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






2. 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






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






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






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






6. The transformation of water vapor to liquid water droplets in the air - producing clouds and fog






7. Human civilization has lasted only _____ years






8. Bbreaking along flat surfaces






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






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






11. Continental polar (dry - cold air)






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






13. 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






14. Officially defined as sustained sea surface temperature anomalies of magnitude greater than 0.5






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






16. Loose collections of ice - dust - and small rocky particles - measuring a few kilometers or tens of kilometers across






17. Forms over land and is associated with dry air






18. Used to arrange strata in a standard order - Used to measure the amount of radioactive decay in minerals and calculate the time at which the rock formed






19. One tidal cycle per day






20. Paleontology: Fossil evidence indicates the similarity of fossils on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean - Continental 'jigsaw puzzle': The outlines of the continents seem to fit together






21. 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






22. The movement (carrying away or displacement) of solids (sediment - soil - rock - and other particles) - usually by the agents of currents such as wind - water - or ice by downward or down - slope movement in response to gravity






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






24. Condensed water vapor that falls to the earth's surface - Most precipitation occurs as rain - but also includes snow - hail - fog drip - graupel - and sleet






25. Forms over the Tropics and is warm






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






27. 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






28. 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






29. 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






30. Mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert






31. 1 hour of time






32. 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)






33. 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






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






35. 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






36. 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






37. Not all runoff flows into rivers; much of it infiltrates into the ground through...






38. The sun and oceans can also affect the weather of land - If the sun heats ocean waters for a period of time - water can evaporate - Once evaporated into the air - the moisture can spread over nearby land - thus making it cooler


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






40. The result of the buildup of once - living things






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






42. This scale assigns a fixed number to 10 reference materials. Talc (1) is the softest and diamond (10) is the hardest


43. Maritime tropical (wet - warm air)






44. 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






45. Takes place when the moon passes between the earth and the sun - with the moon blocking the sunlight for about two minutes - A total ___________ may be seen only from a small zone on the earth






46. Comprised of the crust and the rigid uppermost part of the mantle - broken up into tectonic plates (7 major and many minor) - ride on the asthenosphere






47. 186000 miles/second






48. Tends to move slowly and is replenished slowly - and so it can remain in aquifers for thousands of years






49. Sometimes called minor planets or planetoids - Bodies






50. Featherlike clouds that indicate fair weather