66.

certain types of seismic waves travel

a)

only on the earth's surface

b)

through the earth but not the core

c)

through the earth including the core

d)

in all these ways

67.

MMI measures....

a)

wave speed

b)

wave duration

c)

damage

d)

magnitude

68.

one quake measures 6.0 and another 7.0 on the richter scale how does the second quake's intensity compare to that of the first?

a)

it is slightly more intense

b)

it is one damage level higher

c)

it is 10 times more intense

d)

it is about 32 times more intense

69.

an instrument that both detects and records earth waves is a

a)

seismmoscope

b)

seismograph

c)

seismometer

d)

seismotracker

70.

mountain landforms that are made of anticlines and synclines are

a)

fold mountains

b)

depositional mountains

c)

basins

d)

fault block mountains

71.

most folded sedim entary rock strata are smoothly shaped this indicates that

a)

the strata were folded slowly

b)

the rocks forming the strata are quite ductile

c)

the strata were still soft when they were quickly folded

d)

they were deposisted that way

72.

an eroded syncline,

a)

the older exposed rocks lie to both sides of the fold

b)

the older exposed rocks like along the center of the fold

c)

the younger rocks lie deep underground out of view

d)

the younger exposed rocks lie to both sides of the fold

73.

a rift structure is often present at

a)

a divergent plate boundary zone

b)

a convergent plate boundary zone

c)

a transverse fault zone

d)

a uplifted zone

74.

a plateau made of sedim entary rock was likely formed through the tectonic process of

a)

glacitation

b)

erosion

c)

uplift

d)

subsidence

75.

the ability of wind and water to transport sediment is most directly related to

a)

their direction

b)

their depth or height

c)

their speed

d)

their composition

76.

sand dunes can be formed by

a)

wind deposition

b)

water deposition

c)

both a and b

d)

neither a or b

77.

which of these is not a primary cause of most depositional hills and mountains

a)

glacier

b)

uplifting

c)

volcano

d)

wind

78.

the sediments carried by glaciers are called

a)

moraines

b)

eskers

c)

drumlines

d)

till

79.

which of the following is usually considered to be the largest land form

a)

messa

b)

butte

c)

pinnacle

d)

plateau

80.

which of the following does not belong with the other three

a)

fault block

b)

butte

c)

pinnacle

d)

messa