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. 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






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






3. 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






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






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






6. Younger beds were originally deposited above older beds






7. Bodies similar to the sun but immensely distant - Closest stars are 4 light - years away






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






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






10. 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






11. Somewhat cooler disturbances in the photosphere






12. 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






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






14. 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






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






16. 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






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






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






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






20. Occur when two plates push together - Such faults are strong and relatively deep - Where the strongest earthquakes occur Example: mountain building in the Himalayas and the Andes






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






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






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






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






25. This upslope wind is called a...






26. 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






27. Form when magma or lava cools and solidifies - Depending on the rate of cooling - can contain visible crystals - while others can appear glassy






28. The result of the buildup of once - living things






29. The major mountains tend to occur in __________ - indicating tectonic plate boundaries and activity






30. 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






31. Theory that the earth's continents were originally united as a supercontinent - Pangaea - Established by Alfred Wegener in the early 1900s






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






33. 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






34. 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






35. 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






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






37. Forms over the Tropics and is warm






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






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






40. Runoff and groundwater are stored as ________ in lakes






41. Two high waters and two low waters each day - in most locations - tides are semidiurnal






42. Natural chemical compounds that are the crystals that make up rocks - Each has a specific composition or narrow range of composition






43. Under solar conditions - gases are undergoing _____ to heavier elements with the increase of prodigious quantities of energy






44. Tides may be...






45. 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






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






47. Mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert






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






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






50. Characterized by similar temperatures and moisture levels