Question 1. Which of the following is NOT one of the main areas of Earth science?

a) geology
b) oceanography
c) astrology
d) astronomy

Question 2. What is the study of the atmosphere and the processes that produce weather and climate?

a) oceanography
b) geology
c) meteorology
d) astronomy

Question 3. According to the nebular hypothesis, our solar system formed from a huge rotating cloud made mostly of ____.

a) carbon and hydrogen
b) helium and hydrogen
c) oxygen and helium
d) nitrogen and oxygen

Question 4. In Figure 1-1, what layer of Earth's geosphere is labeled A?

a) inner core
b) outer core
c) upper mantle
d) crust

Question 5. In Figure 1-1, what layer of Earth's geosphere is labeled C?

a) crust
b) upper mantle
c) lower mantle
d) outer core

Question 6. The crust and uppermost mantle make up the rigid outer layer of Earth called the ____.

a) geosphere
b) asthenospehre
c) lithosphere
d) lower mantle

Question 7. Earth's thin, rocky outer layer is its ____.

a) core
b) mantle
c) outer core
d) crust

Question 8. Most of the information about Earth's interior was obtained by studying ____.

a) earthquake waves
b) rocks of the ocean crust
c) meteorites
d) rocks in deep wells

Question 9. Earth's core is made of an alloy of ____.

a) iron and nickel
b) copper and iron
c) zinc and magnesium
d) iron and zinc

Question 10. Earth's inner core is solid because of ____.

a) the composition
b) its great diameter
c) extreme temperatures
d) immense pressure

Question 11. What is the shape of a planet's orbit?

a) elliptical
b) circular
c) irregular
d) parabolic

Question 12. What movement of Earth is responsible for night and day?

a) rotation
b) revolution
c) precession
d) perigree

Question 13. Seasons are caused by ____.

a) Earth's rotation
b) precession
c) Earth's tilted axis
d) Earth's distance from the sun

Question 14. Scientists think that meteorite bombardment was extremely common on the early Earth because

a) The outer planets have lots of impact craters
b) Earth has lots of ancient impact craters
c) The Moon has lots of ancient impact craters
d) All of the above

Question 15. Which is NOT a reason why Earth was molten in its early days?

a) Gravitational contraction
b) Radioactive decay
c) The sun
d) Bombardment by asteroids

Question 16. The Moon is similar in composition as the planet

a) Earth
b) Mars
c) Uranus
d) Neptune

Question 17. What generates Earth's magnetic field?

a) Convection in the atmosphere
b) A giant bar magnet inside the planet
c) Convection in the liquid outer core
d) solar wind

Question 18. Scientists know that the reason the magnetic field flips is this:

a) Convection becomes chaotic and reverse direction
b) An asteroid impact disrupts motions in the core
c) Excess volcanism causes chaos in the mantle
d) None of these; scientists do not know why this happens

Question 19. Without Earth's magnetic field, complex life could probably not exist.

a) True
b) False

Question 20. This area has relatively the same amount of sunlight through the year.

a) North Pole
b) South Pole
c) Equator
d) Axis

Question 21. During the winter solstice (Northern Hemisphere)

a) Earth's axis in the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun.
b) The days and nights are the same length
c) The sun is directly above the equator
d) All of the above