wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Plate Motion Assessment

Total questions: 16

Worksheet time: 11mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is a tectonic plate?

a)

A cloud formation

b)

A rigid section of Earth’s lithosphere that moves over the mantle

c)

A liquid part of the outer core

d)

A type of rock formed in water

2.

What is subduction?

a)

When two plates move apart

b)

When magma rises to form a volcano

c)

When one plate sinks beneath another

d)

When plates slide past each other

3.

What is a plate boundary?

a)

The edge of a continent

b)

The area where two tectonic plates meet

c)

A fault in the middle of a plate

d)

A break in the atmosphere

4.

What is the mantle?

a)

The outermost layer of the Earth

b)

The core of the Earth

c)

The layer beneath the crust where convection occurs

d)

A type of volcano

5.

What is a convection current?

a)

The movement of water in the ocean

b)

The circular movement of molten rock in the mantle that causes plate movement

c)

Wind patterns in the atmosphere

d)

The motion of tectonic plates sliding past each other

6.

At a transform boundary, two plates:

a)

Move toward each other

b)

Move away from each other

c)

Slide past each other

d)

Stay completely still

7.

Which feature forms at a divergent boundary?

a)

Ocean trench

b)

Rift valley or mid-ocean ridge

c)

Mountain range

d)

Earthquake zone only

8.

What usually occurs at convergent boundaries where subduction happens?

a)

Rift valleys

b)

Earthquakes and volcanoes

c)

New crust formation

d)

No geologic activity

9.

Which evidence supports the theory of plate tectonics?

a)

The color of ocean water

b)

Similar fossils found on different continents

c)

The location of forests

d)

The rotation of the moon

10.

Why do earthquakes often occur at plate boundaries?

a)

The plates are smooth

b)

Pressure builds as plates interact

c)

The crust melts completely

d)

Wind pushes the plates

11.

What happens to the plate that subducts into the mantle?

a)

It floats back to the surface

b)

It disappears immediately

c)

It melts and becomes part of the mantle

d)

It forms a new island

12.

What is most likely to happen to Earth's surface over millions of years due to plate motion?

a)

It will stay the same

b)

Continents will shift, and new landforms will form

c)

Water will stop moving

d)

All volcanoes will erupt at once

13.

Where is new crust created?

a)

Subduction zones

b)

Transform boundaries

c)

Mid-ocean ridges

d)

Hot springs

14.

What technology is used to measure plate motion directly?

a)

Thermometers

b)

GPS satellites

c)

Telescopes

d)

Seismographs only

15.

Which of the following landforms is most likely to form at a convergent boundary between two continental plates?

a)

Mid-ocean ridge

b)

Volcanic island

c)

Mountain range

d)

Ocean basin

16.

Explain the process of plate tectonics and its impact on Earth's surface.

4 lines