Download 1. Earth`s plates are made up of the crust and the upper mantle

Name: ____________________________________
Class: _____________
Date: _____________
Self Assessment: Plate Tectonics
1. Earth's plates are made up of the crust and the upper mantle, called the _____.
a) subduction zone
b) transform fault
c) asthenosphere
d) lithosphere
2. Which form of stress results from opposite and equal forces that do not act along the same line?
a) shear
b) fault
c) fold
d) tension
3. Tectonism results from the release and redistribution of energy from Earth's core. There are two
components to this energy: heat and _____.
a) shear
b) stress
c) gravity
d) pressure
4. Boundaries at which plates collide are called _____.
a) reverse
b) divergent
c) transform
d) convergent
5. The theory of seafloor spreading is supported by what characteristic of iron found in rocks?
a) density
b) magnetic alignment
c) rate of decay
d) abundance
PAGE 1
Name: ____________________________________
Class: _____________
Date: _____________
Self Assessment: Plate Tectonics
6. Alfred Wegener, who proposed the theory of continental drift, was highly criticized for not adequately
explaining the mechanism by which the continents supposedly moved. Which two pieces of explanation did
Wegener offer?
a) That the continents were not firmly attached to Earth's crust but floated on oceans, and that strong
currents originating with the Coriolis force pushed continents across the globe.
b) That Earth's crust was made up of plates that moved against each other, and that these plates were
carried by convection currents in the inner parts of Earth.
c) That land bridges between continents anchored them together, and that the pull of the Moon's gravity
twisted them around these anchors.
d) That the continents were pulled westward by the gravity of the moon, and that the large, sturdy
continents were able to break through the weaker oceanic crust.
7. Which landform is NOT a direct result of plate tectonics?
a) deep sea trench
b) young mountain range
c) volcanic island chain
d) river canyon
8. Which comparison between continental and oceanic crust is accurate?
a) Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is thinner and denser.
b) Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is thinner and less dense.
c) Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is thicker and denser.
d) Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is thicker and less dense.
9. Which world mountain ranges provide evidence of a collision of plates that helped create the supercontinent
Pangaea?
a) The Rocky Mountains of North America and the Andes Mountains of South America indicate
collisions between these continents and Asia and Australia, respectively.
b) The North American northern Appalachians and the Ural mountains of Russia indicate collisions
between North America and Europe and between Siberia and Europe, respectively.
c) The Himalayas of northern India and the Zagros Mountains of Iran indicate collisions between the
Indian subcontinent and Asia, and between the Arabian peninsula and southeastern Europe, respectively.
d) The highlands of New Guinea and of East Africa indicate collisions between New Guinea and
southeast Asia and between East Africa and Madagascar, respectively.
PAGE 2
Name: ____________________________________
Class: _____________
Self Assessment: Plate Tectonics
10. What happens when a continental and an oceanic plate converge?
a) New oceanic crust is formed at a ridge.
b) Both plates reverse direction.
c) The oceanic plate subducts below the edge of the continental plate.
d) The continental plate subducts below the edge of the oceanic plate.
PAGE 3
Date: _____________
ANSWER KEY
1. d
2. a
3. c
4. d
5. b
6. d
ANSWER KEY Page 1
7. d
8. a
9. b
10. c