Quazzes

When the alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth produce a lunar eclipse, the body that is in between the other two is the Earth. Moon. Sun.

Earth

Why is the Moon still visible during a full lunar eclipse? There is a minor component of phosphorescent minerals distributed fairly evenly on the lunar surface. Background microwave radiation becomes excited during the lunar eclipse, and shifts towards visual light, which then slightly illuminates the eclipsed moon. The Moon's thin atmosphere acts as a mirror, reflecting light being cast from neighboring stars. Earth's atmosphere acts as a lens that refracts light into the shadowed region.

Earth's atmosphere acts as a lens that refracts light into the shadowed region.

What makes Europa the most likely place extraterrestrial life will be found in our solar system? Actually, Io is the most likely place to find life, due to its high level of volcanic activity. It has an ocean of liquid water, which is warmed by tidal force interaction with Jupiter, and may house underwater volcanic thermal vents. It has an ocean of liquid water, and there is increasing evidence of phytoplankton activity, particularly as shown by ongoing spectral analysis. It has a hydrogen ocean and moderate levels of oxygen in its atmosphere, which is gradually producing water through frequent lighting strikes.

It has an ocean of liquid water, which is warmed by tidal force interaction with Jupiter, and may house underwater volcanic thermal vents.

An unconformity can be interpreted as an occurrence of radioactive decay. repeated intrusions of igneous rock. the result of repeated volcanic action. a buried surface of erosion.

a buried surface of erosion.

When a cold air mass moves into a region occupied by a warm air mass, the contact zone is called an occluded front. a stationary front. a cold front. a warm front.

a cold front

The consequences of a comet's tail sweeping across the Earth would be like an enhanced Aurora Borealis worldwide. quite unpredictable. a meteor shower. likely catastrophic.

a meteor hower

Lightning is very common in thunderstorms. Lightning results from an imbalance in energy. a separation of electrical charge within the cloud. air expansion. rising warm updrafts.

a separation of electrical charge within the cloud.

The formation of the supercontinent of Pangaea caused a worldwide rise in sea level. a worldwide drop in sea level. no change in sea level. none of these

a worldwide drop in sea level.

Transform faults are areas of crustal destruction. accommodation and plate movement. formation. subduction.

accommodation and plate movement

The most important highlight of Precambrian Time was the emergence of reptiles. explosion of life. accumulation of free oxygen in the atmosphere. asteroid impact that resulted in the formation of our Moon.

accumulation of free oxygen in the atmosphere.

Elliptical galaxies are thought to be former starburst galaxies. tend to be smaller than the other types of galaxies. have little in the way of dust and gas. All of the above

all of the above

Granite does not readily form near oceanic-oceanic convergent boundaries because granite forms from granitic magma and most oceanic material is basaltic in origin. oceanic-oceanic convergence often results in the eruption of andesitic lavas. the magma formed at this type of boundary is not conducive to producing granitic type rocks. all of the above

all of the above

Compared to most stellar objects, quasars are more: puzzling. distant. energetic. all of these none of these

all of these

A surface of erosion between rocks that represents a gap in Earth history is called a dike. an unconformity. a faunal conformity. none of the above

an unconformity.

The carbon dioxide cycle is important to Earth because it prevents the gradual buildup of oxygen, which would eventually lead to a combustible atmosphere. has been recognized by the Nobel Prize award committee. helps sustain the planet's plant base. and the oceans are critical in moderating and regulating the Earth's temperatures.

and the oceans are critical in moderating and regulating the Earth's temperatures.

The upper mantle is the region known as the

asthenosphere

No greenhouse effect occurs on Mercury because of no daily spin. relatively cool regions. terrestrial radiation. atmosphere. plant life.

atmosphere

Why are elements heavier than iron less abundant than those that are lighter? Spectral evidence suggests they are only rare here on Earth. because the duration of a supernova is relatively short because they tend to be unstable, and easily undergo fission This is one of the mysteries of cosmic formation that has yet to be answered.

because the duration of a supernova is relatively short

In a sequence of sedimentary rocks, the bottom layer is the youngest and the top layer is the oldest. This type of sequence suggests that the principles of original horizontality and superposition are flawed. beds must have been overturned by some structural disturbance. dates for these rocks must be in error. principles of original horizontality and superposition hold true.

beds must have been overturned by some structural disturbance.

Tensional forces cause the crust to stretch and pull, thereby shortening the crustal surface. buckle and fold, thereby lengthening the crustal surface. break and fracture, thereby lengthening the crustal surface. buckle and fold, thereby shortening the crustal surface.

break and fracture, thereby lengthening the crustal surface

Coal is composed of buried plant material that has partially decayed. petrified wood. buried animal material that has partially decayed. a combination of oil-rich sediments and calcareous ooze.

buried plant material that has partially decayed.

In a sequence of rock layers we find trilobite fossils at the bottom of rock layer 1 and dinosaur fossils directly above the fossil trilobites in layer 2. There are inclusions of trilobites in layer 2. We conclude that: dinosaurs were extinct long before trilobites came into existence. by inclusion and faunal succession, layer 1 is older than layer 2. there is no time gap between the rocks. dinosaurs are from the Cambrian Period.

by inclusion and faunal succession, layer 1 is older than layer 2.

The birth of the San Andreas Fault corresponds to the collision of India and Eurasia. the movement of the Pacific Plate over a turbulent zone. the Pacific Plate and the Hawaiian islands. the Pacific ridge system and North America.

the Pacific ridge system and North America.

The lithosphere rides on top of the asthenosphere. Lithospheric movement causes the subduction of continental crust under oceanic crust. earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain building activity. widespread destruction. hot-spot activity as found in Hawaii.

earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain building activity.

A rising parcel of air continues to rise as long as the wind is blowing. it is warmer and less dense than the surrounding air. it is cooler and denser than the surrounding air. the temperature is inverted.

it is warmer and less dense than the surrounding air.

A star's color tells us: both how much energy it produces and its surface temperature. its surface temperature. how much energy a star produces. its rotational speed.

its surface temperature.

The rate of seafloor spreading can be calculated by looking at the magnetic tape recording of the ocean floor. the magnetic pattern generated at the ocean floor. knowing the dates for magnetic pole reversals, and the distance from the location of a known reversal site to the ocean ridge.

knowing the dates for magnetic pole reversals, and the distance from

Motion in a P-wave is up and down. longitudinal. transverse. side to side.

longitudinal.

When water changes from a vapor phase to a liquid phase, it gains energy. gives off energy. loses energy. radiates energy.

loses energy

The longest living stars are those of high mass. intermediate mass. low mass.

low mass

The Mohorovicic discontinuity marks the change in rock density elasticity between the inner and outer core. core and the mantle. asthenosphere and lithosphere. mantle and the crustal surface.

mantle and the crustal surface.

The Permian extinction predominantly affected reptiles. insects life. terrestrial life. marine life.

marine life

Cold damp weather along the eastern coast of the United States is most likely caused by a maritime polar air mass. continental polar air mass. continental tropical air mass. maritime tropical air mass.

maritime polar air mass.

Heavy snow showers and low temperatures in Buffalo, New York are most likely caused by a continental tropical air mass. continental polar air mass. maritime tropical air mass. maritime polar air mass.

maritime polar air mass.

In a museum collection you can likely see a meteor but not a meteoroid. meteorite but not a meteoroid. meteoroid but not a meteorite.

meteorite but not a meteoroid.

Clouds denoted by the prefix "alto" are high clouds that form about 6000 meters above the ground. low clouds that form 1000 to 2000 meters above the ground. middle clouds that form 2000 to 6000 meters above the ground.

middle clouds that form 2000 to 6000 meters above the ground.

Because S-waves do not travel through Earth's outer core, scientists inferred that the outer core is very dense. solid. molten liquid. impenetrable.

molten liquid

The predominant gas in the atmosphere of Earth is: water vapor. methane. oxygen. nitrogen. carbon dioxide.

nitrogen

By radiometric dating, the oldest mineral in a sedimentary rock was found to be 1.4 million years old. What is the age of the sedimentary rock? no younger than 1.4 million years 1.4 million years no older than 1.4 million years Radiometric dating does not work for sedimentary rocks.

no older than 1.4 million years

Most of the state of Nevada is in the Basin and Range Province. The predominant active fault for this region is normal faulting. reverse faulting. thrust faulting. none of the above

normal faulting

Glacial striations on the continental landmasses provide evidence that the Cenozoic was a very cool time. that Hawaii was once joined to Alaska. that Baja California was once joined to Mexico. of the direction of Pleistocene ice flow.

of the direction of Pleistocene ice flow

The event horizon of a black hole is the surface below which no matter or energy can escape. the physical surface of the black hole. the surface where light becomes trapped in a circular orbit around the black hole. the point in time when a black hole comes into being.

the surface below which no matter or energy can escape

During the Cretaceous period, Earth experienced a worldwide rise in sea level caused by subduction of continental land masses. subduction of the seafloor. the thermal expansion of the crustal surface and the breakup of Pangaea. melting of glacial ice.

the thermal expansion of the crustal surface and the breakup of Pangaea

A star's size stabilizes when the star's gravitational attraction is balanced by the gravitational attraction to neighboring stars. the star first ignites. thermal pressure and gravitational attraction balance each other. it reaches temperatures of about 3 million K.

thermal pressure and gravitational attraction balance each other.

The occurrence of earthquakes in the absence of seafloor spreading, oceanic trenches, or volcanic activity is a characteristic feature of divergent boundaries between plates. subduction zones. transform fault boundaries between plates. convergent boundaries between plates.

transform fault boundaries between plates

The thickness of Earth's crust on average is about 10 km. on average is about 60 km. varies from 10 km under the oceans to 60 km under the continents. varies from 10 km under the continents to 60 km under the oceans.

varies from 10 km under the oceans to 60 km under the continents

Galaxies are aggregations of stars, stellar dust, and gas. Their masses are small compared to blue supergiant stars. are all about the same, which is huge. vary greatly from one galaxy to the next. depend on the rate of pulsar emissions within them.

vary greatly from one galaxy to the next.

Compressive stress causes rocks to buckle and fold. In a syncline fold, the rocks at the fold axis (the core) are older than those away from the axis. more deformed than those away from the core. less deformed than those away from the core. younger than those away from the axis.

younger than those away from the axis

About how deep is the photosphere? 500 km 30000 km 500 meters 300 meters

500km

The percentage of the Earth's surface covered by ocean is about 70%. 80%. 50%. 85%. 60%.

70%

How do the wind speeds of the Martian atmosphere compare with those of Earth? About the same as Earth's About one tenth of Earth's About ten times more than Earth's About 50% of Earth's

About ten times more than Earth's

Why is the Kuiper belt considered to be a zone of failed planet formation? The dwarf planets found therein have yet to fully accrete all of the material in their orbital paths. There is simply not enough material within the dwarf planet's orbital paths for any of them to ever add up to full planetary status. Because none of the dwarf planets are massive enough to maintain an atmosphere. Both A and B are reasonable.

Both A and B are reasonable

Which of the following is an example of adiabatic warming? Chinook tornado cyclone drought

Chinook

Temperature differences between nighttime and daytime on Earth are relatively small due to seasonal fluctuations and Earths magnetic field. Earth being 70% water. polar regions absorbing most solar energy. Earth's relatively high daily spin rate and shortness of nighttime.

Earth's relatively high daily spin rate and shortness of nighttime.

Why does a star's color corresponds to its temperature? Because the ultraviolet output of a star directly modifies the visible light spectrum the star is emitting Because of the light shifts that take place when star light interacts with the Earth's atmosphere Because the core temperature averages with the surface temperature to create an overall color Higher temperature means more energetic light, which is seen as higher frequencies.

Higher temperature means more energetic light, which is seen as higher frequencies.

The Mercalli scale measures an earthquake's intensity, damage, and overall effect. effects. damage. intensity.

intensity, damage, and overall effect.

What is the cause of Jupiter's slight flattening, which results in an equatorial diameter 6% greater than its polar diameter? Its rapid spin cycle Its frequent reversal of its magnetic poles Nuclear fission within its core Its massive gravitational pull

Its rapid spin cycle

Our local group is composed of how many galaxies? Less than 1,000 1,526 Less than 400 Less than 100

Less than 100

Dinosaurs were abundant during the Devonian era. Paleozoic era. Cenozoic era. Mesozoic era.

Mesozoic era

The reason that the Moon takes on a crescent shape each month has to do with the Earth's shadow. Sun's position. both of these neither of these

Sun's position

Why is Mars' greenhouse effect negligible compared to that of Earth's? The Martian atmosphere is much thinner and retains little heat. Martian carbon dioxide contains a rare isotope with little ability to trap heat. Its mass is only one-ninth of Earth's. Greenhouse gas emissions were greatly curtailed according to the International Mars Greenhouse Gas Reduction Treaty of 2003.

The Martian atmosphere is much thinner and retains little heat.

Which explanation best describes why Earth observers always see the same face of the moon? The Moon does not rotate as it circles Earth. We tend only to observe the Moon at night, not during the day. The Moon's rate of spin matches the rate at which the Moon revolves around Earth. Earth and Moon are partially gravity locked.

The Moon's rate of spin matches the rate at which the Moon revolves around Earth.

What aspect of the Sun's behavior wraps and distorts the solar magnetic field? The cycle of the reversal of the magnetic poles The differential spin between the equatorial and polar regions Sunspot activity due to differential heat dispersion Plasma fluxes within the core

The differential spin between the equatorial and polar regions

Neptune was discovered by irregularities in the orbit of Jupiter. Pluto. Uranus. Earth. Saturn.

Uranus

The planet that is most tipped to its orbital plane is Saturn. Neptune. Jupiter. Uranus. Mars.

Uranus

Which of the following is not a presumed cause of ice ages? The arrangement of continents around the globe. The amount of sunlight being reflected back into space. Volcanic eruptions blocking the sunlight with clouds. The geometry of Earth's rotation on its axis and revolution around the Sun.

Volcanic eruptions blocking the sunlight with clouds

To date relatively young rocks and materials, we use the decay of uranium-238 to lead-206. uranium-235 to lead-207. potassium-40 to argon-40. carbon-14 to nitrogen-14.

carbon-14 to nitrogen-14.

Saturn's rings are composed of? old satellites and other space junk lost from Earth's orbit and other space missions hydrogen chunks of ice and rock methane gas

chunks of ice and rock

Uplift of the Rocky Mountains was a result of tensional forces. compressional forces. crustal extension. none of these

compressional forces

The changing of a vapor into a liquid is called condensation. evaporation. dew point. saturation point.

condensation

In order for it to rain, there must be droplet bombardment. sufficient vertical cloud development. wind. condensation nuclei, updrafts, and thick clouds.

condensation nuclei, updrafts, and thick clouds.

We feel uncomfortably warm on a muggy day because water molecules are preventing the evaporation from our moist bodies. evaporating from moist bodies. jostling about. condensing on our bodies.

condensing on our bodies.

The Earth's lithosphere consists of the crust and the asthenosphere. consists of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. is the same as the crust. is the same as the mantle.

consists of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle

Magma is generated at all of these plate boundaries EXCEPT oceanic-continental convergent boundaries. continental-continental convergent boundaries. oceanic-oceanic convergent boundaries. divergent boundaries.

continental-continental convergent boundaries

An air mass with circulatory motion is called adiabatic. convectional. orographic. frontal.

convectional

When an air mass passes from a maritime source region to a warmer continental region, heating from the warmer land causes convectional lifting. frontal lifting. orographic lifting. adiabatic lifting.

convectional lifting

If a volume of air is warmed, it expands. If a volume of air expands, it neither warms nor cools. cools. warms.

cools

Thermonuclear fusion occurs mainly in the cores of stars. outer layers of stars. both, actually

cores of stars

Another name for the leeward slope is downslope. downslope and/or rain shadow. rain shadow. upslope.

downslope and/or rain shadow

In the 1950s a plot of the position of the magnetic north pole through time revealed that over the past 500 million years the geographic poles changed position at least once or twice. polar magnetization varied from pole to pole. either the magnetic poles had migrated through time or the continents had moved. all of the above.

either the magnetic poles had migrated through time or the continents had moved.

Clouds occur when moist air is cooled by compression when it falls. compression when it rises. expansion when it rises. expansion when it falls.

expansion when it rises

Air becomes saturated when its temperature rises to a point where water vapor molecules condense. rises to a point where water vapor molecules evaporate. falls to a point where water vapor molecules condense. falls to a point where water vapor molecules evaporate.

falls to a point where water vapor molecules condense.

The theory that different forms of animals throughout Earth's past occurred in a definite order is called the principle of conformable fossils. fossil assemblage. fossil determination. faunal succession.

faunal succession

Atmospheric lifting resulting from the convergence of two different air masses is called convectional lifting. adiabatic lifting. frontal lifting. orographic lifting.

frontal lifting

The Devonian period is most noted for the first amphibians. great diversification of fishes—some developed lungs, some moved to land, and some became amphibians. ability of certain fishes to breath air. ability of certain fishes to move onto land.

great diversification of fishes—some developed lungs, some moved to land, and some became amphibians.

The time required for one-half of a radioactive material to decay is called the half-life. absolute age. true-life. date age.

half life

Rocks from the Carboniferous period are significant because they are a source of cement. have large deposits of coal and oil. contain diamonds. provide gold and silver deposits.

have large deposits of coal and oil

Rainfall associated with an advancing cold front is generally drizzly. heavy with gusty winds. light to moderate, with steady mild winds. slow and steady.

heavy with gusty winds

The five principles used to determine the relative ages of rock include original horizontality, superposition, cross cutting, inclusion, and faunal succession. horizontality, nonconformity, cross cutting, inclusion, and faunal succession. inclusion, superposition, uniformitarianism, horizontality, and fossil succession. horizontality, uniformitariansism, cross cutting, stromatolite, and faunal succession.

horizontality, superposition, cross cutting, inclusion, and faunal succession.

Changes in Earth's history are recorded Moon rocks. in magnetic tape at the bottom of the oceans. in the rock record. by rocks at the Library of Congress.

in the rock record.

When an air mass is pushed upward over an obstacle, it undergoes orographic lifting. adiabatic lifting. frontal lifting. convectional lifting.

orographic lifting.

The supercontinent of Pangaea formed during the Cenozoic. Mesozoic. Precambrian. Paleozoic.

paleozoic

Radiometric dating is based on decay of uranium-238 to lead-206. sequence of rocks and the relative position of one layer to another. proportions of radioactive isotopes and their decay products. the half-life of radioactive atoms.

proportions of radioactive isotopes and their decay products.

P-waves travel faster through the inner core than the outer core because the inner core is solid. rock. hotter than the outer core. the same as the outer core.

solid

The core of the Moon is liquid. solid. gaseous. Not enough information is known for an answer.

solid

A pulsar is likely a spinning neutron star. throbbing star in its death throes. black hole companion. binary star with a dark companion.

spinning neutron star

On the H-R diagram our Sun is a star of average luminosity and temperature. relatively bright, blue star. red supergiant. white dwarf.

star of average luminosity and temperature

The San Andreas fault in California is a strike slip fault. reverse fault. thrust fault. normal fault.

strike slip fault.

Life forms in the Precambrian include trilobites, brachiopods and stromatolites. cyanobacteria and trilobites. stromatolites and certain primitive blue-green algae. the agnatha and the coelacanths.

stromatolites and certain primitive blue-green algae.

The stress that occurs when material is pulled apart is called shear stress. compressional stress. simple stress. tensional stress.

tensional stress