Question 1

Which component of Earth's geology has helped to shield the Earth's atmosphere from energetic particles of solar wind from the Sun which would have gradually stripped it away into space?

Accepted Answer

A)   volcanism
B)   seismic activity
C)   plate tectonics
D)   global magnetismE) C) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 2

Severe, long-term cooling periods during the Earth's history are known as

Accepted Answer

A)   snowball Earth
B)   ice storms
C)   ice ages
D)   nuclear wintersE) All of the above
F) A) and D)

Question 3

Based on its distance from the Sun and the amount of sunlight absorbed by its surface, calculations predict the global average temperature of the Earth would be

Accepted Answer

A)   exactly the same as it is measured to be today
B)   below the freezing point of water
C)   above the boiling point of water
D)   close to the freezing point of waterE) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 4

During the past few million years, ice ages were MOST LIKELY caused by

Accepted Answer

A)   changes in the distance from the Earth to the Sun
B)   small changes in the Earth's axis tilt and orbit
C)   changes in the heat released from the Earth
D)   changes in the energy output of the SunE) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 5

Which type or types of rock cannot be dated radiometrically?

Accepted Answer

A)   igneous and metamorphic
B)   sedimentary
C)   metamorphic
D)   igneousE) All of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 6

Fossils typically contain little or no organic matter because

Accepted Answer

A)   the organic matter has been destroyed when the rock containing the fossil was melted deep within the Earth's crust
B)   over time inorganic minerals have gradually replaced the organic matter
C)   the organic matter has radioactively decayed into inorganic matter
D)   ancient organisms contained little organic matterE) None of the above
F) A) and C)

Question 7

The Earth's geological history is divided into how many eons?

Accepted Answer

A)   4
B)   1
C)   3
D)   2E) B) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 8

When a metamorphic rock is eroded and then becomes deposited at the bottom of an ocean it turns into

Accepted Answer

A)   a meteorite
B)   an igneous rock
C)   a sedimentary rock
D)   another metamorphic rockE) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 9

The earliest geological period in the Phanerozoic eon was the

Accepted Answer

A)   Cambrian
B)   Triassic
C)   Tertiary
D)   PermianE) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 10

The lowest density material from the Earth is expected to be found in the

Accepted Answer

A)   inner core
B)   mantle
C)   outer core
D)   crustE) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 11

Which of the following was NOT a source of heat that helped differentiate the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   solar radiation
B)   impacts
C)   gravitational potential energy
D)   radioactive decayE) A) and B)
F) B) and C)

Question 12

A rock sample contains 1/4 micrograms of the parent radioactive isotope K-40 and 3/4 micrograms of its daughter isotope Ar-40. If the half-life of this decay is 1.25 billion years, how old is this rock?

Accepted Answer

A)   5.00 billion years
B)   3.75 billion years
C)   1.25 billion years
D)   2.50 billion yearsE) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 13

The geological record contains fewer older rocks than younger rocks because older rocks

Accepted Answer

A)   are mostly found deep within the Earth
B)   have been transformed by life processes that have occurred inside them
C)   have been destroyed by geological processes like plate tectonics and erosion
D)   have been destroyed by recent meteorite impactsE) B) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 14

The oldest intact rocks found on Earth date back to approximately

Accepted Answer

A)   4.57 billion years ago
B)   3.85 billion years ago
C)   4.38 billion years ago
D)   4.02 billion years agoE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 15

Evidence from the analysis of zircon crystals suggests that the Earth

Accepted Answer

A)   may have been habitable immediately after its formation
B)   could only have been habitable after significant amounts of oxygen had built up in its atmosphere
C)   could only have been habitable after the end of the Hadean Eon 500 million years ago
D)   may have been habitable in as little as 100 million years after its formationE) All of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 16

In which type or types of radioactive decay does the mass number of the parent nucleus not change?

Accepted Answer

A)   electron capture only
B)   beta decay only
C)   alpha decay only
D)   beta decay and electron captureE) All of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 17

The Earth's magnetosphere is a

Accepted Answer

A)   sphere of magnetism found just outside the molten outer core of the Earth
B)   spherical magnetic field generated by magnetic rocks on the Earth's surface
C)   cavity carved out in the solar wind by the Earth's magnetic field
D)   sphere of magnetism caused by the motion of charged particles in the Earth's outer atmosphereE) B) and C)
F) C) and D)

Question 18

The internal structure of the Earth is investigated mainly by

Accepted Answer

A)   studying seismic waves generated from earthquakes
B)   deep drilling
C)   remote sensing satellites
D)   measuring changes in the Earth's magnetic fieldE) None of the above
F) A) and D)

Question 19

Chemical analysis of a rock can tell us

Accepted Answer

A)   when the rock formed
B)   the detailed geological history of the rock
C)   what the rock is made of
D)   the temperature and pressure conditions under which it formedE) A) and B)
F) B) and D)

Question 20

The Earth owes its habitability primarily to

Accepted Answer

A)   the chemical composition of its surface
B)   a combination of its size and its distance from the Sun
C)   its size only
D)   its distance from the Sun onlyE) A) and C)
F) B) and C)

Exam 4: The Habitability of Earth

A rock sample contains 1/4 micrograms of the parent radioactive isotope K-40 and 3/4 micrograms of its daughter isotope Ar-40. If the half-life of this decay is 1.25 billion years, how old is this rock?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following was NOT a source of heat that helped differentiate the Earth?

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The Earth owes its habitability primarily to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Earth's geological history is divided into how many eons?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The internal structure of the Earth is investigated mainly by

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fossils typically contain little or no organic matter because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When a metamorphic rock is eroded and then becomes deposited at the bottom of an ocean it turns into

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Evidence from the analysis of zircon crystals suggests that the Earth

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The oldest intact rocks found on Earth date back to approximately

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The lowest density material from the Earth is expected to be found in the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Earth's magnetosphere is a

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In which type or types of radioactive decay does the mass number of the parent nucleus not change?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Severe, long-term cooling periods during the Earth's history are known as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The geological record contains fewer older rocks than younger rocks because older rocks

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Based on its distance from the Sun and the amount of sunlight absorbed by its surface, calculations predict the global average temperature of the Earth would be

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Chemical analysis of a rock can tell us

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which type or types of rock cannot be dated radiometrically?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The earliest geological period in the Phanerozoic eon was the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which component of Earth's geology has helped to shield the Earth's atmosphere from energetic particles of solar wind from the Sun which would have gradually stripped it away into space?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

During the past few million years, ice ages were MOST LIKELY caused by

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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