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8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
1. A group of students were discussing plate tectonics in their
science class. All of the following statements about the
tectonic plates are incorrect EXCEPT:
A. The Eurasian Plate consists of the Asian Plate and the Indian
Plate.
B. The Nazca Plate is a major plate located near the African
Plate
C. The Indian Plate is a minor plate located near the South
American Plate
D. The North American Plate consists of both continental and
oceanic plates.
2. Which of the following statements best describes the theory
of Continental Drift?
A. A theory by Harry Hess of how the continents were once a
supercontinent, and slowly drifted apart to their current
locations over a long period of time.
B. A theory by Alfred Wegener of how the continents were once
a supercontinent and drifted to their current locations over a
short period of time.
C. A theory by Alfred Wegener of how the continents were once
a supercontinent, and drifted to their current locations over
a long period of time.
D. A theory by Harry Hess of how the continents were once a
supercontinent, and drifted to their current locations over a
short period of time.
3. What piece of evidence by Alfred Wegener supports the idea
that some of the continents were once located near the
South Pole?
A. Volcanoes
B. Glacier Striations
C. Mid-Ocean Ridges
D. Similar Mountain Ranges
8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
4. All of the following would be examples of convection
currents working due to uneven heating EXCEPT:
A. A The water closer to the equator is warmed and moves
toward the poles where it is cooled, and then returns back to
the equator to be heated again.
B. B Air that is cooled gets heavier and sinks, while air that is
heated gets lighter and rises.
C. C When the magma of the earth’s mantle is heated near the
core it rises until it cools to a point its increased density
causes it to sink back towards the core again.
D. D When a house is built, it would be better to place the air
conditioning vents near the floor and the heater vents close
to the ceiling to ensure proper airflow.
5. Convection currents located deep below the earth’s
outermost layer cause stress to build up on the lithosphere.
Eventually, the stress builds to a breaking point, forcing the
plates to move. This movement is caused by:
A. Earthquakes
B. Balanced Forces
C. Unbalanced Forces
D. The weight & size of the plates
8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
6. Harry Hess hypothesized that spreading of the ocean floor
occurred due to molten material seeping through rifts in the
ocean floor followed by the cooling and the formation of new
oceanic crust. What evidence best supports Hess’s theory
that new seafloor rock forms along the mid-ocean ridge and
then moves horizontally away from the ridge?
A. Most volcanoes on Earth are located along the mid-ocean
ridge
B. Studies of the ocean floor indicates that the orientation of
Earth’s magnetic field has remained constant.
C. Fossils of marine organisms can be found on the top of
Continental ridges.
D. The age of seafloor rock increases as distance from the midocean ridge increases
7.
Given the scenario above, how would the convection currents
shown in the asthenosphere affect the movement of the
lithospheric plates above them?
A. They would cause a deep ocean trench to form.
B. If the crust was oceanic, a mid-ocean ridge system would be
formed.
C. A folded mountain range would be formed.
D. They would force the plates to slide past one another and
cause earthquakes from the friction.
8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
8. One piece of evidence that supports the Theory of Plate
Tectonics is the discovery of what in both South America and
Africa?
A. The ancient atmosphere in both places was identical
B. The rates of weathering and erosion of rock are similar
C. Fossil remains of the same land-dwelling animal and plants
are found on both continents.
D. Plants on both continents have similar flowers
9. According to the illustration above, a mid-ocean ridge
found in ocean crust can occur at a lithospheric plate
boundary where:
A. two plates collide.
B. two plates come together.
C. two plates slide past each other.
D. two plates move apart.
8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
10.
Which of the following is most responsible for the
formation of new crust at the edge of a tectonic plate?
A. mountain building at a continent-continent convergent
boundary
B. magma rising up from the mantle at a divergent boundary
C. two tectonic plates sliding past one another at a transform
boundary
D. subduction of one oceanic plate under another at a
convergent boundary
11. Which of these features is formed by the separation of the
North American and Eurasian tectonic plates?
A. Ice cave
B. Deep trench
C. Rift Valley
D. Flat plateau
8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
12. Depending on the type of crust converging, subduction
between plates happens at certain boundaries in the world. All of
the following are true of subduction EXCEPT?
A. It creates trenches in the ocean and volcanism on land.
B. The more dense oceanic crust subducts in the ocean and
causes deep ocean trenches to form.
C. The less dense oceanic crust subducts under the
continental crust to create a trench.
D. Due to subduction all around the Pacific Ocean the pacific
ring of fire, a line of volcanism, exists.
13.Which table represents a land feature or geologic process that
occurs at each type of boundary based on crustal plate?
A.
C.
B.
D.
8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
14. To model convergent boundaries a student uses two slabs of
clay. He then slowly pushes the model plates towards each other.
The result is a model of a mountain. Which statement below is
NOT true about the model the student created and Newton’s laws
of motion?
A. The clay plates moved due to unbalanced forces.
B. Much force is needed to move Earth’s plates due to their
large mass.
C. The clay plates would continue to stay in motion until an
unbalanced force is applied.
D. The tectonic plates have little inertia because they are
always slowly moving.
15.Which of the following statements best describes the transfer
of energy that takes place in the interior of the Earth, responsible
for the movement of the lithosphere?
A. The warmer denser material closer to the core rises towards
the crust and the cooler less dense material sinks towards
the core to be reheated.
B. The cooler denser material closer to the core rises towards
the crust and the warmer less dense material sinks towards
the core to be reheated.
C. The cooler denser material further from the core sinks and
the warmer less dense material rises towards the crust.
D. The warmer less dense material closer to the core rises
towards the crust and then cools to form new crust.
8th Grade Campus Assessment- NSMS
Plate Tectonics
16. Harry Hess was an Admiral in the Navy. During his career he
took several core samples of the ocean floor. Which of the
following evidence did not lead to the theory of seafloor
spreading?
A. Matching fossil evidence from the North American and
African continents.
B. Alternating magnetic polarization in the Earth’s crust.
C. New crust can be found around the mid-ocean ridge while
old crust can be found at the edges of the plates near
subduction zones.
D. A large ridge that encircles the Earth was discovered. This
ridge had magma rising from the center forming new crust.