Water Cycle
Phases of the Moon
Rock Cycle
Plate Tectonics
Geologic Time Scale
100
Which step in the water cycle involves returning of fresh water to the Earth?
Precipitation returns fresh water to the earth.
100
The Moon orbits the Earth once in about _______.
28 Days
100
Which processes moves rock materials across the surface of the Earth?
Erosion is the process by which blowing wind or running water carries away pieces of earth material.
100
What was the earth called when it was one land mass?
Pangea
100
What type of Dinosaur is Blue in the Jurassic World Series?
Velociraptor!
200
During the water cycle, water moves from the air to the ground and then back to the air. Which of the following processes causes water to move from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere during the water cycle?
evaporation
200
Which phase of the Moon is represented by position 6?
Waning Gibbous
200
Part of the rock cycle takes place under the Earth's surface. What provides the energy for this part of the rock cycle?
A. light energy from the Sun
B. potential energy from the Moon's gravitational influence
C. heat energy from the Earth's interior
D. kinetic energy from Earth's angular momentum
Heat energy from the Earth's interior
200
Which of the following events would most likely produce an earthquake?
A. Along mountain slopes, heavy rocks fall, creating shocks that travel through the land.
B. During flooding, water exerts pressure on the land, causing wide cracks in the ground.
C. During thunderstorms, lightning generates shocks that pass through the Earth’s crust.
D. At transform plate boundaries, tectonic plates rub against each other with great force
Earthquakes occur because at transform plate boundaries, tectonic plates rub against each other with great force. Since plates tend to resist motion, the frictional force builds up over time. When the plates can no longer hold this force, an earthquake occurs.
200
Which of the following best describes the relative age of the rock in layer D?
A. It is older than the index fossil found in layer D.
B. The relative age of the rock cannot be determined.
C. It is younger than the index fossil found in layer D.
D. It is the same age as the index fossil found in layer D.
So, it is the same age as the index fossil found in layer D.
300
Which process is used by plants to release excess water into the atmosphere?
Transpiration is the loss of water vapor from the leaves, stems, flowers, and roots of a plant to the atmosphere.
300
At night, the Moon appears bright. Which of the following explains this?
The Sun produces its own light, but the Moon does not. The Moon appears bright because it is reflecting the light produced by the Sun.
300
List the steps of the formation of sedimentary rock in the correct order?
weathering 
erosion deposition compaction/cementation
300
The movement of the tectonic plates changes the number of continents on Earth. This change would be seen over:
A. centuries.
B. thousands of years.
C. millions of years.
D. decades.
This movement can change the number of continents, but these changes take millions of years to be seen.
300
If a scientist knows the relative age of a fossil, he can also know
A. how it became extinct.
B. the relative age of the rock where it was found.
C. the type of climate from which it came.
D. how long the organism was alive.
Fossils are the key to finding out about the past. Not only do they help date the rocks in which they are found, but they also give clues to what the Earth was like many years ago.
B.
400
What occurs during the process of condensation in the water cycle?
change in state from gas to liquid
400
Which phase results when the Moon is on the same side of the Earth as the Sun?
New Moon
400
Which rock type can be formed by adding heat and pressure to any of the three types of rock?
Metamorphic rock is formed from previously-existing rock that is subjected to intense heat and pressure. It can be sedimentary, igneous, or older metamorphic rock that is transformed.
400
Mountain chains can be formed by the collision of two tectonic plates. Which of the following provides the energy which pushes the tectonic plates together?
A. energy from organisms living on the Earth
B. energy from sunlight
C. enegy from ocean currents
D. energy from the Earth's interior
Energy from the Earth’s interior
400
Index fossils are found throughout the world and come from organisms which existed during limited periods of geologic time. Which of the following best describes what index fossils can be used to determine?
A. the way an organism went extinct
B. when an organism first appeared on Earth
C. how an organism evolved over time
D. the age of a layer of rock
Index fossils can best be used to determine the age of a layer of rock. If scientists know when a particular organism lived, they can determine the age of the rocks in which a fossil of the organism is found.
D.
500
Water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back to Earth's surface again in a process known as the water cycle. Which of the following is the major form of energy driving the water cycle?
The water cycle is driven by radiant solar energy as heat from the Sun causes water to evaporate into the air. Winds carry the water vapor until it cools, condenses, and falls back to Earth as precipitation.
500
As the Moon revolves around the Earth, it also rotates on its axis. Why is it that the same side of the Moon is always visible from Earth?
From the Earth's surface, the same side of the Moon is always showing. This happens because the Moon rotates once completely on its axis in the same amount of time that it takes to complete one orbit around the Earth.
So, the speed of the Moon's rotation keeps the same side always facing Earth.
500
Which type of rock is created when lava cools and hardens?
Igneous rocks are formed when hot, liquid magma or lava from the Earth cools to make rocks such as pumice.
500
Modified from image courtesy of USGS
Which of the following best describes the process shown in the diagram?
A. Tectonic plates move closer to each other, which forms magma.
B. Tectonic plate motion forces magma downward.
C. Magma moves upward and crystallizes, forming new rock.
D. Solid rock liquefies as it reaches the surface and flows outward.
The diagram shows that magma moves upward and crystallizes, forming new rock. The tectonic plates at the mid-ocean ridge move away from each other, or diverge, causing magma to rise, fill the space between the plates, and cool.
500
In many parts of the world, there is a rock layer rich in the metal iridium. Iridium is very rare on Earth, but it is relatively common in meteorites and other debris that comes from outer space. All occurrences of this iridium layer have an age of about 65 million years. Most of the fossils in rock layers below the iridium layer, including dinosaur fossils, do not appear in layers above the iridium layer.
Based on this evidence from the rock and fossil record,
Based on this evidence from the rock and fossil record,
A. meteorites and other space debris no longer contain the metal iridium.
B. an asteroid impact likely caused a mass extinction 65 million years ago.
C. an asteroid impact caused dinosaurs to become more common 65 million years ago.
D. meteorites and other space debris did not impact the Earth 65 million years ago.
an asteroid impact likely caused a mass extinction 65 million years ago.
B