Nature & History
What is the study of the ocean called?
A. Marine biology
B. Oceanography
C. Geology
D. Meteorology
B. Oceanography
What is the chemical formula for water?
A. H₂O₂
B. HO
C. H₂O
D. O₂
C. H₂O
What gas do marine plants release during photosynthesis?
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Nitrogen
C. Oxygen
D. Hydrogen
C. Oxygen
What drives most surface ocean currents?
A. Tides
B. Wind
C. Earth’s core
D. Temperature only
B. Wind
What mainly causes ocean waves?
A. Earth’s rotation
B. Gravity
C. Wind
D. Temperature
C. Wind
Name one early ocean explorer or marine scientist.
A. James Cook
B. Jacques Cousteau
C. Charles Darwin
D. Isaac Newton
A or B (James Cook or Jacques Cousteau)
Why is water called the universal solvent?
A. It freezes easily
B. It dissolves many substances
C. It evaporates quickly
D. It is found everywhere
B. It dissolves many substances
What scale measures how acidic or basic seawater is?
A. Salinity scale
B. Temperature scale
C. Density scale
D. pH scale
D. pH scale
Cold water is more dense than warm water.
A. True
B. False
C. Only at the surface
D. Only in freshwater
A. True
What causes ocean tides?
A. Wind
B. Earth’s rotation
C. Gravity of the Moon and Sun
D. Ocean currents
C. Gravity of the Moon and Sun
Humans have explored more of the ocean than space.
A. True
B. False
C. Only recently
D. Depends on technology
B. False
What happens to sunlight as ocean depth increases?
A. It increases
B. It stays the same
C. It decreases
D. It reflects upward
C. It decreases
The ocean can absorb carbon dioxide.
A. True
B. False
C. Only in warm water
D. Only near land
A. True
What kind of ocean movement helps bring nutrients from deep water up to the surface?
A. Surface circulation
B. Horizontal circulation
C. Vertical circulation
D. Coastal circulation
C. Vertical circulation
What is the highest part of a wave called?
A. Trough
B. Crest
C. Base
D. Wavelength
B. Crest
What technology is used to map the ocean floor using sound waves?
A. Radar
B. Satellite imaging
C. Sonar
D. GPS
C. Sonar
What is the sunlit surface layer of the ocean called?
A. Aphotic zone
B. Benthic zone
C. Pelagic zone
D. Photic zone
D. Photic zone
What happens to ocean pH when carbon dioxide increases?
A. pH increases
B. pH stays the same
C. pH decreases
D. Water evaporates
C. pH decreases
What global system moves warm and cold water around Earth?
A. Coriolis effect
B. Gulf Stream
C. Thermohaline circulation
D. El Niño
C. Thermohaline circulation
How many high tides occur in most places each day?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
B. Two
What ocean zone is closest to shore and affected by tides?
A. Abyssal zone
B. Neritic zone
C. Oceanic zone
D. Intertidal zone
D. Intertidal zone
What term describes ocean layering caused by temperature and salinity differences?
A. Mixing
B. Stratification
C. Evaporation
D. Condensation
B. Stratification
What term describes the saltiness of seawater?
A. Density
B. Salinity
C. Temperature
D. Alkalinity
B. Salinity
What process brings deep, nutrient-rich water to the surface?
A. Downwelling
B. Evaporation
C. Condensation
D. Upwelling
D. Upwelling
When are tides usually the strongest?
A. During neap tides
B. During spring tides
C. When winds are strongest
D. In the middle of the ocean
B. During spring tides