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






2. The cold - water current that flows north to south off the _____________ keeps the West Coast fairly cool during the summer - Cold - water currents create cooler temperatures in areas that would otherwise be much warmer






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






4. The tendency of a moving object to stay in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place - Without _______ - a planet would be pulled into the sun






5. Runoff and groundwater are stored as ________ in lakes






6. 4 terrestrials: Mercury - Venus - Mars - Earth 4 gas giants: Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune At least 5 dwarf planets: Ceres - Pluto - Makemake - Haumea - Eris






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






8. Some groundwater finds openings in the land surface and emerges as...






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






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






12. 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






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






14. Both gravity and inertia work together to keep planets in orbit around the sun - Inertia makes a planet travel in a straight line






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






16. The runoff produced by melting snow






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






18. Travels in an orbit that is slightly elliptical (oval) - and so the distance from the sun ranges from 91.5 to 94.5 million miles - Its daily rotation deforms the earth to a flattened spheroid - with a polar radius slightly less than the equatorial ra






19. Evaporation often implicitly includes ___________ from plants - although together they are specifically referred to as evapotranspiration






20. 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






21. Gas giants Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus and Neptune have diameters far larger than Earth's and have far greater masses






22. Tides may be...






23. Maritime tropical (wet - warm air)






24. Piled in waves and indicate rain or snow






25. Occur twice a year - when the tilt of the earth's axis is oriented neither from nor to the sun - causing the sun to be located vertically above a point on the equator - The name derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night) - because at the e






26. 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






27. 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






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






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






30. Can thaw and melt - and the ensuing water flows overland as snowmelt






31. 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






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






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






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






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






36. Ancient astronomers found that eclipses occurred periodically and learned to predict them accurately - Lunar and solar






37. Travels around the earth each month - - Distance from the earth averages 237000 miles - Has rugged topography formed billions of years ago by volcanic eruptions and meteorite impacts - Mass is 1/6th that of Earth






38. 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...






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






40. Continental tropical (dry - warm air)






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






42. 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






43. Believed to originate at a much greater distance from the Sun - in a cloud (the Oort cloud) consisting of debris left over from the condensation of solar nebula - Comets are thrown from the outer planets or nearby stars - or as a result of collisions






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






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






46. A major determiner of coastal climate






47. The rising of the earth's ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the moon and the sun acting on the oceans






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






49. Mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert






50. 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