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. 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






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






3. Precipitation - Canopy interception - Snowmelt - Runoff - Percolation - Subsurface flow- Evaporation - Sublimation - Condensation






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






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






6. 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






7. Generally forms deep in the mantle as one type of rock changes into another - Due to intense pressure - can show signs of bending and distortion - Examples: schist - marble - gneiss - and slate






8. 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






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






10. The process in which one type of rock changes into another






11. 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






12. 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






13. Takes approx. seven and a half earth months to revolve around the sun - Takes approx. eight earth months to rotate on its axis - a day on ________ is longer than a year






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






15. Further caused by the elliptical orbit of the earth - Earth reaches perihelion (the point in its orbit closest to the sun) in January - and it reaches aphelion (farthest point from the sun) in July - Also depend on factors such as proximity to oceans






16. Zero degrees latitude - generally has a tropical climate (warm and wet); at the extreme northern and southern latitudes (polar regions) - the climate is very cold and dry






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






18. 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






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






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






21. Almost all familiar weather phenomena occur in the __________ (the lower part of the atmosphere)






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






23. 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






24. 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






25. One tidal cycle per day






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






27. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the...


28. Center: 3000


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






30. 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






31. 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






32. Sometimes called minor planets or planetoids - Bodies






33. 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






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






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






36. (in descending order of size) the Pacific Ocean - the Atlantic Ocean - the Indian Ocean - the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean






37. Stars with the highest ___________ appear blue - while stars with the lowest surface temperature appear red






38. 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






39. Water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil






40. 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






41. Cirrus - Stratus - Cumulonimbus - Altostratus






42. A major determiner of coastal climate






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






44. This upslope wind is called a...






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






46. 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






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






48. Maritime polar (wet - cold air)






49. Formed from calcium carbonate - also an example of chemical sedimentary rocks - like roock salt - can contain organic or once - living matter and can record the history of that matter's formation in features such as strata - fossil evidence - and rip






50. Runoff and groundwater are stored as ________ in lakes