Import Settings: Base Settings: Brownstone Default Information Field: Section Highest Answer Letter: D Multiple Keywords in Same Paragraph: No Chapter: Chapter 1: The Earth System Multiple Choice 1. Living organisms have been on Earth for _________ of Earth's history. A) less than 1% B) approximately 20% C) approximately 50% D) approximately 80% Ans: D Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 2. Which of the following statements regarding the scientific method is true ? A) A hypothesis must be agreed upon by more than one scientist. B) A theory is a hypothesis that has withstood many scientific tests. C) A theory is proven to be true and therefore may not be discarded. D) A hypothesis cannot predict the outcome of scientific experiments. Ans: B Section: 1 - 1: The Scientific Method 3. Which of the following statements about the scientific method is false ? A) A scientific theory is never considered finally proved. B) Data used to generate a hypothesis may come from observations, experiments, and chance findings. C) A theory that has accumulated a substantial body of experimental support is called a hypothesis. D) A scientific model represents some aspect of nature based on a set of hypotheses and theories. Ans: C Section: 1 - 1: The Scientific Method 4. According to the principle of uniformitarianism, A) geologic processes we observe today have operated in the past . B) animals evolved at a uniform rate . C) all of the planets formed from a uniform solar nebula . D) early Earth was covered by a uniform magma ocean . Ans: A Section: 1 - 3: The Geologic Record 5. How old is Earth ? A) approximately 4.5 thousand years B) approximately 4.5 billion years C) approximately 4.5 million years D) approximately 4.5 trillion years Ans: B Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 6. Earth 's core is made up primarily of A) iron . B) lead . C) oxygen . D) silicon . Ans: A Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 7 . Which of the following elements is more abundant in Earth 's crust than in Earth as a whole? A) iron B) magnesium C) nickel D) silicon Ans: D Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 8 . Which of the following makes up the bulk of Earth ? A) crust B) inner core C) mantle D) outer core Ans: C Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 9 . Ninety percent of Earth is made up of which four elements? A) iron, oxygen, silicon, and magnesium B) oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and silicon C) magnesium, aluminum, silicon, and oxygen D) silicon, calcium, aluminum, and iron Ans: A Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 1 0 . Approximately 50% of Earth 's crust is made up of which element? A) aluminum B) iron C) oxygen D) silicon Ans: C Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 1 1 . Earth exchanges __________ with the rest of the cosmos. A) energy and mass B) mass, but not energy, C) energy, but not mass, D) neither energy nor mass Ans: A Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 1 2 . Solar energy energizes all of the following major components of Earth system , except the A) atmosphere . B) biosphere . C) hydrosphere . D) lithosphere . Ans: D Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 1 3 . What powers Earth 's external heat engine? A) gravitational energy B) radioactive decay C) solar energy D) tidal forces Ans: C Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 1 4 . In which of the following subsystems is Earth 's magnetic field generated? A) climate system B) hydrologic system C) geodynamo system D) plate tectonic system Ans: C Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 1 5 . Earth 's climate system involves interactions between the atmosphere and the A) biosphere . B) hydrosphere . C) lithosphere . D) biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere . Ans: D Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 1 6 . On average, Earth 's lithosphere is approximately ____ km thick. A) 4 B) 20 C) 100 D) 500 Ans: C Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 1 7 . The asthenosphere is A) cool and strong . B) cool and weak . C) hot and strong . D) hot and weak . Ans: D Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 1 8 . What are the plates of plate tectonics made up of? A) asthenosphere B) crust C) lithosphere D) mantle Ans: C Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 19 . Which of the following relationships is correct ? A) asthenosphere = crust B) lithosphere = crust C) asthenosphere = crust + upper mantle D) lithosphere = crust + upper mantle Ans: D Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 2 0 . The motion of a flowing material in which hot matter rises from the bottom and cool matter sinks from the surface is called A) accretion . B) convection . C) differentiation . D) fusion . Ans: B Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 2 1 . Which of the following statements about convection is true ? A) Heat is transferred from hot material to cool material without inducing a flow. B) Hot material flows upward and displaces cool material. C) Cool material flows upward and displaces hot material. D) Random circulation occurs. Ans: B Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 2 2 . How old are the oldest rocks now found on Earth 's surface? A) 0.5 billion years B) 4.0 billion years C) 2.5 billion years D) 4.5 billion years Ans: B Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 2 3 . Earth’s atmosphere has been oxygen - rich for __________ of Earth’s history. A) approximately 25% B) approximately 50% C) approximately 75% D) approximately 99% Ans: B Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 2 4 . Large continental masses had formed on Earth by A) 0.3 billion years ago . B) 2.5 billion years ago . C) 1.0 billion years ago . D) 4.0 billion years ago . Ans: B Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 2 5 . How old are the earliest fossil remains? A) a pproximately 65 million years B) a pproximately 2200 million years C) a pproximately 540 million years D) a pproximately 3500 million years Ans: D Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 2 6 . When did biology's Big Bang (evolutionary explosion) occur? A) approximately 65 million years ago B) approximately 2.2 billion years ago C) approximately 540 million years ago D) approximately 3.5 billion years ago Ans: C Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 2 7 . What caused the mass extinctions 65 million years ago that ended the Age of Dinosaurs? A) major bolide impact B) massive volcanic eruptions C) global glaciation D) all of the above Ans: A Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 2 8 . Stony meteorites are similar in composition to Earth’s A) mantle . B) crust . C) inner core . D) outer core . Ans: A Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 29 . The group of meteorites that is similar in composition to Earth’s core is A) stony meteorites . B) high - density meteorites . C) iron - nickel meteorites . D) none of the above . Ans: C Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 3 0 . A ___________ aims to predict the complex behavior of Earth systems. A) scientific hypothesis B) scientific observation C) scientific plan D) scientific model Ans: D Section: 1 - 1: The Scientific Method 3 1 . Change in the ground elevation of Earth’s surface is called A) geodesy . B) topography . C) uniformitarianism . D) none of the above Ans: B Section: 1 - 2: Earth's Shape and Surface 3 2 . Elevation of the ground surface is measured relative to A) M ount Everest . B) the equator . C) sea level . D) the north pole . Ans: C Section: 1 - 2: Earth's Shape and Surface 3 3 . The daily rotation of Earth causes the equatorial regions to _______ and the polar regions to ________. A) bulge outward, flatten B) flatten, bulge outward C) bulge inward, flatten D) flatten, b ulge inward Ans: A Section: 1 - 2: Earth's Shape and Surface 3 4 . The Mohorovi č i ć discontinuity coincides with the __________ boundary. A) mantle - core B) crust - mantle C) lithosphere - mantle D) inner core - outer core Ans: B Section: 1 - 4: Peeling t he Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 3 5 . Continental crust is ________ oceanic crust. A) less dense than B) the same density as C) more dense than D) Geoscientists have no idea how dense the continental crust is . Ans: A Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 3 6 . Earth’s major layers include (from outermost to innermost) : A) inner core, outer core, mantle, crust . B) outer core, inner core, mantle, crust . C) crust, mantle, outer core, inner core . D) crust, outer core, inner core, mantle . Ans: C Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 3 7 . The plate tectonic system is driven by A) magnetism . B) the climate system . C) solar heat . D) internal heat . Ans: D Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 3 8 . The first evidence of erosion by water in the rock record occurred A) 4000 Ma . B) 3500 Ma . C) 2500 Ma . D) 3800 Ma . Ans: D Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 39 . The three major global geosystems are A) climate system, solar system, and geodynamo system . B) geodynamo system, plate tectonic system, and solar system . C) climate system, geodynamo system, and plate tectonic system . D) plate tectonic system, climate system, and solar system . Ans: C Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 40 . Solar energy energizes which of Earth’s components? A) atmosphere B) biosphere C) hydrosphere D) all of the above Ans: D Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 41 . The first appearance of Homo sapiens on Earth occurred in A) 16 Ma . B) 0.16 Ma . C) 1.6 Ma . D) 1600 Ma . Ans: B Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 4 2 . How many major mass extinction events have occurred throughout Earth ’s history? A) 5 B) 10 C) 2 D) 1 Ans: A Section: 1 - 6: An Overview of Geologic Time 4 3 . The ability of Earth’s atmosphere to retain heat is referred to as the A) solar effect . B) radiation effect . C) biosphere effect . D) greenhouse effect . Ans: D Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 4 4 . Magnetic reversals of Earth’s magnetic field are when A) Earth’s north and south poles flip . B) Earth’s magnetic field decreases in intensity . C) Earth’s magnetic poles wander . D) Earth’s magnetic field increases in intensity . Ans: A Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 4 5 . The typical elevation of the land surface occurs within a range of _______ above sea level. A) 0 to 20 km B) 0 to 1 km C) 0 to 10 km D) 0 to 5 km Ans: B Section: 1 - 2: Earth's Shape and Surface 4 6 . The typical depth of ocean basins is A) 1 to 2 km . B) 10 to 12 km . C) 4 to 5 km . D) 8 to 10 km . Ans: C Section: 1 - 2: Earth's Shape and Surface 4 7 . The highest topographic point above sea level on Earth is at A) Mount Himalaya . B) Mount Mauna Loa . C) Mount Marianas . D) Mount Everest . Ans: D Section: 1 - 2: Earth's Shape and Surface 4 8 . A scientific hypothesis that stands repeated testing can be elevated to a scientific A) model . B) fact . C) theory . D) idea . Ans: C Section: 1 - 1: The Scientific Method 49 . The average density of continental crust is ________ g/cm 3 . A) 2.8 B) 3.4 C) 3.0 D) 4.0 Ans: A Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 5 0 . Continents float high because they are A) denser than the mantle . B) less dense than the mantle . C) the same density as the mantle . D) thicker than the mantle . Ans: B Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 5 1 . Which of the following is not an integral part of the scientific method? A) experimentation B) observation C) belief D) criticism Ans: C Section: 1 - 1: The Scientific Method 5 2 . In terms of its shape , Earth is A) a perfect sphere . B) an imperfect sphere . C) flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator . D) bulging at the poles and flattened at the equator . Ans: C Section: 1 - 2: Earth's Shape and Surface 5 3 . The densest part of Earth is the A) oceanic crust . B) continental crust . C) mantle . D) core . Ans: D Section: 1 - 4: Peeling the Onion: Discovery of a Layered Earth 5 4 . The lithosphere is composed of = A) uppermost crust . B) lowermost crust . C) crust and upper mantle . D) mantle . Ans: C Section: 1 - 5: Earth as a System of Interacting Components 5 5 . Geologist James Hutton advanced the principle of A) uniformitarianism . B) uniformity . C) conformity . D) universalism . Ans: A Section: 1 - 3: The Geologic Record