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Plate Tectonic Pretest Review

Total questions: 32

Worksheet time: 26mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Tectonic plates consist of

a)

continental crust

b)

mesospheric crust

c)

both continental and oceanic crust

d)

oceanic crust

2.

Pangaea was an ancient supercontinent made up of...

a)

America, Greenland, and Europe

b)

Antarctica, India, and America

c)

all of Earth’s continents

d)

South Africa, India, Australia, and South America

3.

The scientist who developed the big idea called "sea-floor spreading"

a)

Alfred Wedgener

b)

Harry Hess

c)

Edward Dutton

d)

Ortelius

4.

Why did no one believe Wegener's thoery that the continents were once together?

a)

He could not explain HOW the continents moved

b)

He didn't have evidence

c)

His data was wrong

d)

He didn't use the right technology to gather data

5.

The movement of the tectonic plates is caused by

a)

the rotation of the Earth

b)

convection currents in the Asthenosphere

c)

the gravity of the iron-nickel core

d)

the Moho discontinuity

6.

Which layer of the Earth consists of tectonic plates?

a)

asthenosphere

b)

mantle

c)

mesosphere

d)

lithosphere

7.

Which of these tectonic plate boundaries is most likely to form a volcano.

a)

a continental plate colliding with a continental plate

b)

an oceanic plate sliding past a continental plate

c)

a continental plate sliding past a continental plate

d)

an oceanic plate colliding into a continental plate

8.

Which two plates collided with each other to form the Himalayan Mountains?

a)

Nazca and Eurasia

b)

Indo-Australian and Eurasian

c)

North America and Antarctic

d)

South American and Indo-Australian

9.

In the region where two continental plates collide, what geological feature MOST often forms?

a)

an ocean

b)

a volcano

c)

a river valley

d)

a mountain chain

10.

Hot fluid or semi-fluid material below or within the earth's crust from which lava and other igneous rock is formed on cooling.

a)

Convection Current

b)

Lithosphere

c)

Core

d)

Magma

11.

Solid, outer layer and is made of both the oceanic and continental crust.

a)

Hydrosphere

b)

Core

c)

Mantle

d)

Crust

12.

Rocky or rigid outer part of Earth consisting of the brittle crust and the top part of the upper mantle

a)

Lithosphere

b)

Oceanic Crust

c)

Continental Crust

d)

Asthenosphere

13.
Which of the following changes would end Earth's tectonic activity?
a)
Earth's crust becomes a cooler solid
b)
Earth's mantles becomes a warmer semiliquid
c)
Earth's mantle becomes cooler and solid.
d)
Earth's outer core becomes warmer
14.
Convection currents in the mantle are thought to be the driving force behind tectonic movement. At which location do the convection currents cause the plates to diverge?
a)
strike-slip fault
b)
subduction zone
c)
mid oceanic ridges
d)
folded mountains.
15.
The diagram shows what can occur when two continental plates collide.Which characteristic of the Indian Plate explains why it moves under the Eurasian Plate?
a)
It is larger.
b)
It is denser.
c)
It is molten.
d)
It is younger.
16.

When two plates collide.

a)

transform boundary

b)

divergent boundary

c)

convergent boundary

d)

seafloor spreading

17.

The two kinds of earth crust are:

a)

Magma and igneous

b)

Rocks and soil

c)

Oceanic and continental

d)

Mountains and volcanoes

18.

What is Pangaea?

a)

The name of a German scientist

b)

Another name for continental drift

c)

The name of the super-continent that existed millions of years ago

d)

The name of ancient fossil

19.
What is the name of the plate boundary that slides past each other?
a)
Divergent
b)
Convergent
c)
Transform
d)
Mr. C the Slide Man
20.
The area where two tectonic plates meet.
a)
mantle
b)
focus
c)
plate boundary
d)
convection
21.
A divergent boundary occurs when plates ....
a)
Pull apart
b)
Come together
c)
Slide past each other
d)
subducting
22.
What type of event will occur at this boundary?
a)
Earthquake
b)
Volcano Eruption
c)
Tornado
d)
Mountain Building
23.
What type of plate boundary is this?
a)
Plate
b)
Divergent
c)
Convergent
d)
Transform
24.

Which tectonic plate is denser?

a)

Oceanic

b)

Continental

c)

Constructive

d)

Collision

25.

Which statement best describes the movement of Earth’s plates?

a)

The plates are constantly moving.

b)

The plates stayed in one place for millions of years but are moving now.

c)

There is no evidence that plates ever moved.

d)

The plates moved for millions of years but have now stopped.

26.

The place where two plates come together is known as a _______

a)

transform boundary.

b)

divergent boundary.

c)

convergent boundary.

d)

rift valley.

27.
What geologic feature/event would you most likely to find at a divergent boundary between two pieces of oceanic crust?
a)
Rift Valley
b)
Mid-Ocean Ridge
c)
Island Arc
d)
Flat land
28.

Tectonic plates move at an average of a few ____ a year.

a)

millimeters (mm)

b)

centimeters (cm)

c)

meters (m)

d)

kilometers (km)

29.

What is the name of the fault that runs through California?

a)

Juan de Fuca Fault

b)

Gorda Fault

c)

San Andreas Fault

d)

Pacific Fault

30.

When was the theory of plate tectonics developed?

a)

1760s

b)

1790s

c)

1850s

d)

1960s

31.

The Earth's magnetic field sometimes reverses itself

(north turns into south and south turns into north).

a)

True

b)

False

32.

When one lithospheric plate moves down into the asthenosphere under another plate at a convergent boundary, this is called . . .

a)

convection

b)

mantle

c)

strike-slip

d)

subduction