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40 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
1. Hot and deep plumes of mantle material that
rises up through cooler, denser surrounding rock to produce volcanism are: a. due to friction of the lithosphere sliding atop the asthenosphere b. due to factors that remain completely unknown at this time c. used to create an absolute reference framework to calculate plate velocities d. used to predict dense concentrations of radioactive isotopes at various points in the crust e. the Earth’s magnetic field |
c. used to create an absolute reference
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2. At a divergent plate boundary, two opposed
plates ____________. a. slide past one another b. move away from one another c. move toward one another d. are now relatively motionless wit;h regard to each other |
move away from one another
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3. Wegener’s idea of continental drift was rejected
by American geologists because ____________. a. his English was too poor to be understood by them b. he had relatively little evidence supporting the existence of a supercontinent c. the apparent fit of continental coastlines is blurred when the margins are defined by the edges of continental shelves rather than sea level d. he could not conceive of a valid mechanism |
d. he could not conceive of a valid mechanism
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4. Hawaii is an example of ____________.
a. mid-ocean ridge volcanism b. hot-spot volcanism c. transform margin d. convergent margin e. divergent margin |
hot-spot volcanism
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5. The terrestrial planets ____________.
a. are older than the non-terrestrial planets. b. include all planets in our Solar System (home of Terra). c. include all those in our Solar System that are principally composed of rock. d. are younger than the non-terrestrial planets. e. include all large asteroids and moons. |
include all those in our Solar System that
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6. Under the theory of plate tectonics, the plates
themselves are ____________. a. very thick (approximately one-quarter of Earth’s radius) b. composed only of continental rocks, which plow through the weaker oceanic rocks c. discrete layers of lithosphere that are vertically stacked one atop the other d. discrete pieces of lithosphere at the surface of the solid Earth that move with respect to one another |
discrete pieces of lithosphere at the surface
of the solid Earth that move with respect to one another |
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7. The branch of science that studies the structure
and history of the Universe is ____________. a. universalism b. scientology c. cosmology d. cosmetology |
cosmology
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8. The magnetic field of Earth in the geologic past
is ____________. a. unknown, but it is assumed to have been identical to today’s b. known to have been constant through time, on the basis of theoretical calculations c. known to have been constant through geologic time, due to remnant magnetization of iron-rich minerals in rocks d. known to have experienced numerous polarity reversals, due to remnant magnetization of iron-rich minerals in rocks |
known to have experienced numerous
polarity reversals, due to remnant magnetization of iron-rich minerals in rocks |
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9. The philosophy and logic we call
science___________. a. dates back thousands of years to early civilizations of Greece and Egypt. b. is really something that originates with World War Two. c. is only used by PhDs. d. was first defined about 200 years ago by French academics. |
dates back thousands of years to early
civilizations of Greece and Egypt. |
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10. The Earth’s magnetic field is produced by
_____________. a. movement of electrically charged material within the mantle b. the interaction of Solar Wind and the Earth’s atmosphere. c. the interaction of Solar Wind and the Earth’s gravitational field. d. movement of electrically charged material within the liquid outer core. |
d. movement of electrically charged material
within the liquid outer core. |
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11. Currently, most geologists ____________.
a. agree that continental drift occurs; the mechanisms that drive this are at work in the upper mantle and were unknown in Wegener’s time b. agree that continental drift occurs; the mechanisms that drive this are at work in the lower mantle and outer core and were unknown in Wegener’s time c. continue to reject continental drift d. agree that continental drift occurs, but they still do not understand why it occurs e. believe that the continents move as plates over inert ocean crust |
a. agree that continental drift occurs; the
mechanisms that drive this are at work in the upper mantle and were unknown in Wegener’s time |
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12. The mid-ocean ridges ____________.
a. characterize continental coastlines b. rarely display seismic (earthquake) activity c. are usually barren of life because of the great heat and pressure d. always have coral reefs on them e. have magnetic anomaly belts parallel to them |
e. have magnetic anomaly belts parallel to
them |
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13. Continental lithosphere ____________.
a. is denser than oceanic lithosphere b. is thicker than oceanic lithosphere c. contains no crustal material, consisting solely of lithified upper mantle d. contains more mafic rocks than oceanic lithosphere |
b. is thicker than oceanic lithosphere
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14. Atoms that are lighter than iron (#26) but
heavier than boron (#5) are generally produced by ____________. a. the Big Bang b. fission reactions within stars c. fusion reactions within stars d. explosion of supernovas |
c. fusion reactions within stars
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15. Large, thick, non-volcanic mountain belts, like
the Himalayas are features associated with ____________ plate boundaries. a. convergent b. cold spot c. transform d. divergent |
a. convergent
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16. Paleobiological evidence for a united
supercontinent that existed prior to 250 million years ago comes from all except a. salt water animals, such as the sharks b. land plants with hard seeds, for example the palms c. salt water plants, such as the algae d. land animals, including early dinosaurs e. terrestrial plants with soft seeds, for example some ferns |
e. terrestrial plants with soft seeds, for
example some ferns |
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17. In the whole Earth, the four most common
elements are oxygen, silicon, and ____________. a. magnesium and iron. b. copper and zinc. c. tin and tungsten. d. sodium and calcium. e. aluminium and sulfur. |
a. magnesium and iron.
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18. Earthquakes are characteristic of which plate
boundary(ies): ____________. a. convergent, divergent, and transform b. convergent and transform c. convergent and divergent d. divergent and transform e. divergent only |
a. convergent, divergent, and transform
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19. Sea-floor spreading is driven by volcanic
activity ____________. a. in the middle of abyssal plains b. along the mid-ocean ridges c. at hot spots d. in the middle of continental plates e. at the edges of continental shelves |
b. along the mid-ocean ridges
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20. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of a
____________ plate boundary. a. convergent b. transform c. hot spot d. divergent |
d. divergent
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21. The primary difference between lithospheric
and asthenospheric mantle that gives rise to numerous patterns of physical behavior, is ____________. a. chemical composition (the lithosphere is mafic, and the asthenosphere is felsic) b. physical state (the lithosphere is solid, and the asthenosphere is liquid) c. temperature (the lithosphere is mostly above the melting point and the asthenosphere is well below this) d. chemical composition (the lithosphere is felsic, and the asthenosphere is mafic) e. temperature (the lithosphere is elastic and the asthenosphere plastic) |
e. temperature (the lithosphere is elastic and
the asthenosphere plastic) |
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22. We can demonstrate the Earth rotates on its
axis from ____________. a. Foucault’s experiments with pendulums and angular inertia. b. sailing around the world and estimating its circumfrence. c. watching other planets do this. d. the Sun coming up every morning, then setting every evening. |
a. Foucault’s experiments with pendulums
and angular inertia. |
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23. Within the sea floor, the rate of geothermal heat
flow is greatest ____________. a. in the center of abyssal plains b. along mid-ocean ridges c. at the edges of ocean basins d. along fracture zones |
b. along mid-ocean ridges
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24. From choices below, the best estimate of the
age of the Universe is ____________ old. a. 14 billion b. 3 million c. 140 billion d. 3 billion |
a. 14 billion
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25. Most ocean-floor topography lies within a
range of altitude between ____________. a. the ocean-floor has no topography b. 6 to 8 km below sea level c. sea level and 1 km below sea level d. sea level and 3 km below sea level e. 3 to 5 km below sea level |
e. 3 to 5 km below sea level
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26. A recent US federal budget analysis shows that
research and development is: a. no longer done b. dominated by military and defense spending c. dominated by space exploration d. dominated by health and education spending |
b. dominated by military and defense spending
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27. Science includes all except:
a. democratic decision-making b. experiments c. observations d. A methodology for predicting some types of future events. |
a. democratic decision-making
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28. The driving mechanisms for plate tectonics
includes all except ____________. a. ridge push b. slab pull c. continental glaciation d. asthensosphere convection |
c. continental glaciation
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29. Distinctive rock sequences dating to about 250
million years ago suggest a single supercontinent because ____________. a. a major meteor impact destroyed all the northern hemisphere continents. b. a major volcanic event produced nearly all these continents at the same time and place c. a major glaciation event is recorded suggesting all modern continents were clustered at the modern south pole. d. a magnetic reversal is preserved on all the continents e. this is the age of the Earth |
c. a major glaciation event is recorded
suggesting all modern continents were clustered at the modern south pole. |
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30. Inductive reasoning leads from:
a. specific observations to hypotheses b. hypotheses to tests c. hypotheses to theories d. theories to laws |
a. specific observations to hypotheses
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31. Earth’s geothermal gradient is the rate of
temperature change incurred by ____________. a. traversing down within Earth’s interior b. traversing from either pole towards the equator c. increasing depth at ocean trenches d. increasing altitude in the atmosphere |
a. traversing down within Earth’s interior
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32. Non-scientific ideas are often characterized by all
the following except: a. They usually replace scientific ideas after some time elapses. b. There are no know ways to test them, especially to falsify them. c. The are unable to predict future events. d. They often call upon supernatural events or powers. |
a. They usually replace scientific ideas after
some time elapses. |
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33. Tectonic plates might consist of
____________. a. continental lithosphere only b. oceanic lithosphere only c. oceanic or continental lithosphere or a combination of both d. either oceanic or continental lithosphere, but not both |
c. oceanic or continental lithosphere or a
combination of both |
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34. Strong evidence that the Universe is expanding
comes from the fact that the light emitted from distant galaxies appears to be ____________. a. red shifted b. green shifted c. blue shifted d. none of the above |
a. red shifted
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35. The Big Bang theory states that
____________. a. all stars will end their lives explosively as supernovas b. meteors were responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs c. Earth formed through a series of violent collisions d. all matter in the Universe was once confined to a single point |
d. all matter in the Universe was once confined
to a single point |
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36. Topography is used to predict the
____________ of a lithospheric plate. a. magnetic field b. edges c. absolute velocity d. density |
d. density
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37. The Puerto Rico Fracture and associated broad
seismic zone, which lead to the 2010 Haiti earthquake that killed 250,000, displays no volcanic activity. It is an example of a ____________ plate boundary. a. divergent b. convergent c. hot spot d. cold spot e. transform |
e. transform
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38. We can predict the Earth’s internal structure
because ____________. a. the gravity we experience at the surface requires a much denser interior. b. magnetic fields require special materials and motions. c. earthquake waves are reflected and refracted by the different layers. d. observed heat flow and volcanism require special materials and motions. e. all the choices listed are correct. |
e. all the choices listed are correct.
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39. The age of oceanic crust ____________ with
increasing distance from a mid-ocean ridge. a. decreases b. increases c. is the same d. is unknown |
b. increases
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40. Earth’s magnetic field provides an important
shield against ____________. a. earthquakes along the margins of Earth’s plates. b. dangerous ionized high velocity particles coming from the Sun. c. meteorites and comets. d. alien spacecraft. |
b. dangerous ionized high velocity particles
coming from the Sun. |