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






2. There are approx. _____ days between each lunar cycle






3. Occurs at the instant when the sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observer's hemisphere - Depending on the shift of the calendar - the winter solstice occurs some time betw






4. Water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil






5. Distance to closest stars can be calculated by measuring the _________ - a slight shift in apparent position against the background of more distant stars as the earth travels around the sun






6. 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






7. The tidal force produced by the sun is ____ as large as that produced by the moon






8. 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






9. The earth is believed to be about ___ billion years old






10. Younger beds were originally deposited above older beds






11. Occurs when the moon sets at sunset - Then the moon is between the earth and the sun - so we see only the dark half of the moon






12. Test the item against materials of known hardness; for example - use your fingernail or the graphite in a pencil to attempt to scratch the items. This process should result in assigning a relative hardness to the unknown items.






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






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






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






16. Hotspot volcanoes are also found elsewhere in the Solar System - especially on...






17. A semi - closed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it - and with a free connection to the open sea - Often associated with high levels of biological diversity - They are made up of brackish water - Often given names






18. Refers to the long - term weather patterns of a large geographical area and takes into account temperature - humidity - and precipitation






19. Due to a combination of differential heating and geometry - hen the sun rises - it is the tops of the mountain peaks which receive first light - and as the day progresses - the mountain slopes take on a greater heat load than the valleys - This resul






20. The Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by ___________ coming together






21. A small Solar System body that orbits the Sun - When close enough to the sun - exhibits a visible coma (atmosphere) or a tail - both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the comet's nucleus - Have a variety of different orbital periods






22. Under solar conditions - gases are undergoing _____ to heavier elements with the increase of prodigious quantities of energy






23. The precipitation that is intercepted by plant foliage and eventually evaporates back to the atmosphere rather than falling to the ground






24. This upslope wind is called a...






25. (or summer time zones) include an offset (typically +1 hour) for daylight saving time






26. At any given time - regardless of season - the Northern and Southern Hemispheres experience...






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






28. A region of the earth that has uniform standard time - usually referred to as the local time - divided into standard and daylight saving (or summer)






29. An area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions associated with the plate boundaries surrounding the Pacific Ocean - In a 40000 km horseshoe shape - associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches - volcanic arcs - and volcanic






30. Form when magma or lava cools and solidifies - Depending on the rate of cooling - can contain visible crystals - while others can appear glassy






31. Igneous rock that forms on the earth's surface - Examples obsidian - basalt - and pumice






32. Bodies similar to the sun but immensely distant - Closest stars are 4 light - years away






33. Huge systems of stars - Milky Way is estimated to have 100 billion stars arranged in a great disk






34. Bbreaking along flat surfaces






35. The stress is particularly severe in _________ - which are characterized by volcanism - metamorphism - deformation - and uplift






36. Characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the same area - Atlanta tropical cyclone activity is generally enhanced during La Nina - Often follows the El Nino - especially when the latter is strong






37. 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)






38. A warm - water current that carries warm water from the Tropics to the Arctic regions of the North Atlantic Ocean - This accounts for higher temperatures and higher humidity on the Eastern Seaboard during the summer






39. Common: wind - clouds - rain - snow - fog - dust storms - Less common: natural disasters such as tornadoes - hurricanes - and ice storms






40. 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






41. 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






42. Rocks are placed into groups according to how they form...






43. Air currents move clouds around the globe and cloud particles collide - grow - and fall out of the sky as ________ - Most of it falls back into the oceans or onto land - where the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runoff - portion of run






44. 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






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






46. Defined by geometrically subdividing the earth's spheroid into 24 lunes (wedge - shaped sections) - bordered by meridians - each 15






47. Water returns to the land surface at __________ than where it entered - under the force of gravity or gravity - induced pressures






48. Characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific - warm current of nutrient - poor tropical water - heated by its eastward passage in the Equatorial Current - replaces the cold - nutrient - rich surface water of th






49. Forms over water and is associated with wet air






50. Igneous rock that cools beneath the earth's surface - Examples: plutons - dikes - and batholiths