The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology and Evolution 7th Edition by James S. Monroe Test bank
c. molten throughout
d. composed of potassium and aluminum rich silicates
e. composed primarily of iron
ANSWER: e
19. Which of the following is a characteristic of the asthenosphere?
a. It lies beneath the lithosphere.
b. It is a rigid rock layer.
c. It is broken into plates.
d. It is more dense than the core.
e. It comprises the lower mantle.
ANSWER: a
20. What comprises the ocean crust?
a. sedimentary rocks
b. peridotite
c. igneous rocks
d. metamorphic rocks
e. granite
ANSWER: c
21. What theory proposes that all living organisms are descendants of different life forms that existed in the past?
a. organic evolution
b. astrology
c. paleontology
d. plate tectonics
e. natural selection
ANSWER: a
22. In the 1800s, what provided a means for dating rocks and allowed for a relative geologic time scale to be constructed?
a. seismic measurements
b. carbon dating
c. climate change studies
d. magma studies
e. succession of fossils in the rock record
ANSWER: e
23. What are the three types of plate boundaries?
a. mid-ocean ridge, trench, and divergent
b. mid-ocean ridge, divergent, and convergent
c. divergent, convergent, and transform
d. convergent, transform, and trench
e. mid-ocean ridge, convergent, and trench
ANSWER: c
24. Sudden or catastrophic events, such as volcanic eruptions and tsunami, can be explained by ____.
a. big bang theory
b. theory of natural selection
c. third law of thermodynamics
d. principle of uniformitarianism
e. scientific method
ANSWER: d
25. Which subsystem of Earth supplies heat for convection in the mantle?
a. atmosphere
b. hydrosphere
c. biosphere
d. core
e. lithosphere
ANSWER: d
26. What is the study of Earth materials and the processes operating within Earth and on its surface?
a. physical geography
b. meteorology
c. geomorphology
d. historical geology
e. physical geology
ANSWER: e
27. What technique injects fluids under very high pressure into organic-rich shales to recover trapped natural gas?
a. mechanical fracturing
b. hydraulic fracturing
c. pressurized mining
d. stress mining
e. hydraulic drilling
ANSWER: b
28. What are the subdivisions of the geologic time scale, listed in order from longest to shortest time intervals?
a. eon, era, period, and epoch
b. epoch, eon, era, and period
c. eon, epoch, period, and era
d. era, eon, period, and epoch
e. eon, era, epoch, and period
ANSWER: a
29. Which basic force binds atoms into molecules?
a. gravity
b. molecular affinity
c. strong nuclear
d. electromagnetic
e. weak nuclear
ANSWER: d
30. Which basic force is responsible for the breakdown of an atom’s nucleus, thereby producing radioactive decay?
a. electromagnetic
b. weak nuclear
c. strong nuclear
d. molecular affinity
e. interstitial
ANSWER: b
31. What are the two types of crust?
a. oceanic and continental
b. inner crust and outer crust
c. lower crust and upper crust
d. terrestrial and aquatic
e. metamorphic and sedimentary
ANSWER: a
32. Compared with their overall size, the ____ planets have small rocky cores.
a. Descartes
b. terrestrial
c. Jovian
d. nebular
e. dwarf
ANSWER: c
33. Tentative explanations that are formulated to explain observed phenomena are known as ____.