Deck 1: The Dynamic and Evolving Earth

Question 1

Theories are factually stronger than hypotheses.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Radiometric dating has allowed scientists to assign absolute ages to the relative geologic time scale.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Earth's mean global temperature has changed significantly over the course of our planet's history.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old.

Question 5

The two major disciplines of geology are historical geology and physical geology.

Question 6

The most interior division of planet Earth is the core, which is liquid at its center because of extreme pressures, but solid toward Earth's surface.

Question 7

The red-shift is an example of the Doppler effect.

Question 8

The central thesis of the theory of organic evolution is that the current diversity of species on Earth is the same as that of the past.

Question 9

The solar nebula theory of the formation of the solar system accounts for the differences in composition between the terrestrial and Jovian planets.

Question 10

The two types of Earth's crust are known as lithospheric and oceanic.

Question 11

Oceanic crust is less dense than continental crust.

Question 12

Natural selection refers to the survival of organisms that are best adapted to their environment.

Question 13

Our solar system is the center of the universe.

Question 14

The Jovian planets (e.g., Jupiter) are primarily composed of heavy elements such as uranium (U) and lead (Pb).

Question 15

The asteroids in the asteroid belt are the remnants of a very large planet in the early solar system that was broken apart through impact with another planetary body.

Question 16

A tectonic plate can consist of continental crust or oceanic crust, but not both.

Question 17

The vibrant color of much of Earth's terrestrial landscape has been present since the origin of the planet.

Question 18

The "Goldilocks zone" is a region around a star where conditions are favorable for the presence of liquid water.

Question 19

The universe is presently contracting.

Question 20

The asthenosphere is the outer layer of Earth, which is rigid and is broken into individual plates.

Question 21

What mechanism accounts for differential survival and reproduction among members of a species?

A) neptunism
B) stratigraphy
C) formation
D) natural selection
E) orogeny

Question 22

The advent of ____ allowed geologists to assign numeric dates to the geologic time scale.

A) uniformitarianism
B) radiometric dating
C) relative dating
D) fossil succession
E) stratigraphic nomenclature

Question 23

Liquid water in Earth's oceans are part of the Earth's ____.

A) biosphere
B) hydrosphere
C) lithosphere
D) mesosphere
E) atmosphere

Question 24

Which principle asserts that processes operating in the present world can be used to interpret events of the past?

A) catastrophism
B) uniformitarianism
C) lithification
D) unconformity
E) weathering

Question 25

Earth becomes ____ with increasing depth.

A) more dense
B) less dense
C) liquid
D) enriched in silica and aluminum
E) depleted in iron and magnesium

Question 26

Which part of the upper mantle behaves plastically and flows slowly?

A) lithosphere
B) asthenosphere
C) crust
D) atmosphere
E) core

Question 27

Terrestrial planets in our solar system have thick atmospheres, while the outer planets are primarily atmosphere-free.

Question 28

What term refers to a combination of related parts that interact in an organized manner?

A) system
B) hypothesis
C) theory
D) uniformitarianism
E) scientific method

Question 29

Tectonic plates move in response to ____.

A) convection cells in the mantle
B) convection cells in the core
C) subduction cells in the mantle
D) subduction cells in the core
E) unequal heating of crust by the sun

Question 30

Which concept explains some natural phenomenon that is testable and is supported by a large body of evidence (e.g., plate tectonics)?

A) hypothesis
B) scientific law
C) transgression
D) principle
E) theory

Question 31

Saturn is the largest planet in the solar system.

Question 32

Historical geology can best be described as the study of ____.

A) how the solar system formed
B) rocks and minerals
C) the evolution of organisms
D) earthquakes, volcanoes, and other processes on Earth
E) the origin and evolution of Earth

Question 33

Although rocks are affected by interactions among all six major subsystems of Earth, rocks are physically classified in the ____ subsystem.

A) atmosphere
B) hydrosphere
C) biosphere
D) lithosphere
E) inner core

Question 34

Who proposed the concept of natural selection?

A) James Hutton
B) William Smith
C) Charles  Darwin
D) Abraham  Werner
E) Alfred  Wegener

Question 35

What is the study of the origin and evolution of Earth, its continents, oceans, atmosphere, and life?

A) physical geology
B) scientific method
C) cosmology
D) historical geology
E) solar nebula

Question 36

Scientific evidence suggests that Earth formed approximately ____ ago.

A) 4.6 trillion years
B) 4.6 million years
C) 4.6 billion years
D) 4600 years
E) 460 years

Question 37

Uniformitarianism states that geologic processes today operated with equal intensities and rates in the past.

Question 38

In the 19^th century, the geologic time scale was based primarily on rock exposures and the vertical sequence of fossils in the rock record.

Question 39

The largest layer of Earth, in terms of volume, is the ____.

A) lithosphere
B) asthenosphere
C) crust
D) core
E) mantle

Question 40

The majority of earthquakes and volcanic activity occur along plate boundaries.

Question 41

Which process is responsible for the planetary formation of Earth?

A) Accretion of small bodies called planetesimals
B) Erosion of an existing, larger planet
C) Collision of two medium-sized moons
D) Massive eruptions of magma which built up Earth's rocky surface
E) Implosion of a nearby supernova

Question 42

Organic evolution is predictive, supported by a multitude of evidence, and offers a good explanation of observed phenomena. Organic evolution, therefore, is considered a ____.

A) hypothesis
B) law
C) theory
D) unifying concept
E) working model

Question 43

Planets located outside of our solar system are called ____.

A) Goldilocks planets
B) exoplanets
C) gas giants
D) Jovian planets
E) terrestrial planets

Question 44

Our solar system is part of the ____________________ Galaxy.

Question 45

The oceanic crust is composed mostly of ____.

A) granite
B) peridotite
C) basalt
D) rhyolite
E) gneiss

Question 46

Which statement about the asthenosphere is false ?

A) It lies beneath the lithosphere.
B) It is a rigid rock layer.
C) It behaves plastically.
D) It acts like a lubricating layer allowing plates to move.
E) It has the same composition as the lower mantle.

Question 47

Solar system planets are classified as either ____________________ or ____________________ planets based upon their chemical and physical properties.

Question 48

The geologic time scale was originally based upon ____.

A) vertical  changes in fossil assemblages in sedimentary layers
B) the theory of organic evolution
C) the isotopes of minerals
D) absolute ages of rocks based on radiometric age dates
E) geographic mineral locations

Question 49

A proposed explanation for an observed natural phenomena is a(n) ____________________.

Question 50

Earth's age is thought by most geologists to be ____________________ years old.

Question 51

A combination of related parts that interact in an organized manner is a(n) ____________________.

Question 52

____________________ are the remains or traces of once-living organisms.

Question 53

Planets located farther from the Sun are ____, and are ____ than planets closer to the Sun.

A) colder; denser
B) smaller; colder
C) larger; denser
D) larger; warmer
E) colder; larger

Question 54

Which division of Earth exists below the crust and above the core?

A) inner sphere
B) lithosphere
C) mantle
D) hydrosphere
E) molten zone

Question 55

Evidence for the Big Bang includes the ____.

A) blue-shift of adjacent galaxies
B) presence of background radiation
C) warm temperature of the universe
D) separation of the four fundamental forces
E) invariable  speed at which galaxies are moving away from Earth in all directions

Question 56

The science of geology is divided into two broad areas: ____________________ geology and ____________________ geology.

Question 57

Scientists use the term ____________________ to analyze and gather facts and data about a problem in a rational, orderly manner.

Question 58

What are the four basic forces in the universe?

A) gravity, electric, magnetic, and strong nuclear
B) gravity, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and atomic
C) gravity, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear
D) gravity, electric, magnetic, and atomic
E) gravity, electromagnetic, atomic, and nuclear

Question 59

The Doppler effect suggests that the universe is ____________________.

Question 60

Darwin suggested that the mechanism by which evolution proceeds is ____________________.

Question 61

Provide a brief discussion of the theory of organic evolution. What evidence supports this theory?

Question 62

Write a short essay discussing the origin and development of the early solar system. What evidence do we have for events that took place during this period?

Question 63

Write a brief essay discussing the scientific method. What are the important steps in this method? Provide a specific example of a concept that has been considered by this method and its results.

Question 64

Plate tectonic theory provides a framework for the study of geology due to its predictive and explanatory powers. Define plate tectonics and give three examples of what plate tectonics predicts or explains.

Question 65

Why is it a misconception to assume that because scientific theories can change, that they cannot be trusted?

Question 66

Provide a brief discussion of the internal structure of Earth. What are the physical characteristics of each of the layers? What caused the "differentiation" of early Earth?

Question 67

Terrestrial planets and Jovian planets have unique characteristics. List and describe four ways terrestrial and Jovian planets differ.

Question 68

One line of evidence supporting the Big Bang is the expansion of the universe. Explain how we know the universe is expanding and how it helps us determine an age for the universe.

Question 69

Explain one way in which the hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere each interact with or affect the lithosphere.

Question 70

Prior to differentiation, Earth was a molten homogenous mass. What three sources of heating were responsible for Earth's molten state? Which source contributes to Earth's internal temperature today?