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 state change where a solid (ice or snow) changes directly to a gas (water vapor)






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






3. - 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






4. 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






5. The center of the sun may have a temperature of millions of degrees; the visible surface - the ______ - is about 6000






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






7. The science of the atmosphere and weather






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






9. 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






10. Water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil






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






12. Maritime polar (wet - cold air)






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






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






15. Formed by sodium chloride






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






17. 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






18. 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






19. 4 terrestrials: Mercury - Venus - Mars - Earth 4 gas giants: Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune At least 5 dwarf planets: Ceres - Pluto - Makemake - Haumea - Eris






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






21. Forms south of the Arctic and is cold






22. Affected by factors such as weathering and impurities






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






24. 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






25. 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






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






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






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






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






30. The movement of rainwater as it filters through soil and rocks into the ground - becoming groundwater






31. The North Pole is in the Arctic Ocean - and thus its temperature extremes are buffered by the water - The result is that the South Pole is consistently _______ during the southern winter than the North Pole during the northern winter






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






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






34. 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






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






36. 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






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






38. The tidal force produced by the sun is ____ as large as that produced by the moon






39. 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






40. 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






41. 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






42. Water returns to the land surface at __________ than where it entered - under the force of gravity or gravity - induced pressures






43. 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






44. A continuous drill would find gas - oil - and water in that order - The three substances occur in their order of density - with the lightest substance on top and the heaviest on the bottom






45. A major determiner of coastal climate






46. Composed of the fragments of other types of rocks - Cover 75 to 80% of the earth's land area - Often deposited in distinct parallel layers - Weather and erosion break down other rock types into sediments - Over time - the sediments become cemented an






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






48. Igneous rock that cools beneath the earth's surface - Examples: plutons - dikes - and batholiths






49. The degrees north or south of the equator






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