Download Forces That Change Earth`s Surface MCAS Questions

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Forces That Change Earth’s Surface MCAS Questions
Earth Science Standards: 2, 3, & 5
1. The diagram below shows four layers of
Earth. Each layer is identified by a number.
Which layer of Earth is composed primarily of
solid iron?
A. layer 1
B. layer 2
C. layer 3
D. layer 4
5. The diagrams below represent different ways
heat is transferred. The arrows in the diagrams
show the direction of heat transfer.
Which table shows the primary way heat is
transferred in each diagram?
2. Earth’s core is primarily composed of which
of the following materials?
A. basalt
B. iron
C. magma
D. quartz
3. Which of the following most likely causes
Earth’s inner core to be a solid?
A. The pressure at the core is very high.
B. The metals in the core are very heavy.
C. The temperature of the core is very low.
D. The chemicals in the core are very reactive.
4. The “Ring of Fire” is a long chain of
volcanoes that encircles the Pacific Ocean.
Which of the following is the best explanation
for the arrangement of these volcanoes?
A. They outline the crater caused by the impact
of an asteroid.
B. They follow the shape of the adjacent
tectonic plates under the sea.
C. One volcano usually triggers a second
volcano with its hot magma.
D. Volcanoes always form in rings because of
underwater convection currents.
6. Warm air masses that rise over Earth’s
equator move north or south. This movement is
primarily the result of which of the following
processes?
A. conduction
B. convection
C. insulation
D. radiation
7. Heat energy from the Sun is transferred to
Earth primarily by which of the following
processes?
A. conduction
B. convection
C. evaporation
D. radiation
8. The diagram below represents an experiment
on different types of soil.
11. Which of the following Earth layers has the
greatest density?
A. crust
B. mantle
C. inner core
D. outer core
12. Which of the following processes usually
takes the longest amount of time?
A. Hot lava cools and forms new rock.
B. Water vapor condenses to form a cloud.
C. A seismic wave travels through the mantle.
D. An ocean basin forms between two
continents.
The thermometers are measuring the
temperature of the center of the soil samples.
Which of the following is a cause of the
measured difference in the temperature of the
two soils?
A. conduction within different soil types
B. condensation within different soil types
C. radiation emitted by different soil types
D. convection in the air above different soil
types
9. A layer of solid brittle rock comprises the
outer 100 kilometers of Earth. This layer, which
contains both the crust and the upper mantle, is
called the
A. core.
B. sediment.
C. lithosphere.
D. hemisphere.
10. Which of the following graphs best
represents the relationship between density and
depth of material below Earth’s surface?
13. Seafloor spreading provides evidence of
which of the following Earth processes?
A. erosion of coastlines
B. weathering of mountains
C. movement of crustal plates
D. formation of sedimentary rocks
14. The pictures below show the estimated
locations of landmasses on Earth 225 million
years ago and their present day locations.
Which of the following processes caused the
breakup and relocation of the landmasses over
time?
A. tectonic plate motion
B. strong ocean currents
C. erosion and sedimentation
D. volcanic eruptions and weathering
15. When air near the ground is warmed by
sunlight, which of the following occurs?
A. The warm air radiates and becomes cool
again.
B. The warm air evaporates into the cooler air.
C. The warm air expands and rises, resulting in
convection.
D. The warm air loses its ability to hold water
and precipitates.
16. The axes below relate the temperature to the
depth below Earth’s surface.
Which of the following graphs best represents
temperatures inside Earth?
A.
B.
C.
17. Heat from deep in Earth’s interior is
transferred to its crust by which of the
following?
A. conduction in the ocean
B. convection in the mantle
C. radiation from the solid core
D. evaporation at mid-ocean ridges
18. Which of the following statements best
explains why the lower mantle of Earth is much
more rigid and dense than the upper mantle?
A. The lower mantle is older than the upper
mantle.
B. The lower mantle is cooler than the upper
mantle.
C. The lower mantle is under more pressure
than the upper mantle.
D. The lower mantle is farther from the core
than the upper mantle.
19. A class conducts an experiment to
determine the best color to paint a solar water
heater that they plan to build. For their
experimental test, the students have four
identical cans. They paint one black, one green,
one red, and one white. Each can is filled with
500 mL of 22°C water, and is allowed to sit in
the sun for two hours. Which color can will
have the greatest increase in water temperature?
A. black
B. green
C. red
D. white
20. An earthquake is caused by sudden shifts in
which of the following layers of Earth?
A. outer core
B. crust
C. inner core
D. mesosphere
D.
21. Kendra’s mom is purchasing a car, but
cannot decide what color to get. Kendra advises
her mom that a car with a black exterior will be
uncomfortable in the summer. This observation
is correct because dark objects, as compared to
lighter colored objects,
A. reduce heat transfer.
B. are generally more dense.
C. absorb more of the Sun’s energy.
D. reflect sunlight more efficiently.
22. The maps below show the positions of two
continents at two different times.
23. Which of the following statements best
explains why earthquakes occur more frequently
in California than in Massachusetts?
A. The rock found in California is igneous, but
the rock found in Massachusetts is
sedimentary.
B. California is located on the boundary of two
crustal plates, but Massachusetts is not.
C. The rock under California is soft, but the
rock under Massachusetts is hard.
D. California is located on a continental plate,
but Massachusetts is not.
The movement of the two continents as shown
may best be explained by
A. volcanic eruptions.
B. magnetic changes.
C. coastal flooding.
D. plate tectonics.
24. Some of the geologic features found on Earth’s surface were caused by the movement of Earth’s
crustal plates.
a. Name two geologic features found on Earth’s surface that were caused by the movement of
crustal plates.
b. For each of the features you named in part (a), describe how the movement of crustal plates
caused the feature to form on Earth’s surface.
25. The diagram below shows three main layers that compose Earth. The layers are labeled X, Y, and Z.
a. Identify each of the three layers of Earth (X, Y, and Z) labeled in the diagram.
b. Describe one characteristic of the layer labeled X.
c. Describe one characteristic of the layer labeled Y.
d. Describe one way that the layer labeled Y interacts with the layer labeled Z.
26. Earth’s crust and rigid upper mantle are broken into enormous slabs called tectonic plates that
interact at plate boundaries. The three types of plate boundaries are transform, divergent, and
convergent.
a. Describe the plate movements at two of these boundaries.
b. Give one example of a formation created at each of the boundaries that you described in part a.