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






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






3. An individual weighing 200 lbs on Earth would weigh more on a _______________ - Weight is a function of gravity






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






5. Continental tropical (dry - warm air)






6. The resulting dust layer would act as a shield - blocking out much of the sun's rays - This would result in lower global temperatures and a general _____ of the earth






7. 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






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






9. Less than 1% of the earth; this relatively thin zone (5 to 25 miles) contains the only rocks we can study - even in the deepest mines or drill holes






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






11. Forms over land and is associated with dry air






12. Takes approx. seven and a half earth months to revolve around the sun - Takes approx. eight earth months to rotate on its axis - a day on ________ is longer than a year






13. 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






14. 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






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






16. Nearest galaxy - about 20 million light - years away






17. 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






18. Water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil






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






20. 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






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






22. 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






23. The degrees north or south of the equator






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. Stars with the highest ___________ appear blue - while stars with the lowest surface temperature appear red






26. 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






27. 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






28. 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






29. After the moon has waxed through crescent - quarter - and gibbous phases - a ________ appears - At that time - the moon rises at sunset - and we see all of its illuminated side - Then the phase wanes gradually to another new moon






30. Cirrus - Stratus - Cumulonimbus - Altostratus






31. 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






32. Some isolated mountains were produced by volcanoes - including many apparently ________ that reach a great height above the ocean floor






33. Classified as warm - water or cold - water currents






34. Seasons are marked by changes in the amount of sunlight - which in turn often cause cycles of dormancy in plants and hibernation in animals - These effects vary with latitude and with proximity to bodies of water






35. Formed by sodium chloride






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






37. 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






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






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






40. Zero degrees latitude - generally has a tropical climate (warm and wet); at the extreme northern and southern latitudes (polar regions) - the climate is very cold and dry






41. A major determiner of coastal climate






42. Large - dark clouds that indicate thunderstorms






43. Most sediments were deposited in beds that were originally horizontal - and any tilting is due to later earth movements






44. 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






45. Tides may be...






46. Forms over the Tropics and is warm






47. 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






48. 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






49. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmopshere where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into ____






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