Deck 17: The Atmosphere

Question 1

The most abundant constituent of our atmosphere is ____.

A) nitrogen
B) oxygen
C) helium
D) ozone

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Life could not have emerged in an atmosphere rich in ____.

A) hydrogen
B) oxygen
C) nitrogen
D) argon

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A solution that is neither acidic nor basic has a neutral ____________________.

Answer 3

pH

Question 4

During the evolution of Earth's atmosphere, when enough oxygen had accumulated in seawater, iron-rich minerals precipitated on the sea floor and became the ____________________ formations that are mined for iron today.

Question 5

____________________ are particles or particulates that are suspended in air.

Question 6

Earth's initial atmosphere composition 4.6 billion years ago was mainly ____.

A) hydrogen and helium
B) helium and carbon dioxide
C) carbon dioxide and oxygen
D) nitrogen and helium

Question 7

Little radiation is absorbed in the ____________________ (between about 55 and 80 kilometers above Earth's surface), and the thin air is extremely cold.

Question 8

A first rapid increase of oxygen in the atmosphere (the First Great Oxidation Event) occurred about ____ years ago.

A) 4.4 billion
B) 2.4 billion
C) 1 billion
D) 600 million

Question 9

The layer of air closest to Earth, the layer we live in, is the ____________________.

Question 10

____________________ were the earliest photosynthetic life-forms on Earth.

Question 11

A rapid rise in oxygen levels occurred in Earth's atmosphere 600 million years ago (the Second Great Oxidation Event) because geochemical processes began to favor ____.

A) respiration and decay
B) photosynthesis
C) outgassing
D) cyanobacteria

Question 12

The pressure exerted by air is the ____________________.

Question 13

____________________ are compounds that rise into the stratosphere that react with, and destroy, the ozone layer.

Question 14

When coal burns, some minerals escape from the chimney as ____________________, which settles as gritty dust.

Question 15

____________________ reacts in moist air to produce sulfuric acid.

Question 16

During the ____________________, about 2.4 billion years ago, oxygen concentration in the atmosphere increased to appreciable quantities.

Question 17

____________________ in the stratosphere absorbs ultraviolet radiation.

Question 18

A toxic ____________________ is a byproduct of any process that releases harmful compounds into the air.

Question 19

The major legislation that dictates federal air pollution policy is the ____________________.

Question 20

Smog is produced when automobile exhaust is exposed to ____________________.

Question 21

____ is the release of volatiles from Earth's mantle in volcanic eruptions.

A) Intrusion
B) Oxidation
C) Outgassing
D) Photosynthesis

Question 22

Earth's primordial atmosphere ____.

A) contained no oxygen
B) was an effective filter that absorbed high-energy ultraviolet rays
C) was mainly oxygen
D) was formed by biological processes

Question 23

The rise of oxygen in the modern atmosphere is partially due to the preservation of organic matter before it could _____.

A) chemosynthesize
B) convert into sugars
C) decay
D) photosynthesize

Question 24

Earth's earliest organisms were probably ____.

A) multicellular plants
B) cyanobacteria
C) photosynthesizers
D) chemosynthesizers

Question 25

Which of the following shows the correct order of the atmospheric layers, from the lowest layer to the highest layer?

A) thermosphere → stratosphere → troposphere → mesosphere
B) troposphere → mesosphere → stratosphere → thermosphere
C) stratosphere → troposphere → mesosphere → thermosphere
D) troposphere → stratosphere → mesosphere → thermosphere

Question 26

Earth's modern atmosphere ____.

A) is composed of 78 percent nitrogen
B) does not filter high-energy ultraviolet rays
C) is similar to that found on Venus
D) is composed of 80 percent oxygen

Question 27

The atmosphere becomes ____.

A) less dense with increasing altitude
B) more dense with increasing altitude
C) evenly dense with increasing altitude
D) less dense throughout the troposphere and then more dense in the stratosphere

Question 28

The First Great Oxidation Event was likely a result of ____.

A) photosynthesis
B) oxygen production by zooplankton
C) a combination of biological and geochemical processes
D) accelerated weathering caused by lichens

Question 29

The layer of air closest to Earth's surface is the ____.

A) tropopause
B) troposphere
C) mesosphere
D) stratosphere

Question 30

In the ____, temperature increases with altitude, because ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation.

A) troposphere
B) stratosphere
C) mesosphere
D) thermosphere

Question 31

Which statement describes the process of photosynthesis?

A) Chlorophyll-bearing plants convert oxygen and water to organic sugars and release carbon dioxide.
B) Chlorophyll-bearing plants convert carbon dioxide and water to organic sugars and release oxygen.
C) Primitive bacteria convert hydrogen and oxygen into water.
D) Primitive bacteria obtain energy from reactions with minerals.

Question 32

The highest portion of the atmosphere that absorbs high-energy X-ray and ultraviolet radiation is the ____.

A) hydrosphere
B) troposphere
C) mesosphere
D) thermosphere

Question 33

Atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately equal to one ____.

A) pound at one degree centigrade
B) bar
C) square inch of air
D) meter

Question 34

During photosynthesis, plants convert ____ and ____ to organic sugars and oxygen.

A) carbon dioxide; water
B) nitrogen; water
C) methane; carbon dioxide
D) nitrogen; methane

Question 35

The primary source of sulfur dioxide pollution is ____.

A) automobile exhaust
B) coal-fired electric generators
C) nuclear power plants
D) chemical manufacturing

Question 36

The largest source of air pollutants in the United States come from ____.

A) power plants
B) transportation
C) factories
D) wood-burning stoves

Question 37

Solar energy breaks oxygen molecules apart in the stratosphere, releasing ____, that then combine with additional oxygen molecules to form ____.

A) oxygen atoms; carbon dioxide
B) ozone; CFCs
C) ozone; oxygen atoms
D) oxygen atoms; ozone

Question 38

Completely burned hydrocarbons produce ____.

A) carbon dioxide and water
B) benzene and toxic volatiles
C) carbon dioxide, soot, and fly ash
D) oxygen and water

Question 39

James Lovelock used the term ____ to refer to Earth, comparing it to a living creature due to the interconnectivity of all of its systems.

A) Gaia
B) Pangea
C) Venus
D) Hydra

Question 40

Air pressure is measured with ____.

A) anemometers
B) thermometers
C) compasses
D) barometers

Question 41

The Clean Air Act and its amendments have done little to decrease total emissions of air pollutants.

Question 42

Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon monoxide (CO), which is colorless, odorless, and toxic.

Question 43

Donora-type incidents in the United States have not been repeated.

Question 44

The earliest organisms on Earth required an oxygen-rich environment to survive.

Question 45

Temperature decreases continuously with altitude in all atmospheric layers.

Question 46

In early Earth history, banded iron formations formed as a result of dissolved oxygen increasing beyond the threshold level.

Question 47

An aerosol is any particle or particulate that is suspended in air.

Question 48

Which statement about dioxin is true?

A) Dioxin concentrates and accumulates in human muscle tissue.
B) Scientists have proven that very small doses of dioxin in the environment are carcinogenic.
C) Large amounts of dioxin are intentionally manufactured in the United States.
D) The EPA has argued that dioxin is the most toxic chemical known.

Question 49

Oxygen comprises most of the air we breath.

Question 50

Fly ash is composed of noncombustible minerals that escape into the atmosphere when coal burns.

Question 51

The process of smog formation occurs when incompletely burned gasoline reacts with nitrogen oxide and sunlight to form ozone, which in turn reacts with ____.

A) sulfur dioxide
B) fog
C) water vapor
D) automobile exhaust

Question 52

In the United States, the cost of deterioration of buildings and materials from acid precipitation ____.

A) is now a minor problem
B) is estimated at several million dollars per year
C) is estimated at several billion dollars per year
D) has substantially reduced due to the implementation of the Clean Air Act

Question 53

Chlorofluorocarbons and halons destroy ozone in the stratosphere.

Question 54

Acidic precipitation is produced by ____.

A) sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolving in moist air
B) exhaust from nuclear fission reactors
C) atmospheric inversion
D) sunlight reacting with automobile exhaust

Question 55

Most iron is mined from banded iron formations.

Question 56

Acid precipitation forms when sulfur dioxide reacts with ozone in the stratosphere.

Question 57

Incompletely burned gasoline in automobile exhaust reacts to deplete ozone in the troposphere.

Question 58

Chlorofluorocarbons are compounds that react with ____.

A) incompletely burned gasoline to form ozone
B) sulfur to form aerosols that cool Earth
C) and destroy ozone
D) and produce ozone

Question 59

Ozone is both a pollutant and a beneficial component of the atmosphere, depending on elevation.

Question 60

The ozone in the upper atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing much of the high-energy ultraviolet light before it reaches Earth's surface.

Question 61

When did cyanobacteria first begin producing oxygen?

Question 62

What is the composition (in percentages) of the modern atmosphere?

Question 63

Without our atmosphere, how would gas molecules behave?

Question 64

Define tropopause.

Question 65

What role did zooplankton play in the process for sequestering organic matter approximately 600 million years ago?

Question 66

How much is a bar and a millibar when expressing pressure?

Question 67

What is an aneroid barometer and how does it work?

Question 68

Describe the stratopause, mesosphere, mesopause, and thermosphere.

Question 69

When the Solar System formed, what two elements were abundant and what happened to these elements?

Question 70

Which four elements did Miller and Urey hypothesized that the Earth's atmosphere consisted of approximately 4 billion years ago?

Question 71

Which two elements were in our Solar System when it formed from a clod of gas and dust?

Question 72

On the pH scale, what pH level is neutral, what does the numbers lower and higher than 7 represent?

Question 73

What are banded iron formations?

Question 74

What role did lichens play in the process for sequestering organic matter approximately 600 million years ago?

Question 75

What was James Lovelock's hypothesis?

Question 76

What are the oldest known mineral grains on Earth? How old are they and in what material are they preserved in?

Question 77

What happens during photosynthesis?

Question 78

Without an atmosphere, describe what the Earth would be like.

Question 79

Describe a simple barometer and how it works.

Question 80

How might the first living organisms have formed?