WQ #8

What relatively recent event shows that impacts continue to happen in our solar system even today? a. a large asteroid hit a town near San Francisco and made an enormous crater b. a comet (which broke into more than 20 pieces) hit the planet Jupiter in 1994 c. one of the moons of Mars collided with Mars and made a huge explosion, sending pieces throughout the solar system d. Pluto collided with another planet, and broke into two pieces e. the Mt. Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines erupted in June 1991

b. a comet (which broke into more than 20 pieces) hit the planet Jupiter in 1994

The average temperature on planet Earth is higher than you would expect just from the heating of sunlight alone. What is the explanation for this? a. solid material hitting the Earth from space heats it up b. carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect c. the rubbing of the continental plates warms up the Earth's surface d. the heat given off by living things makes our planet warmer e. we have no explanation for this higher temperature and that has scientists worried

b. carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect

If no one has ever visited the core of the Earth, how do we know that it is made of metals? a. core material seeps up through volcanoes in the crust b. circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field c. spectroscopy allows us to tell what the core is made of by analyzing the light we receive d. the amount of radioactivity shows metals must be present; only metals are radioactive e. you can't fool me; there is NO evidence that the Earth's core has metals

b. circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field

Mountains on Earth often have sharp peaks and edges to them, while mountains on the Moon look smooth and kind of dull in comparison. What gives the Earth's mountains their dramatically sharp shapes? a. rocks falling from space hit the mountains and shape them b. water and ice flow over the Earth's mountains and erode them c. the Earth's magnetic field is responsible for all the shapes on the surface d. earthquakes in the mountain regions break big mountains into smaller ones e. this is an unsolved problem in science

b. water and ice flow over the Earth's mountains and erode them

Any rock in the Earth's crust that has cooled from an originally molten state is called a. metamorphic b. sedimentary c. igneous d. silicate e. subducted

c. igneous

The largest part of the Earth is its a. oceanic crust b. continental crust c. mantle d. core e. atmosphere

c. mantle

In terms of numbers, the most common life-forms on Earth are a. humans b. fish c. microscopic creatures, too small to see with our eyes d. birds e. insects

c. microscopic creatures, too small to see with our eyes

Scientists have been concerned about a set of industrial chemicals called CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) because they: a. seep into the groundwater and increase the chances of earthquakes b. rise into the atmosphere and keep the Earth's heat from escaping c. rise into the atmosphere and destroy ozone d. rise into the atmosphere and absorb x-rays from space, which we need down here e. increase the chances of volcanic eruptions where the Earth's crust is thin

c. rise into the atmosphere and destroy ozone

For scientists, one bar is a. equal to the distance from one end of a continental plate to another b. the pressure with which 1 square centimeter of the Earth's atmosphere presses down at the surface c. the average height of the ozone layer above the Earth (before we began to deplete it) d. the density of the material at the center of the Earth (in solid form) e. a place to relax after a long day of making models of the Earth

c. the average height of the ozone layer above the Earth (before we began to deplete it)

Which of the following is NOT evidence that objects from space collide with the Earth? a. the devastation that happened in 1908 near the Tunguska river in Siberia b. Meteor Crater in Arizona c. the crater at the top of the Mount St. Helens volcano d. the Chicxulub crater buried near Mexico e. you can't fool me; all the above are the results of cosmic impacts

c. the crater at the top of the Mount St. Helens volcano

In 1980, scientists suggested that the great mass extinction of 65 million years ago (which ended the reign of dinosaurs) may have been caused by a large impact from space. What discovery gives a big boost to this idea? a. the discovery of some possible traces of life in a meteorite from Mars b. the discovery of a crater (about a mile across) near Flagstaff, Arizona c. the discovery of a buried crater (about 200 km across) near Chicxulub, Mexico d. the discovery of volcanoes on a moon of Jupiter's e. the discovery of enormous trenches on the ocean floor

c. the discovery of a buried crater (about 200 km across) near Chicxulub, Mexico

Today, a significant amount of new gas is joining the atmosphere of the Earth from what source: a. Earth is capturing gas clouds from space as it orbits the Sun b. much more water is evaporating from the oceans than is condensing back into water c. volcanoes release gas that was trapped within the Earth d. large meteorites that land on the Earth release a great deal of gas e. the discussions in state legislatures about creationism and evolution

c. volcanoes release gas that was trapped within the Earth

According to the fossil record, how old is the oldest evidence of life forms on the surface of the Earth? a. 6000 years b. a few million years c. 65 million years d. about 3.5 billion years e. you can't fool me, there is no way to measure the ages of ancient fossils

d. about 3.5 billion years

Which of the following is a way we believe that the early atmosphere of the Earth differed from the atmosphere we have today? a. there was little if any free oxygen early on b. there was no ozone layer early on c. there was probably more carbon dioxide early on than there is today d. all of the above e. none of the above

d. all of the above

Which part of the Earth has the greatest density? a. oceanic crust b. continental crust c. mantle d. core e. Bayonne, New Jersey

d. core

Earthquake producing faults are much more likely to be found a. in smooth continental desert areas b. in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, where there is more water c. where the Earth's magnetic field touches the planet's surface d. on the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates e. you can't fool me, such faults are equally likely anywhere on the Earth's crust

d. on the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates

Which of these did the June 1908 impact event in Siberia and the 2013 event in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk have in common? a. they both produced a large crater, which has become a tourist attraction b. they both killed a lot of innocent people c. they both went completely unnoticed by people (and we only know about them from instruments in space) d. they both exploded high in the atmosphere and produced a shock wave that reached the ground e. you can't fool me, those events had nothing in common

d. they both exploded high in the atmosphere and produced a shock wave that reached the ground

The most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere is a. oxygen b. ozone c. water vapor d. argon e. nitrogen

e. nitrogen

According to the theory of plate tectonics, a. the continents are moving but the ocean floor is not, leading to great friction b. the rubbing of the waters of the Earth across its crust is speeding up its rotation c. the liquid metal inside the Earth is developing plates of solid metallic material, which contribute to the Earth's magnetic field d. earthquakes are caused by huge waves that come up from inside the molten core of the Earth e. slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around

e. slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around