Geography Exam 3 Practice Questions
47) Coral formations A) tend to occur poleward of 30° latitude. B) survive in a broad ecological range because they are tolerant of temperature, salinity, and depth variation. C) require water that is high in sediment concentration. D) are made of animals living symbiotically with simple algae.
A
5) The density of material below the Moho is ________ that above it. A) greater than B) less than C) the same as
A
10) Vertical elevation differences in a local landscape are referred to as A) relief. B) an order of relief. C) topography. D) crust.
A
20) The dynamic equilibrium model refers to A) a balancing act between tectonic uplift and rates of denudation by weathering and erosion in a given landscape. B) a theory involving the cyclic or evolutionary development of a landscape. C) a sequential development of landforms. D) an important concept first stated by William Morris Davis.
A
28) Karst topography is formed primarily by A) carbonation and solution. B) mass wasting processes. C) oxidation and hydrolysis. D) exfoliation and hydration.
A
29) Processes that are related expressly to streams and rivers are termed A) fluvial. B) geomorphic. C) lemnetic. D) lotic.
A
30) A central peak, such as a volcanic mountain, generally produces a ________ drainage pattern. A) radial B) trellis C) parallel D) annular
A
33) The drop in stream elevation per unit distance is known as A) discharge. B) base level. C) gradient. D) aspect.
A
34) Which of the following is not factored when considering discharge? A) channel length B) channel width C) channel depth D) velocity
A
40) Seawater with less than 35‰ is termed A) brackish. B) brine. C) metahaline. D) freshwater.
A
43) Which of the following is not correct regarding tides? A) They are produced solely by the gravitational pull of the Sun. B) They are complex twice daily oscillations in sea level. C) They are influenced by the size, depth, and topography of ocean basins .D) They are influenced by shoreline configuration and latitude.
A
6) On average, the thickness of oceanic crust is ________ that of continental crust A) greater than B) less than C) the same as
A
44) High tides are known as ________ whereas low tides are known as ________. A) flood tides; ebb tides B) ebb tides; flood tides C) spring tides; neap tides D) neap tides; spring tides
A
45) An earthquake, a submarine landslide, or an eruption of an undersea volcano is capable of producing a A) tsunami. B) tidal wave. C) slow-moving giant swell. D) wave in the open ocean of great height.
A
11) The measurement of land elevation relative to sea level is known as A) bathymetry. B) hypsometry. C) topography. D) geodesy.
B
16) When rock strata are strained beyond their ability to remain an intact unit, displacement occurs in a process known as A) folding. B) faulting. C) broad warping. D) stressing
B
17) Orogenesis refers to A) the beginning of extensive faulting. B) a general term for a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust. C) a general thinning of the crust. D) the formation of mountains without faulting, folding, or the capture of migrating terranes
B
18) An earthquake is best described as A) the point within the Earth where seismic waves originate. B) the sharp release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. C) the amount of ground displacement along a fault. D) the amount of stress rocks along plate boundaries experience
B
23) Inclined surfaces that form the boundaries of landforms are known as A) catchment. B) slopes. C) free face. D) regolith.
B
25) Which of the following is not a type of physical weathering process? A) exfoliation B) hydrolysis C) salt crystal growth D) frost wedging
B
27) Exfoliation and pressure-release jointing are examples of ________ weathering processes. A) chemical B) physical C) biological D) both biological and physical
B
36) Excess sediment may result in which of the following channel patterns? A) V-shaped valleys B) braided stream C) meandering stream D) straight, steep-walled channels
B
39) Which of the following is true about seawater? A) Seawater is pure water (H2O). B) Seawater is a solution. C) The chemical composition of seawater has great spatial variability. D) The salinity of seawater is negligible.
B
41) Areas with heavy freshwater runoff and low evaporation will have ________ average salinity. A) higher than B) lower than C) approximately the
B
46) Which of the following is not an example of a depositional coastal landform? A) wave-built terrace B) barrier spit C) bay barrier D) wave-cut platform
B
7) A rock transformed from any other rock through extreme heat and or pressure is referred to as A) sedimentary. B) metamorphic. C) igneous. D) ancient.
B
8) The continuous alteration of Earth materials from one rock type to another is known as the A) geologic cycle. B) rock cycle. C) hydrologic cycle. D) tectonic cycle.
B
19) The science that specifically studies the origin, evolution, form, and spatial distribution of landforms is A) geology. B) geography. C) geomorphology. D) environmental chemistry.
C
21) Which of the following is not a denudation process? A) weathering B) erosion C) orogeny D) mass movement
C
22) Which of the following is not a class of mass movement? A) fall B) slide C) slip D) flow E) creep
C
31) The area of land from which all water in it drains into the same place is known as a(n) A) interfluve. B) watershed. C) drainage divide. D) fluvial units.
C
32) Drainage density refers to A) the thickness of the water in the stream. B) the number of channels in an area. C) a measure determined by dividing the length of all the channels by the area of its drainage basin. D) the arrangement of channels in a given area.
C
37) Channels with gradual slopes often develop a sinuous form called a ________ pattern. A) braided stream B) anabranching C) meandering stream
C
9) Limestone is a type of ________ rock that forms when ________. A) igneous; magma cools B) igneous; lava cools C) sedimentary; calcium carbonate precipitates, or organic material containing calcium carbonate accumulates in a water environment D) sedimentary; broken fragments of rock are deposited in a water environment and are then cemented together.
C
14) If you wanted to avoid earthquakes, which of the following areas would be the safest to live? A) convergent plate boundary B) divergent plate boundary C) island arc along a subduction zone D) shield
D
2) When geologists conclude that the Grand Canyon sequence of rocks was formed through hundreds of millions of years of deposition, mountain building, and erosion, they are basing this conclusion on the principle of ________ which states that ________. A) catastrophism; most rock formations were created as a result of supernatural processes B) catastrophism; a single, large flood was responsible for the creation of the rock sequence C) uniformitarianism; all geologic processes take immense amounts of time to occur and always occur at the same rate D) uniformitarianism; the geologic processes that operated in the past are the same as those that operate today, and they occurred in accordance with the same laws of nature that are operating today
D
24) The process that breaks down rock at the Earth's surface through disintegration of rocks into mineral particles or dissolving it into water is known as A) erosion. B) mass movement. C) landmass denudation. D) weathering.
D
26) Factors influencing the weathering process include A) the climate of an area. B) rock composition and structure. C) the amount of vegetation in an area. D) rock composition and structure, climate, and vegetation. E) only the climate of an area and rock composition.
D
35) Stream transport involves all of the following except A) saltation. B) bed load. C) traction. D) sheet flow.
D
38) Alluvial fans are formed as flowing water ________ as it leaves a constricted channel. A) gains velocity B) changes direction C) down cuts D) loses velocity
D
4) Which of the following gives the correct sequence of layers in Earth, from the surface to the center? A) crust, inner core, mantle, outer core B) inner core, outer core, mantle, crust C) mantle, crust, inner core, outer core D) crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
D
48) Which of the following is an example of a coastal wetland? A) playa lake B) mangrove swamp C) saltwater marsh D) both mangrove swamp and saltwater marsh E) playa lake, mangrove swamp, and saltwater marsh
D
Which of the following is incorrectly matched? A) endogenic —internal processes B) exogenic —external processes C) radioactive decay heat —exogenic energy source D) weathering —exogenic breaking and dissolving the crust
D
