Circle the Letter of the Best Answer for Each Question

Name______Class______Date______Skills Worksheet Directed Reading B

Section: Inside the Earth Circle the letter of the best answer for each question.

1. What is the Earth made of? a. several layers b. hollow space c. solid rock d. one layer

THE COMPOSITION OF THE EARTH

Read the description. Then, draw a line from the dot next to each description to the matching word.

2. substance made of two or a. compound more elements • b. core 3. thinner, outer layer of Earth • c. crust 4. layer between the crust and core • d. mantle 5. layer made of the heaviest elements •

PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH

6. number of Earth’s physical layers • a. lithosphere 7. layer of the Earth made of b. asthenosphere crust and upper mantle • c. five 8. part of the mantle made of • solid rock that flows slowly Directed Reading B continued Name______Class______Date______Read the description. Then, draw a line from the dot next to each description to the matching word. 9. strong, lower part of the • a. outer core mantle b. mesosphere 10. liquid layer under the mantle • c. inner core 11. solid center of Earth •

TECTONIC PLATES Circle the letter of the best answer for the question. 12. What are large pieces of lithosphere that move on top of the asthenosphere called? a. mantle pieces b. crust plates c. tectonic plates d. puzzle pieces

A Giant Jigsaw Puzzle 13. How do tectonic plates fit together? a. like a layer cake b. like a jigsaw puzzle c. like a stack of books d. like a model car

A Tectonic Plate Close-Up 14. Which of the following is the thickest part of the South American plate? a. the continental crust b. the oceanic crust c. the mantle d. the mid-Atlantic Ocean Name______Class______Date______

Directed Reading B continued

Like Ice Cubes in a Bowl of Punch Circle the letter of the best answer for the question. 15. How are tectonic plates like ice cubes in a bowl of punch? a. Tectonic plates move and touch each other. b. Tectonic plates melt and become liquid. c. Tectonic plates sink and disappear from the surface. d. Tectonic plates freeze and become harder.

MAPPING THE EARTH’S INTERIOR

16. What causes seismic waves? a. winds b. an earthquake c. magnetic reversal d. rain 17. What can scientists find out about the Earth with a seismograph? a. Earth’s density and thickness b. Earth’s age c. Earth’s atmosphere d. Earth’s temperature

18. Why are tectonic plates like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle? ______19. What are the two kinds of crust that a tectonic plate may contain? ______Name______Class______Date______

Directed Reading A continued 20. List three ways in which tectonic plates floating on the asthenosphere are similar to ice cubes filling a punch bowl. ______

MAPPING THE EARTH’S INTERIOR ______21. What do scientists use to study Earth’s interior? a. sea-floor spreading rates b. magnetic reversals c. global positioning system d. seismic waves ______22. What are seismic waves? a. movements in the outer core b. pictures of the Earth’s interior c. vibrations from an earthquake d. vibrations from a seismograph 23. Will a seismic wave traveling through a solid go faster or slower than a seismic wave traveling through liquid? Explain your answer. ______