298. Q U I Z NO. 7

Q U I Z    NO.  7

251.  Multiple Choice: A rock composed of cemented sand and gravel is:

w) shale

x) conglomerate

y) granite

z) marble

ANSWER: X – CONGLOMERATE

252.  Multiple Choice: When clay hardens into rock, it forms:

w) coal

x) limestone

y) shale

z) quartzite

ANSWER: Y – SHALE

253.  Multiple Choice: Our sun is a

w) protostar

x) main-sequence star

y) variable star

z) dwarf star

ANSWER: X -- MAIN-SEQUENCE STAR

254.  Multiple Choice: Which geologic period does not belong in the Mesozoic era?

w) Permian

x) Cretaceous

y) Triassic

z) Jurassic

ANSWER: W – PERMIAN

255.  Multiple Choice: What type of map projection is most appropriate for navigation charts?

w) Conic

x) Mercator

y) Polar

z) Cartesian

ANSWER: X – MERCATOR

256.  Multiple Choice: What is the range of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

w) from Cuba to the Azores

x) from Iceland to Antarctica

y) from Cape Hatteras to Gibraltar

z) from Cape Horn to the Cape of Good Hope

ANSWER: X -- FROM ICELAND TO ANTARCTICA

257.  Multiple Choice: Fossils are rarely found in such rocks as:

w) limestone

x) sandstone

y) shale

z) granite

ANSWER: Z – GRANITE

258.  Multiple Choice: As we have seen with Hurricane Andrew, natural forces can cause great loss of human life. Which of the following natural disasters has resulted in the greatest loss of human life in a single occurrence?

w) typhoon

x) volcanic eruption

y) earthquake

z) tornado

ANSWER: Y -- EARTHQUAKE (ON JANUARY 23, 1556, 830,000 PEOPLE DIED

IN SHENSI, CHINW)

259.  Multiple Choice: The rock in which ground water is LEAST likely to form caverns is:

w) sandstone

x) limestone

y) salt

z) rock gypsum

ANSWER: W – SANDSTONE

260.  Multiple Choice: The longest era was the

w) Mesozoic

x) Precambrian

y) Cenozoic

z) Paleozoic

ANSWER: X – PRECAMBRIAN

261.  Multiple Choice: On the Richter scale, a magnitude 6 earthquake is how much larger

than a magnitude 4 earthquake?

w) 1.5 times

x) 4 times

y) 15 times

z) 100 times

ANSWER: Z -- 100 TIMES

262.  Multiple Choice: The air around a high pressure area circulates:

w) clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

x) counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

y) clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

z) in either direction regardless of hemisphere

ANSWER: W -- CLOCKWISE IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

263.  Multiple Choice: The principal mineral in most sand beaches is

w) quartz

x) orthoclase

y) magnetite

z) muscovite

ANSWER: W – QUARTZ

264.  Multiple Choice: The oldest rocks that contain abundant fossils are:

w) Precambrian

x) Paleozoic

y) Mesozoic

z) Cenozoic

ANSWER: X – PALEOZOIC

265.  Multiple Choice: The wind-chill index outside is -10 F when the wind blows at 20 mph and the air temperature is 20 F. To what temperature will a dry object cool when placed outside?

w) 20 F

x) 10 F

y) -10 F

z) -20 F

ANSWER: W -- 20 F

266.  Multiple Choice: A geologic feature called a kimberlite indicates the possibility of thepresence of which of the following?

w) rubies

x) diamonds

y) sapphires

z) opals

ANSWER: X – DIAMONDS

267.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following minerals is a source of lead?

w) Bauxite

x) Hematite

y) Malachite

z) Galena

ANSWER: Z – GALENA

268.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following is the mineral name for ordinary salt?

w) biotite

x) calcite

y) halite

z) dolomite

ANSWER: Y – HALITE

269.  Multiple Choice: The core of the earth is thought to be composed of which of the following?

w) basalt and granite

x) compressed gases

y) uranium and lead

z) iron and nickel

ANSWER: Z -- IRON AND NICKEL

270.  Multiple Choice: Safety aside, for which of the following reasons is alcohol used in preference to mercury in a minimum thermometer?

w) Alcohol has a higher boiling point

x) Alcohol has a lower freezing point

y) Alcohol contracts more uniformly

z) Alcohol can be dyed for visibility

ANSWER: X -- ALCOHOL HAS A LOWER FREEZING POINT

271.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following distances in kilometers is closest to the diameter of the earth?

w) 750 kilometers

x) 2,750 kilometers

y) 12,750 kilometers

z) 127,500 kilometers

ANSWER: Y -- 12,750 KILOMETERS

272.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following is the approximate ratio of the area of the continents to the area of the earth's oceans?

w) 2:1

x) 1:1

y) 2:5

z) 1:10

ANSWER: Y -- 2:5

273.  Multiple Choice: In geological studies, the Mohorovicic Discontinuity, commonly called the Moho, is the boundary between the

w) the mantle and the crust

x) asthenosphere and the mantle

y) mantle and the outer core

z) outer core and the inner core

ANSWER: W -- THE MANTLE AND THE CRUST

274.  Multiple Choice: Biomass energy is

w) formed through photosynthesis

x) caused by heat due to the large mass of the Earth

y) has been used for only a few years

z) the predominant source of commercial heat energy in the northern regions of the

United States

ANSWER: W -- FORMED THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS

275.  Multiple Choice: Which animal is the center of the timber-harvest controversy in the Pacific Northwest?

w) blackfooted ferret

x) California condor

y) northern spotted owl

z) gray wolf

ANSWER: Y -- NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL

276.  Multiple Choice: North American Indians used this mineral of volcanic origin to make tips for arrows:

w) obsidian

x) quartz

y) flint

z) pumice

ANSWER: W – OBSIDIAN

277.  Multiple Choice: The largest single component, by weight, in the average American landfill is:

w) toxic waste

x) diapers

y) newspapers

z) pizza boxes

ANSWER: Y – NEWSPAPERS

278.  Multiple Choice: Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas. What is the current rate in parts per million per year of atmospheric increase of this gas?

w) 0.15 ppm per year (parts per million)

x) 1.5 ppm per year

y) 15 ppm per year

z) 150 ppm per year

ANSWER: X -- 1.5 PPM PER YEAR

279.  Multiple Choice: When the front of a glacier is stationary for a long time, the glacier will do which of the following?

w) form many crevasses

x) melt away

y) not erode its bed

z) build a large terminal moraine

ANSWER: Z -- BUILD A LARGE TERMINAL MORAINE

280.  Multiple Choice: Valleys formed by glaciers always have which of the following characteristics?

w) U-shaped cross sections

x) straight courses

y) uniform slopes

z) bedrock floors

ANSWER: W -- U-SHAPED CROSS SECTIONS

281.  Multiple Choice: The approximate average yearly rainfall in centimeters for the United States is:

w) 25 centimeters

x) 50 centimeters

y) 75 centimeters

z) 100 centimeters

ANSWER: Y -- 75 CENTIMETERS

282.  Multiple Choice: When does the air cool most rapidly? Is it during

w) a cloudy day

x) a cloudy night

y) a sunny day

z) a clear night

ANSWER: Z -- A CLEAR NIGHT

283.  Multiple Choice: What form of runoff is water that flows down a slope within the upper layers of the soil rather than on top of them?

w) interflow

x) extraflow

y) endoflow

z) detrital runoff

ANSWER: W – INTERFLOW

284.  Multiple Choice: What is considered to be the approximate difference in average temperature between the "little ice age" and today?

w) 1 to 3 degrees centigrade

x) 5 to 8 degrees centigrade

y) 10 to 12 degrees centigrade

z) 15 to 20 degrees centigrade

ANSWER: W -- 1 TO 3 DEGREES CENTIGRADE

285.  Multiple Choice: On which of the following does the capacity of a kilogram of air for holding water depend?

w) the air pressure

x) the air temperature

y) the dust content of the air

z) the ions in the air

ANSWER: X -- THE AIR TEMPERATURE

286.  Multiple choice: What is considered to be the oldest lake in North America?

w) Mono Lake, CA

x) Lake Superior, MI

y) The Great Salt Lake, UT

z) Crater Lake, OR

ANSWER: W -- MONO LAKE, CA

287.  Multiple Choice: When the difference in the temperature of the wet-bulb thermometer and dry-bulb thermometer is large, what does it indicate about the air?

w) it is very dry

x) it is nearly saturated

y) it is very warm

z) it is very cold

ANSWER: W -- IT IS VERY DRY

288.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following is an average number of inches of snow equal to one inch of rain?

w) 1 inch

x) 5 inches

y) 10 inches

z) 25 inches

ANSWER: Y -- 10 inches

289.  Multiple Choice: Cloud droplets unite most easily to form raindrops in clouds

containing which of the following substances?

w) ozone

x) plant pollen

y) carbon tetrachloride

z) large salt crystals

ANSWER: Z -- LARGE SALT CRYSTALS

290.  Multiple Choice: Sulfuric acid aerosols from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo reduced the rate of global warming last year. They also contributed to the record size of:

w) acid rainfalls in Europe

x) the anchovy catch off Peru

y) the ozone hole over Antarctica

z) fish kills in the Amazon River

ANSWER: Y -- THE OZONE HOLE OVER ANTARCTICA

291.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following mountain ranges was formed during the Mesozoic era?

w) Rocky Mountains

x) Cascades

y) Appalachian

z) Sierra Nevada

ANSWER: Z -- SIERRA NEVADA

292. What mineral is the most dense?

w) hematite

x) cinnabar

y) marcasite

z) rhodochrosite

ANSWER: X – CINNABAR

293. Pangaea is the name of a former continent that included:

w) all the continents

x) only Europe and Asia

y) only South America and Africa

z) only North and South America

ANSWER: W -- ALL THE CONTINENTS

297. Q U I Z NO. 6

Q U I Z    NO.  6

201. Which one of the following seas has the lowest salinity?

w) Baltic

x) Dead

y) Mediterranean

z) Red

ANSWER: W – BALTIC

202. In an ocean, the upper layer of water with sufficient light penetration to support photosynthesis by aquatic plants i known as the:

w) free zone

x) plant zone

y) photic zone

z) primary zone

ANSWER: Y -- PHOTIC ZONE

203. Caves are frequently associated with a certain kin of topography that includes sinkholes, disappearing streams and many limestone outcrops. With which of the following topographies are such features related?

w) arid topography

x) valley and ridge topography

y) Karst topography

z) none of these

ANSWER: Y -- KARST TOPOGRAPHY

204. Most cave deposits form from which of the followin minerals?

w) hematite

x) calcite

y) quartz

z) none of these

ANSWER: X – CALCITE

205. A pair of rivers that mark the approximate southern limit of the Ice Age glaciers in North America are the Missouri and which of the following?

w) St. Lawrence

x) Ohio

y) Delaware

z) Tennessee

ANSWER: X – OHIO

206. Which of the following number of years best approximates the length of time since the last ice age in the United States?

w) 1,000,000

x) 1,000

y) 11,000

z) 250,000

ANSWER: Y -- 11,000

207. The Hawaiian Islands are what type of volcano?

w) shield

x) composite

y) cinder cone

ANSWER: W – SHIELD

 208. The internal structure of crystals was first studied with which of the following?

w) x-rays

x) isotopes

y) electron microscopes

z) lasers

ANSWER: W -- X-RAYS

209. In geological studies, cemented volcanic ash is called:

w) caldera

x) a-a

y) lava

z) tuff

ANSWER: Z – TUFF

210. All of the following are TRUE of the Paricutin volcano except

w) its slopes are steep

x) it is a lava cone

y) it is located in Mexico

z) it was built over a short period of time

ANSWER: X -- IT IS A LAVA CONE

211. Iceland is least likely to have

w) a fissure eruption

x) a lava plateau

y) an explosive eruption

z) a shield volcano

ANSWER: Y -- AN EXPLOSIVE ERUPTION

212. The principal volcanic gas (in terms of quantity) is:

w) carbon dioxide

x) nitrogen dioxide

y) sulfur dioxide

z) steam (H2O)

ANSWER: Z -- STEAM (H2O)

213. Which of the following elements is found in the earth's crust as both a native element and as a compound?

w) argon

x) copper

y) chlorine

z) silicon

ANSWER: X – COPPER

214. According to the protoplanet hypothesis, the solar system begins as which of the following?

w) a star

x) a vacuum

y) a huge cloud of dust and gas

z) a group of comets.

ANSWER: Y -- A HUGE CLOUD OF DUST AND GAS

215. On which one of the following is the largest known volcanic cone in the solar system located?

w) Earth

x) Io

y) Mars

z) the moon

ANSWER: Y – MARS

216. What type of rocks are formed as a result of volcanic activity?

w) metamorphic

x) sedimentary

y) igneous

z) Hudson

ANSWER: Y – IGNEOUS

217.  In which of the following mountain ranges are volcanic rocks least common?

w) Andes

x) Cascades

y) Himalayas

z) Sierra Nevadas

ANSWER: Y – HIMALAYAS

218. Which of the following mountain ranges were formed as a result of volcanic action?

w) Appalachians

x) Teton Range

y) Front Range

z) Cascade Range

ANSWER: Z -- CASCADE RANGE

219. Which of the following is the most important erosional and

transportation agent?

w) wind

x) water

y) glaciers

z) none of the above

ANSWER: X – WATER

220. Winds are classed as agents of erosion rather than of weathering because:

w) they have nothing to do with the weather

x) they carry rock particles away

y) they work only part of the time

z) they build up rather than wear down the rock

ANSWER: X -- THEY CARRY ROCK PARTICLES AWAY

221. Carbonic acid is extremely active in the chemical weathering of:

w) feldspar

x) quartz

y) carbon

z) quartzite

ANSWER: W – FELDSPAR

222. Of the following minerals, the one most resistant to both chemical and mechanical weathering is:

w) calcite

x) muscovite

y) hornblende

z) quartz

ANSWER: Z – QUARTZ

223. When shale weathers, it forms mostly:

w) clay

x) quartz

y) soluble carbonates

z) slate

ANSWER: W – CLAY

224. Waste gases from industrial plants form acids that hasten chemical weathering. Most of the gases are compounds of:

w) argon

x) hydrogen

y) iron

z) sulfur

ANSWER: Z – SULFUR

225. Which one of the following is an example of chemical weathering?

w) the splitting of a boulder

x) the grinding of pebbles into sand

y) the cleavage of a feldspar crystal

z) the rusting of hornblende

ANSWER: Z -- THE RUSTING OF HORNBLENDE

226. The oxygen in the earth's atmosphere was probably produced by which of the following?

w) volcanos

x) photosynthetic organisms

y) radioactive minerals

z) meteors

ANSWER: X -- PHOTOSYNTHETIC ORGANISMS

227. How much of the sun's total radiation actually reaches the earth? Is it one part in

w) 2,000

x) 200,000

y) 2 million

z) 2 billion

ANSWER: Z -- ONE PART IN 2 BILLION

228. To what does the atmosphere's "greenhouse effect" refer to?

w) the fact that ozone reflects ultraviolet radiation

x) the fact that air prevents heat from leaving the earth

y) the fact that clouds prevent sunlight from reaching the earth

z) the fact that green plants use sunlight to produce food

ANSWER: X -- THE FACT THAT AIR PREVENTS HEAT FROM LEAVING THE

EARTH

229.  What name is given to the science which studies the atmosphere?

w) oceanography

x) atmospherology

y) meteorology

z) weatherology

ANSWER: Y – METEOROLOGY

230. The available incoming solar radiation is known as:

w) reflection

x) insolation

y) reradiation

z) absorption

ANSWER: X – INSOLATION

231. You are flying between Chicago and San Francisco on a commercial jet. The pilot comes on the public address system and announces that the plane's cruising altitude is 40,000 feet. At this altitude are you in the:

w) troposphere

x) stratosphere

y) ozonosphere

z) chemosphere

ANSWER: X – STRATOSPHERE

232. Which region of the electro-magnetic spectrum will cause sunburns?

w) ultraviolet

x) infrared

y) visible

ANSWER: W – ULTRAVIOLET

233. Which of the following processes doesn't account for an increase in atmospheric CO₂ (carbon dioxide) levels?

w) deforestation

x) photosynthetic processes

y) plant respiration

z) fossil fuel combustion

ANSWER: X -- PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESSES

234. Global climate change is being attributed to the atmospheric increase in what two gases produced by human activities?

w) ozone and methane

x) nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide

y) methane and carbon dioxide

z) ozone and carbon monoxide

ANSWER: Y -- METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE

235. Multiple Choice: According to the French scientist Buffon, the solar system formed when our sun

w) was first formed

x) collided with a comet

y) began to cool down

z) began to expand.

ANSWER: X -- COLLIDED WITH A COMET

236. Multiple Choice: Which element in chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is responsible for destroying the Earth's ozone layer?

w) oxygen

x) fluorine

y) chlorine

z) bromine

ANSWER: Y – CHLORINE

237.  Multiple Choice: The Coriolis effect is responsible for which atmospheric

phenomenon?

w) trade winds

x) the jet stream

y) monsoons

z) hurricanes

ANSWER: Z – HURRICANES

238.  Multiple Choice:Which of the following reasons explains why quartz cannot be

identified by its color alone?

w) Its color is too faint.

x) It has no color.

y) It exists in a variety of colors.

z) Its color fades.

ANSWER: Y -- IT EXISTS IN A VARIETY OF COLORS

239.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following causes the oblate spheroid shape of the earth?

w) the earth's magnetism

x) the earth's gravity

y) the earth's rotation

z) the moon's tidal pull

ANSWER: Y -- THE EARTH'S ROTATION

240.  Multiple Choice: Which of these events gives us evidence that the earth is spherical?

w) a volcanic eruption

x) an earthquake

y) an eclipse of the moon

z) the earth's rotation

ANSWER: Y -- AN ECLIPSE OF THE MOON

241.  Multiple Choice: Which one of these is NOT true?

w) All planets revolve in the same direction.

x) All planets rotate in the same direction.

y) The orbits of the planets are all ellipses.

z) The orbits of the planets are nearly in the same plane.

ANSWER: X -- ALL PLANETS ROTATE IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

242.  Multiple Choice: An area that is not in a major earthquake belt is the region of the

w) Andes mountains

x) Coast Ranges of Central America

y) Appalachian Mountains

z) the islands of Japan

ANSWER: Y -- APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

243.  Multiple Choice: A city that suffered a major earthquake, but is not on a plate

boundary, is

w) Los Angeles, California

x) San Francisco, California

y) Tokyo, Japan

z) Charleston, South Carolina

ANSWER: Z -- CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

244.  Multiple Choice: Which of the following is TRUE of an earthquake's epicenter and focus?

w) they are the same

x) the focus is above the epicenter

y) the epicenter is at the earth's surface

z) the focus is at the earth's inner core

ANSWER: Y -- THE EPICENTER IS AT THE EARTH'S SURFACE

245.  Multiple Choice: Most earthquakes originate at depths of between

w) the surface and 100 kilometers

x) 100 kilometers and 500 kilometers

y) 500 kilometers and 700 kilometers

z) 700 kilometers and the outer core

ANSWER: W -- THE SURFACE AND 100 KILOMETERS

246.  Multiple Choice: The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America had a Richter scale magnitude closest to

w) 6.5

x) 7.5

y) 8.5

z) 9.5

ANSWER: Y -- 8.5

247.  Multiple Choice: Waves generated by underwater earthquakes are called:

w) tsunamis (pronounced su-nam-ees)

x) a bore

y) a tidal wave

z) neap tidal wave

ANSWER: W – TSUNAMIS

248.  Multiple Choice: What is the chemical formula for quartz?

w) CaCO-3

x) SiO-2

y) Fe-2O-3

z) none of these

ANSWER: X -- SiO-2

249.  Multiple Choice: Rocks formed in layers are said to be:

w) crystalline

x) stratified

y) chemical

z) metamorphosed

ANSWER: X – STRATIFIED

250.  Multiple Choice: Coal is believed to have been principally formed in which of the following types of environment?

w) river beds

x) swamps

y) volcanic regions

z) deserts

ANSWER: X – SWAMPS