An Intermediate Level Geology Exam Practice Test Part- II

122 Questions | By Eyembrian | Last updated: Mar 19, 2022 | Total Attempts: 53

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An Intermediate Level Geology Exam Practice Test Part- II - Quiz

Questions and Answers

1.

1) Which of the following is an example of ecological convergence?
- A.
  
  A) humans descending from early primates
- B.
  
  B) vertebrates moving onto land in the Paleozoic
- C.
  
  C) canine-bearing marsupials in Australia and wolves in North America
- D.
  
  D) the Cambrian explosion
2.

6) Why is Syracuse called the “Salt City”?
- A.
  
  A) Excessive amount of salt on roads in winter
- B.
  
  B) Abundant salt-water spray from the Atlantic Ocean
- C.
  
  C) Past salt extraction
- D.
  
  D) Presence of salt in the subsurface
- E.
  
  E) Options a and b
3.

7) Which of the following is not a possible cause of the Cambrian explosion?
- A.
  
  A) rise in sea level
- B.
  
  B) rise in atmospheric oxygen
- C.
  
  C) ecological changes
- D.
  
  D) a major meteorite impact
- E.
  
  E) change in seawater chemistry
4.
- A.
  
  A) indicate the age of the individual
- B.
  
  B) are a growth structure
- C.
  
  C) separate septa
- D.
  
  D) options a and b
- E.
  
  E) options b and c
5.

The demise of the stromatolites was caused by
- A.
  
  A) Meteorite impact
- B.
  
  B) Snowball Earth glaciations
- C.
  
  C) Regression
- D.
  
  D) Transgression
- E.
  
  E) Predators
6.

1) The sedimentary rocks under the city of Syracuse were deposited
- A.
  
  A) in a broad shallow sea
- B.
  
  B) in a deep sea trench
- C.
  
  C) represent a graptolite facies
- D.
  
  D) on the side of a volcano
- E.
  
  E) none of the above
7.

11) The principal constituent of most modern shell material is
- A.
  
  A) apatite
- B.
  
  B) calcium carbonate
- C.
  
  C) silicate
- D.
  
  D) native iron
8.

12) The Cambrian Period was characterized by
- A.
  
  A) appearance of organisms with shells, spines, and hard skeletons
- B.
  
  B) active rifting within most continents
- C.
  
  C) low sea level
- D.
  
  D) spread of lush vegetation on land
9.

14) Well-sorted, quartz-dominated sandstone is most likely to form from sediments deposited
- A.
  
  A) at the bottom of a deep lake
- B.
  
  B) on a coral reef
- C.
  
  C) on a beach
- D.
  
  D) in the deepest parts of the oceans
- E.
  
  E) beneath a glacier
10.

15) What supports the hypothesis that life originated at hydrothermal vents?
- A.
  
  A) more oxygen is available at hydrothermal vents
- B.
  
  B) deep water would protect early life from ultraviolet radiation
- C.
  
  C) cold water found at hydrothermal vents would encourage development of bacteria
- D.
  
  D) lightning would provide an energy source at hydrothermal vents
11.

16) The driving mechanism for plate tectonics is
- A.
  
  A) Ridge-push and slab-pull forces
- B.
  
  B) Subduction zones
- C.
  
  C) Convection in the mantle
- D.
  
  D) Options a and b
- E.
  
  E) Options a and c
12.

17) Foreland basins are formed at
- A.
  
  A) convergent plate boundaries
- B.
  
  B) divergent plate boundaries
- C.
  
  C) strike-slip plate boundaries
- D.
  
  D) none of the above
13.

18) Near the end of the Ordovician, the Earth’s climate was warm
- A.
  
  A) true
- B.
  
  B) false
14.

19) During Cambrian times North America was positioned
- A.
  
  A) under the north pole
- B.
  
  B) under the south pole
- C.
  
  C) at tropical latitudes
- D.
  
  D) about where it is now
15.

20) In the early Cambrian the primitive North American craton was the site of widespread transgression
- A.
  
  A) True
- B.
  
  B) False
16.

21) The Snowball Earth crisis
- A.
  
  A) occurred at the peak of the last glaciation
- B.
  
  B) occurred at the end of meteorite bombardment
- C.
  
  C) occurred in the Proterozoic
- D.
  
  D) occurred in the Cambrian
17.

22) An example of a mineralogically “mature” sedimentary rock is a
- A.
  
  A) conglomerate
- B.
  
  B) granite
- C.
  
  C) quartz-rich sandstone
- D.
  
  D) feldspar-rich breccia
18.

23) The age of the Proterozoic-Cambrian Boundary is
- A.
  
  A) 3.8 billion years
- B.
  
  B) 2.5 billion years
- C.
  
  C) 1.5 billion years
- D.
  
  D) 540 million years
- E.
  
  E) 270 million years
19.

24) Rodinia refers to
- A.
  
  A) a late Proterozoic supercontinent
- B.
  
  B) a type of radioactive decay
- C.
  
  C) a moon of Jupiter
- D.
  
  D) an early Cambrian organism
20.

25) An oolite is
- A.
  
  A) An organelle of eukaryotic cells
- B.
  
  B) a type ofsediment on the Martian surface
- C.
  
  C) a carbonate deposit
- D.
  
  D) a gas-generated lava texture
21.

26) Place the following time periods in their proper order (oldest to youngest): 1) Archean 2) Cambrian 3) Proterozoic 4) Silurian
- A.
  
  A) 4,2,3,1
- B.
  
  B) 1,3,2,4
- C.
  
  C) 2,3,4,1
- D.
  
  D) 2,3,1,4
22.

27) The Snowball Earth glaciation may have been induced by
- A.
  
  A) A decrease in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
- B.
  
  B) An increasing distance from the sun
- C.
  
  C) A marked decrease in the albedo
- D.
  
  D) evolution of the Ediacaran fauna
- E.
  
  E) none of the above
23.

Precambrian rocks are most common
- A.
  
  A) on oceanic islands
- B.
  
  B) on continental margins
- C.
  
  C) at mid-ocean ridges
- D.
  
  D) near subduction zones
- E.
  
  E) in the centers of continents
24.

In the Cambrian, the continents
- A.
  
  A) did not exist
- B.
  
  B) were covered by lush tropical forests
- C.
  
  C) were barren of vegetation
- D.
  
  D) hosted a rich variety of land animals
- E.
  
  E) none of the above
25.

Modern Plate Tectonics began about
- A.
  
  A) 4.5 billion years ago
- B.
  
  B) 2-2.5 billion years ago
- C.
  
  C) 545 million years ago
- D.
  
  D) 65 million years ago
- E.
  
  E) 2 million years ago