Developers want to remove water from the ground on a piece of land and then build houses on it. There is a layer of limestone under the surface of this piece of land. Which landform could form under these circumstances?

Turtle Beach is made up of coarse-grained, dark sand. Nearby rocks in the area form mountains near the coastline. Which of the following statements describe what forces helped shape the coastline?

Jessica and Julie bought matching cars before Jessica moved to Boston. When Jessica drove back to Miami for a visit several months later, she parked her car next to Julie’s. Jessica noticed that Julie's car was starting to rust, while hers wasn't. Which of the following is the best explanation for why the car left in Florida is more susceptible to rust?

Hurricanes are very powerful storms that form over the ocean. They bring heavy rain and wind and potential storm surges, which cause flooding. Why do hurricanes form in oceans within southern latitudes?

Meteorologists take many types of data into consideration when making weather forecasts. Which type of data is typically used when predicting rain?

Buzz measures the amount of humidity in the air every fifteen minutes and records the results in a data table. Which conclusion might he most reasonably draw from the pattern in this chart?

Amounts of air pollution are increasing all over the world. Continuing studies show that the increased carbon dioxide from a variety of factors can affect regional weather. What is one possible effect of air pollution?

Over and over, the cycle of rock sinking and rising takes place due to convection currents in Earth. One full cycle takes millions of years. What forces drive the convection currents that cause this cycle to take place?

Granite is a rock composed of many different minerals. Minerals and rocks are classified based on several different properties. Which of the following properties is used specifically to classify rocks?

The formation of magma, volcanoes, and mountain ranges play a part in the rock cycle. They occur as a result of several forces. Which of the following processes does not contribute to the formation of mountains?

Sedimentary rock is formed in layers. It follows a process of formation through deposition, compaction, and cementation. When sedimentary rock is melted by high heat and then cools, what kind of rock does it form?

Ocean floor mapping uncovered evidence of mid-ocean ridges that extend throughout Earth's oceans. What is the cause of sea-floor spreading?

Plate boundaries behave in different ways, depending on the location and their motion. What are two possible outcomes for a divergent boundary?

The interactions at plate boundaries cause huge changes on both the land and the ocean floor. Mountains such as the Himalayas result from what type of plate boundary?

Changes to the Earth's surface and underwater can take place slowly or violently when they occur. What is the relationship between mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes?

Bedrock—layers of hard rock below the surface of Earth—can be worn down over a long period of time. Which of the following materials is not formed by the breakdown of bedrock?

Miss Mary has a large rock formation decorating her garden. She eventually noticed that a red streak had developed in the rocks. Which of these processes is causing the red streak in the rocks?

Hal is observing the weathering on two headstones in a cemetery. He notices that the neighboring stones are both weathered, but that the older one appears less so than the newer one. What could account for the differences in the amount of weathering on the stones?

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is the longest cave system in the world, with more than 400 miles to explore. Which of these explains how these caves were most likely formed?

Coal develops over an extremely long period of time. Various forms of coal are available, from peat to anthracite coal. What causes the formation of anthracite coal?

A mineral is a non-living substance that is solid and made from a particular combination of elements. Minerals form in several different ways. Which choice is not a way minerals form?

Humans rely on water for life, industry, and agriculture. Which statement describes a way that human activities affect the water supply?

During the Industrial Revolution, food and clean water became available to more people through technology, causing the human population to begin to dramatically increase. What is the cause of an overall increase in the population?

Human activity causes many sources of point and nonpoint pollution. There is a group of human-made gases that destroy the ozone layer, a protective shield surrounding Earth. What happens on Earth when the ozone layer is damaged?

Humans have used many natural resources to the point of depletion. They have also caused problems such as desertification and loss of habitat. What is an example of a sustainable management practice for natural resources?

Geologists often date rocks using relative age, which includes the use of index fossils. What is an index fossil?

Geologists use the Law of Superposition to date rock layers. However, the Earth's geologic record is incomplete. What is one reason geologists cannot always read Earth's rock layers to reconstruct history?

The geologic time scale is a record of the major geologic events and evolution of life. Its divisions are determined through evidence in the rock and fossil records. What might cause geologists to make changes to a period on the geologic time scale?

Geologists have found that Earth's history is marked by several major events. What does the fossil record show took place around the same time Pangaea formed?

The Santa Ana winds blow across in California during the fall and winter. They form when cold desert air sinks down and away from high-pressure areas over the mountains. The air mass compresses and quickly heats up while losing humidity. The winds gain speed as they squeeze through the canyons. Which type of wind pattern are the Santa Ana winds?

Energy transfer at Earth's surface can occur when heat is transferred directly from the ground to the air. Which process best explains what causes this to happen?

Carolina is reading a book about the ocean as she is traveling from California to New Zealand. There is an illustration that shows the surface current patterns around the world. She notices that the currents in New Zealand and those at home flow in opposite directions. Which of the following factors does not cause the surface currents to go in two different directions?

The Florida Keys are located off the southern tip of the state. The Keys are surrounded by water with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other side. How does the location of the Keys impact the local climate?

Julia was reading a book about a woman who lived during an ice age. The idea fascinated her, so she looked up information about ice ages and what might cause them. What occurs at regular intervals that could trigger an ice age?

Beau moved to Miami, Florida from Calgary, Canada. He noticed that the climates in these two places are very different. For which of the following reasons might these two cities experience different climates?

Macy's family recently added an alternative energy source to their home to cut costs. They also wanted to help protect the environment. Which of the following choices is an example of an alternative energy source?

Warmer temperatures come about as a result of global warming. In what way is the weather affected by warmer temperatures?

Models of the solar system containing the sun, Earth, and other planets changed over time. Scientists made new discoveries as they gathered additional evidence. Which early model of the solar system was replaced over time due to new evidence?

Isaac Newton made many discoveries about motion. He showed that all moving objects will travel in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted on by an unbalanced force. What would happen to the planets if the sun had no gravity at all?

Earth's tilt toward or away from the sun determines the season and day length. Is the northern hemisphere of Earth tilted toward or away from the sun during winter in New York City? Are days short or long?

The measure of the force of gravity on an object is called weight. The gravitational force between two objects depends on the mass of each object and the distance between them. Why do you weigh less on the moon than you do on Earth?

Objects in space differ in size. Which sequence lists different space objects in the correct order, from smallest to largest?

Stars have a life span. They begin as protostars and grow over millions of years. Depending on its mass, a star will either expand and cool to form a planetary nebula or it will expand and explode as a supernova. Is the sun likely to reach a supernova stage?

Astronomers analyze telescope data to make claims about objects in space. Why must astronomers infer what is happening from clues or patterns they find in data?

When there is no moon visible in the night sky, the moon is directly between Earth and the sun. Why can't people see the moon when it is between Earth and the sun?

The planets of our solar system formed within a disk of dust and gas that revolved around the sun. The inner planets are small, rocky, and hot. The outer planets are cold, gaseous giants. Which statement best explains this pattern of planet formation?