Download Quizzes 1-4 - MSU Billings

Quiz 1
1) Earth's atmosphere is unique among the moons and planets in that
A) it has a nitrogen (N2) rich atmosphere.
B) it is rich in oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2).
C) it is rich in carbon dioxide because of animal life.
D) it is rich in carbon dioxide because of plant life.
E) it has clouds and storms.
2) Which of the following is most important in keeping water a liquid on Earth?
A) the size of Earth
B) the distance from the Sun
C) the original composition of the planet
D) the biosphere
3) Which of the following planetary bodies has the least number of impact craters on its surface?
A) Mercury
B) Mars
C) the Moon
D) Earth
4) A stable platform is a region characterized by
A) no vertical crustal movement until recent times.
B) a complete lack of deformed rock at any depth.
C) numerous folds and faults.
D) horizontal sedimentary rocks overlying the basement complex.
E) extensive exposures of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
5) Continental crust
A) is composed mostly of low density "granitic" rock.
B) is part of the upper mantle.
C) drifts through the lithosphere.
D) is about 5 km thick.
E) is made of the same kind of rocks as the oceanic crust.
6) Which statement about the ocean floor is true?
A) There are extensive folded mountains along the mid-oceanic ridge.
B) The oceanic crust is mostly basalt.
C) Much of the rock is older than any continental rock.
D) Extensive erosion has modified its surface.
7) Which of the following areas of the ocean floor is flat and nearly featureless?
A) trenches
B) abyssal hills
C) abyssal plains
D) ridges
E) seamounts
8) Seamounts
A) usually form islands.
B) do not occur in chains.
C) are coral reefs that rise from the seafloor.
D) are found only in the Atlantic Ocean.
E) are the result of volcanism.
9) The zone of the Earth that includes all of the rock materials of its outer shell is called the
A) atmosphere.
B) hydrosphere.
C) mantle.
D) lithosphere.
E) biosphere.
10) The three major structural components of continents are
A) shield, folded mountains, plateaus.
B) folded mountains, plateaus, stable platform.
C) shield, folded mountains, stable platform.
D) stable platform, shield, plateaus.
E) shield, maria, stable platform.
QUIZ 2
1) Which of the following is true?
A) minerals are the building blocks of rocks
B) minerals grow and are destroyed by chemical reactions
C) most minerals at Earth's surface are composed of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra
D) a mineral species has a specific set of physical properties
E) all of the above
2) Properties used in mineral identification include
A) hardness.
B) streak.
C) cleavage.
D) luster.
E) all of the above
3) The most abundant mineral group in Earth's crust is
A) feldspar.
B) mica.
C) olivine.
D) pyroxene.
E) quartz.
4) Most rock-forming minerals are
A) sulfides.
B) silicates.
C) oxides.
D) carbonates.
E) none of the above
5) The major mineral found in limestone is
A) calcite.
B) halite.
C) feldspar.
D) quartz.
E) agate.
6) Molten rock material, which is the parent substance of all igneous rock, is called
A) basalt.
B) mantle.
C) lava.
D) magma.
E) granite.
7) Two stages of cooling are indicated by
A) aphanitic texture.
B) phaneritic texture.
C) glassy texture.
D) porphyritic texture.
E) pyroclastic texture.
8) A rock with an aphanitic texture indicates the parent magma
A) was generated at a divergent plate margin.
B) cooled slowly.
C) cooled rapidly.
D) experienced two periods of cooling, first slow and then fast.
E) formed at convergent plate margins.
9) An igneous rock consisting of broken fragments of crystals, shards of quenched magma, and rock fragments has
a
A) pyroclastic texture.
B) phaneritic texture.
C) glassy texture.
D) phanitic texture.
E) porphyritic texture.
10) Batholiths
A) typically form in deeper zones of folded mountain belts.
B) generally cut across the country rock into which they intrude.
C) are commonly exposed in the continental shields.
D) are large masses of coarse, crystalline rock, generally of granitic composition.
E) all of the above
11) Most magma that reaches the surface originates
A) from the liquid core.
B) from partial melting in the lower mantle.
C) from partial melting of rock in the upper mantle and the lower crust.
D) from partial melting in the upper zones of the crust.
12) Volcanic glass is produced by
A) slow cooling.
B) rapid cooling.
C) any two different rates of cooling.
D) rapid cooling followed by slow cooling.
E) slow cooling followed by rapid cooling.
13) The rate of crystallization of an igneous rock will greatly influence its
A) color.
B) grain size.
C) density.
D) chemical composition.
E) all of the above
14) A major difference between silicic and basaltic magma
A) silicic magmas are usually cooler.
B) silicic magmas generally have more water.
C) silicic magmas have higher concentration of SiO2.
D) silicic magmas commonly erupt explosively.
E) all of the above
15) The type of volcanic activity on Earth
A) has changed from mostly explosive to mostly quiet.
B) depends upon the type of plate boundary or tectonic setting.
C) has changed in time from basaltic to andesitic.
D) depends upon the age of the volcanic activity.
E) has evolved from andesitic to basaltic.
Quiz 3
1) Metamorphism
A) occurs during the deep burial of rock bodies.
B) occurs around igneous intrusion.
C) develops from strong directed horizontal stresses.
D) commonly produces foliation that is not parallel with the original bedding of the rock being
metamorphosed.
E) all of the above
2) Which of the following can cause metamorphism?
A) chemical action of fluids
B) increases in pressure
C) increases in temperature
D) all of the above
3) Metamorphism occurs
A) in association with mountain belts.
B) in association with igneous activity.
C) at great depth.
D) at convergent plate boundaries.
E) all of the above
5) Most metamorphic rocks exposed at the surface are believed to have been formed
A) in the stable platforms from deep burial.
B) in the oceanic ridge systems.
C) in the roots of developing mountain systems in ancient times.
D) from heat and pressure along the margins of igneous intrusions.
E) in plateaus as a result of deep burial.
6) Contact metamorphism is best developed
A) next to lava flows.
B) next to large bodies of intrusive igneous rocks.
C) next to small bodies of extrusive igneous rocks.
D) in tuff.
E) in veins.
7) Metamorphic rocks are formed
A) in the Earth's core.
B) under conditions of high temperature and pressure.
C) from molten rock.
D) by consolidation of weathered products of preexisting rocks.
E) all of the above
9) Marble commonly forms from metamorphism of
A) basalt.
B) shale.
C) sandstone.
D) limestone.
E) all of the above
13) A foliated metamorphic rock with alternating layers of light and dark minerals is called a
A) marble.
B) schist.
C) quartzite.
D) gneiss.
E) slate.
15) The texture exhibited by slate, schist, and gneiss is called
A) fracture.
B) stratification.cleavage.
C) foliation.
D) alignment.
17) Which of the following pairs of parent rock and its metamorphosed equivalent is NOT correctly
matched?
A) sandstone - quartzite
B) shale - slate
C) limestone - schist
D) granite – gneiss or granite
E) conglomerate - metaconglomerate
Quiz 4
1) Sedimentary rocks
A) form by compaction and cementation of loose sediment.
B) are widespread on the continents and ocean floor.
C) are common on the stable platforms of all continents.
D) may be found in folded layers in mountain belts.
E) all of the above
2) The mineral calcite (CaCO3) is the major constituent of
A) limestone.
B) dolomite.
C) shale.
D) coal.
E) sandstone.
3) The major constituent of most sandstone is
A) quartz.
B) feldspar.
C) olivine.
D) garnet.
E) calcite.
4) Which of the following is the most abundant nonclastic rock (deposited by chemical or organic means)?
A) marine limestone
B) rock salt
C) dolostone
D) gypsum
E) dripstone
5) Which of the following is the most common clastic rock?
A) pebble-sized conglomerate
B) gypsum
C) shale
D) cobble-sized conglomerate
E) sandstone
6) Cross-bedding is commonly found in
A) coal.
B) shale.
C) sandstone.
D) rock gypsum.
E) rock salt
7) Which of the following are good indicators of ancient current direction?
A) mud cracks
B) graded bedding
C) degree of sorting
D) cross-bedding
E) all of the above
8) The proper interpretation of a vertical sequence of rock consisting of sandstone at the base, overlain by shale and
then limestone, would be
A) a regression of the sea.
B) a change from glacial to fluvial environments.
C) a transgression of the sea.
D) an alluvial fan overlain by fluvial sediments.
E) a cycle of transgression and regression of the sea.
9) The separation of detrital grains according to size is called
A) sorting.
B) graduating.
C) desiccation.
D) collimating.
E) none of the above
10) After a granite has weathered and most of the igneous minerals have been altered to other minerals which
igneous mineral will probably NOT have been affected?
A) potassium feldspar
B) mica
C) amphibole
D) quartz
E) plagioclase feldspar
11) The iron minerals hematite and limonite result from the chemical weathering of iron-rich minerals by the
process of
A) oxidation.
B) dissolution.
C) electrolysis.
D) exsolution.
E) exfoliation.
12) Chemical weathering would progress most rapidly in
A) the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, western USA.
B) northern South America, i.e. the Amazon River Basin
C) New Mexico, southern USA.
D) the Great Lakes, northern USA.
E) Greenland.
13) Which of the following minerals is most resistant to chemical weathering?
A) plagioclase
B) quartz
C) olivine
D) calcite
E) hornblende
14) The products of ice wedging often accumulate at the bases of cliffs to form piles of angular rock fragments
called
A) talus.
B) a soil profile.
C) bedrock.
D) exfoliation domes. .
15) Physical weathering would progress most rapidly in
A) the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
B) northern South America, i.e. the Amazon River Basin
C) North Africa.
D) the Caribbean Islands.
E) Greenland.