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. Cirrus - Stratus - Cumulonimbus - Altostratus






2. Faulting and folding






3. 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






4. Large - dark clouds that indicate thunderstorms






5. Around a new or full moon - when the sun - moon - and the earth form a line - the tidal forces due to the sun reinforce those of the moon - The tide's range is at a maximum and is called a spring tide (spring as in 'to jump/leap -' not the season)






6. Can influence climate by sending tremendous volumes of dust - ash - and smoke into the atmosphere






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






8. 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






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






10. Igneous rock that forms on the earth's surface - Examples obsidian - basalt - and pumice






11. 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






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






13. 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






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






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






16. The center of the sun may have a temperature of millions of degrees; the visible surface - the ______ - is about 6000






17. 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






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






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






20. Erosion in many places is increased by human land use - Poor land - use practices include deforestation - overgrazing - unmanaged construction activity - and road building






21. - The materials left over after the rock breaks down combine with organic material - The mineral content is determined by the parent material; thus - a soil derived from a single rock type can often be deficient in one or more minerals for good ferti






22. Younger beds were originally deposited above older beds






23. Forms over water and is associated with wet air






24. 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






25. 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






26. An opening - or rupture - in a planet's surface or crust - which allows hot molten rock - ash - and gases to escape from below the surface - Volcanic activity involving the extrusion of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a p






27. This scale assigns a fixed number to 10 reference materials. Talc (1) is the softest and diamond (10) is the hardest


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






29. The source of energy for evaporation is primarily through ___________






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






31. The science of the atmosphere and weather






32. 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






33. 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






34. There are approx. _____ days between each lunar cycle






35. Giant masses of solid rock that float upon the earth's mantle - These plates move in relation to one another at one of three types of plate boundaries...






36. 1 hour of time






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






38. 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






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






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






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






42. 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






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






44. 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






45. The degrees north or south of the equator






46. 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.






47. The outermost part of the earth's interior is made up of two layers...






48. Continental tropical (dry - warm air)






49. The variety of ways by which water moves across the land - This includes both surface runoff and channel runoff - As it flows - the water may percolate into the ground - evaporate into the air - become stored in lakes or reservoirs - or be extracted






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