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. 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






2. The process of chemical or physical breakdown of earth rocks - soils - and their minerals






3. 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...






4. Used to arrange strata in a standard order - Used to measure the amount of radioactive decay in minerals and calculate the time at which the rock formed






5. An individual weighing 200 lbs on Earth would weigh more on a _______________ - Weight is a function of gravity






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






7. 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






8. Piled in waves and indicate rain or snow






9. Common: wind - clouds - rain - snow - fog - dust storms - Less common: natural disasters such as tornadoes - hurricanes - and ice storms






10. - 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






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






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






13. Younger beds were originally deposited above older beds






14. Earth movements - The result of forces within the earth - where temperature and pressure differences lead to instability






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






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






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






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






19. Cirrus - Stratus - Cumulonimbus - Altostratus






20. Officially defined as sustained sea surface temperature anomalies of magnitude greater than 0.5






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






22. 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






23. 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






24. The fossiliferous strata record is only the last __% of the earth's history






25. 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






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






27. Forms over the Tropics and is warm






28. 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)






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






30. 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






31. Method of using the present to interpret the past - Processes occurring today are observed carefully and their effects are measured - Then - geologists assume that similar effects in ancient rocks were caused by processes similar to those of the pres






32. Texture is important in classifying ______ sedimentary rocks






33. 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






34. Natural chemical compounds that are the crystals that make up rocks - Each has a specific composition or narrow range of composition






35. How much matter is in the object






36. Spiral - elliptical - and irregular form are speckled throughout the visible universe - Largest telescope has detected galaxies to its limit of several billion light - years






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






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






39. 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






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






41. Forms over land and is associated with dry air






42. 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






43. This upslope wind is called a...






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






45. Refers to the long - term weather patterns of a large geographical area and takes into account temperature - humidity - and precipitation






46. Large - dark clouds that indicate thunderstorms






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






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






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






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