Dr. Charles Merguerian Hofstra University
Astrogeology 03 Practice Exam 01
Sample Exam Questions for Exam #1
I.
True/False
1._____
Earthquakes occur at rift zones, subduction zones, and strike-slip plate
boundaries.
2._____
Mountain building and intrusion, as with most earth processes, has its source of
energy from solar heat.
3._____
The elements silicon, alumina, and alkalis (Na+K) bond together with oxygen to
form the common rock forming minerals (silicates) of the earth's crust.
4._____
The Gemini spacecraft prepared NASA's astronauts for the rigors of lunar travel
to be experienced during the Apollo missions.
5._____
The solar system and all of its planets formed roughly 4,600 million years ago.
6._____
Mafic rocks are enriched in iron, magnesium, and sodium.
7._____
The Andes mountains are similar in tectonic genesis to
8._____
The launching of Sputnik by the former
9._____
The oceanic crust of the earth is 4-8 km thick and is composed of granite.
10._____
By far, the most abundant elements in the sun are hydrogen and helium.
11._____
The use of seismic data has helped geologists evaluate the interior of the earth
and its moon.
12._____
Intrusive vs. extrusive igneous rocks may be distinguished by their texture
(grain size).
13._____
Most of the planets rotate in prograde motion.
14._____
Seasons are produced from the axial spin of the earth.
15._____
Stony meteorites are made up mostly of iron-nickel alloy.
16._____
Micrometeorites seldom reach the earth's surface because they tend to fall in
the oceans.
17._____
John Glenn was
18._____
More meteorites have been found in the Antarctic ice fields in the last 20 years
than in the entire history of meteorite study on earth.
19._____
Primitive meteorites are chondritic and younger than differentiated meteorites.
20._____
Planetary atmospheres and surfaces have been extensively studied by methods
utilizing various frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum.
21._____
Volumetrically, the Earth's mantle exceeds the core.
22._____
The study of uranium-lead, rubdium-strontium and other isotopic ratios produce
absolute geologic age data on rocks and minerals.
23._____
Most of the mass in the solar system is incorporated in the planets and their
moons.
24._____
Compression may lead to rift zones and normal faults.
25._____
The Earth's atmosphere is principally composed of oxygen.
26._____
In a two body system, the position of the barycenter is directly proportional to
the masses of the two bodies.
27._____
There are other planets and moons in our solar system with an environment
suitable for humankind to which we could migrate if necessary to relieve
overpopulation on Earth.
28._____
The chemical composition of the Earth's atmosphere at the time of the formation
of the planet Earth was the same time as it is today.
29._____ Plate tectonics is the theory that regards the lithosphere as divided into segments that are in horizontal motion across the outer Earth.
30._____ The principle of superposition states that within a sequence of undisturbed sedimentary rocks, the layers become younger going from bottom to top.
31._____ All of the planets have similar atmospheres.
32._____ The Moon is essentially a dead world with neither active volcanoes nor plate tectonics.
33._____ The surface of Venus is exceedingly hot because of the greenhouse effects of carbon dioxide.
34._____ Meteorites are meteors that survive passage through the Earth’s atmosphere.
35._____ An astronomical unit is the average distance of the Earth from the Sun, about 93,000,000 miles.
II.
Multiple Choice
1._____
Which of the following elements is concentrated in the mantle rather than in the
crust of the earth?
A.
magnesium
B. silicon
C. aluminum
D.
calcium
E. potassium
2._____
Most of the mass of our solar system resides in the:
A. asteroid belt
B. sun
C. earth
D. back row of this classroom
E. Jupiter system
3._____
All of the following are parts of our solar system except:
A. the planets
B. the moons of Mars
C. the nebulae
D. the asteroid belt
E. the Sun
4._____
Relative movement of lithospheric plates by seafloor spreading and subduction
show that:
A. the earth is breakdancing
B. the earth is expanding
C. the earth is neither expanding nor contracting
D. the earth is contracting
E. the earth must alternately expand then contract
5._____
Which of the following is not considered a terrestrial planet?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Saturn
D. Mars
E. Earth
6._____Which
of the following is not a major process occurring at convergent plate margins?
A. mountain building
B. folding and thrust faulting
C. generation of granitic magmas
D. extrusion of basaltic lavas
E. deep-focus earthquakes
7._____
Which of the following statements best fits the facts?
A. Meteorite impacts do not occur on the Moon.
B. Meteorite impacts are more numerous on earth now than in the past.
C. Except for Meteor Crater in AZ the earth shows no large impacts.
D. Meteorite impacts on earth were more frequent 4.0 Ga compared to now.
E. Most meteorites fall on the continental areas of earth.
8._____
The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of:
A.
Mars, Jupiter
B. Uranus, Pluto
C. Venus, Mercury
D.
Earth, Moon
E. Mars, Earth
9._____
The Andes mountains seem to be the result of:
A. an enormous unconformity
B. magma welling up from beneath the Peru-Chile trench
C. the collision between two large continental plates
D. the drift of a part of the
E. a local hot spot
10._____
Which of the following best accounts for the fact that the moon is intensly
pocked by impact craters, whereas the earth has few craters?
A. The moon didn't use Clearasil.
B. On earth, meteorites strike the oceans.
C. The moon has a higher gravity potential than the earth.
D. The moon served as a shield protecting the earth from impacts.
E. Tectonic activity and erosion has removed the evidence for craters on
earth.
11._____
The basic cause for seafloor spreading and continental drift is theorized to be:
A. polar wander paths.
B. upthrusting of crustal plates.
C. isostatic adjustment of segments of the earth's crust.
D. magnetic anomalies.
E. thermal convection currents in the mantle.
12._____
Differentiation of the earth into an iron core, silicate mantle and light crust
probably occurred:
A. at
B. rapidly, at the time of accretion.
C. gradually, throughout the earth's history.
D. rapidly, just over a billion years ago.
E. during an intense meteor flux early in the earth's history.
13._____
The primary source of heat emitted from the sun is:
A. conventional combustion.
B. due to resonance of the chromospere.
C. nuclear fusion.
D. the Helmholtz contraction.
E. nuclear fission.
14._____
The first to make telescopic observations of the Moon:
A. Galileo
B. Alfred E. Neuman
C. Plato
D. Cassini
E. Armstrong
15._____
In order to measure the mass of the Earth using the law of gravitation, it was
necessary first to determine the Earth's gravitational attraction on a body at
the Earth's surface. The amount of
gravitational attraction was determined by
A. measuring the velocity of a P-wave using a seismograph.
B. measuring the total intensity of the Earth's magnetic field with a
magnetometer.
C. measuring the period of a simple pendulum.
16._____
Which observation suggested that the heliocentric model of the solar system was
true rather than the geocentric model:
A. the phases of Venus
B. the satellite systems of Jupiter
C. both of the above
D. the Helmholtz contraction
E. Kepler's Laws
17._____
The smallest planet in the solar system is:
A.
Mercury
B. Mars
C. Pluto
D. Uranus
E. Deimos
18._____
These members of the solar system are thought to have formed beyond the orbit of
Pluto:
A. satellites
B. comets
C. meteoroids
D. galaxies
E. nebulae
19._____
On which of the following bodies would a fragment, ejected at the same
acceleration and velocity from a volcano or meteorite crater, travel farthest?
A. the sun
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
E. Earth's moon
20._____
The remains of an extraterrestrial particle which is found on the earth's
surface is called:
A. an asteroid
B. a meteorite
C. a meteoroid
D. a comet
E. a hemorrhoid
21._____
One astronomical unit is the distance between the earth and the
A. moon.
B. sun.
C. nearest star outside the solar system.
D. anti-earth.
E. center of the Milky Way galaxy.
22._____
These spectacular bodies have been compared to large, dirty snowballs, as they
consist of frozen gases which hold together small fragments of rocky material.
A. asteroids
B. meteorites
C. comets
D. Jovian moons
23._____
These objects can be placed into one of these three categories: iron, stony, and
stony-iron
A. comets
B. satellites
C. asteroids
D. meteorites
E. kidney stones
24._____
When looking down on the North Pole of the Earth from above, the Earth rotates
A. clockwise
B. counter-clockwise
C. oscillates back and forth
D. once every year
25._____
What approximate percentage of the Earth's surface is covered by the oceans?
A. 10 percent
B. 50 percent
C. 70 percent
D. 29 percent
26._____
The age of the Earth is closest to
A. 570 million years
B. 2.2 billion years
C. 4.6 billion years
D. 6,004 years
27._____
The radius of the Earth (in kilometers) is roughly
A. 4,000
B. 5,100
C. 2,900
D. 6,375
28._____
Knowledge of the Earth's interior has been gained mainly
A. during the drilling deep oil wells.
B. during excavation of deep mine shafts.
C. by studying the behavior of seismic waves produced by earthquakes.
D. All of the above.
E. None of the above.
29._____
Which of the following is considered to be molten to the extent of about 10
percent?
A. lithospere
B. MOHO
C. asthenosphere
D. a bathysphere
E. an oblate spheroid
30._____
According to the plate tectonic theory, at which type of boundary is new oceanic
crust formed?
A. divergent boundary
B. convergent boundary
C. transform boundary
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
31._____
In the Copernican view of the solar system
A. the earth is at the center, with the sun and other planets circling
the earth.
B. the sun is at the center, with the planets circling the sun.
C. the sun circles the earth, and the other planets circle the sun.
32._____
Protons and ions expelled from the sun at its surface flow outward through space
in our solar system. These charged
particles are called
A. the plasma or solar wind
B. cows breath
C. the magnetosphere
D. the vortex
E. the Romulan neutral zone
33._____
The cause of contraction of the solar nebula is postulated to have been
A. attraction by the sun.
B. rapid circular motion of the nebula.
C. gravitational attraction within the nebula.
34._____
Planetesimals of the early solar system are postulated to have formed by
A. the process of explosive disruption of planets.
B. the process of condensation of comets.
C. gravitational collisions of smaller particles.
D. the Helmholtz contraction.
35._____
Meteorite craters are rare on the Earth's surface because
A. erosion has obliterated all but a few recent craters.
B. the Earth does not lie in the zone of meteors.
C. The Moon serves as a shield to protect the Earth.
D. of good luck.
E. all meteors burn up in the atmosphere.
36._____
Sir Isaac Newton is famous for
A. the heliocentric theory of the solar system.
B. his determination of the speed of light.
C. the formulation of the law of gravitation.
D. soft gooey cookies.
E. planting apple trees.
37._____
The processes of weathering and erosion are greatest on the Earth because
A. the Earth has an atmosphere rich in oxygen and water vapor.
B. the Earth is a tectonically inactive body.
C. of temperature differences between night and day.
D. of the nitrogen-rich atmosphere.
38._____
Which theory of the solar system did Ptolemy consider correct?
A. heliocentric
B. geocentric
C. concentric
D. eccentric
E. essential
39._____
Which of the following sources of energy could not have contributed
significantly to the heating up of the Earth's interior and resulting
differentiation?
A. disintegration of radioactive elements.
B. solar radiation from the sun.
C. gravitational sinking of molten iron towards the earth's center.
D. kinetic energy of original colliding planetesimals.
E. None of the above.
40._____
Large rocky bodies that orbit between Mars and Jupiter are called:
A. Asteroids
B. Hemorrhoids
C. Comets
D. Pallasites
E. Parasites
41._____
Long period comets are nudged into our solar system from interactions with
A. the planets.
B. the moons of Mars.
C. the solar nebulae.
D. the Oort cloud.
E. the Sun.
42._____
The planet in our solar system with an oversized moon is
A.
Mars
B. Uranus
C. Venus
D.
Earth
E. Pluto
43._____
Layered sedimentary strata are known on the Earth and have recently been found
on
A. Jupiter
B. Pluto
C. Mars
D. Mercury
E. the Sun
44._____
Salty, liquid water has been detected by magnetic measurements beneath the icy
crusts of the moons of
A. Mars
B. Venus
C. Jupiter
D.
45._____
The location of the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy is
A. at the center of the galaxy
B. at the outer edge of the galaxy
C. about 2/3rds of the way out from the center of the galaxy.
46._____
Lead and zinc would melt at the surface of the planet
A. Venus
B. Jupiter
C. Mars
47._____
The formation of the solar system from a huge cloud of dust and gases is called
the _______ hypothesis:
A.
planetisimal
B. solar
C. nebular
48._____
The velocity of light is:
A. 186,000 miles per second
B. 186,000 miles per hour
C. 186,000 kilometers per second
D. 186,000 kilometers per hour
E. 55 mph at sea level
49._____
The NEAR mission was unique because
A. it photographed a meteor
B. it was launched from the space shuttle
C. it photographed and landed on an asteroid
D. none of the above
E. it landed on Titan, a moon of Saturn
50._____ The lithosphere is collectively made up of
A. the crust and the mantle
B. the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle
C. the crust and the asthenosphere
D. the upper and lower mantle
E. the asthenosphere and upper mantle.
51._____ The two most abundant elements in the earth’s crust are
A. iron and magnesium
B. carbon and hydrogen
C. carbon and oxygen
D. oxygen and silicon
E. magnesium and manganese
52._____
The biosphere constitutes all forms of life on Earth.
Fossil evidence indicates life has evolved from primitive forms of
organisms, such as blue-green algae and microbes, to the complex forms of today.
Over what time period has this evolution occurred:
A. within the most recent 100,000 years of the Earth
B. during the last 600 million years
C. over a period in excess of 3 billion years
D. beginning at 9 AM on
53._____
Of all the planets in our solar system, which characteristic(s) is (are) unique
to Earth
A. occurrence of liquid water
B. gases in the atmosphere
C. presence of living organisms
D. all of the above
E. Responses A. and C. only
54._____
What is the source of the energy that drives the Earth's crustal geologic
processes
A. internal heat from the radioactive elements decay within the mantle
and crust
B. rotation of the Earth about its axis
C. radiant heat energy from the sun plus gravity
D. the rechargeable I-Pod battery
55._____
In the hydrologic cycle, evaporation of water from the ocean basins is
A. equal to the precipitation within the ocean basins
B. greater than the precipitation within the ocean basins
C. less than the precipitation within the ocean basins
56._____
Determination of the volume and mass of the Earth indicates that the average
density of the Earth as a whole is
A. the same as the average density of the crustal rocks
B. greater than the average density of the crustal rocks
C. less than the average density of the crustal rocks
57._____
It is believed that the outer core of the Earth is a liquid or at least behaves
as if it is a liquid because
A. the compressional P wave is not transmitted through it.
B. the shear S wave is not transmitted through it.
C. neither the P wave or the S wave is not transmitted through it.
58._____
The principal gases present in the Earth's atmosphere include
A. oxygen and carbon dioxide.
B. nitrogen and oxygen.
C. helium and oxygen.
D. nitrous oxide and oxygen.
59._____
What drives the Earth's atmospheric circulation?
A. rotation of the Earth about its axis
B. changes in the distance of the Earth from the sun as it revolves about
the sun
C. differential heating of the Earth's surface by the sun
D. Both A. and C.
60._____ Viscosity is a property of a fluid that relates to how easily the fluid flows. A material that is viscous
A. flows easily
B. resists flow
C. is always hot
D. is always a solid
E. is cold.
61._____ We are currently living in the geologic time interval known as the
A. Palezoic Era
B. Cenozoic Era
C. Mesozoic Era
D. Proterozoic Era
62._____ Our galaxy is called the
A. Oort Cloud
B. Kuiper Belt
C. Asteroid Belt
D. Milky Way
E. Solar System
63._____ According to current astronomical thinking, the approximate age of the universe is
A. 14 billion years
B. 4000 years
C. 500 million years
D. 1 billion years
E. 100,000 years
64._____ The Earth’s magnetic field is believed to be generated in this region.
A. the crust
B. the core
C. the asthenosphere
D. the mantle
E. the low velocity zone
65._____ Pangaea is
A. another name given the Alaskan earthquake of 1964
B. a portion of the mid-Atlantic ridge
C. the German word for breakfast food
D. the name of a fossil found in both Africa and
E. the name of a supercontinent
66._____
Which of the following statements is correct?
A. the continents and ocean basins have the same shape and size
throughout geologic time as they do today
B. the geographic position of the continents and ocean basins have been
fixed throughout geologic time
C. the position, shape and size of the continents and ocean basins have
changed throughout geologic time
D. both statements A. and B. are correct
67._____
Which major oceanic feature is associated with divergent plate boundaries?
A. ocean ridge system
B. volcanic island arcs and trenches
C. abyssal plains
D. Hawaiian volcanoes
68._____
The atomic weight of an atom is the:
A. number of protons plus the number of neutrons
B. number of neutrons minus the number of electrons
C. number of electrons plus the number of protons
D. number of electrons in the outer shell
69._____
Which of the following characteristics of an atom determines which element it
is?
A. the number of electrons in its outer shell
B. the number of neutrons in the nucleus
C. the number of protons in the nucleus
70._____
Atomic nucleii are composed of:
A. protons and electrons
B. protons and neutrons
C. neutrons and electrons
71._____ Temperatures generated by volcanic eruptions approximate
A. 100° C
B. 1000° C
C. 10,000° C
D. 100,000° C
E. none of these
72._____
At which time is a planet the closest to the sun in its orbit about the sun?
A. at aphelion
B. at perihelion
C. at periwinkle
73._____
A characteristic feature of the terrestrial planets, as a whole, is their:
A. uniform surface temperatures
B. similar rotational periods
C. relatively small size and high density
74._____
The origin of the asteroid belt is believed to be the result of:
A. the explosion of a protoplanet
B. the collision of two planets
C. bits of matter that never accreted to form a planet
75._____
The outer planets are characterized by:
A. their large size and low density
B. their small size and high density
C. their large size and high density
76._____
The approximate shape of the solar system is:
A. a plane
B. a sphere
C. an NFL football
77._____
The size of a planet is controlled by:
A. its density
B. its distance from the sun
C. radar or telescopic measurements
78._____
Meteorites impacting on Earth
A. give us some idea of the composition of the planets.
B. yield information on the age of the solar system.
C. contain fragments of rock from the surface of one of the planets.
D. All of the above.
79._____ Some meteorites from
A. Mars
B. Mercury
C. Earth’s Moon
D. volcanic eruptions
E. Responses A. and C.
80._____
Which method provides an idea of the composition of a planet?
A. analysis of the spectral lines in reflected light from the planet
B. determination of the density of the planet
C. both of the above
81._____ Several times in Earth’s history, vast outpourings of magma covered many thousands of square miles in multiple flows and these singular events were called
A. pillow basalts
B. plateau basalts
C. rift basalts
D. sheet basalts
E. regional basalts
82._____
The method of measuring the mass of a planet is:
A. directly by optical instruments aboard a space probe orbiting the
planet
B. indirectly by measuring the gravitational effect of a planet on an
orbiting satellite
C. by comparing the effect on the moon-earth system
D. both A. and B.
83._____ The topography of our Moon is dominated by
A. volcanic mountains
B. meteor impact craters
C. folded mountain ranges
D. fault block mountains
E. what was once mid-ocean ridges
84._____ The orbital path of planets around our sun approximates the shape of a(n)
A. circle
B. parabola
C. nearly circular ellipse
D. irregular curve
E. none of these
85._____ A short-duration celestial object that exhibits a glowing head and tail when viewed at night is called a(n)
A. asteroid
B. planet
C. shooting star
D. Encke
E. comet
III.
EXTRA CREDIT: DIAGRAM-ESSAY QUESTION
1.
Draw a cross section of eastern
1. Continental crust
2. Oceanic crust
3. Mohorovicic discontinuity
4. Low velocity zone
5. Lithosphere
2.
Draw a bird's-eye-view of a typical lunar meteor crater and label and diagram
the following:
1. central peak complex
2. crater rim
3. discontinuous ejecta blanket
4. crater rays
5. crater clusters
3.
Recreate the Geological timescale for the Earth, listing the major Eons, Eras,
and Periods. Place the absolute ages
in millions of years (Ma) at the Era boundaries.
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