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Unit A Test: Earth Science

|Topic |Multiple Choice Questions |Possible Points |Points earned |

|The four parts of the Earth’s system |1-5 |5 | |

|The rock cycle |6-10 |5 | |

|The fossil record |11-15 |5 | |

|The geologic time scale |16-20 |5 | |

|Extinction |21-25 |5 | |

| |Total Points |25 | |

Multiple Choice Questions

Instructions: Please answer questions 1-25 by writing the letter of the best possible answer.

I. The following questions come from content covered during week 2: The 4 parts of the Earth’s system

1. Which one of the following is an example of the geosphere?

a. Trees c. Soil

b. Grass d. A glacier

2. Which one of the following is an example of the hydrosphere?

a. A backyard pool c. A stream

b. A cloud d. Both a & c

3. Which one of the following is NOT an example of the biosphere?

a. Trees c. Fish e. Both a & b

b. Grass d. Humans f. None of the above

4. A river flowing downstream smoothes out jagged rocks. Fish swim with the current in order to get to where the stream empties out, the ocean. The stream emptying out into the ocean is an interaction between what parts of the Earth’s system?

a. Hydrosphere & Geosphere c. Hydrosphere & Hydrosphere

b. Hydrosphere & Biosphere d. Biosphere & Geosphere

5. Trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air. Humans and other animals use that air to breathe. What parts of the Earth’s system are involved in this interaction?

a. Geosphere & Atmosphere c. Geosphere, Biosphere & Atmosphere

b. Biosphere & Atmosphere d. Geosphere & Biosphere

II. The following questions come from content covered during week 4: The Rock Cycle

6. The three groups of rock are sedimentary, metamorphic, and

a. Limestone c. Igneous

b. Granite d. Coal

7. The rock cycle shows how rocks continually

a. Stay the same over time c. Become more complex

b. Change over time d. Get destroyed

8. The combination of what of the following will form older rocks into metamorphic rock

a. Heat c. Pressure e. Both a & c

b. Melted rock d. Both a & b

9. Rock can be broken down and turned into sediment by which of the following processes?

a. Pressure while below the Earth’s surface

b. Intense rain or wave action when under water

c. Heat from the Earth’s inner core

d. None of the above

10. Sedimentary rock can be formed by which of the following processes?

a. Hot magma cooling.

b. Heat and pressure transforming older rocks.

c. Sediment settling, forming layers, and becoming pressed together

d. Both b & c are correct

III. The following questions come from content covered during week 5, the fossil record:

11. What do humans primarily study in order to learn the history of the Earth from when it was formed to when the first human walked the Earth?

a. History books

b. Fossils

c. Pictures from satellites

d. Maps

12. Which of the following parts of an organism is most likely to become fossilized?

a. Skeleton d. Both a & b

b. Tooth e. Both b & c

c. Skin

13. What information do fossils provide about plants and animals?

a. What kinds of things that animal ate.

b. What the animal or plant looked like.

c. The behavior of that animal (i.e. whether or not it flew or swim)

d. All of the above

14. Which one would be most likely to fossilize?

a. A worm

b. A fish

c. A beetle

d. All of the above

15. What could happen to a dead organism after it became a fossil?

a. It could get moved, crushed, or eroded.

b. It could get discovered.

c. It could remain buried.

e. All of the above

IV. The following questions come from content covered during week 7: the geologic time scale

16. Which of the following is a list of the major events in Earth’s history, from earliest to most recent:

a. First human, dinosaur extinction, first land plant, first living thing, Earth’s formation

b. Dinosaur extinction, first human, first land plant, first living thing, Earth’s formation

c. Earth’s formation, first land plant, first living thing, dinosaur extinction, first human

d. Earth’s formation, first living thing, first land plant, dinosaur extinction, first human

17. Absolute dating differs from relative dating in that:

a. Absolute dating allows scientists to given an exact age of a layer of rock.

b. Relative dating allows scientists to given an exact age of a layer of rock.

c. Both relative dating and absolute dating tell scientists the same thing.

d. Absolute dating is a much less complicated technique for scientists to use.

*Look at the diagram below representing layers of rocks and the fossils buried in them to answer Questions 18 & 19. Assume that layer A is the layer closest to the Earth’s surface and that layer B is the furthest (or deepest).

[pic]

18. What information could you gather about Layer A and the fossils within that layer from the technique of relative dating?

a. Layer A is older than Layer C

b. Layer A is younger that Layer C

c. Layer A is older than Layer B

d. Both a & c

19. Scientists examine the chemical composition of the rock layer B, and find that the absolute age of that rock layer is 125 million years old. We can combine our knowledge of absolute and relative dating in order to make an educated estimate of Layer C’s age.

a. It is a little bit younger than Layer B (about 120 million years old)

b. It is a little bit older than Layer B (about 130 million years old)

c. It is a lot younger than Layer B (about 50 million years old)

d. It if a lot older than Layer B (about 200 million years old)

20. You discover that the fossil found with Layer A is an index fossil. How do index fossils help us?

a. They give us the absolute age of the layer in which they are found.

b. They allow us to compare other nearby fossils to estimate their age.

c. Both a & b

d. None of the above

V. The following questions come from content covered during week 7, extinction:

21. Which term refers to a species that no longer has any living members

a. Molded c. Extinct

b. Fossilized d. Petrified

22. The mass extinctions that have occurred over the history of the Earth could have been caused by:

a. Overhunting d. Both a & c

b. Climate Change e. Both b & c

c. Pollution

23. Which of the following are natural as well as human causes of extinction?

a. Overhunting d. Only a & b

b. Habitat destruction e. All of the above

c. Introduced species

24. The giant panda is a large bear that lives in the forests of Asia. It feeds on bamboo in the forest and calls the forest its habitat. Much of the forest where pandas live are near cities where more and more humans are living. From what you just read, which of the following causes would definitely threaten the giant panda?

a. Habitat destruction

b. Human population growth

c. Water pollution

d. Both a & b

25. Which the following species would be least likely to go extinct?

a. A species that is hunted by too many predators

b. A species with a lot of habitat

c. A species with a small population

d. A species that has limited water, food, or shelter

Free Response Questions

Instructions: Please answer the following in complete sentences, following instructions carefully.

|Topic |Free Response Questions |Possible Points |Points earned |

|The four parts of the Earth’s system |1 |5 | |

|The rock cycle |2 |5 | |

|The fossil record |3 |5 | |

|The geologic time scale |4 |5 | |

|Extinction |5 |5 | |

| |Total Points |25 | |

1. From your lessons on the 4 parts of the Earth’s system:

Describe an interaction between at least two parts of the Earth’s system that was not used as a multiple-choice question on this test. How do they interact?

- In your answer you must name the two parts of the earth’s system that you are describing (atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, or hydrosphere)

2. From your lessons on the Rock Cycle:

Explain one way one type of rock can form into another type of rock.

- In your answer, you must name the two types of rocks you are describing (igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary)

3. From your lessons on the fossil record:

Explain why a quick burial is important in the fossilization process.

What things that happen to a dead organism before it has the chance to become fossilized?

- In your answer, please list both physical factors and living things that can affect dead organisms.

4. From your lessons on the geologic time scale:

Explain the difference between relative and absolute dating. Why are both important?

In your answer, you should do the following:

- Define relative dating.

- Define absolute dating.

- How do scientists use both to date layers of rock and the fossils found within them?

5. From your lessons on extinction: Explain one theory of what caused the mass extinctions throughout Earth’s history. In your answer, support this theory with at least one piece of evidence (or fact).

- Pieces of evidence could include: things that would have happened that would ensure extinction of several species of animals and plants (Would a natural disaster be caused? Is there something harmful that would have poisoned several species at once?)

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