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. Earth movements - The result of forces within the earth - where temperature and pressure differences lead to instability






2. 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






3. Pulls the planets toward the sun - while their inertia keeps them moving forward in an elliptical orbit around the sun


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






5. 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






6. - 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






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






8. 186000 miles/second






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






10. Continental tropical (dry - warm air)






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






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






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






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






15. Somewhat cooler disturbances in the photosphere






16. 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)






17. 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






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






19. 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






20. The strength of gravity in our solar system depends on both the masses of the celestial objects and the _______ between them






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






22. Piled in waves and indicate rain or snow






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






24. 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






25. Faulting and folding






26. The sun is not at the center of the disk - but out toward the perimeter - and is revolving around the ________






27. The spectra of distant objects display a red shift - which is interpreted as meaning that they are rapidly receding from us - This apparent expansion of the universe has given rise to the big bang theory of cosmology - in which one primeval mass expl






28. 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






29. 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






30. Deviates by an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees - Thus - at any given time during summer or winter - one part of the planet is more directly exposed to the rays of the sun - This exposure alternates as the earth revolves in its orbit






31. A major determiner of coastal climate






32. Sun heats water in the oceans - Water evaporates as vapor into the air - Ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor...- Over time - the water reenters the ocean - where the water cycle started






33. 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






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






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






36. 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






37. 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






38. Tides may be...






39. One tidal cycle per day






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






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






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






43. 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






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






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






46. 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






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






48. The best determiner of climate - as it is consistently and directly correlated with temperature - other factors: Rain shadows - as well as water currents - elevation and so forth






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






50. 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