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






2. Sometimes called minor planets or planetoids - Bodies






3. 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






4. Test the item against materials of known hardness; for example - use your fingernail or the graphite in a pencil to attempt to scratch the items. This process should result in assigning a relative hardness to the unknown items.






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






6. One tidal cycle per day






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






8. 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






9. 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






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






11. Large - dark clouds that indicate thunderstorms






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






13. Rocks are placed into groups according to how they form...






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






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






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






17. The earth is believed to be about ___ billion years old






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






19. 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






20. Forms over water and is associated with wet air






21. A small Solar System body that orbits the Sun - When close enough to the sun - exhibits a visible coma (atmosphere) or a tail - both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the comet's nucleus - Have a variety of different orbital periods






22. Cirrus - Stratus - Cumulonimbus - Altostratus






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






24. 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






25. Characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the same area - Atlanta tropical cyclone activity is generally enhanced during La Nina - Often follows the El Nino - especially when the latter is strong






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






27. A warm - water current that carries warm water from the Tropics to the Arctic regions of the North Atlantic Ocean - This accounts for higher temperatures and higher humidity on the Eastern Seaboard during the summer






28. 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






29. 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






30. 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






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






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






33. Forms over land and is associated with dry air






34. Water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil






35. A land form that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area - with a peak - Usually produced by the movement of lithospheric plates






36. 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






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






38. 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






39. 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






40. Tides may be...






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






42. The outermost part of the earth's interior is made up of two layers...






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






44. The motive force behind land breezes and sea/lake breezes - also known as on - or off - shore winds - Land absorbs and radiates heat faster than water - but water releases heat over a longer period of time






45. 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






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






47. Can influence climate by sending tremendous volumes of dust - ash - and smoke into the atmosphere






48. Gas giants Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus and Neptune have diameters far larger than Earth's and have far greater masses






49. 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






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