Earth And Space Science Semester 2 Final

Desalination is one way to increase Earth’s supply of fresh water. Based on what you’ve read, how would you define desalination? Why is it not in wider use around the world?

• It introduces chemicals into the water.

• It remains too costly.

• It doesn't always work.

• It disrupts ocean environments.

Stars are balls of gas that give off an enormous amount of electromagnetic energy due to the nuclear _____ taking place within them.

• Fission

• Emissions

• Alignment

• Fusion

Because Earth revolves around the sun in a predictable and constant orbit, climate conditions do not change over long periods of time.

• True

• False

A typical star has a life cycle that is _____ of years long, making it impossible to observe the whole cycle of one star. 

• Hundreds

• Millions

• Billions

• Thousands

Air pollution is found only in heavily populated urban areas.

• True

• False

As the channel of the stream erodes, it becomes wider and deeper, eventually carrying more _____ and becoming a river.

• Discharge

• Sand

Exercising in high humidity can be uncomfortable, so you want to know how humid it is before you play a game of tennis. Which of these readings would be most useful for you to know?

• Relative humidity

• Absolute humidity

• Dew point

• Air pressure

What type of conditions must exist for large waves to form? (Select all that apply.)

• Wavelengths need to be short.

• The fetch must be long.

• Ocean depth must be shallow.

• Winds must be strong and steady

How do the major divisions of the global ocean rank in size? A – Arctic Ocean B – Atlantic Ocean C – Indian Ocean D – Pacific Ocean E – Southern Ocean

• B-D-E-C-A

• D-E-B-A-C

• D-B-C-E-A

• E-D-B-C-A

In warm, dry areas where the air is very clean, there are few cloudy days because clean air has fewer particles in the atmosphere around which water _____ can condense and form clouds.

Within an ice age, glaciers may retreat during _____ periods. 

A forest fire in a floodplain have a devastating impact because vegetation keeps the soil from being washed away, and fire would destroy it.

• True

• False

Climatologists study the constantly changing climate and create __________, which can be a great service to humanity because predicting change and potential severe consequences could help people to prepare for a natural disaster.

• Weather maps

• Climate models

• Disaster recovery plans

• Contingency campaigns

Because most exoplanets orbit stars that are similar to our sun, we might reasonably conclude that life exists in other solar systems.

• True

• False

Global weather monitoring can foster cooperation between countries that might not otherwise communicate. Why is this the case?

• Severe weather affects the northern hemisphere more than the southern hemisphere, and it is one way in which countries south of the equator can help those north of it.

• Some nations have had breakthroughs in meteorology that are required to be shared throughout the rest of the world.

• Weather monitoring offers a neutral base for discussion and an opportunity for countries to offer information and assistance to each other.

• Satellites that track weather are owned by the world’s superpowers, who must provide the information to other countries to retain their trust.

When the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, the water on Earth that is closest to the moon and/or the sun experiences ___________.

• Neap tides

• Low tides

• Spring tides

• Irregular tides

Scientists using submersible technology in recent years have found an abundance of organisms at depths they thought were hostile to life.

• True

• False

In the late summer of 1859, scientists observing the sun noted an unusually high number of sunspots which generated violent outbursts of energy called solar flares. One was so intense that its charged particles penetrated Earth’s atmosphere, overwhelmed Earth’s magnetic field, and shorted out telegraph wires in the United States and Europe. If solar flares with the intensity of those in 1859 occurred today, the effects would be __________.

• Negligible as the world’s space agencies would be able to predict and avert any negative effects

• Less disruptive because today’s technology is far more advanced than it was in 1859

• Much more disruptive because our technology depends heavily on electricity and radio waves

• Catastrophic because the manmade satellites orbiting the Earth would explode and crash to the planet’s surface

The depth of the water table depends on what features? (Select all that apply.)

• Number of springs

• Rate of use

• Rainfall

• Topography

• Rock permeability

• Gradient

The warm Gulf Stream affects __________ because westerly winds blow its warm tropical air toward this area to keep it warmer than it would be otherwise.

• Northeastern South America

• Northwestern Europe

• The US eastern coast

• The island of Cuba

Why don’t we take advantage of the vast natural power of global winds to generate electricity? 

• Countries argue about who would own the rights to harnessed global winds.

• Global winds are at heights that make harnessing the energy impractical.

• The world has not yet invented the right technology to utilize wind power.

• The speed and force of global winds is too powerful for people to harness.

Venus is similar to Earth in size, density, and mass, so it would seem to be a good candidate for colonization. What disadvantages make Venus unfriendly to life-forms from Earth? (Select all that apply.)

• Venus’s atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide, which is unbreathable for humans.

• The atmosphere could be altered over time by green plants and cyanobacteria.

• Similar surface gravity as Earth that might prevent health problems associated with weightlessness.

• The runaway greenhouse effect raises temperatures higher than 400 °C.

While oil (petroleum) is a great ocean resource, it is also a major pollutant. Eliminating oil pollutants from the water is important because they _____ the chemical and life balance in the ocean.

• Interrupt

• Decelerate

• Support

• Terminate

A 110-mile-wide crater sits quietly under water off the coast of Yucatan, Mexico. Some scientists think the crater was made by a 10-mile-wide asteroid. The impact of something that size would have had the power to send enough debris into the atmosphere to block the sun for years. Scientists theorize that this was the cause of __________.

• A tremendous tidal wave

• The extinction of the dinosaurs

• The change from sulfur- to oxygen-based organisms

• A reduction in numbers of early plants and animals

Knowing that the asteroid belt separates the inner planets and the outer planets might indicate that this was the point beyond which matter was too far from the _____ to form dense planets.

You are allergic to pollen. While vacationing at a Lake Superior campground, you want to be outside and most active when the pollen is least likely to affect you. What time of day would that be? 

• The evening is the best time, since breezes die down and pollen settles to the ground.

• The early morning would be best, while dew holds pollen in place on the vegetation.

• The late morning would be best, before the winds begin to blow pollen around the area.

• The afternoon is the best time, when the lake breeze brings pollen-free air to the shore.

Copernicus developed the heliocentric model of the solar system, replacing __________.

• Kepler’s mathematical model

• Aristotle’s geocentric model

• Galileo’s lunarcentric model

• Newton’s astronomy model

In this photograph, you can see water in how many of its different states?

• 2

• 4

• 1

• 3

Which type of clouds are most likely to produce a thunderstorm?

• Is a storm likely when you see these clouds?

• Is a storm likely when you see these clouds?

• Is a storm likely when you see these clouds?

• Is a storm likely when you see these clouds?

What phase of the moon is shown here?

• Waxing crescent

• New moon

• Waning crescent

• First quarter

These ripples in the sand, formed in the direction in which the sea breeze blows in, are known as __________.

• Transverse

• Barchans

• Parabolic

• Longitudinal

The sea _____ in this image was formed by wave erosion.

Look at the image and identify the type of galaxy shown. .

• Irregular Galaxy

• Elliptical Galaxy

• Spiral Galaxy

• Barred Spiral Galaxy

Look at the image and identify the type of galaxy shown.

• Irregular Galaxy

• Elliptical Galaxy

• Spiral Galaxy

• Barred Spiral Galaxy

Look at the image and identify the type of galaxy shown.

• Irregular Galaxy

• Elliptical Galaxy

• Spiral Galaxy

• Barred Spiral Galaxy

What findings serve as supporting evidence for the big bang theory? (Select all that apply.)

• The universe is now stabilized from its initial outward expansion.

• Stars all over the universe seem to be composed of elements that are also found on Earth

• Background radiation is present throughout space in a consistent

• Stars all seem to form the same way, suggesting a common origin for the entire universe.

Temperatures at the equator are higher than those at the poles because __________.

• The equator is closer to the sun than are the poles

• Solar energy hits the equator at a 90° angle and is intense

• Air circulates more at the poles to keep them cooler

• The equator has a smaller landmass that heats up faster

Look at the image and identify the type of galaxy shown.

• Irregular Galaxy

• Elliptical Galaxy

• Spiral Galaxy

• Barred Spiral Galaxy

The accuracy of weather forecasting increases as the amount of collected weather data increases, so that meteorologists no longer need to interpret as much.

• True

• False

Suppose you are in charge of installing the world’s largest optical telescope on Earth’s surface. Where would put you the telescope for best performance?

• On an iceberg in the Arctic with clean, dry air and constant visibility of Polaris

• In a field in the US Midwest where there are few clouds and no city lights

• On the top of a mountain where there are few clouds and no city lights

• On an island in the Pacific Ocean where there is little pollution of any kind

After a windy summer, a farmer in Washington state notices that his apple harvest is far smaller than in previous years. What is the likely cause for this?

• Saltation

• Loess layers

• Air pollution

• Deflation

Cloud _____ is a method by which people hope to control one aspect of the weather, helping to produce rain or prevent large storm clouds from forming.

A major factor in maintaining the balance in the ocean habitat is _____; if it changes on the ocean surface due to increased radiation or the greenhouse effect, sea life at the base of the ocean food web will be affected.

The closest Saturn comes to Earth is 1,277,400,000 km. The closest Jupiter comes to Earth is 628,760,000 km. In astronomical units (AU), how much closer does Jupiter come to Earth than Saturn?

• 43.2 AU

• 64.8 AU

• 6.48 AU

• 4.32 AU

The shorter the wavelength of any type of electromagnetic radiation, the more _____ the radiation emits. 

As this glacier moves downhill, what kinds of formations could result at its leading edge? (Select all that apply.)

• Crevasse

• Arête

• Esker

• Moraine

• Kettle

• Cirque