Chapter 1 Introduction to Earth Science Chapter Test

Earth Science Chapter Tests ■ 1 Multiple Choice Write the letter that best answers the question or completes the statement on the line provided. 1. Which of the following is NOT one of the main areas of Earth science? a. geology b. oceanography c. astrology d. astronomy 2. The area of Earth science that examines the physical and biological changes that have occurred in Earth’s past is called a. meteorology. b. physical geology. c. oceanography. d. historical geology. 3. According to the nebular hypothesis, our solar system formed from a huge rotating cloud made mostly of a. carbon and hydrogen. b. helium and hydrogen. c. oxygen and helium. d. nitrogen and oxygen. 4. Which of Earth’s spheres includes the oceans, groundwater, lakes, and glaciers? a. atmosphere b. biosphere c. hydrosphere d. geosphere 5. The asthenosphere and lithosphere are parts of Earth’s a. geosphere. b. biosphere. c. hydrosphere. d. atmosphere. 6. What are the three main parts of the geosphere? a. atmosphere, crust, core b. lithosphere, mantle, core c. crust, mantle, core d. asthenosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere Name ______Class ______Date ______7. The theory of plate tectonics helps scientists explain a. how ocean currents move over Earth’s surface. b. why hurricanes occur. c. how earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. d. why Earth’s mantle is more dense than its crust. 8. On the global grid, the prime meridian is at a. 0° latitude. b. 0° longitude. c. 90° latitude. d. 90° longitude. 9. AMercator projection map shows accurate a. directions, but has distorted sizes and distances. b. distances, sizes, and shapes, but has distortions around the edges. c. size, but has distorted distances. d. size and accuracy only at the center of the map. 10. Which type of map best shows differences in elevation? a. Mercator b. Robinson c. gnomonic d. topographic 11. On a topographic map, contour lines that form a circle indicate a. a lake. b. a hill. c. an ocean. d. a depression. 12. On a topographic map, the elevation of an area with contour lines that are very far apart is a. nearly flat. b. very steep. c. constantly changing. d. mountainous. 13. Amap with a scale of 1:24,000 means that a. 1 unit on the map is equal to 24,000 units on the ground. b. 1 unit on the ground is equal to 24,000 units on the map. c. the contour interval is 24,000 m. d. the contour interval changes every 24,000 m. © Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Earth Science Chapter Tests ■ 2 14. What receives radio waves from space objects such as quasars? a. GPS equipment b. Landsat satellites c. VLBI equipment d. navigation satellites 15. We can say that Earth is a system because all of its parts a. represent separate closed systems. b. interact. c. were formed at the same time. d. are powered by the same energy source. 16. Which of the following would be one of the interacting parts in a weather system? a. weather satellite b. clouds c. tectonic plate d. GPS unit 17. Which of the following are powered by energy from Earth’s interior? a. erosion b. ocean circulation c. volcanoes d. weather 18. Which of the following is an example of a renewable resource? a. iron b. oil c. aluminum d. plants 19. Which of the following is an environmental hazard created by humans? a. air pollution b. flood c. hurricane d. drought 20. A scientific hypothesis can become a theory if a. the entire scientific community accepts it. b. the hypothesis is tested extensively and competing hypotheses are eliminated. c. there are no other competing hypotheses. d. the hypothesis can be tested at least once.