Earth Science Expert Answers & Study Resources

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) Anyone who has ever gone swimming in heavy surf will tell you that if a wave is about to crash over you, the best thing to do is dive down, under the wave. Why does.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) The energy that drives surface ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream comes from ________. A) prevailing winds B) Coriolis effect C) density differences D) salinity variations 2) A poleward-moving ocean current is ________. A) cold B) warm C) warm only in the.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) What moon in the outer solar system is most "earthlike" in terms of landforms, and possesses liquids (liquid methane not water) flowing across the surface? A) Europa B) Titan C) Tethys D) Ganymede 42) Neptune and Uranus both appear.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) What fuel is the source of energy from the Sun? A) oxygen B) helium C) hydrogen D) lithium 62) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.\ 61) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern. A) wave height B) wave refraction C) wave period D) fetch 62) Examine the words and/or.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) The most explosive events to occur on the Sun are ________. A) solar flares B) sunspots C) solar winds D) filaments E) umbras 42) The source of the Sun's energy is ________. A) nuclear fission B) nuclear fusion C) heat of contraction D) potential energy E).

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) The ________ explains how our solar system probably formed from a giant cloud of gases and dispersed solid particles. A) nebular hypothesis B) extrastellar solar hypothesis C) planetary compression theory D) protogalactic theory 2) Most of the mass in the.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 81) Sea arches and sea stacks are all features produced by ________. A) erosion of sand B) erosion of rock C) deposition of rock D) deposition of sand 82) ________ are old, uplifted wave-cut platforms. A) Barrier islands B) Tombolos C) Marine terraces D) Sea.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) The ________ climates are land-controlled climates, the result of broad continents in the middle latitudes. A) A B) B C) C D) D E) E 42) Humid continental climates are found between about ________ north latitude A) 70 and 80 B) 40 and.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) Erosional retreat of a(n) ________ leads to enlargement and extension of a wave-cut platform in the inland direction. A) offshore, wave-cut, breakwater bar B) wave-cut cliff C) wave-cut barrier beach D) wave-cut tombolo 42) Hurricane Sandy produced some of the.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern. A) continental volcanic arc B) continental slope C) continental rise D) continental shelf 62) Examine the.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 81) Earth's middle-latitude deserts exist principally ________. A) because of cold currents B) because of high pressure systems C) because of the rainshadow effect D) because of their positions in the deep interiors of large landmasses, far removed from.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) Continental polar air masses can affect weather as far south as ________. A) the Texas panhandle B) the Dakotas C) the Great Plains D) These air masses can affect weather throughout the entire United States. 62) Warm fronts generally have.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern. A) Callisto B) Titan C) Pluto D) Phobos 62) Examine the words and/or phrases below and.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) Two cities are located at the same latitude (40°). City A is in the middle of a land mass and City B is in a coastal zone. Which city should have the largest annual temperature.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) If sea ice melts, this would affect the climate by ________. A) increasing albedo B) decreasing the moisture in the atmosphere C) increasing the moisture in the atmosphere D) reducing the amount of solar energy absorbed at the surface E).

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) Degenerate matter can have densities 1 million times greater than the density of water, and they achieve this density by ________. A) forming ions that bond electrostatically so that there volume is very small B) converting the.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 81) In a hurricane, the greatest wind speeds and heaviest rainfall occur in the region called the ________. A) eye B) eye wall C) Saffir-Simpson region D) outer bands 82) The greatest storm surge and highest winds occur in the ________.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) Which of the following is not a mechanism for heat transfer? A) contraction B) conduction C) convection D) radiation E) They are all mechanisms for heat transfer. 42) Heat flows ________. A) from cold to hot B) from hot to cold C) in both.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) A wintertime form of precipitation that consists of small ice particles is called ________. A) sleet B) rime C) glaze D) hail 62) How does snow vary with temperature? A) Snow has a uniform moisture content, but warm snow consists of.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) The deep zone is characterized by ________. A) water that gradually increases in temperature and density with depth B) water that gradually decreases in temperature and density with depth C) water that gradually increases in temperature and decreases.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Water is unique because ________. A) its molecules are in motion even when it is solid B) it contracts when it becomes a gas C) it is light enough to escape Earth's gravity but it has not done.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) Cold fronts and warm fronts in the middle latitudes are often associated with a ________. A) middle-latitude cyclone B) low pressure C) hurricane D) both B and C 22) On a weather map, ________ fronts are shown by a line.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) The larger the magnitude number, the ________ will be the star. A) redder B) smaller C) brighter D) older 62) Stars spend most of their life span as ________ stars. A) red giant B) neutron C) main-sequence D) red supergiant 63) The measure of.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) The high surface temperatures of ________ have been attributed to the greenhouse effect. A) Mars B) Mercury C) Uranus D) Venus 22) ________ are found both on Mars and Earth. A) Heavily cratered landscapes preserved from early in the planets' histories B).

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) According to the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, how many "heavenly" bodies could be observed wandering along the background of stars? A) two B) seven C) five D) one 2) Why were planets called "wanderers" by early astronomers? A) They.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) Who wrote the book entitled Of the Revolutions of Celestial Spheres (De Revolutionibus)? A) Tycho Brahe B) Sir Isaac Newton C) Johannes Kepler D) Nicolaus Copernicus E) Galileo 22) This scientist wrote a book entitled Dialogue of the Great World Systems.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) Adiabatic temperature changes occur even though heat is not added or subtracted from the atmosphere because ________. A) the atmosphere moves into a different temperature strata B) molecules are either compressed or expanded which changes their motion C).

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) Using the telescope, Galileo discovered that the planet ________ had polar ice caps not unlike those on Earth. A) Venus B) Mars C) Jupiter D) Saturn 62) The concept that Earth maintained a circular orbit around the Sun was suggested.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) In the early 1700's Kant suggested there were many galaxies visible from Earth but the idea was not popular because ________. A) the "Big Bang" theory did not support that concept B) that hypothesis would require that.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 58) ________ is the most important factor in the process of photosynthesis. A) Sunlight B) Temperature C) Salinity D) Pressure 59) Productivity in the oceans is highest in ________ regions. A) polar B) middle latitude C) aphotic D) equatorial 60) Feeding stages in the food.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) A sea breeze usually originates during the ________. A) day and flows toward the land B) day and flows toward the water C) evening and flows toward the land D) evening and flows toward the water 42) A land breeze.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) The main difference between weather and climate is that ________. A) climate is a political opinion while weather is reality B) climate is the daily variations that actually occur at a location and weather is the general.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) The cloud form that consists of globular cloud masses that take on a billowy or "cauliflowerlike" structure is called ________. A) cumulus B) stratus C) cirrus D) alto 42) This term is used to describe clouds found in the middle.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Which of the following is not considered a form of electromagnetic radiation? A) gravity B) X-rays C) visible light D) gamma rays E) radio waves 2) Which of the following colors has the longest wavelength? A) violet B) blue C) red D) green E) orange 3) Electromagnetic.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) The problems encountered with lenses caused this scientist to build reflecting telescopes of his own design. A) Albert Einstein B) Sir Isaac Newton C) Galileo D) Niels Bohr E) George Hale 22) Because lenses act like a prism to separate the.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) When an area is experiencing several consecutive days of rather constant weather, it is probably ________. A) occluded front weather B) air-mass weather C) cold-front weather D) warm-front weather 2) An air mass from the Gulf of Mexico is labeled.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) The average salinity of seawater is ________. A) 3.5% B) 30.0% C) 0.27% D) 19.8% E) 0.01% 2) The total amount of solid material dissolved in water is known as ________. A) insoluble residue B) solute C) load D) salinity 3) The proportion of dissolved substances.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Which of the following is not part of the climate system? A) hydrosphere B) cryosphere C) gyrosphere D) geosphere E) biosphere 2) Which of the following is a part of the earth system that could be significantly impacted by climate and.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 81) The first scientist to use a telescope for astronomical purposes was ________. A) Brahe B) Newton C) Kepler D) Galileo 82) The law of universal gravitation was formulated by ________. A) Kepler B) Brahe C) Newton D) Galileo 83) The apparent shift in the position.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 61) ________ invented the mercurial barometer. A) Curie B) Mercator C) Torricelli D) Richter 62) The Coriolis effect is strongest at the ________. A) Tropic of Cancer B) equator C) Tropic of Capricorn D) poles 63) The Coriolis effect influences ________. A) neither wind speed nor wind.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Standard sea level pressure in inches of mercury is ________. A) 7.52 inches B) 14.70 inches C) 29.92 inches D) 28.70 inches 2) The mercurial barometer was invented by ________. A) Watt B) Torricelli C) Galileo D) Newton 3) Which of these instruments is not.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) The apparent path of the Sun upon the celestial sphere is called the ________. A) ecliptic B) sidereal C) precession D) declination E) parallax 42) A statement you will sometimes hear people say is that a day is not 24 hours.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) Which of the following is not used to establish the boundary between dry and humid climates in the Köppen system? A) Average Annual Temperature B) Average Annual Precipitation C) Seasonal Distribution of Precipitation D) Average Annual Evaporation 22) Low latitude.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) Productivity of zooplankton is highest in ________. A) fall B) summer C) spring D) winter 42) In the food chain, each feeding stage is called a ________ level. A) bios B) trophic C) replenishment D) none of these 43) Organisms that feed through a food.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) If "fair" weather were approaching, the pressure tendency would probably be ________. A) falling B) rising C) steady D) none of these 22) If stormy weather were approaching, the pressure tendency would probably be ________. A) rising B) falling C) steady D) none of.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) A red star is ________ our Sun. A) hotter and larger than B) hotter and smaller than C) colder and larger than D) colder and smaller than E) approximately the same temperature and size as 22) A blue star is ________.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 21) As you go up in elevation, the temperature ________. A) increases B) decreases C) stays constant D) It depends on what atmospheric layer you are in. E) none of the above 22) Important weather phenomena typically occurs in the ________. A) thermosphere B).

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 41) Tornadoes most often move towards what direction? A) northeast B) west C) northwest D) southeast 42) Tornadoes of F1 to F2 in strength account for ________. A) most of the weird phenomena ascribed to tornadoes B) most of the tornadoes observed C) most.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 81) A system with an environmental lapse rate of 5°C/1000 m and a dry adiabatic of 10°C is ________. A) stormy B) unstable C) low pressure D) stable 82) When air sinks, it ________ and ________ adiabatically. A) compresses; cools B) expands; warms C).