Test your basic knowledge |

CSET Earth

Subjects : cset, science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A land form that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area - with a peak - Usually produced by the movement of lithospheric plates






2. Mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert






3. A ______________ - such as the Mid - Atlantic Ridge - has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates pulling apart






4. Take up about 1/3 of the earth's land surface - many are formed by rain shadows - Usually have a large diurnal (day) and seasonal temperature range - with high daytime temperatures






5. One tidal cycle per day






6. Can thaw and melt - and the ensuing water flows overland as snowmelt






7. The transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from the ground or bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere






8. Result from the earth's axis being tilted to its orbital plane - NOT the result of the variation in the earth's distance to the sun (Because of its elliptical orbit - the earth as a whole is slightly warmer when away from the sun; this is because the






9. A natural flow of water - usually freshwater - traveling toward an ocean - a lake - or another stream






10. Weather occurs primarily due to density (temperature and moisture) differences between one location and another - These differences can occur due to the angle of the sun at any particular spot - which varies by latitude from the tropics






11. Some precipitation falls as ____ and can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers - which can store water for thousands of years






12. How much matter is in the object






13. The cold - water current that flows north to south off the _____________ keeps the West Coast fairly cool during the summer - Cold - water currents create cooler temperatures in areas that would otherwise be much warmer






14. Runoff and groundwater are stored as ________ in lakes






15. Further caused by the elliptical orbit of the earth - Earth reaches perihelion (the point in its orbit closest to the sun) in January - and it reaches aphelion (farthest point from the sun) in July - Also depend on factors such as proximity to oceans






16. Generally forms deep in the mantle as one type of rock changes into another - Due to intense pressure - can show signs of bending and distortion - Examples: schist - marble - gneiss - and slate






17. The state change where a solid (ice or snow) changes directly to a gas (water vapor)






18. The process of chemical or physical breakdown of earth rocks - soils - and their minerals






19. - The materials left over after the rock breaks down combine with organic material - The mineral content is determined by the parent material; thus - a soil derived from a single rock type can often be deficient in one or more minerals for good ferti






20. Volcanoes are generally found where ________ are diverging or converging






21. Precipitation - Canopy interception - Snowmelt - Runoff - Percolation - Subsurface flow- Evaporation - Sublimation - Condensation






22. The variety of ways by which water moves across the land - This includes both surface runoff and channel runoff - As it flows - the water may percolate into the ground - evaporate into the air - become stored in lakes or reservoirs - or be extracted






23. Around a new or full moon - when the sun - moon - and the earth form a line - the tidal forces due to the sun reinforce those of the moon - The tide's range is at a maximum and is called a spring tide (spring as in 'to jump/leap -' not the season)






24. Composed of the fragments of other types of rocks - Cover 75 to 80% of the earth's land area - Often deposited in distinct parallel layers - Weather and erosion break down other rock types into sediments - Over time - the sediments become cemented an






25. Erosion in many places is increased by human land use - Poor land - use practices include deforestation - overgrazing - unmanaged construction activity - and road building






26. On maps - the characteristics of an air mass are represented by two letters: The lowercase letter represents ________ - and the uppercase letter represents temperature






27. Theory that the earth's continents were originally united as a supercontinent - Pangaea - Established by Alfred Wegener in the early 1900s






28. Sometimes called minor planets or planetoids - Bodies






29. Almost all familiar weather phenomena occur in the __________ (the lower part of the atmosphere)






30. Water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil






31. Two feldspars (orthoclase and plagioclase) - quartz - olivine - and augite - These five minerals are silicates - built from interlocking silicon and oxygen atoms






32. Largest zone of the planet (68%); crystalline silicates - rich in magnesium - calcium - and iron; very hot and mainly solid - but local melting to magma is the source of volcanic eruptions






33. The rising of the earth's ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the moon and the sun acting on the oceans






34. The strength of gravity in our solar system depends on both the masses of the celestial objects and the _______ between them






35. Form when dissolved mineral solutions crystalize out of lakes and oceans






36. The fossiliferous strata record is only the last __% of the earth's history






37. Both gravity and inertia work together to keep planets in orbit around the sun - Inertia makes a planet travel in a straight line






38. Cause pressure differences - A hot surface heats the air above it and the air expands - lowering the air pressure and its density






39. The flow of water underground - in the vadose zone and aquifers - Subsurface water may return to the surface (as a spring or by being pumped) or eventually seep into the oceans






40. Giant masses of solid rock that float upon the earth's mantle - These plates move in relation to one another at one of three types of plate boundaries...






41. The breakdown of rocks - soils and minerals through atmospheric chemicals or biologically produced chemicals (also known as biological weathering)






42. Typically the tidal mouths of rivers and are often characterized by _____________ or silt carried in from terrestrial runoff - frequently from offshore






43. Smooth layers of low clouds that indicate a chance of drizzle or snow






44. The atmosphere is a __________ - and so small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole - This makes it difficult to accurately predict weather more than a few days in advance






45. Can influence climate by sending tremendous volumes of dust - ash - and smoke into the atmosphere






46. Maritime polar (wet - cold air)






47. The science that describes and interprets the earth Fields: - Geomorphology (land forms) - Petrology (rocks) - Stratigraphy (layered rocks) - Paleontology (fossils)






48. Occur when two plates slip past each other - Such faults are generally moderate and are relatively shallow Example: The San Andreas Fault






49. The process in which one type of rock changes into another






50. Occur when two plates push together - Such faults are strong and relatively deep - Where the strongest earthquakes occur Example: mountain building in the Himalayas and the Andes