Download physical-and-chemical-weathering

Base your answers to questions 1 through 4 on
the laboratory experiment described below.
The weathering of four different rock samples with different masses was studied. Each rock
sample was placed in a separate beaker containing 500 milliliters of a dilute acid for 10 minutes.
Bubbling was observed in some of the beakers. The data table below shows the mass of each
sample, in grams, before placement in the acid and after removal from the acid.
1. Which table correctly shows the classification of the rock samples based on the amount of weathering
during this experiment?
A)
B)
C)
D)
2. Which Earth process is being modeled in this experiment?
A) physical weathering in the hydrosphere B) physical weathering in the mesosphere
C) chemical weathering in the hydrosphere D) chemical weathering in the mesosphere
3. Which property of the gneiss sample prevented it from weathering?
A) crystalline texture
B) mineral composition
C) density
D) cleavage
4. Approximately what percentage of the marble sample remained after the experiment?
A) 0.4%
B) 8.0%
C) 20.7%
D) 99.6%
5. Which agent of erosion is most likely responsible for
the deposition of sandbars along ocean shorelines?
A) glaciers
B) mass movement
C) wave action
D) wind action
6. The diagram below shows four magnified block-shaped sandstone samples labeled A, B, C, andD.
Each sandstone sample contains quartz grains of different shapes and sizes. The quartz grains are held
together by hematite cement.
In which sample did the quartz grains undergo the most abrasion during erosional transport?
A) A
B) B
C) C
7. At high elevations, which is the most common form
of physical weathering?
A)
B)
C)
D)
abrasion of rocks by the wind
alternate freezing and melting of water
dissolving of minerals into solution
oxidation by oxygen in the atmosphere
D) D
8. Base your answer to the following question on on the photographs and news article below.
Old Man’s Loss Felt in New Hampshire
FRANCONIA, N.H. — Crowds of visitors were drawn to Franconia Notch on Sunday to mourn the
loss of New Hampshire’s well-known symbol — the Old Man of the Mountain granite profile.
The 700-ton natural formation was just a pile of rocks after breaking loose from its 1,200-foot-high
mountainside perch. It was unclear when the outcropping fell because clouds had obscured the area
Thursday and Friday; a state park trail crew discovered the collapse Saturday morning.
The famous mountain’s history dates millions of years. Over time, nature carved out a 40-foot-tall
profile resembling an old man’s face, and it eventually became New Hampshire’s most recognizable
symbol.
The Buffalo News, May 5, 2003
Which agent of erosion is most likely responsible for the collapse of the granite profile?
A) running water
B) glacial ice
C) wave action
D) mass movement
9. Impact craters are more obvious on the Moon and
11. Adding automobile exhaust gases to the atmosphere
Mercury than on Earth because
has had the greatest impact on landscape
development by
A) meteorites have not struck Earth
A) changing the position of crustal plates
B) weathering processes on Earth have removed
most craters
B) changing Earth’s prevailing wind patterns
C) Earth is younger than Mercury or the Moon
C) increasing the rate of chemical weathering
D) all meteorites burn up in Earth's atmosphere
D) increasing the amount of ozone in ground
10. Which type of climate has the greatest amount of
water
rock weathering caused by frost action?
A) a wet climate in which temperatures remain
below freezing
B) a wet climate in which temperatures alternate
from below freezing to above freezing
C) a dry climate in which temperatures remain
below freezing
D) a dry climate in which temperatures alternate
from below freezing to above freezing
12. In the cartoon below, Lucy gives Linus incorrect
information about pebbles.
16. The demonstration shown in the diagram below
indicates that powdered limestone reacts faster than
a single large piece of limestone of equal mass when
both are placed in acid.
If Lucy wanted to give Linus correct information
about pebbles, which statement would be most
accurate?
A) Pebbles can become cemented together to form
a rock called gabbro.
B) Pebble is the name given to the smallest-size
sediment.
C) Any large rock that weathers could become a
pebble.
D) Magma is composed of pebbles.
13. Which rock weathers most rapidly when exposed to
acid rain?
A) quartzite
B) granite
C) basalt
D) limestone
14. What occurs when a rock is crushed into a pile of
fragments?
A) The total surface area decreases and chemical
composition changes.
B) The total surface area decreases and chemical
composition remains the same.
C) The total surface area increases and chemical
composition changes.
D) The total surface area increases and chemical
composition remains the same.
15. Which geologic feature is caused primarily by
chemical weathering?
A) large caves in limestone bedrock
B) a pattern of parallel cracks in a granite
mountain
C) blocks of basalt at the base of a steep slope
D) the smooth, polished surface of a rock in a dry,
sandy area
The most likely reason powdered limestone reacts
faster is that it has
A) less total volume
B) more chemical bonds
C) more total surface area
D) lower density
17. Chemical weathering will occur most rapidly when
rocks are exposed to the
A)
B)
C)
D)
hydrosphere and lithosphere
mesosphere and thermosphere
hydrosphere and atmosphere
lithosphere and atmosphere
Base your answers to questions 18 through 20 on flowchart below, which shows a general overview
of the processes and substances involved in the weathering of rocks at Earth’s surface. Letter X
represents an important substance involved in both major types of weathering, labeled A and Bon the
flowchart. Some weathering processes are defined below the flowchart.
18. Which weathering process is most common in a hot, dry environment?
A) abrasion
B) carbonation
C) frost action
D) hydrolysis
19. Which substance is represented by X on both sides of the flowchart?
A) potassium feldspar
B) air
C) hydrochloric acid
D) water
20. Which term best identifies the type of weathering represented by A?
A) physical
B) biological
C) chemical
21. By which processes are rocks broken up and moved
to different locations?
A)
B)
C)
D)
evaporation and condensation
weathering and erosion
burial and cementation
compaction and transportation
D) glacial
22. The diagram below represents equal masses of two
identical rock samples. Sample A is one large block,
while sample B was cut into four smaller blocks of
equal size.
If subjected to the same environmental conditions,
sample B will weather more quickly than sample A.
The best explanation for this is that the
A) volume of sample B is greater than that of
sample A
B) surface area of sample B is greater than that of
sample A
C) density of sample A is greater than that of
sample B
D) hardness of sample A is greater than that of
sample B
23. The diagram below shows an outcrop of different
layers of sandstone in a region receiving heavy
rainfall.
Which sandstone layer appears to be the least
resistant to weathering?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Base your answers to questions 24 and 25 on the graph below, which shows the effect that average
yearly precipitation and temperature have on the type of weathering that will occur in a particular
region.
24. Which type of weathering is most common where the average yearly temperature is 5°C and the
average yearly precipitation is 45 cm?
A) moderate chemical weathering
B) very slight weathering
C) moderate chemical weathering with frost action
D) slight frost action
25. The amount of chemical weathering will increase if
A)
B)
C)
D)
air temperature decreases and precipitation decreases
air temperature decreases and precipitation increases
air temperature increases and precipitation decreases
air temperature increases and precipitation increases
26. In which climate would the chemical weathering of
limestone occur most rapidly?
A) cold and dry
C) warm and dry
B) cold and humid
D) warm and humid
27. The block diagram below represents caves that
developed in a region over time.
31. The diagram below shows granite bedrock with
cracks. Water has seeped into the cracks and frozen.
The arrows represent the directions in which the
cracks have widened due to weathering.
Which type of weathering was primarily responsible
for the development of these caves?
A) physical weathering of sandstone
B) physical weathering of limestone
C) chemical weathering of sandstone
D) chemical weathering of limestone
28. Which factor has the least effect on the weathering
of a rock?
A) climatic conditions
B) composition of the rock
C) exposure of the rock to the atmosphere
D) the number of fossils found in the rock
29. A rock will weather faster after it has been crushed
because its
A) volume has been increased
B) surface area has been increased
C) density has been decreased
D) molecular structure has been altered
30. Why is the surface of Mercury covered with meteor
impact craters, while Earth’s surface has relatively
few craters?
A) Mercury is larger than Earth, so it gets hit with
more meteors.
B) Mercury is an older planet, so it has a longer
history of meteor impacts.
C) Earth’s less dense water surface attracts fewer
meteors.
D) Earth’s hydrosphere and atmosphere destroyed
or buried most meteor impact sites.
Which statement best describes the physical
weathering shown by the diagram?
A) Enlargement of the cracks occurs because water
expands when it freezes.
B) This type of weathering occurs only in bedrock
composed of granite.
C) The cracks become wider because of chemical
reactions between water and the rock.
D) This type of weathering is common in regions
of primarily warm and humid climates.
32. Landscapes will undergo the most chemical
weathering if the climate is
A) cool and dry
B) cool and wet
C) warm and dry
D) warm and wet
33. Which characteristic would most likely remain
constant when a limestone cobble is subjected to
extensive abrasion?
A) shape
B) mass
C) volume
D) composition
34. Which activity demonstrates chemical weathering?
A) freezing of water in the cracks of a sandstone
sidewalk
B) abrasion of a streambed by tumbling rocks
C) grinding of talc into a powder
D) dissolving of limestone by acid rain
35. The diagram below represents a naturally occurring
geologic process.
Which process is best illustrated by the diagram?
A) cementation
B) erosion
C) metamorphism
D) weathering
36. Base your answer to the following question on
the cross section below, which shows the bedrock of a portion of the Helderberg Escarpment, located
in Thacher State Park near Albany, New York. The rock formations are identified by name.
What is the main factor that causes the bedrock to weather at different rates?
A) elevation above sea level
C) age of rock layers
B) mineral composition
D) environment of formation
37. In the diagram below, sample X and sample Y
represent equal masses of earth material which are
weathering under the same conditions. The samples
have the same mineral composition.
The weathering rate for sample Y will most likely be
A) less than X
B) greater than X
C) the same as X
38. Which property of water makes frost action a
common and effective form of weathering?
A) Water dissolves many earth materials.
B) Water expands when it freezes.
C) Water cools the surroundings when it
evaporates.
D) Water loses 334 Joules of heat per gram when it
freezes.
39. The two block diagrams below represent the formation of caves.
Which types of weathering and erosion are primarily responsible for the formation of caves?
A) chemical weathering and groundwater flow
B) chemical weathering and runoff
C) physical weathering and groundwater flow
D) physical weathering and runoff
40. Which process involves either a physical or chemical
breakdown of earth materials?
A) deposition
C) weathering
B) sedimentation
D) cementing
41. The diagram below shows the stump of a tree whose
root grew into a small crack in bedrock and split the
rock apart.
43. The diagram below shows a process called frost
wedging.
The action of the root splitting the bedrock is an
example of
A) chemical weathering
B) deposition
C) erosion
D) physical weathering
42. What is the best explanation for the shape of the cliff
in the diagram?
A) Rocks A and C are made of larger particles
than rock B.
B) The particles in rocks A and C are more firmly
cemented than those in rock B.
C) The minerals in rocks A and C erode faster than
those in rock B.
D) Rocks A and C have not been exposed to
weathering as long as rock B.
Frost wedging is an example of
A) weathering
B) cementing
C) metamorphism
D) deposition
44. The four limestone samples illustrated below have
the same composition, mass, and volume. Under the
same climatic conditions, which sample will weather
fastest?
A)
B)
C)
D)
45. Water is a major agent of chemical weathering
because water
A) cools the surroundings when it evaporates
B) dissolves many of the minerals that make up
rocks
C) has a density of about one gram per cubic
centimeter
D) has the highest specific heat of all common
earth materials
46. Four pieces of the same rock material which have
different shapes but equal volumes are exposed to
the atmosphere. Which piece would probably
weather fastest?
A) a piece shaped like a sphere
B) a piece shaped like a cube
C) a piece shaped like a cylinder
D) a piece shaped flat and thin
47. Which graph best represents the chemical
weathering rate of a limestone boulder as the
boulder is broken into pebble-sized particles?
A)
B)
C)
D)
48. Which change in climate would most likely cause
the greatest increase in chemical weathering of local
bedrock?
A) lower temperature in winter
B) lower humidity in winter
C) higher atmospheric pressure in summer
D) greater precipitation in summer
49. The data table below gives information about four
samples of limestone particles. Each sample has a
total mass of 1 kilogram. The particles in each
sample are of uniform diameter.
Which sample would dissolve at the fastest rate
when placed in a container of dilute hydrochloric
acid?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
50. A large rock is broken into several smaller pieces.
Compared to the rate of weathering of the large
rock, the rate of weathering of the smaller pieces is
A) less
B) greater
C) the same
51. As a particle of sediment in a stream breaks into
several smaller pieces, the rate of weathering of the
sediment will
A)
B)
C)
D)
decrease due to a decrease in surface area
decrease due to an increase in surface area
increase due to a decrease in surface area
increase due to an increase in surface area
52. The cross section below shows the movement of wind-driven sand particles that strike a partly
exposed basalt cobble located at the surface of a windy desert.
Which cross section best represents the appearance of this cobble after many years of exposure to the
wind-driven sand?
A)
B)
C)
53. Which long-term atmospheric changes would
increase the rate of chemical weathering of surface
bedrock?
A) decreasing temperature and decreasing
precipitation
B) decreasing temperature and increasing
precipitation
C) increasing temperature and decreasing
precipitation
D) increasing temperature and increasing
precipitation
54. Rock samples brought back from the Moon show
absolutely no evidence of chemical weathering. This
is most likely due to
A) the lack of an atmosphere on the Moon
B) extremely low surface temperatures on the
Moon
C) lack of biological activity on the Moon
D) large quantities of water in the lunar "seas"
D)
55. The block diagram below represents a landscape
where caverns and sinkholes have gradually
developed over a long period of time.
Why did these caverns and sinkholes form?
A) The bedrock chemically reacted with acidic
groundwater.
B) This type of bedrock contained large amounts
of oxygen and silicon.
C) Glacial deposits altered the shape of the
bedrock.
D) Crustal uplift formed gaps in the bedrock.
56. In hot, wet climates, bedrock rapidly weathers into
soil because water
A)
B)
C)
D)
dissolves many minerals
expands when it freezes
is part of most chemical compounds
cools the surroundings when it evaporates
57. Which event is an example of chemical weathering?
A) rocks falling off the face of a steep cliff
B) feldspar in granite being crushed into clay-sized
particles
C) water freezing in cracks in a roadside outcrop
D) acid rain reacting with limestone bedrock