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. 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






2. The motive force behind land breezes and sea/lake breezes - also known as on - or off - shore winds - Land absorbs and radiates heat faster than water - but water releases heat over a longer period of time






3. 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






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






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






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






7. The degrees east or west of the prime meridian through Greenwich - England






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






9. Improved land - use practices can limit erosion by using techniques such as...






10. Method of using the present to interpret the past - Processes occurring today are observed carefully and their effects are measured - Then - geologists assume that similar effects in ancient rocks were caused by processes similar to those of the pres






11. Some water infiltrates deep into the ground and replenishes ________ - which store huge amounts of freshwater for long periods of time






12. 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






13. Scientists theorize that massive volcanic eruptions on a global scale contributed to the earth's cooling - resulting in the onset of the...






14. One tidal cycle per day






15. Deviates by an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees - Thus - at any given time during summer or winter - one part of the planet is more directly exposed to the rays of the sun - This exposure alternates as the earth revolves in its orbit






16. Featherlike clouds that indicate fair weather






17. Thought to originate in the Kuiper Belt - or associated scattered discs - which lie beyond the orbit of Neptune






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






19. The runoff produced by melting snow






20. 4 terrestrials: Mercury - Venus - Mars - Earth 4 gas giants: Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune At least 5 dwarf planets: Ceres - Pluto - Makemake - Haumea - Eris






21. 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






22. 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






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






24. 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






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






26. Formed by sodium chloride






27. The degrees north or south of the equator






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






29. 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






30. Mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert






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






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






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






34. Two types of mountains are formed - depending on how the rock reacts to the tectonic forces






35. 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






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. 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






38. The breakdown of rocks - soils and minerals through direct contact with atmospheric conditions such as heat - water - ice - and pressure






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






40. 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






41. Darkens the moon as the earth passes between it and the sun - casting a shadow on the moon - may be seen from anywhere the moon is visible - about half of the earth






42. The evaporation of these oceans is how we get most of our __________ - and their temperature determines our climate and wind patterns






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






44. Texture is important in classifying ______ sedimentary rocks






45. Large - dark clouds that indicate thunderstorms






46. The spectra of distant objects display a red shift - which is interpreted as meaning that they are rapidly receding from us - This apparent expansion of the universe has given rise to the big bang theory of cosmology - in which one primeval mass expl






47. 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






48. Faulting and folding






49. The farther from the tropics you are positioned - the ________ the angle of the sun - This causes those locations to be cooler due to the indirect sunlight






50. Affected by factors such as weathering and impurities