Download GEOL 1312 Midterm Practice Exam

GEOL 1312 Midterm Practice Exam
1. Oil is not a true mineral because
a. it is not a solid
b. it does not have crystalline structure
c. it has no definite chemical composition
d. all of the above
2. The eight most common elements in crustal rocks are oxygen, silicon, calcium,
potassium and
a. aluminum, iron, magnesium, and sodium
b. aluminum, nickel, lead, and manganese
c. nickel, iron, lead, and sodium
d. iron, magnesium, carbon, hydrogen
3. True or False? It is not necessary for a substance to be a solid to be a mineral.
4. True or False?
Only atoms with a positive charge are called ions.
5. True or False? A substance in which atoms are arranged without a regular,
periodically repeated pattern is called a crystal.
6.
a.
b.
c.
d.
The basic building blocks of elements are called
atoms.
silica tetrahedra.
minerals.
eons.
7. True or False? The tendency of some minerals to break along flat surfaces is
hardness.
8. True or False? Luster is the color of a fine powder of a mineral.
9.
a.
b.
c.
d.
The Mohs scale measures:
luster.
color.
specific gravity.
hardness.
10. True or False? The most abundant group of minerals in the Earth’s crust are
carbonates.
11. Granite is an example of
a. an extrusive rock.
b. a plutonic rock.
c. a volcanic rock.
d. a rock that solidified rapidly on the Earth's surface.
12. Granite consists of the same minerals as __________, except that granite is an
intrusive rock and solidifies slowly within the Earth.
a. rhyolite.
b. andesite.
c. basalt.
d. diorite.
13. True or False? The crystals in granite cannot be seen with the naked eye.
14. Igneous rocks with a high content of magnesium and iron are called:
a. sialic.
b. mafic.
c. porphyritic.
d. intermediate.
15. True or False? The first rocks formed on Earth were metamorphic.
16. Sedimentary bedding forms as
a. sediment metamorphoses.
b. sedimentary rocks are eroded.
c. sediment is deposited.
d. tectonic forces deform sedimentary rocks.
17. Which sedimentary rock is made of clay minerals?
a. Conglomerate.
b. Evaporites.
c. Limestone.
d. Shale.
18. The principle of original horizontality is based on the fact that
a. sediment usually accumulates in horizontal layers.
b. sedimentary rocks generally become younger from bottom to top.
c. sedimentary rocks must be older than an intruding dike.
d. rocks can be dated by studying radioactive decay of the elements.
19. The half-life of carbon-14 is ~6,000 years. If a rock that formed 18,000 years ago
originally contained 100 grams of carbon-14, about how much carbon-14 would
be left in that rock today?
a. 12.5 grams
b. 25 grams
c. 33 grams
d. 50 grams
20. True or False? Carbon-14 dating is used to determine the age of materials older
than 1 million years.
21. Fish, amphibians, and reptiles all evolved during the
a. Cenozoic era.
b. Mesozoic era.
c. Paleozoic era.
d. Proterozoic Eon.
22. In the weathering process of pressure-release fracturing,
a. salts crystallize in cracks enlarging fractures.
b. bedrock minerals decompose to clay.
c. bedrock expands and fractures when the overlying rock erodes away.
d. bedrock dissolves and ground water carries the dissolved ions away.
23. The process whereby granite fractures in large plates or shells like the layers of
an onion is called ___________________.
24. True or False? If you live in a moist climate, you would be unlikely to find
halite in your backyard.
25. _____________ is a layer of loose rock fragments mixed with clay, silt, and sand
overlying bedrock.
a. Loam
b. Humus
c. Litter
d. Regolith or soil