Download (B) Comparison of different layers of rock

Matter and Energy in Earth Systems
Directions:
1. Make sure your bubble sheet has your name and ID number
2. Please DO NOT WRITE on this test.
3. Please use a Number 2 pencil.
4. Respond to the questions by filling in the bubble that corresponds with your answer.
5. Make solid marks that fill the bubbles completely.
6. Erase any changes completely and cleanly.
7. When you complete the assessment, hand in both the assessment and your completed bubble sheet.
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 2
1. A teacher asks her students, “How are the North American plate and the continent of North America
different?” Which one of the following is a correct student response?
A. “The continent can change in size, but the plate does not.”
B. “The continent rests on top of the plate, but is not part of the plate.”
C. “The continent is part of the plate, but the plate also contains some seafloor that extends beyond
the continent.”
D. “The plate and the continent are the same thing.”
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
2. A teacher wants his students to describe the rate at which plates typically move. Which one of the
following is the best student answer?
A.
B.
C.
D.
“Plates don’t move.”
“Plates move a few centimeters per year.”
“Plates move a few hundred centimeters per year.”
“Plates move several thousand centimeters per year.”
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
3. When material is removed from the top of a mountain range by erosion (elevation decreases), what
will happen to the position of the bottom of the crust/lithosphere within the mantle?
The bottom of the crust/lithosphere will:
A. sink farther down into the mantle
B. float higher up in the mantle
C. not change size or position
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 3
4. The reason for my answer to #3 is because:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
the mountain range will lose mass and become more buoyant
erosion only affects the top of the mountain, not the bottom of the crust/lithosphere
the bottom will not change since the mountain is no longer growing
the bottom must move downward as the mountain elevation decreases
the position will not be affected because the density has not changed
5. A teacher holds a class discussion about the locations of plate boundaries. The following is a portion
of that discussion.
Ryan:
The boundaries of plates are the same as the edges of the continents.
Kyle:
I disagree with Ryan. I think that the pattern of earthquake activity
and the formation of volcanoes around the world show the outlines of
plate boundaries.
Katie:
I disagree with Kyle. I think that earthquakes and volcanoes are
found at completely random places around the world. Just because
there are earthquakes and volcanoes doesn’t mean that there are plate
boundaries nearby.
Maria:
I agree with Katie. All you need to know is that plate boundaries are
found under the ocean at mid-ocean ridges.
Which student appears to have the best understanding of where plate boundaries are located?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Ryan
Kyle
Katie
Maria
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 4
6. In a unit on plate tectonics, students have been studying the relationship between plate movement
and geologic features on Earth’s surface. The teacher asks the students to look at the diagram and
determine how plates A and B are moving relative to each other.
Which one of the following would be a correct student response?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Plates A and B are moving away from each other.
Plates A and B are moving past or alongside one another.
Plates A and B moving towards one another.
Plates A and B are not moving.
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 5
7. A teacher asks his students to describe the layer directly underneath Earth’s plates. Which one of the
following student responses is correct?
A. “It is hot and liquid, very similar to the lava that comes out of a volcano.”
B. “It is hot and solid rock, and the rock can move or flow very slowly.”
C. “It is ocean water, cold and constantly moving.”
D. “It is cool and solid rock, just like the plate above it.”
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
8. A teacher asks his students to describe what happens when two plates move away from each other.
In answering, one student puts his hands together with his fingers touching, then slowly moves them
away from each other until they are a few inches apart.
At the same time, the student says,
“The plates move apart like this.”
While the student is correctly showing two objects moving away from each other, which one of the
following would be best for the teacher to do next to assess the student’s understanding?
A. The teacher should ask the student to describe how non-volcanic mountains can be formed in this
situation.
B. The teacher should ask the student about the conditions under which a deep-sea trench would
form.
C. The teacher should ask what is happening in the space that is created between the student’s hands.
D. The student’s understanding seems complete; have the student model what happens when plates
move toward each other.
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 6
9. A teacher is reviewing some background information in preparation for a lesson on plate subduction.
Which one of the following statements about subducting plates is a correct idea the teacher could
include in her lesson?
A. The subducting plate is more dense than the overriding plate.
B. The subducting plate is less dense than the overriding plate.
C. The densities of the two plates are the same, but the subducting plate is hotter than the
overriding plate.
D. The densities of the two plates are the same, but the subducting plate is colder than the
overriding plate.
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
10. A teacher asks his students to draw a diagram showing a cross-section of Earth. Which one of the
following diagrams is most accurate?
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 7
11. A teacher is going to teach a lesson on what happens where two plates are moving toward one another.
The teacher wants to make sure she understands not only what happens, but why it happens.
A diagram in a textbook shows two adjacent plates. One plate has oceanic material along its edge where
the two plates meet. The other plate includes continental material along the edge where the two plates
meet.
Which one of the following best explains what will happen as the plates move toward one another and
why?
A. The plate with oceanic material will subduct because it is denser than the plate with continental
material.
B. The plate with oceanic material will subduct because it is thinner than the plate with continental
material.
C. The plate with the older rock will subduct because older rock is relatively cold and denser.
D. Neither plate will subduct; both plates will push up to form a chain of mountains because the
plates bend and fold as they are forced together.
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
12. During a plate tectonics unit, a student asks,
“I know that all rock isn’t EXACTLY the same age, but isn’t it OK to say that all
rock is about the same age—pretty old?”
Which one of the following is a concept that this student needs to know in order to answer his own
question?
A. Even though Earth’s plates are recycled, the rock that makes up the plates stays unchanged and
thus is very old and all about the same age.
B. Continental rock tends to stay at or near Earth’s surface because of its low density and is thus
very old.
C. New and thus young rock is continually forming where plates move away from each other.
D. Earth’s plates move so slowly that it takes hundreds of millions of years before rock is
subducted back into Earth.
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 8
13. At the beginning of a unit on plate tectonics, a teacher asks her students for their ideas about plates.
One student says,
“There are seven plates separated by the ocean.”
Based on this student’s response, which one of the following should the teacher do next to further this
student’s understanding of Earth’s plates?
A. Use a map to show students that plates touch other plates at all of their edges.
B. Have students investigate the density of different objects to understand why plates float on
water.
C. Explain why continents are a good way to tell where all the plates are located.
D. Model for students the plastic nature of the rock just beneath the outer layer of Earth.
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
14. Which of the following statements about the age of rocks is most likely true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rocks found in the ocean are about the same age as rocks found on continents.
Rocks found on continents are generally older than rocks found in the ocean.
Rock ages are determined by analyzing the carbon in the rock.
Rocks found in the ocean are generally older than rocks found on continents.
E. None of the above; we cannot figure out the age of rocks precisely enough to figure out which rocks
are older.
GCI 16
15. During a class discussion, a student says,
“I know that new plate material is added to the edges of plates, which makes me
think that Earth must be slowly getting bigger.”
Which one of the following is the best assessment of this student’s understanding of the situation?
A. The student understands that plate material is added to the edges of plates, but does not understand
that it is added to some edges and not to others.
B. The student understands that plate material is added to the edges of plates, but does not understand
that plates become denser as they cool.
C. The student understands that plate material is added to edges of plates, but does not understand that it
is also added to the tops of plates as a result of volcanic eruptions.
D. The student understands that plate material is added to the edges of plates, but does not understand
that plate material can return to Earth’s interior.
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 9
16. A teacher asks students to draw what happens when two plates are moving toward each other. One
student draws the following diagram of two plates without continents moving toward each other:
Which one of the following is missing from this student’s diagram?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Plates 1 and 2 should include a mid-ocean ridge forming along the boundary between the two plates.
Plates 1 and 2 should include a mountain range forming along the boundary between the two plates.
Plate 1 should include a chain of volcanoes forming near the boundary between the two plates.
Plate 2 should move under and stay in contact with Plate 1, resulting in two stacked plates.
© 2005 Horizon Research, Inc.
17. Which of the following figures do you believe is most closely related to what you might see if you could
cut the Earth in half?
E arth's surface
Earth's surface
Earth's surface
A
B
C
mo stly solid
m ostly solid
m o stly solid
liq uid
so lid
solid
D
Earth's surface
E
Earth's su rface
m ostly solid
m os tly solid
liq uid
liq uid
g as
liquid
solid
GCI 20
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 10
18. How far do you think continents move in a single year (relative to one another)?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A few inches
A few hundred feet
A few miles
Scientists do not have enough information to calculate the speed of continents
Continents do not move
GCI 71
19. Which of the following responses best summarizes the relationship between volcanoes, large
earthquakes, and tectonic plates?
A. Volcanoes are typically found on islands and earthquakes typically occur in continents. Both
volcanoes and large earthquakes occur near tectonic plates.
B. Volcanoes and large earthquakes both typically occur along the edges of tectonic plates.
C. Volcanoes mostly occur in the center of tectonic plates and large earthquakes typically occur
along the edges of tectonic plates.
D. Volcanoes and large earthquakes both typically occur in warm climates near tectonic plates.
E. Volcanoes, large earthquakes, and tectonic plates are not related, and each can occur in
different places.
GCI 51
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 11
20. The diagram below shows a block of rock with uniform density (d0). The block is rectangular with
length w and height h. The thickness of the block is uniform.
w
h
The block is now broken into two pieces as shown. The pieces are labeled A and B
A
2/3 w
B
1/3 w
Which ranking of densities of the original block (d0), piece A (dA) and piece B (dB) is correct?
A.
B.
C.
D.
(d0) = (dA) = (dB)
(d0) > (dA) > (dB)
(d0) > (dA) = (dB)
We cannot know the relative densities of pieces A and B.
GCI 55
21. What does "density" refer to?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
How thick something is
How quickly particles are moving inside something
How much material exists in a given amount of space
The amount of air contained within a material
How slowly liquids move
(
GCI 61
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 12
22. Plate tectonics occurs as a result of Earth losing its internal heat to outer space through many small
interactions. Which of the following energy diagrams is NOT an accurate representation of one of
these heat energy transfers within Earth
A
Heat Conduction Interaction
Energy Source
Core
Energy Receiver
Lower
mantle
Heat transfer
DECREASE IN
thermal energy
of core
INCREASE IN
thermal energy
of lower mantle
Heat Convection Interaction
B
Energy Receiver
Energy Source
Lower
mantle
INCREASE IN
thermal energy
of upper mantle
DECREASE IN
thermal energy
of lower mantle
C
Heat Convection Interaction
Energy Source
Upper
mantle
Energy Receiver
Lower
Mantle
Heat transfer
DECREASE IN
thermal energy
of upper mantle
D
Upper
mantle
Heat transfer
INCREASE IN
thermal energy
of lower mantle
Infrared Radiation Interaction
Energy Source
Earth’s
Plate
DECREASE IN
thermal energy
of crust
Energy Receiver
Heat transfer
Atmosphere
INCREASE IN
thermal energy
of atmosphere
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A
B
C
D
None of the above
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 13
23. Some scientists claim that they can determine when the Earth first formed as a planet. Which
technique(s) do scientists use today to determine when the Earth first formed? Choose all that
apply.
(A) Comparison of fossils found in rocks
(B) Comparison of different layers of rock
(C) Analysis of uranium and lead in rock
(D) Analysis of carbon in rock
(E) Scientists cannot calculate the age of the Earth
GCI 1
24. On continents, where does most volcanic material come from?
A
Volcano
A. Material comes from the Earth's
center, which is completely molten.
B
Volcano
B. Material comes from a molten
layer near the Earth's center
C
Volcano
C. Material travels from the Earth's
center to a molten layer just beneath the
surface, mixes with this molten layer
and then travels to the volcano.
Volcano
D. Material comes from the molten
layer beneath the Earth's surface
D
E
Volcano
E. Material comes from pockets of molten
material beneath the Earth's surface
GCI 22
Matter and Energy in Earth Systems - Page 14
25. Which of the figures below do you think most closely represents changes in life on Earth over time?
Choose one:
Today
A
H u m a ns A pp ea r
D in o s a u rs D isa p p e a r
D in o s a u rs A p p e a r
Today
B
C
D
Today
D in o s a u rs D is a p p e a r
H u m an s A pp ea r
D in o s a u rs A p p e a r
H u m an s A pp ea r
D in o sa u rs D is a p p e a r
C
B
A
E
D in o s a u rs A p p e a r
L ife A p p e a rs
L ife A p p e a rs
L ife A p p e a rs
Earth Form s
Earth Form s
Earth Form s
Today
Today
H um an s Ap pe ar
D in o sa u rs D isa p p e a r
D in o sa u rs A p p e a r
D
E
D in o sa u rs D isa p p e a r
L ife A p p e a rs
Earth Form s
L if e (in clu d in g d in o s a u rs
a n d h u m a n s) A p p e a rs
Earth Form s
GCI 28
26. Where are most rocks formed?
(A) Most rocks form underground and are pushed to the surface by magma.
(B) Most rocks form underground and are exposed when overlying rocks are removed.
(C) Most rocks form underground, but can never travel to the surface.
(D) Most rocks form at the Earth's surface.
GCI 33