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. Test the item against materials of known hardness; for example - use your fingernail or the graphite in a pencil to attempt to scratch the items. This process should result in assigning a relative hardness to the unknown items.






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






3. Runoff and groundwater are stored as ________ in lakes






4. 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






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






6. 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






7. 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






8. 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






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






10. A huge ball of incandescent gases - Its mass is more than 300000 times that of the earth - Principal constituents are the lightest elements - hydrogen and helium






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






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






13. 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






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






15. 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






16. Forms over water and is associated with wet air






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






18. Younger beds were originally deposited above older beds






19. 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






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






21. On maps - the characteristics of an air mass are represented by two letters: The lowercase letter represents ________ - and the uppercase letter represents temperature






22. Comprises one global - interconnected body of salt water often (though generally recognized as several separate oceans) - A continuous body of water with relatively free interchange among its parts






23. Volcanoes can be caused by '____________'; these so - called hotspots - as in Hawaii - can occur far from plate boundaries






24. Maritime tropical (wet - warm air)






25. The degrees north or south of the equator






26. Characterized by similar temperatures and moisture levels






27. Forms over land and is associated with dry air






28. The lateral movement of the plates is typically at speeds of ___ mm annually






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






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






31. Featherlike clouds that indicate fair weather






32. Two feldspars (orthoclase and plagioclase) - quartz - olivine - and augite - These five minerals are silicates - built from interlocking silicon and oxygen atoms






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






34. The science of the atmosphere and weather






35. 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






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






37. The North Pole is in the Arctic Ocean - and thus its temperature extremes are buffered by the water - The result is that the South Pole is consistently _______ during the southern winter than the North Pole during the northern winter






38. 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






39. This upslope wind is called a...






40. Mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert






41. Water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil






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






43. Continental tropical (dry - warm air)






44. The movement of rainwater as it filters through soil and rocks into the ground - becoming groundwater






45. 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






46. Some precipitation falls as ____ and can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers - which can store water for thousands of years






47. 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






48. The atmosphere is a __________ - and so small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole - This makes it difficult to accurately predict weather more than a few days in advance






49. 4 terrestrials: Mercury - Venus - Mars - Earth 4 gas giants: Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune At least 5 dwarf planets: Ceres - Pluto - Makemake - Haumea - Eris






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