The Southern Hemisphere is warmer in January than in July because —

Based on the drawing, what is the main reason that Venus would appear brighter at point Q rather than at point R as seen from the Earth?

Which image below best represents our galaxy?

In the late 1920s, Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason determined the distance to a number of galaxies and the velocity of those galaxies relative to the Earth. The graph shows the early results that were obtained. What approximate ratio did the scientists calculate between velocity and distance based on these early findings?

A student sees a very bright star in the sky and thinks it might be the planet Venus. Which observation would lend support to this conclusion?

Gas and dust in interstellar nebulae can form —

Which of these will cause the greatest high tides?

Which layer of the sun is seen during a total solar eclipse?

Which planet has the shortest day?

The picture shows an infrared composite of the Earth as seen by a weather satellite system. What does the dark shaded area on this map represent?

Which planet in the solar system has an orbit so eccentric that it crosses the orbit of another planet?

What is the approximate percentage of the Earth that is illuminated by the sun at any given time?

Which of the above evolutionary stages of a massive star is called a supernova?

Which planet rotates the fastest?

Photographs of the surface of Mars reveal the presence of sand dunes that shift over time. These dunes demonstrate the presence of what phenomenon on Mars?

The first manned-mission to land on the moon was commanded by Neil Armstrong and was called —

When Venus passes between the Earth and the sun, it is visible as a tiny black dot on the sun's bright disk. Why is Mars never visible in this same way?

The sun emits energy by converting hydrogen into helium. What is this process called?

Periodically, there are spectacular meteor showers on Earth. These showers usually occur because the Earth's orbit passes through the remains of —

A person weighs more on the Earth than on the moon because the Earth has a greater —

When the Earth is at its greatest distance from the sun, its Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, as shown in the drawing. What season takes place in the Southern Hemisphere at this time?

The numerous rocks orbiting the sun between Jupiter and Mars are —

Which element in Earth's atmosphere is essential for human life and is extremely rare or nonexistent in the atmospheres of other planets in our solar system?

The pole star, Polaris, is nearly stationary and straight overhead when seen from the North Pole. When viewed from the Equator, it —

About how long does it take the Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis?

Which diagram represents the placement of the sun, Earth, and moon during a lunar eclipse?

What is the position of the star above the horizon?

Parallax can be used to measure a star’s —

Which of these measurements allows scientists to compare the brightness of stars?

Which of these planets travels around the Sun in less time than it takes Earth to complete one revolution?

The pictures show the same stars at different times. Which hypothesis is best supported by these data?

A star might be much brighter than it appears to be. This is called the star’s absolute magnitude. The difference in apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude is due primarily to the star’s —

Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted 23.5° relative to the plane of its orbit, which helps to cause —

A student claims that the full Moon occurs about once a month. What process will verify the student’s claim?

Why does erosion not occur on the moon?

Which planet has a fierce hurricane-like storm that is several times the size of Earth?

In 1912, an astronomer at Arizona’s Lowell Observatory noticed that the lines in the spectra of most galaxies shifted toward the red end of the spectrum. Another American astronomer, Edwin Hubble, later interpreted this discovery as evidence that —

In addition to Earth’s orbit, which planets’ orbits are shown?

At what position would Earth be found in the solar system diagram shown above?

During which portion of the Earth’s revolution around the sun is the Northern Hemisphere tilted toward the sun?

What element is the main component of most stars?

Why do stars appear to change position during the night?

During which of these phases of the moon will the tides be highest?

Orbital velocity is the average speed of a planet moving through space in its orbit around the sun. Which of the following planets has the fastest orbital velocity?

Which of these causes days and nights?

Which layer of the sun is the most dense?

Because of the unique position of the Earth in the solar system, life has flourished due to the presence of —

Which of these facts is the best supporting evidence that the universe is expanding?

A light-year measures —

Which planet is often called "Earth's twin" because it is similar in mass and diameter to the Earth?

Saturn's volume is 762 times the volume of Earth, and yet its mass is only about 95 times that of Earth's mass. This is due to Saturn's —

Using the diagram titled "The Life Cycle of a Star," what is the first stage in the life cycle of a star?

Ozone molecules protect Earth from the harmful effects of the sun by —

In which of the graphs would the precipitation at ground level most likely be rain?

According to the map, most hurricanes occur where —

Release of CFCs and similar compounds are a possible cause of —

Based on the above symbols, which of the following represents a wind speed of 30 knots?

A volcanic eruption can affect the atmosphere by —

The chart shows the relationship between altitude and air pressure. What is the approximate air pressure at an altitude of 22 kilometers?

People have tried many methods to artificially produce rain. One method, called cloud seeding, involves airplanes dropping particles of silver iodide onto clouds to help the clouds produce rain droplets. These silver iodide particles act as —

Which of these is important in the formation of clouds?

If there were a slight increase in the amount of solar energy that reached the Earth, there would be an immediate increase in —

According to this map, the mean annual temperature for most of the eastern half of Virginia is between —

What is one of the major indications that the Earth's climate has varied over time?

What causes currents in the atmosphere?

Moist air from the Pacific Ocean rises and cools as it passes from west to east over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Once it is over the mountain range, the air descends and warms on the other side. What is the result of the air ascending, then descending over the mountains?

Water vapor is lighter than many atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Why then doesn’t water vapor rise above these other gases to a higher level of the atmosphere?

Hypothesis: In the summer, the warmest air will be closest to South Lake. According to the data shown by the graph, the warmest air during the summer will be found —

Which factor would best explain why Charlottesville is clear while Norfolk has mist?

The countries shown here released much more CO2 than the rest of the world because these countries have the largest —

Which of these is likely to occur after moist air is cooled below its dew point?

Most water leaves the ocean through evaporation and returns to the ocean through —

Cloudy nights can be warmer than clear nights because clouds trap heat —

Based on the changes between the weather conditions shown in the tables, which of these most likely passed by the weather station between time 1 and time 2?

Dramatic variations in the polar ice caps most likely suggest changes in —

Which of these would most likely occur as the ice caps melt?

On clear nights in late summer and early fall in the Shenandoah Valley, why does ground fog form in the low areas near the Shenandoah River?

What would explain the change in the direction of air movement from daytime to night?

The label L indicates an area of low —

Students plan to use several rain gauges to compare average monthly rainfall on Virginia’s Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions. Which of these variables should be manipulated?

Which of the following was primarily responsible for the development of life outside of the oceans?

The ozone layer protects life on Earth from —

Approximately 99.7% of all water on Earth is found in oceans, seas, ice, and the atmosphere. Based on this information, which statement is most accurate?

The graph shows the outdoor temperature at a certain location during a 24-hour period. What possible occurrence happened at 2:00 p.m.?

A rain forest is found at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the summit is snowcapped. Which of the following would best account for this?

Land breezes and sea breezes are created by the differences in —

On weather maps, there are lines with tiny triangles on one side. This represents —

Hypothesis: The average relative humidity decreases north and south of the equator. According to the data shown in the graph, the hypothesis is only correct for latitudes —

Ocean → Evaporation → Condensation Which of these would come next in the water cycle?

The two most common ions found in ocean water are —

Which of these will cause the greatest high tides?

Why is the ice shelf floating?

The table shows the area and average depth of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Approximately how many times greater is the volume of water in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic Ocean?

The Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean is 36,160 feet below sea level. This deep oceanic trench is caused by —

A boat will float higher in the Atlantic Ocean than it will in the Potomac River because ocean water has —

Oil spills have a tremendous impact on the ocean environment, and the oil must be cleaned up after these spills. A new technique for cleaning oil from beaches is called bioremediation. This technique uses naturally occurring bacteria to break down the oil. How is this accomplished?

Only 3% of the Earth's water is fresh water. The world's oceans contain the rest of the Earth's water. Of that 3%, three-fourths is tied up in glaciers, ice caps, and snow fields. Antarctic glaciers contain nearly 85% of all the ice in the world, and floating sea ice in the Arctic contains 10% of the ice. Sea ice freezes from ocean water, but the salt is excluded in the freezing process, resulting in mostly freshwater ice. Where is the remaining 5% of the world's permanent supply of ice and snow?

Fish are abundant in areas where the ocean is upwelling because it —

Oxygen must be dissolved in ocean water in order to sustain animal life. Using the above table as a guide, which human activity should be regulated because of the difficulty it causes for sea creatures to breathe?

Seawater is typically denser than freshwater due to seawater's —

Which of these describes the most common way that material is added to a continental shelf?

Which of these are caused primarily by the gravitational force between Earth and the Moon?

London and Irkutsk are located at approximately the same latitude. What would help explain why London experiences a more moderate range of temperatures than does Irkutsk?

The surface of the sea is not level due to all of the following except —

The accumulated salts in seawater make the seawater much more dense than fresh water. One of the characteristics of salt water is that it has —

Many species of the order Cetacea (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have become so scarce that they are now protected under international law. Which of the following probably did not contribute to the decline in these populations?

Which of the following would have the greatest salinity?

At which ocean feature would the greatest amount of water pressure be exerted?

What does the diagram illustrate about turbidity currents?

Pictured above is a shoebox with rows of holes in the top, large enough for straws to fit through. By placing straws through the holes, students have to determine the shape of an unseen object in the box. This activity simulates the technology used to map the seafloor. What is that technology called?

All of the following features of the ocean indicate tectonic activity except —

Why is the surface temperature of the oceans more variable than the water near the ocean floor?

During which of these phases of the moon will the tides be highest?

Rivers, springs, and aquifers are all -

Sinkholes associated with natural processes are characteristic of what type of bedrock?

Porosity is the amount of pore space in soils. Permeability is the ability of water to pass through the soil. Why do some soils have high porosity but low permeability?

According to the above diagram, the water supply will be most consistent in well —

This picture shows a simple well that was dug down to the groundwater. What probably caused the lower level of groundwater, known as a "cone of depression," in the vicinity of the well?

Limestone chips dissolve after they are placed in a beaker of dilute acid. Which geologic process is this most similar to?

During droughts, lack of rain can lead to wells drying up. This is because the drought has lowered the —

In karst regions, caves are carved by the flow of water through limestone bedrock. How do the stalagmites and stalactites in the caves develop?

The picture above shows that one of the main pollution problems associated with sinkholes is that —

Which diagram below best represents the most common arrangement of zones in a water table?

Which type of land cover absorbs the most rainwater?

Which of the following can result when underground water is heated by hot igneous rock?

In Virginia and some other parts of the world, water has carved vast caverns out of underground limestone deposits. Water, however, must contain dissolved carbon dioxide in order to break down the limestone. What role does the carbon dioxide play?

Which of these describes the area immediately below a water table?

All of the following may be found deep in a natural cave EXCEPT —

The three wells shown provide water for a growing city. What is the most likely effect on the system if six new wells are brought into production as the population increases?

Which of these pieces of basalt rock has probably been in a river the longest?

The layer in the above soil profile that has the most humus is —

Barrier islands are low and narrow sandy islands that form a rim offshore from a coastline. These islands protect inland shores from the surf, especially during storms. These islands are becoming increasingly developed because people want to live by the open ocean, yet the islands themselves are not permanent. Why aren’t the islands permanent?

The pictures show different stages in the development of a river valley. Which picture shows the first stage of development?

Organic matter in soil is made from —

Which layer of the above soil profile would be affected the most by weathering and erosion?

The canyon shown in the picture was most likely formed by —

Why does erosion not occur on the moon?

Virginia has large deposits of sand and gravel. These are usually found in areas where —

Which of the following is an example of chemical weathering?

Which of these best shows wind-deposited sediments?

Why does water move more slowly through clay than through humus?

Photographs of the surface of Mars reveal the presence of sand dunes that shift over time. These dunes demonstrate the presence of what phenomenon on Mars?

The pictures above represent various stages of soil development. The correct order in which these pictures should be ordered is —