Science Semester Test Practice

What is the shape of Earth?

• A.

  Oval

• B.

  Circle

• C.

  Oblate spheroid

• D.

  Square

The source of Earth's magnetic field may be _______________________.

• A.

  The sun

• B.

  The liquid iron on Earth's outer core

• C.

  It's axis

• D.

  Other planets

The sources of energy on Earth are (select 2)

• A.

  The sun

• B.

  Other planets

• C.

  Radioactive decay

• D.

  The moon

Ecosystems respond to environmental changes by ways that maintain or restore balance in the ecosystem. 

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Newton's law of gravitation states that the force of attraction between any two objects depends on their masses and the distance between them.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

When the temperature of rock rises above its melting point, 

• A.

  It turns to ice

• B.

  It melts

• C.

  It hardens

• D.

  It vanishes

A large, circular depression that forms when the magma chamber below a volcano partially empties and causes the ground above to sink.

• A.

  Felsic lava

• B.

  Caldera

• C.

  Sand dune

• D.

  Focus

Describes magma or igneous rock that is rich in feldspars and silica and that is generally light in color

• A.

  Felsic

• B.

  Mafic

• C.

  Caldera

• D.

  Pyroclastic material

___________________ are fragments of rock that form during a volcanic eruption.

Mafic lava describes magma or igneous rock that is rich in magnesium and iron and that is generally dark in color.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

____________ is the least viscous type of mafic lava. It forms wrinkly volcanic rock when it cools.

What are the types of volcanic cones? (select the correct ones)

• A.

  Silicate cones

• B.

  Shield volcanoes

• C.

  Cinder cones

• D.

  Composite volcanoes

Paleomagnetism is the study of alignment of magnetic minerals in rock, specifically as it relates to the reversal of Earth's magnetic poles; also the magnetic properties that rock acquires during formation.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

The boundary between tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.

• A.

  Transform boundary

• B.

  Convergent boundary

• C.

  Divergent boundary

The boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding.

• A.

  Convergent boundary

• B.

  Transform boundary

• C.

  Divergent boundary

The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally.

• A.

  Transform boundary

• B.

  Divergent boundary

• C.

  Convergent boundary

• D.

  None of the above

An earthquake is a movement or trembling of the ground that is caused by a sudden release of energy when rocks along a fault move. The epicenter is directly below the focus and it happens near the plate boundary because that's where the motion takes place.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

A mineral that does not contain compounds of silicon and oxygen.

• A.

  Nonsilicate minerals

• B.

  Silicate minerals

A mineral that contains a combination of silicon and oxygen and that may also contain one or more metals.

• A.

  Silicate minerals

• B.

  Nonsilicate minerals

Types of sedimentary rock

• A.

  Chemical

• B.

  Organic

• C.

  Clastic

• D.

  Igneous

Sedimentary Rock Features

• A.

  Stratification

• B.

  Cross-beds

• C.

  Graded bedding

• D.

  Mud Cracks

• E.

  Fossils and Concretions

Metamorphic rock forms when heat, pressure, or a chemical process ir applied on a rock and becomes another.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Igneous rock forms when magma, or molten rock, cools and hardens.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Sedimentary rock forms when sediment deposits that form when rocks, mineral crystals, and organic matter have been broken into fragments, called sediments, are composed or cemented together.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

One example of an extrusion (igneous rock masses that form on Earth's surface) would be flat masses of rock called lava flows.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Just click true, and study the farming methods that conserves topsoil again.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Barrier islands: a long ridge of sand or narrow island that lies parallel to the shore.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Tombolos: beach deposits that connect an off-shore island to the mainland.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Spits: a long, narrow deposit of sand connected at one end of the shore.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Headlands: a high and steep formation of rock that extends out from shore into the water.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Berm: a raised section that some beaches have.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Barrier reef: a coral reef running parallel to the shore but separated from it by a channel of deep water.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

The interval of time in the geologic time scale from Earth's formation to the beginning of the Paleozoic era, from 4.6 billion years to 542 million years ago.

• A.

  Precambrian Time

• B.

  Mezosoic era

• C.

  Paleozoic era

• D.

  Cenozoic era

The geologic era that lasted 251 million to 65.5 million years ago. Also called the Age of Reptiles.

• A.

  Precambrian Time

• B.

  Mezosoic Era

• C.

  Paleozoic Era

• D.

  Cenozoic Era

The geologic era that lasted from 542 million to 251 million years ago.

• A.

  Precambrian Time

• B.

  Mezosoic Era

• C.

  Paleozoic Era

• D.

  Cenozoic Era

The current geologic era, which began 65.5 million years ago; also known as the Age of Mammals.

• A.

  Precambrian Time

• B.

  Mezosoic Era

• C.

  Paleozoic Era

• D.

  Cenozoic Era

Mass extinction: an episode during which large members of species became extinct.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Geologic time scale: this scale outlines the development of Earth and life on Earth

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Impact hypothesis: a hypothesis some believed ended with the last of dinosaurs. Consisted of an asteroid crashing into Earth and killing them all.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Evolution: the process of change by which new species develop from preexisting species over time.

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Shield: large areas of exposed Precambrian rocks in every continent except Antarctica

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

Geologic column: an ordered arrangement of rock layers that is based on the relative ages of the rocks and in which oldest rocks are at the bottom. 

• A.

  True

• B.

  False

_____________ is the hypothesis that a single large landmass broke up into smaller landmasses to form the continents, which then sifted to their present locations.

______________ is the solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere.

____________ is a piece of lithosphere that has a unique geologic history and that may be part of a larger piece of lithosphere, such as a continent.

___________ is the process by which Earth's crust breaks apart; can occur within continental crust or oceanic crust.

__________________ is the process by which new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms when magma rises to Earth's surface at mid-ocean ridges and solidifies, as older, existing sea floor moves away from the ridge.

_________ is the little earthquake that proceed some earthquakes.

____________ is the solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.

__________ is the point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's starting point/focus.