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. Faulting and folding






2. The sun is not at the center of the disk - but out toward the perimeter - and is revolving around the ________






3. The difference between levels of ocean water at high and low tides






4. Forms over the Tropics and is warm






5. 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






6. 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






7. Occur along plate boundaries






8. A continuous drill would find gas - oil - and water in that order - The three substances occur in their order of density - with the lightest substance on top and the heaviest on the bottom






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






10. The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the ________






11. Sun heats water in the oceans - Water evaporates as vapor into the air - Ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor...- Over time - the water reenters the ocean - where the water cycle started






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






13. Cirrus - Stratus - Cumulonimbus - Altostratus






14. 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






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






16. Somewhat cooler disturbances in the photosphere






17. Earth movements - The result of forces within the earth - where temperature and pressure differences lead to instability






18. The layers of sediment deposited in a quiet environment - Common sites of deposition are lakes - deltas at the mouths of rivers - beaches and sandbars along the coast - and (most important) the marine environment






19. Featherlike clouds that indicate fair weather






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






21. Occur when two plates pull away from each other - Such faults are generally weak and shallow Example: the Mid - Atlantic Range in the Atlantic Ocean






22. 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






23. Volcanoes are also found in __________ - where the denser oceanic plates are forced under continental plates; this adds massive volumes of water to the mantle - allowing magma to melt more readily and rise to the surface to form volcanoes






24. This upslope wind is called a...






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






26. (in descending order of size) the Pacific Ocean - the Atlantic Ocean - the Indian Ocean - the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean






27. Solar Atmosphere is divided into the inner chromosphere with explosive prominences and the outer corona - a glowing halo visible only during a total eclipse - Constantly emitting particles as a...






28. Different visual appearance; when discovered - comets show a perceptible coma while asteroids do not






29. The best determiner of climate - as it is consistently and directly correlated with temperature - other factors: Rain shadows - as well as water currents - elevation and so forth






30. Characterized by similar temperatures and moisture levels






31. 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






32. 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






33. A major determiner of coastal climate






34. Traces of ancient life preserved in the strata as shells - footprints - and the like - Soft plant and animal tissues decompose quickly in the presence of decay bacteria - which exist wherever oxygen exists






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






36. A land form that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area - with a peak - Usually produced by the movement of lithospheric plates






37. When the moon is at first quarter or third quarter - the sun - earth and moon form a 90- degree (right) angle with the earth at the vertex - The combined effect of this alignment of the sun - earth - and moon results in tidal ranges on the earth - Wh






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






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






40. 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






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






42. 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






43. One tidal cycle per day






44. Sedimentary rocks containing large fragments of other rock material - e.g. Sandstone






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






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






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






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






49. Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface - water bodies (and the ocean) as...






50. 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