Earth Science!
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. The point beneath Earth’s surface where rock breaks under stress and triggers an earthquake is called the
a. / syncline.b. / footwall.
c. / epicenter.
d. / focus.
____ 2. The type of seismic waves that arrive at the surface first and move by compressing and expanding the ground like an accordion are called
a. / S waves.b. / P waves.
c. / Surface waves.
d. / Mercalli waves.
____ 3. S waves are also known as
a. / primary waves.b. / secondary waves.
c. / surface waves.
d. / focus waves.
____ 4. Compared to P waves and S waves, surface waves move
a. / faster.b. / slower.
c. / at the same rate.
d. / farther from the epicenter.
____ 5. What does a seismograph record?
a. / the Mercalli scale rating for an earthquakeb. / the speed of seismic waves
c. / the ground movements caused by seismic waves
d. / the location of the epicenter
____ 6. If the Coast Guard warns of a giant wave of water approaching the shore as a result of a major earthquake, they are warning of
a. / an aftershock.b. / liquefaction.
c. / a tsunami.
d. / landslides.
____ 7. Geologists know that wherever plate movement stores energy in the rock along faults,
a. / earthquakes are not likely.b. / earthquakes are likely.
c. / an earthquake is occurring.
d. / an earthquake could never occur.
____ 8. A force that acts on rock to change its shape or volume is called
a. / an aftershock.b. / friction.
c. / liquefaction.
d. / stress.
____ 9. In what direction do seismic waves carry the energy of an earthquake?
a. / away from the focusb. / toward the focus
c. / from the surface to the interior
d. / through the mantle only
____ 10. Magma that cools very slowly deep beneath the surface forms minerals with what type of crystals?
a. / smallb. / large
c. / very hard
d. / cubic
____ 11. What is the hardest known mineral?
a. / talcb. / quartz
c. / diamond
d. / gold
____ 12. Minerals can form deep inside Earth’s crust by
a. / cleavage and fracture.b. / friction along faults.
c. / crystallization of melted materials.
d. / evaporation of ancient seas.
____ 13. What is the correct order (starting from the surface) of Earth’s layers?
a. / crust, outer core, inner core, mantleb. / mantle, outer core, inner core, crust
c. / crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
d. / outer core, inner core, crust, mantle
____ 14. Earth’s inner core is
a. / a dense ball of solid metal.b. / a layer of molten metal.
c. / a layer of hot rock.
d. / a layer of rock that forms Earth’s outer skin.
____ 15. According to Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift,
a. / Earth’s surface is made up of seven major landmasses.b. / the continents do not move.
c. / Earth is slowly cooling and shrinking.
d. / the continents were once joined together in a single landmass.
____ 16. The process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle is known as
a. / convection.b. / continental drift.
c. / subduction.
d. / conduction.
____ 17. Most geologists think that the movement of Earth’s plates is caused by
a. / conduction.b. / earthquakes.
c. / convection currents in the mantle.
d. / Earth’s magnetic field.
____ 18. The geological theory that states that pieces of Earth’s lithosphere are in constant, slow motion is the theory of
a. / subduction.b. / plate tectonics.
c. / deep-ocean trenches.
d. / sea-floor spreading.
____ 19. A place where two plates slip past each other, moving in opposite directions, is known as a
a. / transform boundary.b. / divergent boundary.
c. / convergent boundary.
d. / rift valley.
____ 20. Earth’s magnetic field results from movements in the
a. / mantle.b. / outer core.
c. / inner core.
d. / crust.
____ 21. A collision between two pieces of continental crust at a converging boundary produces a
a. / mid-ocean ridge.b. / deep-ocean trench.
c. / rift valley.
d. / mountain range.
____ 22. The place where two plates come together is known as a
a. / transform boundary.b. / divergent boundary.
c. / convergent boundary.
d. / rift valley.
____ 23. Rock that forms from the cooling of magma below the surface or lava at the surface is called
a. / sedimentary rock.b. / metamorphic rock.
c. / igneous rock.
d. / coarse-grained rock.
____ 24. Where does most metamorphic rock form?
a. / at the surfaceb. / just below the surface
c. / in ocean waters
d. / deep underground
____ 25. Igneous rock that formed from lava that erupted onto Earth’s surface is called
a. / extrusive rock.b. / intrusive rock.
c. / clastic rock.
d. / sedimentary rock.
____ 26. Heat and pressure deep beneath Earth’s surface can change any rock into
a. / chemical rock.b. / gemstones.
c. / metamorphic rock.
d. / sedimentary rock.
____ 27. A series of processes on Earth’s surface and in the crust and mantle that slowly changes rocks from one kind to another is called
a. / erosion.b. / crystallization.
c. / the rock cycle.
d. / evaporation.
____ 28. Generally, a rock is made up of
a. / large crystals.b. / a mixture of minerals and other materials.
c. / small crystals.
d. / a compound of several elements.
____ 29. The formation of the Hawaiian Islands is one example of
a. / volcanoes forming over a hot spot.b. / volcanoes forming along plate boundaries.
c. / the Ring of Fire.
d. / continental drift.
____ 30. Which type of rock would you expect to form as the result of an explosive eruption?
a. / pahoehoeb. / granite
c. / pumice
d. / aa
____ 31. All of the following are examples of physical properties EXCEPT
a. / melting point.b. / hardness.
c. / ability to burn.
d. / density.
____ 32. Before lava reaches the surface, the molten material is called
a. / rock.b. / magma.
c. / volcanic ash.
d. / liquid fire.
____ 33. How do most fossils form?
a. / Living things die and their remains are buried by sediments.b. / The hard parts of an organism dry out in the air.
c. / The soft parts of an organism change to stone.
d. / Freezing preserves the remains of an organism.
____ 34. The geologic time scale is a record of
a. / the thickness of sedimentary rock layers.b. / the rate of fossil formation.
c. / the life forms and geologic events in Earth’s history.
d. / the time since the evolution of dinosaurs.
____ 35. The Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic are divisions in the geologic time scale called
a. / centuries.b. / periods.
c. / layers.
d. / eras.
____ 36. Precambrian Time, which includes most of Earth’s history, began with
a. / an ice age.b. / Earth forming from a mass of dust and gas.
c. / an asteroid impact.
d. / the formation of thick deposits of sediment.
____ 37. How did Earth change about 2.5 billion years ago when many organisms began using photosynthesis to make food?
a. / The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere increased.b. / Mass extinctions occurred.
c. / The oceans became larger.
d. / Rainfall increased.
____ 38. As the energy of a wave moves through the water, what happens to the water particles themselves?
a. / They are carried away.b. / They sink to the bottom.
c. / They move up and down, but do not move forward.
d. / They slowly move backward.
____ 39. A topographic map differs from a road map in that the topographic map shows
a. / directions and distance.b. / elevation, relief, and slope.
c. / streams and lakes.
d. / highways and expressways.
____ 40. Soil formation begins with the weathering of
a. / litter.b. / bedrock.
c. / the A horizon.
d. / humus.
____ 41. Decomposers are the soil organisms that
a. / store moisture in the soil.b. / break down and digest the remains of dead organisms.
c. / make spaces in the soil for air and water.
d. / burrow deep below the topsoil.
____ 42. A marble statue is left exposed to the weather. Within a few years, the details on the statue have begun to weather away. This weathering probably is caused by
a. / oxygen in the air.b. / carbonic acid in rainwater.
c. / lichens.
d. / abrasion.
____ 43. Water is the only substance on Earth that
a. / commonly exists in all of its different states.b. / freezes at very low temperatures.
c. / boils at very high temperatures.
d. / exists in the liquid state.
____ 44. When water evaporates, it becomes a
a. / solid.b. / liquid.
c. / gas.
d. / solvent.
____ 45. The process by which a gas changes into a liquid is called
a. / evaporation.b. / condensation.
c. / melting.
d. / freezing.
____ 46. Plants use water to
a. / release as a waste product.b. / keep predators away.
c. / make their own food.
d. / attract pollinators.
____ 47. Approximately what percentage of Earth’s water is fresh water?
a. / 97 percentb. / 71 percent
c. / 30 percent
d. / 3 percent
____ 48. Materials that allow water to pass through them easily are
a. / permeable.b. / impermeable.
c. / saturated.
d. / unsaturated
____ 49. Summers are caused by
a. / a combination of longer days and more direct rays from the sun.b. / less direct rays from the sun.
c. / longer days and longer nights.
d. / Earth in its orbit moving closer to the sun.
____ 50. The seasons are caused by
a. / Earth’s varying distance from the sun.b. / Earth’s changing rate of rotation.
c. / the tilt of Earth’s axis as Earth revolves around the sun.
d. / shifting climates on Earth’s surface.
____ 51. Increased carbon dioxide may cause global warming by
a. / allowing more sunlight into the atmosphere.b. / reflecting more sunlight from clouds.
c. / reducing the amount of oxygen in the air.
d. / trapping more heat in the atmosphere.
____ 52. Earth’s ozone layer
a. / has been thickening over the past several years.b. / filters harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
c. / exists only over Antarctica.
d. / traps carbon dioxide in the stratosphere.
____ 53. Scientists predict that banning the use of chlorofluorocarbons will
a. / have no effect on the ozone layer.b. / gradually restore the ozone layer.
c. / increase ultraviolet light reaching Earth.
d. / increase the rate of ozone depletion.
____ 54. Regions that receive less than 25 centimeters of rain annually are called
a. / tundras.b. / savannas.
c. / deserts.
d. / steppes.
____ 55. Earth’s rotation takes about
a. / 365 days.b. / 6 months.
c. / 24 hours.
d. / 1 month.
____ 56. Day and night are caused by
a. / the tilt of Earth’s axis.b. / Earth’s revolution around the sun.
c. / eclipses.
d. / Earth’s rotation on its axis.
____ 57. One complete revolution of Earth around the sun takes about
a. / one rotation.b. / one season.
c. / one year.
d. / one eclipse.
____ 58. Earth has seasons because
a. / it rotates on its axis.b. / the distance between Earth and the sun changes.
c. / its axis is tilted as it moves around the sun.
d. / the temperature of the sun changes.
____ 59. When the north end of Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun, North America will experience
a. / more indirect rays and shorter days.b. / more indirect rays and longer days.
c. / more direct rays and shorter days.
d. / more direct rays and longer days.
____ 60. The phase of the moon you see depends on
a. / where you are on Earth’s surface.b. / how much of the sunlit side of the moon faces Earth.
c. / how much of the moon’s surface is lit by the sun.
d. / whether or not an eclipse is occurring.
____ 61. For a solar eclipse to occur,
a. / the sun must be directly between Earth and the moon.b. / the moon must be directly between Earth and the sun.
c. / the moon must be directly behind Earth.
d. / Earth must be directly between the sun and the moon.
____ 62. During what phase of the moon can a lunar eclipse occur?
a. / new moonb. / first quarter
c. / waxing gibbous
d. / full moon
____ 63. When are tides highest?
a. / during the moon’s first quarter phaseb. / when the sun, Earth, and the moon are nearly in a line
c. / during the moon’s third quarter phase
d. / when the moon is at a right angle to the sun
____ 64. Scientists think the moon was formed when
a. / a large object struck Earth, and ejected material from the collision combined.b. / gravitational forces attracted a moon formed elsewhere in space.
c. / meteoroids collected and solidified within the pull of Earth’s gravity.
d. / gases from Earth escaped from the atmosphere and condensed in space.
____ 65. Because the moon rotates once for each revolution around Earth,
a. / you see some phases more than others.b. / a different side of the moon faces Earth each day.
c. / you never see the far side of the moon from Earth.
d. / the far side of the moon is visible only during the full moon phase.
____ 66. The two factors that combine to keep Earth and the moon in their orbits are
a. / gravity and orbital speed.b. / orbital speed and mass.
c. / mass and inertia.
d. / gravity and inertia.
____ 67. The tendency of a moving object to continue moving in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place is called
a. / orbital speed.b. / mass.
c. / inertia.
d. / gravity.
____ 68. A range of colors formed when white light passes through a prism is called a