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. 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)






2. One tidal cycle per day






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






4. 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






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






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






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






8. The sun and oceans can also affect the weather of land - If the sun heats ocean waters for a period of time - water can evaporate - Once evaporated into the air - the moisture can spread over nearby land - thus making it cooler


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






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






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






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






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






14. 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






15. 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






16. The Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by ___________ coming together






17. 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






18. 4 terrestrials: Mercury - Venus - Mars - Earth 4 gas giants: Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune At least 5 dwarf planets: Ceres - Pluto - Makemake - Haumea - Eris






19. A huge ball of incandescent gases - Its mass is more than 300000 times that of the earth - Principal constituents are the lightest elements - hydrogen and helium






20. Formed by sodium chloride






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






22. 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






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






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






25. 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)






26. 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






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






28. 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






29. The science that describes and interprets the earth Fields: - Geomorphology (land forms) - Petrology (rocks) - Stratigraphy (layered rocks) - Paleontology (fossils)






30. Defined by geometrically subdividing the earth's spheroid into 24 lunes (wedge - shaped sections) - bordered by meridians - each 15






31. 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






32. Sedimentary rocks containing large fragments of other rock material - e.g. Sandstone






33. Typically the tidal mouths of rivers and are often characterized by _____________ or silt carried in from terrestrial runoff - frequently from offshore






34. Two types of mountains are formed - depending on how the rock reacts to the tectonic forces






35. Oceans cover __ of the earth's surface






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






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






38. 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






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






40. 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






41. 1 hour of time






42. Nearest galaxy - about 20 million light - years away






43. This upslope wind is called a...






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






45. 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






46. 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






47. A major determiner of coastal climate






48. Different visual appearance; when discovered - comets show a perceptible coma while asteroids do not






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






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