Earth Science Midterm Exam Review 2015

1. Which action can be performed most accurately using only the human senses?A. Counting 28 shells from the beachB. Adding 10 grams of salt to a cup of waterC. Measuring the air pressure of a roomD. Tearing a sheet of paper into squares whose

sides measure 1 centimeter

2. Which statement about a burning candle is most likely an inference?a. Carbon dioxide and water vapor are

produced by the burningb. The wick gets shorter as the candle burnsc. The flame is yellowd. The candle wax is melting

3. Which statement made during a weather report is most likely an inference?a. The record low temperature for this date

was set in 1957b. The high temperature for the day was

recorded at 2 p.m.c. The current barometric pressure is 29.97 in.d. Hot and humid conditions will continue

throughout the week.

4.

If each side of the cube shown above has the same length as the measured side, what is the approximate volume of the cube?a. 2.20 cm3

b. 4.84 cm3

c. 6.60 cm3

d. 10.65 cm3

5. Compared to the density of liquid water, the density of an ice cube isa. always lessb. always greater c. always the samed. sometimes less and sometimes greater

6. Daily weather forecasts are based primarily ona. seismic datab. air mass movementsc. ocean currentsd. phases of the moon

7. The sphere was dropped into water in a graduated cylinder as shown below.

What is the volume of the sphere?a. 15 mLb. 25 mLc. 40 mLd. 65 mL

8. The diagram below shows a glass jar containing a clear liquid and a floating rock.

a. The rock is less dense than the liquidb. The rock is more dense than the liquidc. The rock and the liquid have the same

density

9. Which weather conditions are most probable when the moisture content of the air increases, resulting in a lower atmospheric pressure?a. cold and windyb. partly cloudy, with skies becoming clearc. cloudy, with a chance of precipitationd. sunny and fair

10. The map below shows high pressure and low pressure weather systems in the United States.

Which two lettered positions on the map are most likely receiving precipitation?a. B and Db. C and Ec. A and Dd. A and B

11. Weather station measurements indicate that the dew point temperature and air temperature are getting farther apart and that air pressure is rising. Which type of weather is most likely arriving at the station?a. cool, dry airb. a warm frontc. a snowstormd. maritime tropical air

12. Which weather change is most likely indicated by rapidly falling air pressure?a. temperature is decreasingb. a storm is approachingc. humidity is decreasingd. skies are clearing

13. The diagram below shows the isolines of air pressure around a low pressure center. On which side of the low pressure center will the wind speed be greatest?

a. eastb. southc. westd. north

14. As the temperature of the atmosphere at a given location increases, the air pressure will most likelya. decreaseb. increasec. remain the same

15. The dew point changes most directly as a result of changes in the atmosphere’sa. water vapor contentb. pressurec. wind directiond. convection currents

16. Adjacent land and ocean surfaces have the same temperature at sunrise on a clear, calm, summer day. Then the land and water are heated by the sun for several hours. Which cross section shows the most likely direction of surface winds that will develop at this ocean shore?

17. The surface winds in a typical Northern Hemisphere high pressure system are generally movinga. clockwise away from the high pressure centerb. counterclockwise away from the high pressure centerc. clockwise toward the high pressure centerd. counterclockwise toward the high pressure center

18. As warm, moist air moves into a region, barometric pressure readings in the region will generallya. decreaseb. increasec. remain the same

19. Base your answer to the following question on the weather map below, which shows the location of fronts and the temperature field on a given day in the United States.

Which two cities most likely have an air temperature closest to 75° F?a. Chicago and Detroitb. Los Angeles and Denverc. Cincinnati and Kansas Cityd. Oklahoma and Memphis

20. Tornadoes occur when a very cold, dry air mass meets a very warm, wet air mass. Which two air masses would most likely form a tornado when they meet?a. cP and cAb. cP and mTc. mP and mTd. cT and mP

21. The greatest atmospheric pressure occurs in thea. stratosphereb. mesospherec. troposphered. thermosphere

22. Which statement most accurately describes the Earth’s atmosphere?a. the atmosphere’s altitude is less than the depth of the oceanb. the atmosphere is layered, with each layer possessing distinct characteristics c. the atmosphere is a shell of gases surrounding most of the Earthd. the atmosphere is more dense than the hydrosphere but less dense than the lithosphere

23. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below.

The wind direction at station A isa. northeastb. southeastc. northwestd. southwest

24. Which pie chart best represents the volume of gases in the troposphere?

25. Which layer of the atmosphere has the greatest density?a. stratosphereb. tropospherec. thermosphered. mesosphere

26. The cross section below shows a weather front. The large arrow shows the direction of the movement of the cool air mass.

Which type of weather front is shown?a. stationary frontb. warm frontc. cold frontd. occluded front

27. Which graph best represents the relationship between air temperature and elevation in the troposphere?

28. Which statement best describes the stratosphere?a. it has greater pressure at the top than at the bottomb. it is warmer at the top than at the bottomc. it absorbs large amounts of water vapor from the troposphered. it is located 75 kilometers above sea level

29. In which atmospheric layer is most water vapor found?a. troposphereb. stratospherec. thermosphered. mesosphere

30. Scientists have inferred that Earth’s original atmosphere was formed by thea. release of gases from volcanic eruptionsb. decay of microorganisms in Earth’s oceansc. radioactive decay of elements in Earth’s cored. erosion of Earth’s surface

31. Which list shows atmospheric layers in the correct order upward from the Earth’s surface?a. thermosphere, troposphere, mesosphere, stratosphereb. thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, tropospherec. troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphered. stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere, thermosphere

32. The primary source of most of the moisture for the Earth’s atmosphere isa. oceansb. melting glaciersc. rivers and lakesd. soil-moisture storage

33. If the base of a cloud is located at an altitude of 2 kilometers and the top of the cloud is located at an altitude of 8 kilometers, this cloud is located in the a. stratosphere, onlyb. troposphere and stratospherec. stratosphere and mesosphered. troposphere, only

34. The graph below shows the average concentration of ozone in Earth’s atmosphere over Arizona during 4 months of the year.

Which layer of Earth’s atmosphere contains the greatest concentration of ozone?a. thermosphereb. stratospherec. troposphered. mesosphere

35. What happens to most of the sunlight that strikes a dark-colored area of the Earth’s surface?a. it is reflected and scattered as potential energyb. it is absorbed and reflected as lightc. it is absorbed and re-radiated as heatd. it is reflected and diffused as ultraviolet radiation

36. Two identical towels are hanging on a clothesline in a sunny location. One towel is wet, the other is dry. What is one reason that the wet towel feels cooler than the dry towel?a. the dry towel has more room for the heat storage than the wet towel doesb. water in the wet towel prevents absorption of heat energyc. water in the wet towel is evaporatingd. the dry towel receives more heat energy from the Sun than the wet towel does

37. The diagram below shows four different chemical materials escaping from the interior of early Earth.

Which material contributed least to the early composition of the atmosphere?a. N2

b. H2Oc. CO2

d. SiO2

38. An observer recorded the barometric pressure while traveling up the west side of a mountain and down the other side. Which graph best represents the probable air pressure changes that were observed?

Base your answer to questions 41 and 42 on the cross section below and on your knowledge of Earth Science. The cross section shows the general movement of air within a portion of Earth’s atmosphere located between 30° N and 30° S latitude. Numbers 1 and 2 represent different locations in the atmosphere.

39. Which temperature zone layer of Earth’s atmosphere is shown in the cross section?a. thermosphereb. tropospherec. stratosphered. mesosphere

40. What is the approximate percentage by volume of oxygen present in Earth’s atmosphere at location 2?a. 10%b. 21%c. 33%d. 46

41. When a person leaves the ocean after swimming on a windy day, the person usually feels cold becausea. water evaporates from the skinb. water condenses on the skinc. radiation is absorbed through the skind. salt is absorbed through the skin

42. Which process is primarily responsible for the transfer of energy by air currents within the Earth’s atmosphere?a. absorptionb. radiationc. conductiond. convection

43. The diagram below shows a solid iron bar that is being heated in a flame.

The primary method of heat transfer in the solid iron bar isa. conductionb. convectionc. absorptiond. advection

44. Earth’s early atmosphere formed during the early Archean Era. Which gas was generally absent from the atmosphere at that time?a. water vaporb. oxygenc. nitrogend. carbon dioxide

45. The diagram below shows the pattern of air movement within a closed room.

Which type of energy transfer is indicated by the arrows in the diagram?a. conductionb. convectionc. radiationd. insolation

46. Why are some scientists concerned about an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?a. an increase would cause an overall heating up of the Earth’s atmosphereb. an increase would cause energy to flow from energy sinks to energy sourcesc. an increase would change the decay rate of C14

d. an increase would cause more ultraviolet energy to strike the Earth’s out atmosphered. carbon dioxide

47. Based on the data collected, which graph best represents the relationship between elevation above sea level and air pressure?

48. A high pressure center is generally characterized bya. warm, wet weatherb. cool, dry weatherc. warm, dry weatherd. cool, wet weather

49. Which method of energy transfer is primarily responsible for energy being lost from Earth into space?a. conductionb. radiationc. solidificationd. convection

50. Air pressure is usually highest when the air isa. warm and dryb. cold and humidc. cold and dryd. warm and humid

51. Which map best represents the surface wind pattern around a Northern Hemisphere high-pressure center?

52. Which action can be performed most accurately using only the human senses?a. tearing a sheet of paper into squares whose sides measure 1 centimeterb. adding 10 grams of salt to a cup of waterc. measuring the air pressure of a roomd. counting 28 shells from a beach

53. Most of the Earth’s surface ocean currents are caused bya. stream flow from continentsb. differences in ocean water densityc. the revolution of the Earthd. the prevailing winds

54. Waste produced by people in Delaware has been dumped into the Atlantic Ocean, where it is distributed by surface ocean currents. Which coastal area is most likely to become polluted by this waste?a. western coast of Europeb. southern coast of South Americac. western coast of Mexicod. eastern coast of Africa

55. Base your answer to the following question on the map below. Letters A through F are locations on Earth’s surface.

Ocean currents at location A move clockwise, and ocean currents at location B move counter-clockwise. These currents curve due to Earth’sa. internal structureb. rotationc. magnetic fieldd. revolution

56. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below of a weather instrument.

Which weather variable is the instrument designed to measure?a. air pressureb. relative humidityc. visibilityd. dew point temperature

57. Base your answer to the following question on the map below.

Under normal climate conditions, what are the characteristics of the surface ocean current that flows along most of the west coast of South America?

a. cool water moving toward the equatorb. cool water moving away from the equatorc. warm water moving toward the equatord. warm water moving away from the equator

58. An ice cube is placed in a glass of water at room temperature. Which heat exchange occurs between the ice and the water within the first minute?a. the ice cube loses heat and the water gains heatb. both the ice cube and the water gain heatc. both the ice cube and the water lose heatd. the ice cube gains heat and the water loses heat

59. As a lake’s water temperature decreases on a cloudy night, what occurs at the interface between the lake’s surface and the air above the lake?a. energy given up by the lake is lost directly to outer spaceb. more energy is gained by the lake than is gained by the airc. the temperature of the air remains constantd. energy is gained by the air from the lake

60. An ice cube is placed in a glass of water at room temperature. Which heat exchange occurs between the ice and the water within the first minute?a. the ice cube loses heat and the water gains heatb. both the ice cube and the water gain heatc. both the ice cube and the water lose heatd. the ice cube gains heat and the water loses heat

61. Which statement is the best example of heat energy transfer by conduction?a. heat energy is transferred from the Earth’s surface to the upper atmosphereb. heat energy is transferred from the Sun to the Earthc. heat energy is transferred from the surface soil to the rocks belowd. heat energy is transferred from the bottom to the top of a lake

62. Base your answers to the next 2 questions on the map below.

The air pressure recorded at Point D was most likelya. 1012 mbb. 1014 mbc. 1010 mbd. 1006 mb

63. Which location most likely recorded the highest wind speed?a. Ab. Bc. Cd. D

64. How does the amount of heat energy reflected by a smooth, dark-colored concrete surface compare with the amount of heat energy reflected by a smooth, light-colored concrete surface?a. the dark-colored surface will reflect more heat energyb. the dark-colored surface will reflect less heat energy

c. the dark-colored surface will reflect the same amount of heat energy

65. Which statement is the best example of heat energy transfer by conduction?a. heat energy is transferred from the Earth’s surface to the upper atmosphereb. heat energy is transferred from the Sun to the Earthc. heat energy is transferred from the surface soil to the rocks belowd. heat energy is transferred from the bottom to the top of a lake

66. The Florida and Gulf Stream ocean currents along the east coast of North America are botha. warm currents that flow northeastwardb. warm currents that flow southwestwardc. cool currents that flow northeastwardd. cool currents that flow southwestward

67. Base your question to the following question on the data table below, which shows the air pressure and air temperatures collected by nine observers at different elevations on the same side of a high mountain.

From sea level to an elevation of 1200 meters, air pressure decreased at the rate ofa. 1.0 mb/mb. 10.0 mb/mc. 0.1 mb/md. 100.0 mb/m

68. Which atmospheric conditions would cause smoke from a campfire on a beach to blow toward the ocean?a. warm air over the land and cool air over the oceanb. high air pressure over the land and low pressure over the oceanc. low-density air over the land and high-density air over the oceand. humid air over the land and dry air over the ocean

69. During a total solar eclipse one might viewa. sunspots

c. sun’s coronab. the sun’s solar wind

d. nothing of the sun, since it is totally blocked

by moon

70. The cross section of a house is shown below. Open stairways allow air to move from one floor to another. The ridge vent is an opening in the roof that allows air to move in or out of the attic.

During a windless summer day, the air inside this house is warmed by the Sun. In which cross section do the arrows show the most likely air movement when the windows are opened?

a.

c.

b.

d.

71. The fusion reaction that produces the sun’s energy occurs ina. the sun’s interior or core

b. sunspot umbrasc . solar prominences

d. the sun’s photosphere

72. Compared to the Earth’s diameter, the sun’s diameter is abouta. the same

b. 400 times greaterc. 110 times greater

d. 745 times greater

73. __________________ developed the Three Laws of Planetary Motion.a. Isaac Newton c. Johannes Keplerb. Tycho Brahe d. Bill Nye

74. Which change always occurs as the distance between the Earth and the Sun decreases?a. the gravitational force between the Earth

and the Sun decreasesb. the Sun’s apparent diameter decreasesc. the Sun’s rate of rotation increasesd. the Earth’s orbital speed increases

75. The diagram below represents a student’s constructed laboratory drawing.

The student’s drawing best represents thea. shape of Earth’s Moonb. shape of an elliptical orbitc. path of an earthquake waved. path of a projectile deflected by Earth’s

rotatio

76. Which diagram best represents a portion of the heliocentric model of the solar system? [S=Sun, E=Earth, and M=Moon]

a. b.

c. d.

77. In our solar system, the orbits of the planets are best described asa. circular, with the planet at the centerb. circular, with the Sun at the centerc. elliptical, with the planet at one of the focid. elliptical, with the Sun at one of the foci

78. Which diagram shows a planetary orbit with a low eccentricity?

( Key: = planet * = star )

a.

b.

c.

d.

a.

c.

b.

d.

79. For what reason did the heliocentric model of the universe replace the geocentric model of the universe?a. The geocentric model no longer predicted

the positions of the constellations.b. The geocentric model did not predict the

phases of the Moonc. The heliocentric model provided a simpler

explanation of the motions of the planetsd. The heliocentric model proved that the

Earth rotates.

80. The diagram below shows a planet’s orbit around the Sun.

At which location is the planet’s orbital velocity greatest?a. A c. Cb. B d. D

81. What technology did Galileo Galilei use to prove Copernicus and Kepler were right?a. telescope c. microscopeb. satellite d. spectroscope

82. Which layer of the sun is the most dense?a. chromospheres c. coreb. photosphere d. corona

83. The sun emits energy by converting hydrogen into helium. What is this process called?a. sunspot formation c. solar windb. fusion d. fission

84. Which motion causes the apparent rising and setting of the Moon each day, as seen from a location in Ashburn, Virginia?a. the Earth rotation on its axisb. the Earth revolving around the Sunc. the Moon rotating on its axisd. the Moon revolving around the Earth

85. The diagram below represents the Earth’s orbital path around the Sun. The Earth takes the same amount of time to move from A to B as from C to D.

Which values are equal within the system?a. the shaded sections of the diagram are

equal in areab. the distance from the Sun to the Earth is

the same at point A and at point Dc. the orbital velocity of the Earth at point A

equals its orbital velocity at point Cd. the gravitational force between the Earth

and the Sun at point B is the same as the gravitational force at point D

86. Which layer of the sun is the visible surface?a. chromosphere c. coronab. photosphere d. radiation zone

87. __________ is credited with proposing the heliocentric model of the solar system. a. Nicholas Copernicusb. Tycho Brahec. Ptolemy

d. Johannes Kepler

_______ 88. The Great Red Spot is a feature ofa) Earthb) Jupiter

c) Saturnd) Mars

_______ 89. Saturn and the other gas planets are mostly made up ofa) waterb) carbon dioxide

c) irond) hydrogen and helium

_______90. The farthest planet from the sun isa) Saturnb) Jupiter

c) Marsd) Neptune

_______ 91. The planet that is heavily cratered like the moon isa) Mercuryb) Jupiter

c) Saturnd) Uranus

_______ 92. The hottest planet in the solar system due to the greenhouse effect isa) Mercuryb) Venus

c) Earthd) Mars

_______ 93. Unlike the other planets, the axis of Uranus isa) upside downb) vertical

c) tipped on its sided) tilted 23 ½ degree

_______ 94. The largest planet in the solar system isa) Jupiterb) Saturn

c) Uranusd) Neptune

_______ 95. Astronomers predicted Neptune’s existence usinga) telescopesb) math

c) radard) computers

_______ 96. Saturn’s rings are made mostly ofa) gasb) dust

c) silicond) ice and rock

_______ 97. Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?a) Mercuryb) Venus

c) Marsd) Jupiter

_______ 98. What is the term that describes the big, outer gas planets?a) Terrestrialb) Galilean

c) Celestiald) Jovian

_______ 99. Which planet orbits the sun in the shortest period of time?a) Mercuryb) Venus

c) Earthd) Mars

_______ 100. The Asteroid Belt is located between what two planets?a) Uranus and Neptuneb) Mars and Jupiter

c) Venus and Earthd) Neptune and Pluto