Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1.
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A magma’s viscosity is directly related to its ____.
a. | depth | c. | color | b. | age | d. | silica content |
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2.
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Which of the following factors helps determine whether a volcanic eruption will
be violent or relatively quiet?
a. | amount of dissolved gases in the magma | b. | temperature of the magma | c. | composition of the
magma | d. | all of the above |
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3.
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What is the most abundant gas associated with volcanic activity?
a. | chlorine | c. | sulfur oxide | b. | water vapor | d. | carbon dioxide |
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4.
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What type of volcano is built almost entirely from ejected lava
fragments?
a. | cinder cone | c. | shield volcano | b. | composite cone | d. | pahoehoe
volcano |
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5.
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What feature is labeled D in Figure 10-1?
a. | pipe | c. | crater | b. | volcanic neck | d. | lava flow |
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6.
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What feature is labeled A in Figure 10-1?
a. | pipe | c. | crater | b. | volcanic neck | d. | vent |
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7.
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What type of volcano is illustrated in Figure 10-1?
a. | volcanic neck | c. | cinder cone | b. | shield volcano | d. | composite cone |
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8.
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The most violent volcanic eruptions are associated with what type of
volcano?
a. | cinder cones | c. | composite cones | b. | shield volcanoes | d. | fissure
eruptions |
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9.
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Magma forms when solid rock in the crust and upper
mantle ____. a. | melts | c. | crystallizes | b. | vaporizes | d. | cools |
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10.
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Most of the active volcanoes on Earth are located in a belt known as the
____.
a. | circum-Atlantic belt | c. | Ring of Lava | b. | Ring of Fire | d. | East African Rift
Valley |
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11.
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Sedimentary rocks record past geological events and
____. a. | written history | b. | changing life forms of the
past | c. | astronomical milestones of the past | d. | Earth’s circumference and diameter in the
past |
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12.
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In what type of rocks would geologists most likely find evidence of past life
forms?
a. | igneous rocks | c. | volcanic rocks | b. | metamorphic rocks | d. | sedimentary
rocks |
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13.
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An example of a geologic event that could be recorded in rocks is ____.
a. | a civil war | c. | a volcanic eruption | b. | the occurrence of sun spots | d. | a lunar eclipse |
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14.
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The dating process that places geologic events in proper sequence is referred to
as a ____.
a. | radiometric dating | c. | numerical dating | b. | relative dating | d. | temporary
dating |
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15.
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In general, the law of superposition states that in an undeformed sequence of
sedimentary rocks, each layer is ____.
a. | basically the same age | c. | older than the one below it | b. | older than the one
above it | d. | thicker than the
one above it |
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16.
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a. | oldest layers of rock in a region | b. | remains or traces of prehistoric
life | c. | living creatures with habitats in or around rock | d. | objects that people
of long ago left behind as artifacts |
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17.
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The footprints of a dinosaur are an example of what type of fossil?
a. | unaltered remains | c. | carbonized remains | b. | mold | d. | trace fossil |
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18.
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Which of the following is important if an organism
is to become a fossil? a. | slow burial and soft parts | c. | rapid burial and soft
parts | b. | rapid burial and hard parts | d. | slow burial and hard parts |
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19.
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Index fossils allow geologists to
____. a. | match rocks of the same age in different regions | b. | determine the exact
age of rocks | c. | identify organisms that did not leave fossil evidence behind | d. | determine why some
organisms became extinct |
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20.
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The process by which atomic nuclei spontaneously decay is called ____.
a. | relative dating | c. | erosion | b. | radioactivity | d. | deposition |
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21.
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How old is Earth?
a. | 2 billion years | c. | 16 million years | b. | 4.6 million years | d. | 4.56 billion
years |
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22.
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Which of the following gases was NOT part of Earth’s original
atmosphere?
a. | water vapor | c. | nitrogen | b. | oxygen | d. | carbon dioxide |
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23.
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Laurasia was made up of which modern continents?
a. | North America, Europe, and western Asia | b. | North America and
South America | c. | Africa, South America, and eastern Asia | d. | Europe, Antarctica,
and South America |
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24.
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During the Pennsylvanian period, large tropical swamps extended across North
America, eventually forming ____.
a. | vast coal deposits | c. | tropical rain forests | b. | inland
seas | d. | mountain
ranges |
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25.
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Hard parts help animals to ____.
a. | protect themselves | c. | swim freely | b. | feed and reproduce | d. | live on land |
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26.
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The Rocky Mountains began to form as the North American plate overrode the
____.
a. | African continent | c. | Atlantic rift | b. | Pacific plate | d. | supercontinent
Pangaea |
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27.
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What likely contributed to the extinction that marks the end of the Mesozoic
Era?
a. | global warming | c. | an ice age | b. | a meteorite collision | d. | none of the
above |
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28.
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The current geologic period is called the ____.
a. | Mesozoic | c. | Quaternary | b. | Tertiary | d. | Silurian |
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29.
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How are mammals distinct from reptiles?
a. | Mammals are cold-blooded. | c. | Mammals have
lungs. | b. | Mammals lay eggs. | d. | Mammals have body hair. |
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30.
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Mammals became dominant only after ____.
a. | continental glaciers retreated | c. | inland seas dried
up | b. | dinosaurs became extinct | d. | the Cenozoic Era ended |
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31.
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What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
a. | oxygen | c. | carbon dioxide | b. | nitrogen | d. | hydrogen |
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32.
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The form of oxygen that combines three oxygen atoms into each molecule is called
____.
a. | argon | c. | chlorofluorocarbon | b. | thermopause | d. | ozone |
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33.
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Most important weather phenomena occur in the ____.
a. | stratosphere | c. | troposphere | b. | mesosphere | d. | thermosphere |
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34.
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When does the summer solstice occur in the Northern Hemisphere?
a. | June 21 | c. | September 21 | b. | March 21 | d. | December 21 |
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35.
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When does the autumnal equinox occur in the Southern Hemisphere?
a. | June 21 | c. | September 21 | b. | March 21 | d. | December 21 |
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36.
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At which latitude would you expect the sun to be directly overhead at noon on
April 21?
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37.
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Which electromagnetic waves have the longest wavelengths?
a. | radio | c. | gamma | b. | infrared | d. | ultraviolet |
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38.
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A metal spoon becomes hot after being left in a pan of boiling water. This is an
example of ____.
a. | convection | c. | radiation | b. | conduction | d. | reflection |
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39.
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Earth receives energy from the sun through what method of heat transfer?
a. | conduction | c. | radiation | b. | convection | d. | none of the
above |
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40.
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The two most important heat-absorbing gases in the lower atmosphere are
____.
a. | oxygen and nitrogen | c. | argon and hydrogen | b. | ozone and
chlorofluorocarbon | d. | water
vapor and carbon dioxide |
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41.
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Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are all examples of ____.
a. | evaporation | c. | precipitation | b. | condensation | d. | deposition |
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42.
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Which of the following can change from one state of matter to another at the
temperatures and pressures experienced at Earth’s surface?
a. | nitrogen | c. | water | b. | oxygen | d. | carbon dioxide |
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43.
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The change of state from a gas to a liquid is called ____.
a. | evaporation | c. | condensation | b. | sublimation | d. | deposition |
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44.
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What is true about relative humidity?
a. | It indicates how near the air is to saturation. | b. | It indicates the
actual quantity of water vapor in the air. | c. | It is the general term used to describe the
amount of water vapor in air. | d. | It is the temperature to which a parcel of air
would need to be cooled to reach saturation. |
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45.
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Which of the following refers to the temperature to which air would have to be
cooled to reach saturation?
a. | dew point | c. | adiabatic rate | b. | vapor | d. | relative point |
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46.
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Weather-producing fronts are parts of storm systems called ____.
a. | middle-latitude cyclones | c. | tropical storms | b. | hurricanes | d. | tornadoes |
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47.
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Which cloud type is best described as sheets or layers that cover much or all of
the sky?
a. | cumulus | c. | stratus | b. | cirrus | d. | alto |
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48.
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Which cloud type consists of globular cloud masses with a cauliflower
structure?
a. | cumulus | c. | stratus | b. | cirrus | d. | alto |
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49.
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Compared to clouds, fogs are ____.
a. | colder | c. | at lower altitudes | b. | of a different composition | d. | drier |
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50.
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Most fogs are the result of which of the following?
a. | radiation cooling | b. | the movement of air over a cold
surface | c. | orographic lifting | d. | both a and b |
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51.
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The force exerted by the weight of the air above is called ____.
a. | air pressure | c. | the Coriolis effect | b. | convergence | d. | divergence |
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52.
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In which direction is air pressure exerted?
a. | upward | c. | sideways | b. | downward | d. | all of the
above |
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53.
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Standard sea level pressure in millibars is ____.
a. | 750.1 | c. | 1000 | b. | 980.5 | d. | 1013.2 |
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54.
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What is the ultimate energy source for most wind?
a. | Earth’s rotation | c. | solar radiation | b. | Earth’s revolution | d. | tides |
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55.
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Widely spaced isobars indicate ____.
a. | high winds | c. | light winds | b. | variable winds | d. | winds oriented north to
south |
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56.
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Fast-moving currents of air that occur above the friction layer are called
____.
a. | wind trains | c. | chinooks | b. | mesocyclones | d. | jet streams |
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57.
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Centers of low pressure are called ____.
a. | anticyclones | c. | jet streams | b. | air masses | d. | cyclones |
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58.
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Fair weather can usually be expected with the approach of which of the
following?
a. | cyclone | c. | low-pressure system | b. | anticyclone | d. | none of the
above |
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59.
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Valley and mountain breezes are examples of ____.
a. | global winds | c. | local winds | b. | trade winds | d. | jet streams |
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60.
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Which instrument is used to measure wind speed?
a. | anemometer | c. | thermometer | b. | barometer | d. | all of the
above |
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61.
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Which two properties characterize an air mass?
a. | temperature and location | c. | temperature and
moisture | b. | temperature and pressure | d. | moisture and pressure |
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62.
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Maritime air masses form ____.
a. | over land | c. | only in winter | b. | over water | d. | only in summer |
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63.
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The boundary that separates different air masses is called a(n) ____.
a. | front | c. | anticyclone | b. | cyclone | d. | storm |
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64.
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What type of front forms when the surface position of the front does not
move?
a. | warm | c. | stationary | b. | cold | d. | occluded |
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65.
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Along a front, which type of air is always forced upwards?
a. | cooler, denser air | c. | the driest air | b. | warmer, less dense air | d. | the wettest air |
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66.
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The mature stage of a thunderstorm is associated with which of the
following?
a. | downdrafts | c. | updrafts | b. | heavy precipitation | d. | both b and c |
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67.
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A rotating column of air is called a(n) ____.
a. | hurricane | c. | vortex | b. | anticyclone | d. | cumulonimbus
cloud |
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68.
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Tornadoes are most frequent from ____.
a. | January to March | c. | October to December | b. | April to June | d. | July to August |
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69.
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Tornadoes are classified according to intensity using the ____.
a. | Richter scale | c. | Saffir-Simpson scale | b. | Doppler scale | d. | Fujita scale |
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70.
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Typhoon is another name for ____.
a. | wave cyclone | c. | tornado | b. | hurricane | d. | thunderstorm |
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71.
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What happens to the intensity of solar energy as latitude increases?
a. | It stays the same. | c. | It decreases. | b. | It increases. | d. | It doubles. |
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72.
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Increased altitude generally causes lower ____.
a. | relative humidity | c. | wind velocities | b. | temperatures | d. | rainfall
amounts |
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73.
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Which type of climate has no winters?
a. | humid tropical | c. | polar | b. | dry | d. | highland |
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74.
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What phenomenon naturally warms Earth’s lower atmosphere and
surface?
a. | the formation of sunspots | c. | global warming | b. | changes in the shape
of Earth’s orbit | d. | the
greenhouse effect |
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75.
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Which of the following is an example of human impact on climate changes?
a. | the greenhouse effect | c. | global warming | b. | changes in solar output | d. | changes in the tilt of Earth’s
axis |
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