Deck 1: The Water Planet

Question 1

The residence time of water in the atmosphere is equal to the residence time of water in the oceans.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The Milky Way galaxy formed from an expanding nebula.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Water is moved through the hydrologic cycle at different rates and in different directions in each climate zone.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

If the axial rotation of Earth slowed, the day-to-night temperature variation on Earth's surface would decrease.

Question 5

Earth rotates on its axis from west to east.

Question 6

When viewed from above the South Pole, Earth rotates clockwise.

Question 7

The sidereal day is more constant and shorter than the solar day.

Question 8

The magnetic field surrounding Jupiter's moons may be the result of salt water bodies.

Question 9

The Milky Way galaxy contains about 200 billion stars.

Question 10

The hydrologic cycle requires an excess of evaporation over precipitation as averaged over the world's oceans.

Question 11

The middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere have about equal areas devoted to both land and water.

Question 12

Determination of latitude requires that time be kept very accurately.

Question 13

When crossing the international date line from east to west, the date increases by one day.

Question 14

All latitude circles are great circles.

Question 15

On average water in a river will have a longer residence time than water in the oceans.

Question 16

Radiometric dating is based on the rate at which a radioactive isotope decays.

Question 17

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are smaller in size and closer to the sun than Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune.

Question 18

Earth turns westward as it rotates on its axis.

Question 19

Our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy.

Question 20

There is more land located in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 21

Free oxygen was a common constituent of the Earth's early atmosphere.

Question 22

The mean radius of Earth is ____ meters.

A) 3.371 × 10²
B) 6.371 × 10⁴
C) 6.371 × 10⁶
D) 12.742 × 10⁶
E) 12.742 × 10⁹

Question 23

Lines of latitude are known as meridians.

Question 24

A great circle can be described as

A) having its center at Earth's center.
B) being the shortest path between two points on Earth's surface.
C) always being a straight line on an equatorial cylindrical projection.
D) having its center at Earth's center and being the shortest path between two points on Earth's surface.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 25

Planets exist outside of our solar system.

Question 26

The area north of 66½°N is in darkness when the sun is directly

A) over the equator.
B) over 23½°N
C) over 23½°S.
D) at the Arctic Circle.
E) at the Antarctic Circle.

Question 27

Earth is the ____ planet from the sun.

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth
E) fifth

Question 28

A cluster rarely contains more than 10 galaxies.

Question 29

Which circle of latitude or longitude has the smallest circumference?

A) the equator
B) 30°N
C) the prime meridian
D) 45°W
E) 80°S

Question 30

Earth's age is estimated at ____ years.

A) 4.6 × 10⁶
B) 3.7 × 10⁶
C) 4.6 × 10⁹
D) 3.7 × 10⁹
E) 4.6 × 10¹²

Question 31

If a sea exists on Jupiter's moon, Europa, it is probably much smaller and shallower than the Earth's ocean.

Question 32

The Big Bang occurred roughly ____ years ago.

A) 4.6 billion
B) 250 million
C) 13 billion
D) 10 billion
E) 750 million

Question 33

The Arctic and Antarctic circles are displaced ____ degrees from their respective poles.

A) 90
B) 66½
C) 45
D) 23½
E) 0

Question 34

During the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, the sun stands above

A) 23½°N.
B) 23½°S.
C) 0°.
D) 66½°N.
E) 66½°S.

Question 35

The mean surface temperature of Earth is about

A) 5°C.
B) 10°C.
C) 16°C.
D) 22°C.
E) 26°C.

Question 36

There is no evidence of a past or present ocean on any planet but Earth.

Question 37

On the autumnal equinox every place on Earth experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

Question 38

The sun stands directly above the equator

A) once each year.
B) twice each year.
C) once in midwinter (Northern Hemisphere).
D) once in midsummer (Northern Hemisphere).
E) None of these are correct.

Question 39

The Tropic of Capricorn is at ____ latitude.

A) 23½°N
B) 23½°S
C) 66½°N
D) 66½°S
E) 0°

Question 40

Longitude is given in degrees

A) east and west of the equator.
B) north and south of the equator.
C) east and west of the prime meridian.
D) north and south of the prime meridian.
E) None of these are correct; longitude is not measured in degrees.

Question 41

Which ocean basin is the largest?

A) Pacific
B) Atlantic
C) Indian
D) Arctic
E) None of these are correct.

Question 42

If a clock set to Greenwich Mean Time or Universal Time is moved to a location where Noon, according to the sun, occurs at 4:30 P.M. clock time, what is the longitude of the clock?

A) 67.5°W
B) 67.5°E
C) 43.0°E
D) 43.0°W
E) 0.0° longitude

Question 43

Which ocean basin is located primarily in the Southern Hemisphere?

A) Pacific
B) Atlantic
C) Indian
D) Arctic
E) None of these are correct.

Question 44

A time zone is approximately ____ degrees wide.

A) 5
B) 15
C) 90
D) 180
E) 365

Question 45

An area drawn on a hypsographic curve equates to a(n)

A) area of the Earth.
B) volume of land or water.
C) mean elevation or depth.
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these are correct.

Question 46

The residence time for water in any of Earth's principal reservoirs can be calculated by dividing

A) reservoir volume by rate of water supply.
B) rate of water removal by reservoir volume.
C) rate of water removal by water supply.
D) None of these are correct.
E) reservoir volume by rate of water supply, rate of water removal by reservoir volume, and rate of water removal by water supply.

Question 47

How many hours must be added to New York City's Eastern daylight time to obtain Greenwich Mean Time or Universal Time?

A) +5
B) -5
C) +4
D) -4
E) +3

Question 48

The average depth of the ocean is about

A) 3800m.
B) 3900km.
C) 3800mi.
D) 11,000m.
E) 11,000mi.

Question 49

Relationships between oceanic depths or land elevations and Earth's area are shown on a

A) Mercator projection.
B) bathymetric chart.
C) hypsographic curve.
D) navigational chart.
E) None of these are correct.

Question 50

An error in time of two minutes in determining longitude from local time and Greenwich Mean Time will cause a ____ error in longitude.

A) 2 degree
B) 1 degree
C) 0.75 degree
D) 0.50 degree
E) 0.25 degree

Question 51

Approximately what percentage of water on Earth is contained within the oceans?

A) 12%
B) 31%
C) 52%
D) 85%
E) 97%

Question 52

Water covers ____ percent of Earth's surface.

A) 17
B) 29
C) 50
D) 71
E) 78

Question 53

The U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) is used to

A) determine latitude and longitude.
B) measure altitude.
C) position storms, currents, and tides.
D) determine latitude and longitude and measure altitude.
E) determine latitude and longitude, measure altitude, and position storms, currents, and tides.

Question 54

One degree of latitude is about equal to

A) 1 nautical mile.
B) 1 land mile.
C) 60 nautical miles.
D) 60 land miles.
E) 600 nautical miles.

Question 55

Which ocean basin is the deepest on average?

A) Pacific
B) Atlantic
C) Indian
D) Arctic
E) None of these are correct.

Question 56

Which of the following factor(s) enable(s) the existence of liquid water on the Earth's surface?

A) Earth's solar orbit
B) Rotation of the Earth on its axis
C) The Earth's atmospheric gases
D) Earth's solar orbit and the Earth's atmospheric gases
E) All of these are correct.

Question 57

How long does it take for Earth to make one revolution around the sun?

A) 60 Seconds
B) 1 hour
C) 24 hours
D) 30 days
E) 365 days

Question 58

Earth turns on its axis about

A) 1 degree in 4 minutes.
B) 4 degrees in 1 minute.
C) 4 degrees in 1 hour.
D) 15 degrees in 1 minute.
E) 30 degrees in 1 hour.

Question 59

At what latitude is the sun directly overhead on the June Solstice?

A) Tropic of Cancer
B) Tropic of Capricorn
C) Equator
D) Arctic Circle
E) Antarctic Circle

Question 60

How long does it take for the Earth to make one rotation on its axis?

A) 60 Seconds
B) 1 hour
C) 24 hours
D) 30 days
E) 365 days

Question 61

Most of the water evaporated from the oceans returns directly to the oceans in precipitation.

Question 62

Earth formed shortly after the "Big Bang."

Question 63

What type of material is thought to explain the larger size of the outer planets relative to the inner planets?

A) rock
B) ice
C) metals
D) liquid water
E) None of these are correct.

Question 64

Why are meteorites used to establish an age for the Earth?

A) They are believed to be the same material from which Earth formed
B) They are not radiogenic so they do not decay over time
C) Rocks on Earth have been recycled since the Earth was formed and are not believed to be as old as the Earth itself
D) They are believed to be the same material from which Earth formed and rocks on Earth have been recycled since the Earth was formed and are not believed to be as old as the Earth itself
E) All of these are correct.

Question 65

Approximately what percentage of gas emitted by volcanoes is water vapor?

A) 1%
B) 10%
C) 25%
D) 45%
E) 70%

Question 66

The parallel with the largest circumference is the equator.

Question 67

Roughly what percentage of matter in the universe is the type of matter that comprises the planets and stars?

A) 65%
B) 50%
C) 25%
D) 5%
E) 1%

Question 68

More fresh water is stored in ice caps and glaciers than in freshwater lakes.

Question 69

The shortest distance between two points on Earth's surface is always along the meridian passing through them.

Question 70

The greatest mass extinction of all time, resulting in the disappearance of 96% of all species, occurred roughly ______ million years ago.

A) 252
B) 201
C) 66
D) 45
E) 12

Question 71

What percent of a parent radioactive element would remain after three half-lives of decay to its daughter isotope?

A) 75
B) 50
C) 25
D) 12.5
E) 6.25

Question 72

The International Hydrographic Organization defined the northern boundary of the Southern Ocean to be

A) 80°S.
B) 45°S.
C) 70°S.
D) 30°S.
E) 60°S.

Question 73

Earth maintains a constant distance from the Sun as it moves in its orbit.

Question 74

Arrange the following life forms in their order of appearance on Earth from first to appear to last to appear.

A) reptiles, dinosaurs, fishes, birds, flowering plants
B) fishes, reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, flowering plants
C) flowering plants, reptiles, fishes, dinosaurs, birds
D) birds, flowering plants, reptiles, dinosaurs, fishes
E) dinosaurs, reptiles, flowering plants, fishes, birds

Question 75

The south pole is tilted toward the sun on what day?

A) March Equinox
B) June Solstice
C) September Equinox
D) December Solstice
E) All of these are correct.

Question 76

Earth's surface is protected from extreme temperature change and water loss by

A) its orbital distance from the Sun.
B) its atmosphere.
C) its period of rotation.
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these are correct.

Question 77

The location of the prime meridian is an arbitrary choice.