Deck 16: The Evolving Earth

Question 1

The boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other is called a

A)normal fault.
B)transform fault.
C)syncline.
D)subduction zone.

Answer 1

transform fault.

Question 2

The San Andreas Fault in California is the result of the Pacific plate moving

A)toward the North American plate.
B)away from the North American plate.
C)vertically upward with respect to the North American plate.
D)parallel to the North American plate.

Answer 2

parallel to the North American plate.

Question 3

A fractured surface in the earth's crust, one side of which has moved relative to the other, is called a

A)fault.
B)fault scarp.
C)sill.
D)dike.

Answer 3

fault.

Question 4

Gondwana did not contain

A)North America.
B)South America.
C)Africa.
D)Australia.

Question 5

The earth's crust in midocean

A)is always solid and thin relative to the continents.
B)is always solid and thick relative to the continents.
C)may have rifts through which molten rock rises and spreads out.
D)may have rifts through which the ocean floors sink downward.

Question 6

The magnetizations of ocean-floor rocks alternate in direction in strips

A)parallel to adjacent midocean ridges.
B)perpendicular to adjacent midocean ridges.
C)parallel to adjacent continental margins.
D)perpendicular to adjacent continental margins.

Question 7

The youngest of the following mountain ranges is the

A)Sierra Nevada.
B)Rockies.
C)Appalachians.
D)Himalayas.

Question 8

The ancient supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana were separated by the

A)Atlantic Ocean.
B)Pacific Ocean.
C)Tethys Sea.
D)Caribbean Sea.

Question 9

Relative to the ocean floors, the continents are

A)much younger.
B)about the same age.
C)much older.
D)Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the ocean and continent.

Question 10

Most volcanoes are found

A)where continental plates collide with each other.
B)in the interior of continents.
C)along subduction zones where oceanic plates move under continental plates.
D)along transform faults where the edges of two plates slide past each other.

Question 11

In the course of 100 years, a lithosphere plate will typically have moved

A)3 mm.
B)3 m.
C)3 km.
D)300 km.

Question 12

The shell of rigid rock that makes up the earth's crust and the outer part of the mantle is called the

A)lithosphere.
B)asthenosphere.
C)thermosphere.
D)subduction zone.

Question 13

Pangaea consisted of

A)Laurasia and Gondwana.
B)North and South America.
C)North America, Greenland, and most of Eurasia.
D)South America, Africa, Antarctica, India, and Australia.

Question 14

Relative to the thickness of the earth's crust under the oceans, under the continents the crust is

A)thinner.
B)about the same in thickness.
C)thicker.
D)Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the continent.

Question 15

The oldest of the following is the

A)Atlantic Ocean.
B)Tethys Sea.
C)Andes.
D)Himalayas.

Question 16

It is believed that India

A)was always part of the Asian landmass.
B)rose from the Tethys Sea.
C)was once separated from Asia and later migrated to its present position.
D)is moving away from the Asian landmass.

Question 17

Compared with granitic continental crust, basaltic oceanic crust is

A)less dense.
B)about as dense.
C)more dense.
D)Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the location.

Question 18

The principle of uniform change is credited to

A)Charles Lyell.
B)Charles Darwin.
C)Abraham Werner.
D)Bishop Ussher.

Question 19

Iceland was once

A)a coral reef.
B)magma that rose from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
C)part of Laurasia.
D)part of the Appalachian mountain range.

Question 20

The subduction zone where the edge of a plate slides underneath an adjacent plate and eventually melts is never

A)located at a midocean ridge.
B)located at the margin of a continent.
C)associated with a mountain range.
D)associated with a chain of islands.

Question 21

The theory of evolution is supported by which one or more of the following?

A)the fossil record of organisms in the past
B)the distribution of life forms around the world
C)similarities in the anatomies of different species
D)the occurrence of mutations
E)All of the above

Question 22

At one time during the Paleozoic era

A)all of North America was a vast mountain range.
B)two-thirds of North America was covered by water.
C)mammals were abundant in North America.
D)prehistoric man arrived in North America.

Question 23

Evolution in living things

A)stopped at the end of Precambrian time.
B)stopped at the start of the Cenozoic era.
C)stopped in 4004 B.C.
D)is continuing today.

Question 24

Paleozoic rocks are noteworthy for the presence of

A)dinosaur fossils.
B)fossils of early humans.
C)coal deposits.
D)radiocarbon deposits.

Question 25

Flowering plants first appeared in the

A)Cenozoic era.
B)Mesozoic era.
C)Paleozoic era.
D)late Precambrian.

Question 26

The O₂ in the atmosphere

A)was present since the earth was formed.
B)was emitted by volcanoes.
C)is the result of sunlight decomposing water vapor.
D)was produced by photosynthesis.

Question 27

Which one of the following is not a fossil?

A)an insect trapped in amber
B)the track of a dinosaur
C)a tooth of an extinct species of horse
D)ancient raindrop impressions preserved in shale

Question 28

The theory of evolution is credited to

A)Charles Lyell.
B)Charles Darwin.
C)Abraham Werner.
D)Bishop Ussher.

Question 29

Arrange the following animals in the order of their appearance in the geologic record: 1.birds
2)fish
3)reptiles
4)invertebrates

A)4, 2, 3, 1
B)3, 1, 2, 4
C)1, 2, 3, 4
D)2, 3, 4, 1

Question 30

The correct sequence of geologic time divisions from longest to shortest is

A)epoch, period, era.
B)period, epoch, era.
C)epoch, era, period.
D)era, period, epoch.

Question 31

Evidence suggests that large-scale biological extinctions may have been caused by which one or more of the following?

A)immense volcanic eruptions
B)world-wide floods
C)asteroid impacts
D)fluctuations in the sun's energy output
E)Both A and C

Question 32

The most recent division of geologic time is

A)Precambrian time.
B)the Paleozoic era.
C)the Mesozoic era.
D)the Cenozoic era.

Question 33

Conditions for the preservation of fossils are best fulfilled

A)in the desert.
B)on the floors of shallow seas.
C)on ocean floors.
D)on river beds.

Question 34

Birds are descended from

A)mammals.
B)dinosaurs.
C)fish.
D)insects.

Question 35

Radiocarbon dating is limited to the remains of plants and animals that died no longer ago than about

A)100 years.
B)5700 years.
C)40,000 years.
D)1,000,000 years.

Question 36

Living things have been present on the earth

A)only in the most recent geological era.
B)only since Pangaea split into Laurasia and Gondwana.
C)for most of its existence.
D)for all of its existence.

Question 37

In general, ancient forms of life are

A)simpler than those of today.
B)more complex than those of today.
C)about the same in complexity as those of today, although different.
D)similar to those of today.

Question 38

The oldest division of geologic time is

A)Precambrian time.
B)the Paleozoic era.
C)the Mesozoic era.
D)the Cenozoic era.

Question 39

Fossils are least likely to be found in

A)limestone.
B)sandstone.
C)shale.
D)granite.

Question 40

Each of the following elements has at least one radioactive isotope.Which is not useful in geochronology?

A)potassium
B)rubidium
C)uranium
D)plutonium

Question 41

The line of descent of humans broke away from that of the apes roughly

A)15,000 years ago.
B)100,000 years ago.
C)6 million years ago.
D)100 million years ago.

Question 42

During the Cenozoic era

A)Laurasia and Gondwana split into today's continents.
B)lithospheric plates stopped moving.
C)shallow seas covered most of the continents.
D)mammals became the dominant form of animal life.

Question 43

During the Ice Age of the Pleistocene epoch

A)ice sheets covered the entire earth.
B)there was a single period of widespread glaciation.
C)all animal life disappeared.
D)our ancestors managed to survive.

Question 44

Which of the following statements is in accord with present knowledge?

A)Coal and petroleum originated from plant matter from swamps.
B)Coal and petroleum originated from marine life such as algae and plankton.
C)Coal originated from plant matter and petroleum from marine life.
D)Coal originated from marine life and petroleum from plant matter.

Question 45

Iridium is an element relatively

A)abundant on earth but rare in meteorites.
B)rare on earth but abundant in meteorites.
C)abundant both on earth and in meteorites.
D)rare both on earth and in meteorites.

Question 46

The dinosaurs disappeared at the end of

A)Precambrian time.
B)the Paleozoic era.
C)the Mesozoic era.
D)the Cenozoic era.

Question 47

Pangaea split into Laurasia and Gondwana during

A)Precambrian time.
B)the Paleozoic era.
C)the Mesozoic era.
D)the Cenozoic era.

Question 48

Classed as mammals are

A)reptiles.
B)fish.
C)birds.
D)human beings.

Question 49

Mammals originated in

A)Precambrian time.
B)the Paleozoic era.
C)the Mesozoic era.
D)the Cenozoic era.

Question 50

Climates in the Cenozoic era

A)were always cooler than today.
B)were always warmer than today.
C)were sometimes cooler and sometimes warmer than today.
D)were always about the same as today.

Question 51

The dinosaurs

A)were reptiles.
B)were giant mammals.
C)disappeared gradually over a long period of time.
D)still existed when the early humans appeared.