Oceanography Chapter Quiz One

The European "Age of Discovery" began with ________. A. Christopher Columbus' discovery of the "New World" B. Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe C. Phoenician exploration of the Mediterranean D. Polynesian colonization of Pacific Islands E. Viking voyages to North America

A. Christopher Columbus' discovery of the "New World"

The method of determining latitude in the Northern Hemisphere by measuring the angle between an observer's line of site to the North Star and line of site to the northern horizon was developed by ________. A. Pytheas B. Eratosthenes C. Herodotus D. Seneca E. Ptolemy

A. Pytheas

The nebular hypothesis suggests that ________. A. all bodies in the solar system formed from an enormous gas cloud B. Earth's moon is an asteroid captured by the Earth's gravity C. galaxies such as the Milky Way form independent of one another D. the Earth was formed by a cosmic explosion, a "big bang" E. the moon is derived from a protoplanet

A. all bodies in the solar system formed from an enormous gas cloud

According to the fossil record on Earth, the earliest-known life-forms were primitive ________. A. bacteria B. plants C. shells D. reptiles

A. bacteria

The Sun and the rest of the solar system formed about 5 billion years ago from a huge cloud of dust and gas called a ________. A. nebula B. solar system C. protoplanet D. quasar E. supernova

A. nebula

Earth is about ________. A. 6,000 years old B. 4.6 billion years old C. 4.6 million years old D. 40 billion years old E. 400,000 years old

B. 4.6 billion years old

The first person we are aware of who determined the circumference of the Earth using trigonometry and the angle of sunlight at Alexandria, Egypt, was ________. A. Pytheas B. Eratosthenes C. Herodotus D. Seneca E. Ptolemy

B. Eratosthenes

One of the reasons that free oxygen in our atmosphere is important to the development and maintenance of life on Earth is because oxygen ________. A. combines with iron in volcanic rocks B. can form ozone and block some UV radiation C. is necessary for photosynthesis to occur D. reduces atmospheric temperature E. was very abundant in Earth's early atmosphere

B. can form ozone and block some UV radiation

The separation of the Earth into layers while it was molten was the result of the ________. A. decrease in temperature downward toward the core B. differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth C. gravitational force created by the rotating Earth D. initial collection of materials and their position in Earth E. presence of water at Earth's surface

B. differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth

The average depth of the world's oceans is approximately ________. A. 11,022 meters (36,161 feet) B. 840 meters (2,756 feet) C. 3,682 meters (12,080 feet) D. 2,172 meters (7,126 feet) E. 5,280 meters (17,323 feet)

C. 3,682 meters (12,080 feet)

The four principal ocean basins (plus an additional ocean) on Earth are the ________. A. Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Southern, and Pacific Oceans B. Antarctic, Arctic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans C. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans D. Atlantic, Antarctic, Southern, Mediterranean, and Pacific Oceans E. Antarctic, Caspian, Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans

C. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans

Which ocean is mostly, but not entirely, in the southern hemisphere? A. The Pacific Ocean B. The Atlantic Ocean C. The Indian Ocean D. The Arctic Ocean E. The Antarctic Ocean

C. The Indian Ocean

Most of the explorations by northern and western Europeans during the Middle (Dark) Ages were undertaken by ________. A. Italy B. Portugal C. Vikings of Scandinavia D. France E. Spain

C. Vikings of Scandinavia

Current scientific knowledge indicates that the most likely origin of most of Earth's oceans was due to ________. A. comets from outer space B. release of liquid water from the core C. water vapor released from volcanic outgassing D. water-bearing minerals found in meteorites

C. water vapor released from volcanic outgassing

Who was killed in Hawaii during his last sea voyage after a skirmish with local people? A. Prince Henry the Navigator B. Giovanni Caboto C. Ferdinand Magellan D. James Cook E. Vasco da Gama

D. James Cook

The largest of the ocean basins, which currently covers more than half of the ocean surface, is the ________. A. Arctic Ocean B. Atlantic Ocean C. Indian Ocean D. Pacific Ocean E. Southern Ocean

D. Pacific Ocean

A tentative, testable statement about the general nature of a phenomenon is called a/an ________. A. guess B. law C. observation D. hypothesis E. theory

D. hypothesis

Radioactive materials can sometimes be used to determine the ________. A. origin of rocks B. chemical composition of rocks C. formation method D. metamorphism E. ages of rocks

E. ages of rocks

The mechanism by which populations evolve and new species develop is called ________. A. adaptation B. evolution C. descent with modification D. intelligent design E. natural selection

E. natural selection

Plate tectonics and evolution, which are held with a high degree of confidence because of rigorous testing and verification, are examples of ________. A. guesses B. laws C. observations D. hypotheses E. theories

E. theories