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






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






3. Forms over land and is associated with dry air






4. Tides may be...






5. Darkens the moon as the earth passes between it and the sun - casting a shadow on the moon - may be seen from anywhere the moon is visible - about half of the earth






6. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmopshere where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into ____






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






8. The degrees north or south of the equator






9. 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






10. One tidal cycle per day






11. 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






12. Large - scale movements of the earth's lithosphere - - The theory encompasses the older concepts of continental drift (first half of 20th century) and seafloor spreading (1960s)






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






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






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






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


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






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






19. Not all runoff flows into rivers; much of it infiltrates into the ground through...






20. Continental tropical (dry - warm air)






21. 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






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






23. 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






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






25. Weather occurs primarily due to density (temperature and moisture) differences between one location and another - These differences can occur due to the angle of the sun at any particular spot - which varies by latitude from the tropics






26. 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






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






28. Smooth layers of low clouds that indicate a chance of drizzle or snow






29. 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






30. 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






31. Texture is important in classifying ______ sedimentary rocks






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






33. 1 hour of time






34. 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






35. At any given time - regardless of season - the Northern and Southern Hemispheres experience...






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






37. Human civilization has lasted only _____ years






38. Divided into two main types: large - low- density gas giants and smaller - rocky terrestrials - There are at least 341 identified _______ - 8 of which are in the Solar System






39. 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






40. Volcanoes are also found in __________ - where the denser oceanic plates are forced under continental plates; this adds massive volumes of water to the mantle - allowing magma to melt more readily and rise to the surface to form volcanoes






41. Air currents move clouds around the globe and cloud particles collide - grow - and fall out of the sky as ________ - Most of it falls back into the oceans or onto land - where the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runoff - portion of run






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






43. Forms over water and is associated with wet air






44. Runoff and groundwater are stored as ________ in lakes






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






46. Large - dark clouds that indicate thunderstorms






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






48. 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






49. 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...






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