WorksheetsChapter 6 Test
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 20mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Which of the following do paleoclimatologists use to investigate the climate of the past?
a)
fossil records
b)
ice-core samples
c)
coral
d)
all of the above
2.
If you want rainfall data for the past 100 years but do not have access to human records, which of the following climate proxies would be most helpful to your investigation?
a)
coral
b)
tree rings
c)
fossils found in bedrock
d)
ice cores
3.
You’d like to find out what Earth’s climate was like tens of millions of years ago. Which of the following climate proxies would be most helpful to your investigation?
a)
coral
b)
tree rings
c)
fossils found in bedrock
d)
ice cores
4.
Milankovitch cycles reflect periodic change in three properties of Earth’s orbit. What are these three properties?
a)
eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession
b)
distance from Sun, distance from Moon, and eccentricity
c)
recession, secession, and precession
d)
sunspots, atmospheric CO2, and axial tilt
5.
If the angle of tilt of Earth’s axis was 10° greater than its actual present value, people at mid-latitudes would most likely experience
a)
hotter summers and warmer winters
b)
hotter summers and colder winters
c)
cooler summers and warmer winters
d)
cooler summers and colder winters
6.
How did India’s collision with Asia lead to decreased atmospheric CO2 levels?
a)
As the Himalaya Mountains grew, they used CO2 to form new rock.
b)
More rock was exposed to weathering, which reacted with CO2 dissolved in rainwater to form calcium carbonate.
c)
As the tectonic plates collided, a carbon vacuum was created and needed to be filled with CO2.
d)
Carbon-rich rocks were subducted and could not interact with the atmosphere.
7.
Which of the following is NOT a key factor that affects the surface temperature of Earth?
a)
The amount of oxygen gas in the atmosphere.
b)
The amount of light energy that Earth receives from the Sun.
c)
The amount of light energy that is reflected back into space by Earth’s atmosphere and surface.
d)
The amount of reradiated heat energy that is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
8.
If you wanted to determine what Earth’s surface temperature was 100 years ago, the most accurate data would come from ____.
a)
Ocean sediments
b)
Tree rings
c)
Ice cores
d)
Thermometers
9.
If you wanted to determine what Earth’s surface temperature was millions of years ago, the most accurate data would come from ____.
a)
Ocean sediments
b)
Tree rings
c)
Ice cores
d)
Thermometers
10.
Ancient glacial deposits found in a location with a temperate climate indicate that in the past, the climate in this location ____.
a)
Had more precipitation.
b)
Had less precipitation.
c)
Was warmer.
d)
Was colder.
11.
A climate proxy can ____
a)
cause a temperature change
b)
provide information about the climate
c)
cause a climate change
d)
provide the current temperature
12.
What is in the ice cores that climate scientists analyze?
a)
Carbon dioxide in air bubbles trapped in the ice
b)
Ratios of oxygen isotopes in the molecules of ice
c)
Windblown dust and salt
d)
All of the above
13.
If a higher percentage of left-coiling N. pachyderma are found in ocean sediment layer “C” than in the underlying ocean sediment layer “D,” this indicates that the temperature of the ocean water in the past _____
a)
was warmer than it is today.
b)
has not remained constant.
c)
was colder than it is today.
d)
was the same as it is today.
14.
The Sun gives off more energy when it has ____.
a)
no sunspots.
b)
less than the average number of sunspots.
c)
more than the average number of sunspots.
d)
an average number of sunspots that move around the surface.
15.
This graph shows variations over time in the percentage of right-coiling N. pachyderma.
The interpretation of the graph indicates that from 200,000 years ago to the present day, the ocean water temperature has
a)
increased.
b)
decreased.
c)
alternated between increasing and decreasing.
d)
stayed the same.
16.
This graph shows variations over time in the percentage of right-coiling N. pachyderma.
As the percentage of right-coiling N. pachyderma increases then
a)
the percentage of left-coiling N. pachyderma must also increase.
b)
the percentage of left-coiling N. pachyderma must decrease.
c)
the percentage of other forams must also increase.
d)
the percentage of other forams must decrease.
17.
This diagram shows variations in Earth’s axial tilt. When the axial tilt changes from 24.5° to 22.1°, the Earth experiences
a)
cooling of global climate
b)
warming of global climate
c)
cooler summers
d)
cooler winters
18.
This diagram shows variations in Earth’s axial tilt. When the axial tilt changes from 22.1° to 24.5°, the Earth experiences
a)
cooling of global climate
b)
warming of global climate
c)
cooler summers
d)
cooler winters
19.
During the Pleistocene, ice sheets advanced and retreated because of ____.
a)
a. Milankovitch cycles.
b)
b. Periodic changes in Earth’s orbit.
c)
c. Sunspots.
d)
d. Both a and b
20.
What causes Earth’s seasons?
a)
The changing distance between the Earth and the Sun
b)
Earth’s tilted axis
c)
The shape of Earth’s orbit around the sun
d)
All of the above
21.
Which of the following describes the most circular shape for a planet’s orbit around the Sun?
a)
High eccentricity
b)
Low eccentricity
c)
High precession
d)
Low precession
22.
The northern hemisphere of a planet with a tilted axis and an elliptical orbit like the one shown in the diagram below would have _________________ than it would if its orbit were circular.
a)
Warmer summers and winters.
b)
Cooler summers and winters.
c)
Warmer winters and cooler summers.
d)
Warmer summers and cooler winters.
23.
The figure shows that from Precambrian time to “Today”, Earth’s temperature has ____.
a)
Alternated between higher and lower temperatures.
b)
Been colder more than warmer.
c)
Stayed the same.
d)
All of the above.
24.
The figure shows that Earth’s temperature since the middle of the Pleistocene has been ____.
a)
Cooling.
b)
Warming.
c)
Staying the same.
d)
Alternating between higher and lower temperatures.
25.
The figure shows that Earth’s highest average temperatures ____.
a)
are occurring “Today”
b)
were during the Pleistocene
c)
were during the Permian
d)
were during the Precambrian
26.
According to the graph below, since 1960, the total amount of Earth’s glacial ice has ____.
a)
Declined at a steady rate of 250 cubic miles every 10 years.
b)
Declined at a steady rate of 500 cubic miles every 10 years.
c)
Declined at a slower rate between 1995-2005 than it did between 1965-1975.
d)
Declined at a faster rate between 1995-2005 than it did between 1965-1975.
27.
If the amount of Earth’s glacial ice continues to decrease, which of the following is likely to happen?
a)
Decrease in Earth’s albedo
b)
Increase in Earth’s albedo
c)
Decrease in Earth’s eccentricity
d)
Increase in Earth’s eccentricity
28.
Which process can cause the atmospheric CO2 level to increase?
a)
Volcanic activity
b)
Photosynthesis
c)
Chemical weathering of rocks
d)
Tree growth
29.
According to the graphs shown below, when atmospheric CO2 level ____, the temperature also ____.
a)
increases, increases
b)
decreases, decreases
c)
changes, changes
d)
All of the above.
30.
In the graph below, which curve represents the climate change model associated with the smallest sea level change?
a)
A1F1
b)
A2
c)
B1
d)
All three models show the same increase
31.
The graphs show that between 1990 and 2010, the overall trend is that the oceans’
a)
dissolved CO2 has been decreasing and the pH has been decreasing.
b)
dissolved CO2 has been increasing and the pH has been decreasing.
c)
dissolved CO2 has been decreasing and the pH has been increasing.
d)
dissolved CO2 has been increasing and the pH has been increasing.
32.
The graphs show that between 1990 and 2010, the overall trend is that the oceans’
a)
dissolved CO2 has been decreasing and acidity has been decreasing.
b)
dissolved CO2 has been increasing and acidity has been decreasing.
c)
dissolved CO2 has been decreasing and acidity has been increasing.
d)
dissolved CO2 has been increasing and acidity has been increasing.
33.
What could cause a change in global ocean circulation and its effect on climate?
a)
Increased deep water formation and warmer winters
b)
Sudden influx of freshwater and inhibited deep water formation
c)
Enhanced ocean salinity and intensified hurricanes
d)
Rising sea levels and reduced oceanic evaporation
34.
Which method provides information about the length of growing seasons and amount of rain?
a)
Tree rings
b)
Ice cores
c)
Lakes and ocean sediment
d)
Bedrock
35.
What is the period over which the axial tilt of the Earth cycles from 22.1 degrees to 24.5 degrees?
a)
40,000 years
b)
100,000 years
c)
23,000 years
d)
400,000 years
36.
What is the period over which one complete cycle of the precession of Earth's wobble occurs?
a)
40,000 years
b)
100,000 years
c)
23,000 years
d)
400,000 years
37.
What is the period over which eccentricity of the Earth varies from almost round to slightly elliptical?
a)
40,000 years
b)
100,000 years
c)
23,000 years
d)
400,000 years
38.
What climate proxies can provide information about past concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in Earth's atmosphere?
a)
Tree rings
b)
Ice cores
c)
Microscopic organisms in sediment cores
d)
Fossils in bedrock
39.
How does the higher albedo of snow and ice contribute to the cooling trend during the coinciding Milankovitch cycles?
a)
It absorbs more solar radiation
b)
It traps heat within the atmophere
c)
It reflects more light energy into space
d)
It accelerates the greenhouse effect
40.
What information can the isotopic composition of microscopic ocean organisms' skeletons provide?
a)
Temperature of the water they lived in
b)
Age of the ocean sediment
c)
Depth of the ocean floor
d)
pH of the ocean water
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