Download 1. What are the basic building blocks of matter? Provide several

Chapter 2 Questions
APES - Fall 2015
1. What are the basic building blocks of matter? Provide several examples using chemicals common in
Earth’s physical or biological systems.
2. How does an ion differ from an isotope? Now differentiate among an atom, a molecule, and a
compound.
3. Describe two major forms of energy, and give examples of each.
4. State the first law of thermodynamics. Now compare it to the second law of thermodynamics.
5. Describe the three major sources of energy that power Earth’s environmental systems.
6. What substances are produced by photosynthesis? By cellular respiration? By chemosynthesis?
7. Name the primary layers that make up our planet. Which portions does the lithosphere include?
8. Describe what occurs at a divergent plate boundary. What happens at a transform plate boundary?
Compare and contrast the types of processes that can occur at a convergent plate boundary.
9. Name the three main types of rocks, and describe how each type may be converted to the others via
the rock cycle.
10. What causes earthquakes? What is a tsunami, and what causes them? How does a Hawaiian volcano
such as Kilauea differ from a volcano in the Cascades of North America such as Mount Saint Helens?