1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions

1 Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 1 An Introduction to Geology

1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions

1) Which of the following is a natural disaster?

• A hurricane forming in the ocean
• A landslide striking a city
• A volcano erupting on an uninhabited island
• An earthquake occurring in the desert

Answer: B

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 5 & 7

Section: 1.1 - Geology: The Science of the Earth

Focus/Concepts: 1.1

ESLI LO: 8.1 - Natural hazards result from natural Earth processes.

2) Which culture recorded the earliest writings about topics such as fossils, earthquakes, and gemstones?

• Roman Empire
• Renaissance Europe
• Ancient China
• Ancient Greece

Answer: D

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 7

Section: 1.2 - The Development of Geology

Focus/Concepts: 1.2

ESLI LO: 7.2 - Geology affects the distribution and development of human populations.

3) Which of the following is not a geologic hazard?

• Use of poor construction materials resulting in a cracked foundation
• Volcanic eruptions sending lava flows toward a city
• Deforestation on a floodplain increasing the severity of river floods
• Climate change leading to sea-level rise

Answer: A

Diff: 2

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 5 & 7

Section: 1.1 - Geology: The Science of the Earth

Focus/Concepts: 1.1

ESLI LO: 8.1 - Natural hazards result from natural Earth processes.

(Earth An Introduction to Physical Geology, 12e Edward Tarbuck, Frederick Lutgens, Dennis Tasa) (Test Bank all Chapters) 1 / 4

2 Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.4) The principle of ________ states that the physical, chemical, and biological processes at work shaping the Earth today have also operated in the geologic past.

• catastrophism
• plate tectonics
• plutonism
• Uniformitarianism

Answer: D

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 7

Section: 1.2 - The Development of Geology

Focus/Concepts: 1.2

ESLI LO: 1.5 - Earth scientists use their understanding of the past to forecast Earth's future.

5) What is the accepted age of the Earth?

• 10,000 years
• 1 million years
• 4.6 million years
• 4.6 billion years

Answer: C

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 7

Section: 1.2 - The Development of Geology

Focus/Concepts: 1.2

ESLI LO: 2.2 - Our Solar System formed from a vast cloud of gas and dust 4.6 billion years ago.

6) ________ was an important eighteenth-century geologist who developed the concept of Uniformitarianism to explain the slow, steady changes responsible for shaping the Earth.

• Charles Lyell
• Isaac Newton
• James Hutton
• Charles Darwin

Answer: C

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 7

Section: 1.2 - The Development of Geology

Focus/Concepts: 1.2

ESLI LO: 1.5 - Earth scientists use their understanding of the past to forecast Earth's future.

• / 4

3 Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.7) Which of the following is the definition for a scientific hypothesis?

• The gathering of data through observations
• A tentative explanation used to explain observed activities
• A well-tested and widely accepted view that explains observable facts
• An educated guess

Answer: B

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 1

Section: 1.3 - The Nature of Scientific Inquiry

Focus/Concepts: 1.3

ESLI LO: 1.3 - Earth science investigations take many different forms.

8) Which of the following is the definition of a scientific theory?

• The gathering of data through observations
• A tentative explanation used to explain observed activities
• A well-tested and widely accepted view that explains observable facts
• An educated guess

Answer: C

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 1

Section: 1.3 - The Nature of Scientific Inquiry

Focus/Concepts: 1.3

ESLI LO: 1.3 - Earth science investigations take many different forms.

9) Science uses observations of phenomena in order to make interpretations. Which of the following is an observation?

• A fold is visible in an outcrop.
• The fold was created by pressure.
• Pressure was applied slowly to fold the rock.
• Heat was applied to soften the rock.

Answer: A

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 1

Section: 1.3 - The Nature of Scientific Inquiry

Focus/Concepts: 1.3

ESLI LO: 1.3 - Earth science investigations take many different forms.

• / 4

4 Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.10) What percentage of the Earth is covered by oceans?

A) 50%

B) 17%

C) 80%

D) 71%

Answer: D

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 7

Section: 1.4 - Earth as a System

Focus/Concepts: 1.4

ESLI LO: 5.1 - Water is found everywhere on Earth, from the heights of the atmosphere to the depths of the mantle.

11) Which of the following is not one of the roles of the atmosphere?

• Energy exchanges between the surface and outer space, creating weather and climate
• Lessening the effects of weathering on the geosphere
• Protection from ultraviolet radiation and the intensity of the Sun
• Providing air for respiratory processes in the biosphere

Answer: B

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 2 & 7

Section: 1.4 - Earth as a System

Focus/Concepts: 1.4

ESLI LO: 3.1 - The four major systems of Earth are the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.12) Which of the four spheres of Earth is the most extensive?

• Geosphere
• Atmosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Biosphere

Answer: A

Diff: 1

Bloom's Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding

Global Sci Out: 2

Section: 1.4 - Earth as a System

Focus/Concepts: 1.4

ESLI LO: 3.1 - The four major systems of Earth are the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

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