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






2. 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






3. The fossiliferous strata record is only the last __% of the earth's history






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






5. Occurs when the moon sets at sunset - Then the moon is between the earth and the sun - so we see only the dark half of the moon






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






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






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






9. Bbreaking along flat surfaces






10. A natural flow of water - usually freshwater - traveling toward an ocean - a lake - or another stream






11. Continental polar (dry - cold air)






12. 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






13. Largest zone of the planet (68%); crystalline silicates - rich in magnesium - calcium - and iron; very hot and mainly solid - but local melting to magma is the source of volcanic eruptions






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






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






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






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






18. 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






19. 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






20. 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






21. Mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert






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






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






24. A small Solar System body that orbits the Sun - When close enough to the sun - exhibits a visible coma (atmosphere) or a tail - both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the comet's nucleus - Have a variety of different orbital periods






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






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. 186000 miles/second






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






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






30. Volcanoes are generally found where ________ are diverging or converging






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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






34. 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






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






36. How much matter is in the object






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






38. Loose collections of ice - dust - and small rocky particles - measuring a few kilometers or tens of kilometers across






39. 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






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






41. Traces of ancient life preserved in the strata as shells - footprints - and the like - Soft plant and animal tissues decompose quickly in the presence of decay bacteria - which exist wherever oxygen exists






42. 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






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






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






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






46. (or summer time zones) include an offset (typically +1 hour) for daylight saving time






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






48. One tidal cycle per day






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






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