SmartBook Chapter 1

The time of sunrise changes about one hour for each __________ degrees of longitude on Earth.

15

There are degrees of _______ longitude east and west of the prime meridian to the international date line.

180

The hypsographic curve indicates that only _______ percent of Earth's surface is above sea level.

29

The North Pole is located one-quarter of a circle in degrees latitude from the equator; thus its latitude is _______ degrees north.

90

The ________ Ocean is the smallest.

Artic

Approximately 13.8 billion years ago, the Big ______ initiated the formation of the universe.

Bang

The most probable (original) sources of the water in Earth's ocean are ______. I. continual addition of water from outer space II. Earth's mantle, some of which is brought to the surface through volcanic activity III. the melting of the ice caps

I. continual addition of water from outer space II. Earth's mantle, some of which is brought to the surface through volcanic activity

The largest of the world's oceans is the ________ Ocean.

Pacific

What is a solar day?

The average time for Earth to make one rotation relative to the Sun

What is a Sidereal day?

The measurement of a day on Earth based on making a complete rotation with respect to a far-distant point in space

Which of the following time periods is based upon the lunar cycle? a) Month b) Day c) Year

a) Month

Most of the world's landmasses are located in the ________ Hemisphere. a) Northern b) Southern c) Western

a) Northern

During the winter solstice for the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun is directly overhead at which of the following locations? a) Tropic of Capricorn b) Tropic of Cancer c) Equator

a) Tropic of Capricorn

The four eons: the Hadean, the Archean, the Proterozoic, and the Phanerozoic, collectively make up what scientists refer to as _______ time. a) geologic b) radiometric c) evolutionary

a) geologic

GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation is widely used because ________. a) it is worldwide now and extremely accurate b) the latitude and longitude systems no longer exist c) compasses and sextants are not available

a) it is worldwide now and extremely accurate

The Sun is directly over the two tropics, Cancer and Capricorn, at two times during the solar year. These two dates are called ________. a) solstices b) equinoxes c) elipses

a) solstices

If our galaxy has a thickness of about 1000 light-years, this is equal to _______. a) the distance that light can travel in a single year multiplied by 1000 b) about 1000 miles c) about 1 million miles

a) the distance that light can travel in a single year multiplied by 1000

It is necessary to know the time of day and the position of the Sun or the stars relative to one's longitude line because __________. a) the longitude line rotates with Earth, 360 degrees in twenty-four hours b) then you can estimate the number of nautical miles traveled c) then one can accurately estimate when Polaris will emerge on the horizon

a) the longitude line rotates with Earth, 360 degrees in twenty-four hours

The lunar month, whereby the Moon passes through all four phases, takes ____ days. a) 31 b) 29.5 c) 27.66

b) 29.5

Which of the following is the scientifically accepted age of Earth? a) 20 to 40 million years b) 4.5 to 4.6 billion years c) 4014 years

b) 4.5 to 4.6 billion years

The hypsographic curve compares which of the following? a) Land and water surface areas b) Land and water elevation relationships c) Land and water temperature gradients

b) Land and water elevation relationships

The boundaries of the various units of geologic time were established mainly by which two methods? a) The half-life of carbon-14 and the appearance of vertebrate fossils b) The appearance or disappearance of certain fossils and radiometric dating c) The cooling rates of magma and the rate of sedimentation

b) The appearance or disappearance of certain fossils and radiometric dating

Which of the following of Earth's radii is greater? a) Both the equatorial and polar radii are equal b) The equatorial radius is greater than the polar radius c) The polar radius is greater than the equatorial radius

b) The equatorial radius is greater than the polar radius

What is the primary force that causes Earth to have a greater equatorial radius than the polar radius? a) The force of revolution causes Earth to have a greater equatorial radius than the polar radius b) The force of rotation causes Earth to have a greater equatorial radius than the polar radius. c) The tilt of Earth by 23.5 degrees on its axis causes the Earth to have a greater equatorial radius than the polar radius.

b) The force of rotation causes Earth to have a greater equatorial radius than the polar radius.

The Sun is at ________ when it is at its highest elevation above a reference longitude. a) a meridian b) its zenith c) the Tropic of Capricorn

b) its zenith

A light-year is equal to the distance light travels in ________ a) 100 years b) one year c) one second

b) one year

The most important gaseous element to accumulate in Earth's atmosphere, which had to await the evolution of photosynthesis in order to exceed its loss to space, is ______. a) carbon dioxide b) oxygen c) hydrogen gas

b) oxygen

A galaxy is composed of clumps of ______. a) moons b) stars c) planets

b) stars

The boundaries of geological time units were first established by _______, and now a more accurate method, _______, is common. a) ancient religious texts; fossil identification b) the appearance and disappearance of fossil types; radiometric dating c) radiometric dating; carbon-14 dating

b) the appearance and disappearance of fossil types; radiometric dating

Latitude can be calculated by measuring _____. a) the length of the daylight period b) your angle in reference to the bright star, Polaris c) the time difference from Greenwich Mean Time

b) your angle in reference to the bright star, Polaris

Approximately ______ years ago, the Big Bang initiated the formation of the universe. a) 1.2 billion b) 1.2 million c) 13.8 billion d) 13.8 million

c) 13.8 billion

Which of the following time periods is based upon the lunar cycle? a) Year b) Day c) Month

c) Month

If Earth's axis were not tilted, what would happen to the seasons? a) The current pattern of seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres would swap (i.e., the northern winter would become its summer.) b) Nothing would change with Earth's seasons because the tilt of Earth's axis does not affect them c) There would be no perceived seasons on Earth and global day lengths and temperatures would be uniform

c) There would be no perceived seasons on Earth and global day lengths and temperatures would be uniform

If a(n) _______ is supported consistently, it may be advanced to the level of a theory. a) idea b) philosophy c) hypothesis

c) hypothesis

The 180 degree longitude line approximates the __________. a) prime meridian b) equator c) international date line

c) international date line

A rotating interstellar cloud of gas and dust is referred to as a _______. a) cluster b) galaxy c) nebula

c) nebula

Old maps are accurate in their north and south depictions of Earth's surface, but many are badly distorted by their east and west dimensions of geographic forms. This is because ________. a) the magnetic pull of the poles often created compass errors when traveling east to west b) Earth is more precisely dimensional north to south c) sailors have been able to calculate latitude since ancient times

c) sailors have been able to calculate latitude since ancient times

Lord Kelvin based his estimate of Earth's age on _______, but his results were way off compared to modern-day methods of dating. a) pressure b) radioactivity c) temperature

c) temperature

The major changes in the state of the universe that occurred immediately after the Big Bang were in _______ and ______. a) the number of planets; the number of stars b) precipitation; climate c) temperature; size

c) temperature; size

The Big Bang is the currently accepted theory about the origin of the ________. a) Milky Way galaxy b) current oceans c) universe

c) universe

The hydrologic cycle is the movement of __________. a) water to different states (i.e., changing water from a solid to a liquid) b) evaporation and precipitation only c) water through the reservoirs

c) water through the reservoirs

Earth has been divided into time __________ that are 15 degrees of longitude wide, although some adjustments have been made when necessary to follow political boundaries for the convenience of people living in those areas. a) barriers b) boundaries c) zones

c) zones

A sidereal day is about ____ than the mean solar day. a) one second longer b) four minutes longer c) four seconds shorter d) four minutes shorter

d) four minutes shorter

Geological time is divided into four major ______: the Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic.

eons

A(n) _______ is composed of clumps of stars, and one example is the Milky Way.

galaxy

GPS stands for ___________ _________ __________.

global positioning system

The scientific method used for determining the age of Earth is based upon the radioactive decay of ______.

isotopes

To determine your line of _________, you would need to know the angle your location (line) makes with the equatorial plane at Earth's center.

latitude

Because lines of __________ rotate with Earth, 360 degrees in twenty-four hours, it is necessary to know the time of day and the position of the Sun or the stars relative to one's line.

longitude or meridian

Two potential sources of water on Earth include the ________ and continual addition from outer space by icy comets.

mantle

The origin of our solar system is attributed to the collapse of a single rotating interstellar cloud of gas and dust known as a(n) _________.

nebula

The evolution of photosynthetic organisms on the early Earth resulted in an increase in the levels of the gas _____ in its free or "pure" form.

oxygen

Lines of latitude, also known as _________, are referenced to the equator.

parallels

The length of time that a given water molecule spends in any one of Earth's water reservoirs is called its _______ _________.

residence time

Earth's tilt of 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun is responsible for the _______, which occur in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres at opposite times of the solar year.

seasons

As Earth and the other planets of the solar system cooled, the Sun's energy gradually replaced the heat of planet formation in maintaining their __________ _________.

surface temperature

If a hypothesis is supported consistently by different observations or experiments, it may be advanced to the level of a(n) ______

theory

Because Earth's mean surface temperature is about 61°F, _______ is able to exist as a gas, a liquid, and a solid.

water

The Southern Hemisphere is sometimes called the _________ hemisphere because it contains so much more than the Northern Hemisphere.

water

When the Sun is at its _______, it is at the highest elevation above a reference longitude.

zenith

Place the descriptions of Earth's mass extinction events in order, with the oldest event at the top and the most recent event at the bottom. I. About 50% of Earth's species went extinct as a result of this event. II. About 96% of all life on Earth went extinct during this extinction event. III. This event killed off the dinosaurs as well as many other species

II. About 96% of all life on Earth went extinct during this extinction event. I. About 50% of Earth's species went extinct as a result of this event. III. This event killed off the dinosaurs as well as many other species