Earth's Features
Plate Tectonics
Earth's Spheres
100

What are some examples of Earth's surface features?  

  • A) Mountains, valleys, and plains
  • B) Stars, comets, and asteroids
  • C) Oceans, lakes, and rivers
  • D) Birds, mammals, and reptiles
  • A) Mountains, valleys, and plains
100

What evidence do scientists use to study past plate motions?

  • A) Fossilized dinosaur bones
  • B) Ancient pottery fragments
  • C) Data on the distribution of fossils and rocks
  • D) Artifacts from ancient civilizations

 

  • C) Data on the distribution of fossils and rocks
100

What is the scientific name for the layer of gas that surrounds Earth?

  • A) lithosphere
  • B) hydrosphere
  • C) atmosphere
  • D) biosphere
  • C) atmosphere
200

Describe a pattern you might observe on a map of Earth's features.

  • A) Arrangement of flowers in a garden
  • B) Patterns of cloud formations in the sky
  • C) Clusters of mountains in certain regions
  • D) Locations of supermarkets in a city

C) Clusters of mountains in certain regions

200

How do continental shapes provide evidence of past plate motions?

  • A) By showing similarities between continents on opposite sides of oceans 
  • B) By displaying patterns of crop circles
  • C) By indicating the locations of ancient cities
  • D) By showing patterns of mountain ranges
  • A) By showing similarities between continents on opposite sides of oceans 
200

In which sphere would lightning be found?

  • A) biosphere
  • B) hydrosphere
  • C) magnetosphere
  • D) atmosphere
  • D) atmosphere
300

How does the flow of energy drive the cycling of Earth's materials?

  • A) Heat from the sun causes rocks to melt.
  • B) Energy from plants powers the movement of tectonic plates.
  • C) Solar energy drives the water cycle and weathering processes.
  • D) Energy from lightning strikes shapes mountains.
  • C) Solar energy drives the water cycle and weathering processes.
300

What types of rocks and fossils are commonly found on continents that were once connected?

  • A) Desert rocks and palm tree fossils
  • B) Marine sedimentary rocks and marine animal fossils
  • C) Volcanic rocks and dinosaur fossils
  • D) Glacial rocks and mammoth fossils
  • B) Marine sedimentary rocks and marine animal fossils
300

Which term names the rocky upper layer of the solid earth?

  • A) biosphere
  • B) magnetosphere
  • C) atmosphere
  • D) lithosphere
  • D) lithosphere
400

Explain how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface over millions of years.

  • A) Volcanic eruptions create new landforms.
  • B) Rivers erode mountains and deposit sediments.
  • C) Earthquakes reshape coastlines and valleys.
  • D) All of the above.
  • D) All of the above.
400

Explain how seafloor structures provide evidence of past plate motions.

  • A) By displaying patterns of underwater caves
  • B) By showing magnetic striping and age differences in seafloor rocks
  • C) By indicating the locations of underwater volcanoes
  • D) By displaying patterns of seashell deposits
  • B) By showing magnetic striping and age differences in seafloor rocks
400

What is the major cause of Earth’s magnetic field? 

A) magnetic materials on Earth’s surface 

B) charged particles from the sun 

C) Earth’s liquid outer core

D) Earth’s magnetic lithosphere

C) Earth’s liquid outer core

500

Provide an example of a geoscience process that has changed Earth's surface on a small scale.

 A) Formation of a volcano 

B) Erosion of a riverbank 

C) Shifting of tectonic plates

 D) Creation of a mountain range

B) Erosion of a riverbank

500

Describe a scenario in which the movement of tectonic plates could result in the formation of a new ocean.

  • A) Collision of two continental plates
  • B) Collision of a continental plate and an oceanic plate
  • C) Separation of two continental plates
  • D) Separation of two oceanic plates
  • D) Separation of two oceanic plates
500

How does the inorganic portion of soil form?

  • A) Sand and silt get deposited by rivers and streams.
  • B) Heat and pressure change rocks into soils.
  • C) Soils get formed by melting and cooling processes.
  • D) Rocks get weathered by chemical and physical means to form soils.
  • D) Rocks get weathered by chemical and physical means to form soils.