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Earth Science—First 9-Weeks Test Study Guide
Scientific Investigation:
1. Be able to list the steps in order for the scientific method, using these phrases: 1)propose an outcome 2)
state the problem 3)make a conclusion 4)gather data. (Notes, pg 8)
2. If the independent variable is the variable being tested in an experiment, all other controllable variables
must be kept – (1, p. 10)
3. What is the formula for density? (Notes, pg 46)
4. How do we determine the mass, volume, and density of an irregular object such as a rock? (Notes)
5. Which is a valid process for supporting your hypothesis? Experimentation or altering your results?
6. How do you determine volume of an object using a beaker or graduated cylinder?
7. About how many times greater is the Pacific Ocean’s volume of water compared the Atlantic Ocean’s
volume of water?
Latitude, Longitude, and Maps:
8. Use pages 160-161, your notes, and/or a map to answer the following:
a) Know how to locate a point on a map if given the latitude and longitude.
9. On a Mercator map of North America, Canada and Alaska together appear larger than the United States
and Mexico together when in fact they are smaller. What causes this distortion? (6, 164)
10. If given two points on a map, be able to determine the compass direction to get from one point to the
other. For example, in what direction is Richmond, Virginia from Suffolk, Virginia?
11. Be able to determine elevation by using the contour interval
12. How do you identify a steep slope vs. a gently sloping land on a topographic map? (Notes, pg. 166)
13. What is the longitude of Richmond, VA?
14. What would a volcano (mountain with a crater at the top) look like on a topographic map? (pg. 166)
15. If you measured one inch on a map, what would the distance be on the Earth’s surface for each of the
following scales (notes and 6, p.168): a) 1:24000
16. Given two points on a map, what is the procedure to determine their actual distance apart on land?
(notes, map activities)
17. If a rectangular, 2-dimensional map was made from satellite images of the Earth, there would be large
areas of light and dark shading. What would these areas represent? (notes)
18. Where would a river flow faster? On a steep slope or a gentle slope?
Astronomy:
19. The first manned mission to land on the moon was called— (22, 642)
20. About how long does it take the Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis? (23, 661)
21. What causes days and nights? (23, 661)
22. Why would a person weigh more on the Earth than on the moon? (notes)
23. The Southern Hemisphere is warmer in January than in July because— (23, 664)
24. If the Earth is in the winter solstice position for the northern hemisphere, what part of the Earth would
receive the most direct sunlight?
25. Why do we see only one side of the moon? (Notes, pg. 666-667)
26. What are the positions of the sun, Earth, and moon during a lunar eclipse? (23, 670)
27. When Mercury or Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun, they are visible as a tiny black dot on
the sun’s bright disk. Why is Mars never visible in this same way? (Infer from planet positions, p.690)
28. Orbital velocity is the average speed of a planet moving through space in its orbit around the sun. What
planet has the fastest orbital velocity? (24, 694)
29. Which planet is often called “Earth’s twin” because it is similar in mass and diameter to the Earth?
(24, 697)
30. Which planet rotates the fastest?
31. Processes on Mars are very similar to the processes on Earth. The presence of shifting sand dunes on
mars would indicate the existence of what phenomenon on Mars? (Infer from p. 700)
32. Saturn’s volume is 762 times the volume of Earth, and yet its mass is only about 95 times that of Earth’s
mass. This is due to Saturn’s— (24, 704)
33. Which planet could float in water and why? Would Earth float? Why? (24, p.704)
34. The planet Uranus is unusual because its axis of rotation lies almost in the plane of its revolution. If the
axis is pointing toward the sun, what amount of sunlight would be received at a point on the pole facing
away from the sun when the planet turns once on its axis? (24, 705, fig. 14)
35. Which planet in the Solar System has an orbit so eccentric that it crosses the orbit of another planet? (pg.
706).
36. Periodically, there are spectacular meteor showers on Earth. These showers usually occur because the
Earth’s orbit passes through the remains of — (24, 712)
37. What are the numerous rocks called between Mars and Jupiter?— (24, 712)
38. How can a planet be distinguished from a star as they are seen in the night sky? (notes)
39. The pole star, Polaris, is nearly stationary and straight overhead when seen from the North Pole. When
viewed from the equator, it would be-- (Infer from ch.25, 725, notes)
40. A star might be much brighter than it appears to be. This is called the star’s absolute magnitude. The
difference in apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude is due primarily to the star’s— (25, 726)
41. Parallax can be used to measure a star’s— (25, 727)
42. A light-year measures— (25, 727)
43. Which layer of the sun is the most dense? (25, 729, study figure)
44. Our sun fuses— (25, 729)
45. The sun produces energy by the process of— (25, 729)
46. What powers stars? (25, 735-736)
47. What is the first stage of a star’s life called?—(25, 737-738)
48. Which evolutionary stage of a massive star comes after a red giant? (25, 737)
49. The redshift of light from distant galaxies provides evidence that they are moving away from each other
and, therefore, that the universe is— (25, 743)
50. What is the final stage of life for a low mass star?