Deck 12: Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

Question 1

What would have happened to Earth if the Sun had been significantly larger than it is?

A) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not evolve.
B) Liquid water and the water cycle would not exist.
C) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
D) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.

Answer 1

Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not evolve.

Question 2

Through repeated collisions, planetesimals grew into eight______ .

A) protoplanets
B) protons
C) protostars
D) protosuns

Answer 2

protoplanets

Question 3

The ______ means "the Sun in the making."

A) presun
B) nebular Sun
C) sol
D) solar disk
E) protosun

Answer 3

protosun

Question 4

The largest of the stars are denoted by the letter______ .

A) I
B) K
C) G
D) M

Question 5

Early Earth was hot because ______.

A) a combination of collisions and radioactive decay produced heat
B) the moon's formation from an giant impact produced heat
C) gravitational collapse generates heat
D) the Sun was much larger and heated the early planet
E) there was still heat from the original big bang

Question 6

The Goldilocks scenario suggests that ______.

A) we are very fortunate that dinosaurs were destroyed but left us an inhabitable planet
B) we are very fortunate to be in a solar system where life can develop and be sustained
C) we are very fortunate that the meteorites that have bombarded Earth over time were not too large or too small
D) we are very fortunate to be in the right place in the universe and to have had the right condition to develop and sustain life

Question 7

The heaviest element produced by nuclear fusion in a young star is______ .

A) sodium
B) nickel
C) iron
D) helium
E) oxygen

Question 8

What would have happened if Earth were located 10% further out from the Sun?

A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
B) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not evolve.
C) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
D) Our oceans would all be frozen.

Question 9

Why is the mass of Earth important for life?

A) If Earth had more or less mass, it would not have plate tectonics and would be covered entirely by water.
B) If Earth's mass were greater, we would be bombarded by meteorites and if it were smaller, we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
C) If Earth had more or less mass, the atmosphere would be very different with either too much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and water.
D) If Earth's mass were significantly different, we would be bombarded by cosmic rays that would strip away our atmosphere.

Question 10

Why is it important that we have a rigid lithosphere overlying a weak asthenosphere?

A) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, the atmosphere would be very different with either too much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and water.
B) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, we would be bombarded by cosmic rays that would strip away our atmosphere.
C) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, the earth would not have plate tectonics and would be covered entirely by water.
D) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, we would be bombarded by meteorites and we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.

Question 11

As they formed, due to their high temperatures and comparatively weak gravitational fields, which planets were unable to retain appreciable amounts of hydrogen, helium, and ammonia?

A) Uranus and Pluto
B) Jupiter and Neptune
C) Mercury and Earth
D) Neptune and Uranus
E) Jupiter and Uranus

Question 12

Earth formed approximately______ years ago.

A) 4,600,000,000
B) 33,200,000,000,000
C) 5,000
D) 11,000,000
E) 13,700,000,000

Question 13

Why is the molten metallic outer core and the magnetic field important to life on Earth?

A) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, we would be bombarded by meteorites and we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
B) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, we would be bombarded by cosmic rays that would strip away our atmosphere.
C) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, the atmosphere would be very different with either too much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and water.
D) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, the earth would not have plate tectonics and would be covered entirely by water.

Question 14

What would have happened to Earth if it were 10% closer to the sun?

A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
B) Liquid water and the water cycle would not exist.
C) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
D) Our sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not evolve.

Question 15

Which of the following was an important factor in determining where the small rocky planets formed as opposed to where the light, gaseous planets formed?

A) temperature
B) velocity
C) density
D) viscosity
E) gravity

Question 16

The first elements to form after "Big Bang" were______ .

A) oxygen and hydrogen
B) oxygen and iron
C) helium and hydrogen
D) hydrogen and iron
E) helium and oxygen

Question 17

Planetesimals, asteroid- size objects, form during the early history of the solar nebula due to ______.

A) collisions of particles of ice, metal, and rocky material rotating about the protosun
B) the formation of comets in the outer parts of the solar nebula
C) the break- up of the solar nebula as it cools and contracts
D) vortices in the rotating disc associated with the protosun

Question 18

As the solar system began forming, the first materials to condense into small particles were ______and nickel.

A) silicon
B) carbon
C) oxygen
D) nitrogen
E) none of these

Question 19

Which one of the following represents the greatest expanse of geological time?

A) Precambrian
B) Mesozoic
C) Paleozoic
D) Cenozoic

Question 20

Earth's core, mantle, and crust formed during the______ .

A) Tertiary
B) Archaean
C) Proterozoic
D) Paleozoic
E) Hadean

Question 21

Much of the early hydrogen and helium escaped the earth's atmosphere into space because______ .

A) solar winds were weak
B) Earth's gravity was strong
C) Earth's gravity was weak
D) solar winds were strong
E) All of the above

Question 22

The Great Oxygen Event marks the time, approximately 2.5 billion years ago, when ______ .

A) there was enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support a major burst of life on Earth
B) there was a massive volcanic eruption that lead to a very rapid increase in oxygen levels on Earth
C) there was significant oxygen in the atmosphere
D) there was a cataclysmic weather event that absorbed most of the oxygen in the atmosphere and locked it into iron deposits in the oceans
E) photosynthesis was clearly established and producing oxygen

Question 23

The modern oceans are a major repository for the greenhouse gas______ , which some organisms utilize to make their shells.

A) iron oxide
B) ammonia
C) SiO₂
D) CO₂
E) limestone

Question 24

In the early history of Earth, the solid surface of the earth weathered more rapidly than now because ______ .

A) there was little topography so shallow water washed across the surface often
B) the rocks at the surface were weak because there was little oxygen available
C) the early rain was very acidic
D) there were numerous earthquakes and volcanoes breaking up the surface
E) the atmosphere contained large amounts of corrosive methane

Question 25

Earth's primitive atmosphere evolved from gases ______.

A) expelled from within the earth
B) from the Sun
C) collected from the nebula
D) escaping from water
E) produced by radioactive decay

Question 26

The process in which plants use light energy to synthesize food sugars from carbon dioxide is called______ .

A) photosynthesis
B) oxidation
C) hydration
D) fusion
E) none of these

Question 27

Antarctica became glaciated because______ .

A) ocean circulation changed with the southward movement of South America
B) global climate changed with the formation of the Himalayan Mountains
C) it moved to a position over the south pole
D) a meteorite impact changed the earth's tilt axis
E) ocean circulation changed with the northward movement of South America

Question 28

The first bacteria probably used______ instead of water as a source of hydrogen.

A) HCl
B) OH^{- 1}
C) H₂SO₄
D) H₂S
E) Fe₃O₄^.OH

Question 29

The major source of free oxygen in the atmosphere is from ______ .

A) water
B) silicate minerals
C) glaciers
D) green plants
E) molten rock

Question 30

According to your text, which type of body would have looked similar to the photograph below in its early history?

A) Earth
B) the Sun
C) Venus
D) the Moon

Question 31

One important reason we do not know much about the geologic history of the Precambrian is that ______.

A) we have not yet been able to establish the half- lives for radioactive elements that existed in the Precambrian
B) rocks did not exist during much of that time
C) there are very few fossils preserved in Precambrian rocks
D) the climate was so harsh that erosion removed most of the rocks that formed during the Precambrian
E) radioactivity was not measurable during the Precambrian

Question 32

Continental crust is formed by______ .

A) plumes of hot igneous material that rise from the core- mantle boundary to form hot spots
B) melting and differentiation of oceanic crust at subduction zones
C) partial melting of mantle rocks
D) the original planetary accretion that also led to the formation of the earth's other layers
E) recycling of material in giant lava lakes in the early earth history

Question 33

The large size of insects and amphibians during the Pennsylvanian period has been suggested to be due to ______.

A) a lack of predators for early land forms
B) an excess of sunlight and water during that time
C) a decrease in methane in the atmosphere during that time
D) an excess of oxygen during that time
E) the emergence of a super continent that allowed greater areas for animals to evolve

Question 34

Zircons found in continental rocks give evidence that continental crust was forming as long ago as ______.

A) 1.9 billion years ago
B) 10,000 years ago
C) 564 million years ago
D) 70 million years ago
E) 4.4 billion years ago

Question 35

Most ______rocks are devoid of fossils, which hinders correlation of rocks.

A) Mesozoic
B) Mesozoic and Cenozoic
C) Paleozoic
D) Cenozoic
E) Precambrian

Question 36

Sea level rise can be caused by______ .

A) fast seafloor spreading
B) slow seafloor spreading
C) rapid erosion from continents that increase the sediment load in the oceans
D) the formation of supercontinents
E) slow erosion from continents that increase the size of land masses and displace water

Question 37

Banded Iron Formations are interbedded iron oxides and chert that formed on the sea floor between 3.5 and 2 billion years ago because _______.

A) iron and chert were abundant in the early Earth
B) iron was using the oxygen produced by bacteria and chert was a common ocean deposit
C) chert was being deposited by bacteria and iron was a common ocean deposit
D) outgassing produced both chert and iron oxide in roughly equal amounts
E) photosynthesis had not yet started to generate oxygen so iron and chert were deposited on the sea floor

Question 38

One significant difference between oceanic and continental crust in terms of the long term evolution of Earth's surface is that______.

A) continental crust is harder to subduct than oceanic crust
B) continental crust is more uniform in composition than oceanic crust
C) oceanic crust preserves a history of ancient deformation better than continental crust
D) oceanic crust contains more radioactive elements that contribute to the heating of the earth
E) oceanic crust is less dense than continental crust

Question 39

In Rodinia, a well- documented Precambrian supercontinent, ______.

A) there is no evidence of North America
B) North America and South America made up one continuous fragment
C) North America was located near the center of the supercontinent
D) North America was the last collision in the formation of the supercontinent
E) the Rocky Mountains were located to the south of the North American craton

Question 40

The waste gas released by plants as they synthesize food sugars from carbon dioxide and water is ______.

A) methane
B) nitrogen
C) carbon dioxide
D) oxygen

Question 41

During the early Paleozoic era, South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, India, and perhaps China comprised the vast southern continent of ______.

A) Antindia
B) Laurasia
C) Gondwanaland
D) Pangaea
E) Europe

Question 42

During the late Paleozoic, the present- day North America, Europe, western Asia, Siberia, and perhaps China formed the northern continent of______ .

A) Greenland
B) Laurasia
C) Gondwanaland
D) Africa
E) none of the above

Question 43

The slight eastward slope of the Great Plains was created during the Cenozoic by ______.

A) uplift of the expanding Basin and Range Province
B) tilting of the U.S. because of sediment deposited on the trailing edge of the plate
C) deposition of sediments shed from the eroding Rocky Mountains
D) uplift of the western U.S. due to volcanic activity
E) uplift of the western U.S. due to the formation of the Rocky Mountains

Question 44

At the start of the Triassic, most of the continents were above sea level, and sediments from that time are often red because ______.

A) they include iron oxides
B) the dry climate baked clays to form hornfels
C) they are a major source of uranium and red quartz
D) there are extensive dune fields
E) they contain extensive deposits of iron ore

Question 45

Which of the following is not a hypothesis for how life began?

A) Methane and ammonia in the early atmosphere combined with the help of lightning or ultraviolet light to produce the first amino acids.
B) Asteroids and comets brought amino acids to Earth.
C) Outgassing and related volcanic materials brought proto amino acids to the surface of the earth.
D) Methane and hydrogen sulfide from deep- sea hydrothermal vents and hot springs like those at Yellowstone National Park provided the necessary materials.

Question 46

A major site of sediment deposition during the Cenozoic was______.

A) central Texas
B) the central U.S.
C) the western coast of the U.S.
D) the Gulf of Mexico
E) the Rocky Mountains

Question 47

By the close of the Paleozoic, all the continents had fused into the single super continent of______ .

A) Pangaea
B) Europa
C) Appalachia
D) Laurasia
E) Gondwanaland

Question 48

The most common Precambrian fossils are _______ , layered mounds of calcium carbonate.

A) trilobites
B) eukaryotes
C) prokaryotes
D) chert
E) stromatolites

Question 49

A major economic deposit associated with the Cretaceous period is ______.

A) coal
B) sand
C) gold
D) platinum
E) uranium

Question 50

At the start of the Paleozoic, North America ______ .

A) had no plants or animals
B) was a large number of small fragments that had not yet collided
C) did not exist
D) was mountainous and dry
E) had abundant life

Question 51

The North American Cordillera formed as a result of______ .

A) the evolution of the San Andreas Fault zone
B) the subduction of the Pacific basin beneath North America
C) the growth of the Appalachian Mountains
D) the subduction of the Atlantic basin beneath North America

Question 52

During the______ era, the westward- moving North American plate began to override the Pacific plate, eventually causing the tectonic activity that ultimately formed the mountains of western North America.

A) Mesozoic
B) Precambrian
C) Cenozoic
D) Paleozoic
E) none of the above

Question 53

Scientists have found evidence that life existed at least 3.5 billion years ago______ .

A) on the Gulf Coast
B) in several locations around the world
C) throughout North and South America
D) in Kenya
E) in northern Siberia

Question 54

The Appalachian Mountains formed as a result of______ .

A) the collision of North America and Africa
B) the collision of Greenland and Norway
C) the break- up of Pangaea
D) the initial formation of Pangaea
E) the collision of North America and Europe

Question 55

Evidence that Gondwana formed near the South Pole include ______.

A) penguin fossils
B) paleomagnetic data from the region
C) identification of cold temperature mammals
D) evidence of continental glaciation

Question 56

A distinctive characteristic of prokaryotes is______ .

A) their oxygen based metabolism
B) their thick cell walls that separate the DNA from the rest of the cell
C) their methane based metabolism
D) their lack of a separation between the DNA and the rest of the cell
E) their ability to produce sugars

Question 57

What organic compounds are essential for DNA and RNA to form?

A) ammonia and methane
B) carbon dioxide
C) hydrogen sulfide
D) amino acids
E) oxygen

Question 58

The supercontinent of Pangaea began to break up during the______ era.

A) Mesozoic
B) Paleozoic
C) Cenozoic
D) Precambrian

Question 59

The Laramide Orogeny at the end of the Mesozoic produced ______.

A) the Alps in Europe
B) the Rocky Mountains in the western U.S.
C) the Himalayan Mountains in Asia
D) the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern U.S.
E) the Ural Mountains in Russia

Question 60

The beginning of the Phanerozoic is marked by the______ .

A) existence of a modern atmosphere
B) formation of large land masses
C) abundant life forms compared to earlier times
D) evolution of land plants and animals
E) development of hard body parts, such as shells and bones

Question 61

An important evolutionary step for reptiles was______ .

A) the formation of a true spine
B) the growth of scales from armor plating
C) lungs that could hold air
D) the development of shell- covered eggs

Question 62

The major adaptions that made it possible for mammals to evolve into their modern forms included all of the following except______ .

A) they developed specialized limbs to adapt to a varied life style
B) they became significantly larger
C) they developed a more efficient respiratory system
D) their brains increased in capacity
E) they developed specialized teeth to adapt to a varied diet

Question 63

During the Cambrian, Trilobites developed a flexible exoskeleton which allowed them to .______

A) burrow in soft sediment to find food
B) climb trees and find food
C) sink to the bottom of shallow ponds to find food
D) eat smaller life forms by crushing them in their jaws
E) avoid being eaten by other creatures

Question 64

The dominant life forms during the Cenozoic Era were______ .

A) prokaryotes and eukaryotes
B) reptiles and gymnosperms
C) mammals and angiosperms
D) fish and amphibians

Question 65

A major obstacle the first land plants had to overcome was______ .

A) finding food on land where there were no organic compounds
B) their lack of mobility because they needed water access
C) eliminating waste materials in the atmosphere
D) staying upright despite gravity and wind on land
E) the large number of plant eating organisms on land

Question 66

The first fully land- based animals were______.

A) stromatolites
B) eukaryotes
C) cephalopods
D) amphibians
E) reptiles

Question 67

The largest mass extinction in the Phanerozoic occurred in the______ .

A) Cambrian
B) Devonian
C) Miocene
D) Jurassic
E) Permian

Question 68

Which of the following is modern descendant of the Gymnosperm?

A) tulips
B) turkeys
C) crocodiles
D) pine trees
E) sharks

Question 69

Human ancestors developed the tendency to walk on two legs instead of four in order to accommodate______ .

A) riding elephants
B) climbing trees in the forests
C) picking fruit
D) hunting and gathering food in grasslands
E) running across hot ash beds in Tanzania

Question 70

Following the reptilian extinctions at the close of the Mesozoic, two groups of mammals, the marsupials and______ , evolved.

A) stromatolites
B) placentals
C) eukaryotes
D) cephalopods
E) trilobites

Question 71

Which type of bacteria thrive in environments that lack free oxygen?

A) foraminifera
B) anaerobic
C) photosynthetic
D) placental
E) aerobic

Question 72

What group of animals were the first to leave the ocean to become the first amphibians?

A) salamanders
B) lobe- finned fish
C) horn- beaked Cephalopods
D) trilobites

Question 73

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) Cambrian
B) Devonian
C) Jurassic
D) Mississippian

Question 74

Mammals became the dominant land animals during the ______ era.

A) Mesozoic
B) Pleistocene
C) Paleozoic
D) Cretaceous
E) Cenozoic

Question 75

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) brachiopods
B) trilobites
C) dinosaurs
D) fish

Question 76

At the start of the Mesozoic, the climate was______ .

A) very warm
B) very cold
C) humid
D) rapidly changing
E) dry

Question 77

Earth's most important internal heat source is/are______ .

A) solar winds
B) radioactivity melting
C) coal seams
D) planetary collisions

Question 78

Which era is sometimes called the "age of dinosaurs"?

A) Pleistocene
B) Cretaceous
C) Mesozoic
D) Cenozoic
E) none of these

Question 79

Birds evolved from______.

A) gymnosperms
B) apatosaurus
C) tree- climbing amphibians
D) pterosaurs
E) archaeopteryx

Question 80

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) Phanerozoic
B) Cenozoic
C) Paleozoic
D) Mesozoic