A) Mesosaurus migrated across the ocean fromlocation X to location Y.

B) Mesosaurus came into existence on severalwidely separated continents at different times.

C) The continents of South America and Africawere joined when Mesosaurus lived.

D) The present climates at locations X and Y aresimilar.

1. The map below shows the present-day locations ofSouth America and Africa. Remains of Mesosaurus,an extinct freshwater reptile, have been found insimilarly aged bedrock formed from lake sediments atlocations X and Y.

Which statement represents the most logicalconclusion to draw from this evidence?

A) Appalachian MountainsB) Acadian MountainsC) Taconic MountainsD) Grenville Mountains

2. Which mountain range resulted from the collision ofNorth America and Africa, as parts of Pangea joinedtogether in the late Pennsylvanian Period?

A) during the Tertiary Period, onlyB) from the Cretaceous Period through the Tertiary

PeriodC) from the Devonian Period through the

Triassic PeriodD) during the Cambrian Period, only

3. The diagram below shows how scientists think someof Earth's continents were joined together in thegeologic past.

When do scientists think these continents were joinedtogether?

A) 59 mya B) 119 myaC) 359 mya D) 458 mya

4. The map below shows the current location of NewYork State in North America.

Approximately how many million years ago (mya)was this New York State region located at theequator?

A) B)

C) D)

5. Which map best indicates the probable locations of continents 100 million years from now if tectonicplate movement continues at its present rate and direction?

A) India B) AntarcticaC) North America D) South America

6. Which landmass is moving northward with Australiaas part of the same tectonic plate'?

A) where it is now B) the North PoleC) the Equator D) 45° south

7. The inferred latitude of Pennsylvania 362 millionyears ago was closest to

A) continents moved due to changes in the Earth'sorbital velocity

B) continents moved due to the Coriolis effectcaused by the Earth's rotation

C) present-day continents of South America andAfrica are moving toward each other

D) present-day continents of South America andAfrica once fit together like puzzle parts

8. The theory of continental drift suggests that the

A) Tertiary B) CretaceousC) Triassic D) Ordovician

9. During which period were North America, Africa, andSouth America closest?

A) Basaltic rock is found to be progressivelyyounger at increasing distances from amid-ocean ridge.

B) Marine fossils are often found in deep-well drillcores.

C) The present continents appear to fit togetheras pieces of a larger landmass.

D) Areas of shallow-water seas tend to accumulatesediment, which gradually sinks.

10. Which statement best supports the theory ofcontinental drift?

A) away from the Philippine PlateB) away from the Fiji PlateC) toward the Pacific PlateD) toward the Antarctic Plate

11. The Indian-Australian tectonic plate is moving

12. Base your answer to the following question on themap below which shows mid-ocean ridges andtrenches in the Pacific Ocean. Specific areas A, B, C, and D are indicated by shaded rectangles.

A) B)

C) D)

Which map best shows the direction of movement ofthe oceanic crustal plates in the vicinity of the EastPacific Rise (ridge)?

A) Mesozoic Era B) Paleozoic EraC) Proterozoic Eon D) Archean Eon

13. According to plate tectonic theory, during whichgeologic time interval did the continents of NorthAmerica and Africa separate, resulting in the initialopening of the Atlantic Ocean?

A) Tertiary B) CretaceousC) Triassic D) Carboniferous

14. During which geologic period were the continents allpart of one landmass, with North America and SouthAmerica joined to Africa?

A) Alaska once had a tropical marineenvironment

B) Alaska's cold climate fossilized the coralC) coral usually develops in cold climatesD) ocean currents carried the coral to Alaska

15. Living corals are found in warm, shallow seas. Coralfossils have been found in the sedimentary rocks ofAlaska. These findings suggest that

16. Base your answer to the following question on the Earth Science Reference Tables, the core sectionbelow, and your knowledge of Earth Science. The core section shows the subsurface bedrock geologyfor a location north of Buffalo, New York.

A) The North American Continent was nearer to the Equator during the Ordovician Period.B) The Sun emitted less sunlight during the Ordovician Period.C) Earth was farther from the Sun during the Ordovician Period.D) Many huge volcanic eruptions occurred during the Ordovician Period.

Based on studies of fossils found in the Trenton group, scientists have estimated that the climate ofNew York State during this part of the Ordovician Period was much warmer than the present climate.Which statement best explains this change in climate?

A) The climate at site X during the Jurassic Periodwas colder than the present climate at site X.

B) Site X was covered by warm ocean waterduring the Jurassic Period.

C) Site X has drifted southward since the JurassicPeriod.

D) The coral at site X evolved fromocean-dwelling animals into land-dwellinganimals after the Jurassic Period.

17. The dots on the map below show the presentlocations of living coral reefs. Site X indicates anarea of fossil coral reefs preserved in rocks formedduring the Jurassic Period.

Which inference is best supported by this map?

A) movements of tectonic platesB) effects of seasonsC) changes in the environment caused by humansD) evolution of life

18. The large coal fields found in Pennsylvania provideevidence that the climate of the northeastern UnitedStates was much warmer during the CarboniferousPeriod. This change in climate over time is bestexplained by the

A) Rocks of the ocean ridges are older than thoseof the adjacent sea floor.

B) Rock and fossil correlation can be madewhere the continents appear to fit together.

C) Marine fossils can be found at high elevationsabove sea level on all continents.

D) Great thicknesses of shallow-water sedimentsare found at interior locations on somecontinents.

19. Which statement best supports the theory that all thecontinents were once a single landmass?

A) northwest B) southwestC) southeast D) northeast

20. Based on the theory of plate tectonics, it is inferredthat over the past 250 million years North Americahas moved toward the

21. Base your answer to the following question on the map below, which shows Earth’s SouthernHemisphere and the inferred tectonic movement of the continent of Australia over geologic time. Thearrows between the dots show the relative movement of the center of the continent of Australia. Theparallels of latitude from 0° to 90° south are labeled.

A) Cambrian B) Carboniferous C) Late Permian D) Eocene

During which geologic time interval did Australia most likely have a warm, tropical climate becauseof its location?

A) B)C) D)

22. On what other landmass would you most likely findfossil remains of the late Paleozoic reptile calledMesosaurus shown below?

Base your answers to questions 23 and 24 on the map and data table below. The map shows thelocations of volcanic islands and seamounts that erupted on the seafloor of the Pacific Plate as itmoved northwest over a stationary mantle hotspot beneath the lithosphere. The hotspot is currentlyunder Kilauea. Island size is not drawn to scale. Locations X, Y and Z are on Earth's surface.

A) 1 B) 10 C) 100 D) 1,000

23. According to the data table, what is the approximate speed at which the island of Kauai has beenmoving away from the mantle hotspot, in kilometers per million years?

A) 3,600 km B) 2,500 km C) 1,800 km D) 20 km

24. Approximately how far has location X moved from its original location over the hotspot?

A) Cenozoic B) MesozoicC) Paleozoic D) Late Proterozoic

25. During which era did the initial opening of thepresent-day Atlantic Ocean most likely occur?

26. Base your answer to the following question on themap below, which shows seismograph recordingstations at locations A, B, and C. Location D is anearthquake epicenter. The distances from locations Aand B to this epicenter are given in kilometers.

A) The age decreases, because D is in an oceanictrench.

B) The age decreases, because D is on amid-oceanic ridge.

C) The age increases, because D is in an oceanictrench.

D) The age increases, because D is on amid-oceanic ridge.

How does the age of the ocean-floor bedrock changeas the distance east or west of location D increases?