SparkNotes: Earth: Review Quiz

Earth's atmosphere is different from Venus' and Mars' because

(A) It contains less nitrogen

(B) It contains a large percentage of helium

(C) It contains molecular oxygen

(D) It is primarily carbon dioxide

Eratosthenes thought that

(A) The Earth was flat

(B) The Earth was round, and found its radius

(C) The Earth was round, because he observed solar eclipses

(D) The Earth was square

The pressure of Earth's atmosphere is

(A) Lower than Venus' and Mars'

(B) Higher than Venus' and Mars'

(C) Between that of Venus' and Mars'

(D) The same as Mars', but less than Venus'

Earth's atmosphere contains a small % of carbon dioxide because of

(A) The oceans and photosynthetic organisms

(B) Volcanism

(C) Plate tectonics

(D) Radioactive decay

The greenhouse effect is ... effective because of the presence of liquid oceans.

(A) More

(B) Less

(C) Equally

Plate tectonics is active on

(A) Earth and Mars

(B) All planets of the inner solar system

(C) Earth and Venus

(D) Earth only

Subduction zones are where

(A) New crust is created

(B) Old crust is destroyed

(C) Two tectonic plates move along each other

(D) Two tectonic plates move away from each other

Continental shelves are

(A) Not part of continents

(B) Outcroppings of the mantle

(C) High plains on continents

(D) Submerged parts of continents

The mantle is

(A) A liquid portion of the Earth between core and crust

(B) A location in Iceland

(C) A fluid but viscous region at the center of the Earth

(D) A fluid but viscous region underneath Earth's crust

Basalt is

(A) More dense than continental rock

(B) Less dense than continental rock

(C) Less dense than oceanic rock

(D) Formed in accumulations at the bottom of the ocean

Shield volcanoes erupt

(A) Explosively

(B) Every thousand years or so

(C) Fluid magma, with little gas

(D) Fluid magma, with a lot of gas

The Andes are a mountain chain caused by

(A) Two colliding continents

(B) An oceanic rift by a continent

(C) A series of rifts

(D) A subduction zone by a continent

The extinction of the dinasaurs was caused by

(A) A meteoric impact

(B) Widespread volcanic eruptions

(C) Viruses

(D) Mammals

Meteoric craters are not common on Earth because

(A) As compared to other planets, there are few meteoric impacts

(B) Wind and water erode them away

(C) Over the ages volcanic eruptions cover them with lava

(D) Ants burrow through them and make them collapse