Exam 1 PracticeExam 1 PracticeOCNG 251-505OCNG 251-505

For more practice:

Exam 1 Sample Questions

Earth Origin PowerPoint

Oceanography History PowerPoint

Plate Tectonics PowerPoint A and B

Marine Provinces PowerPoint

Marine Sediments PowerPoint

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The magnetic pattern on the seafloor

a. is created by lava emerging at deep sea trenches

b. is symmetrical about and parallel to mid-ocean ridges

c. has been used to explain the cause of magnetic reversals

d. confirms the theory of continental drift

e. all of the above

b - symmetrical about and parallel to mid- ocean ridges

The first voyage designed solely to collect oceanographic data was aboard the

a. Fram

b. Meteor

c. HMS Challenger

d. Pangaea

e. JOIDES Resolution

c - HMS Challenger

The seafloor

a. increases in age from the ridge outward

b. is oldest at the ridge

c. shows no systematic age pattern

a - increases in age from the ridge outward

Which of the following led the first voyage that circumnavigated the world?

a. Christopher Columbus

b. Vasco da Gama

c. Sir Francis Drake

d. Ferdinand Magellan

e. none of the above

d - Magellan

Which important contribution did Benjamin Franklin make?

a. organized effort to produce accurate map of the Gulf Stream

b. described the relationship between coral reefs and volcanic islands

c. noted that rocks found on land must have formed in the ocean since they had seashells in them

d. made important observations about the chemistry of seawater

a - map of Gulf Stream

Which explorer sought to determine whether a continent existed near the North Pole?

a. James Cook

b. Fridtjof Nansen

c. Sir John Ross

d. John Cabot

e. Ferdinand Magellan

b - Nansen

The primary evidence for the Big Bang is

a. the presence of many solar systems other than our own

b. the size of the planets within the solar system

c. the Milky Way

d. galaxies moving away from a central point

e. the age of the earth and moon

d - galaxies moving away from a central point

Continental crust is primarily made of

a. clay minerals

b. basalt

c. granite

d. phyllites and schists

e. carbonate sedimentary rocks

c - granite

Oceanic crust is primarily made of

a. clay minerals

b. basalt

c. granite

d. phyllites and schists

e. carbonate sedimentary rocks

b - basalt

Which unique conditions appear to cause Earth to have oceans?

a. age

b. size

c. distance from Sun

d. presence of the moon

c - distance from the sun

Free oxygen first accumulated in our atmosphere in significant amounts about _______ million years ago.

a. 2000

b. 200

c. 20

d. 2

a - 2000

Differences in height between continental crust and oceanic crust are explained by

a. isostasy

b. continental drift

c. paleomagnetism

d. ophiolites

a - isostasy

Movement of particles as a P wave passes through can be best described as

a. compression and extension in the direction of the wave movement

b. compression and extension in a direction perpendicular to wave movement

c. shear motion perpendicular to the direction of wave movement

d. shear motion in the direction parallel to wave movement

a - compression and expansion in the direction of wave movement

Movement of particles as an S wave passes through can be best described as

a. compression and extension in the direction of the wave movement

b. compression and extension in a direction perpendicular to wave movement

c. shear motion perpendicular to the direction of wave movement

d. shear motion in the direction parallel to wave movement

c - shear motion perpendicular to the direction of wave movement

Which of the following can be found at convergent plate boundaries on the seafloor?

a. crest of a mid-ocean ridge

b. offset of a mid-ocean ridge

c. deep sea trenches

d. fracture zones

c - deep sea trenches

Transform faults are _________ while fracture zones are ____________.

a. seismically active; aseismic

b. aseismic; seismically active

c. convergent; divergent

d. divergent; convergent

a - seismically active; aseismic

Which of the following is characteristic of oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundaries?

a. volcanic island arcs

b. andesitic volcanoes

c. mid-ocean ridges

d. fracture zones

a - volcanic island arcs

Which of the following is characteristic of oceanic-continental convergent plate boundaries?

a. volcanic island arcs

b. andesitic volcanoes

c. mid-ocean ridges

d. fracture zones

b - andesitic volcanoes

The gentlest slopes in the ocean can be found at the

a. continental slope

b. mid-ocean ridges

c. abyssal plains

d. continental shelf

c - abyssal plains

Characteristics of passive continental margins include all of the following except

a. thick sediment accumulation

b. broad continental shelf

c. deep-sea trench

d. very little volcanic and earthquake activity

c - deep-sea trench

Characteristics of active continental margins include all of the following except

a. broad continental shelf

b. deep-sea trench

c. chains of islands

d. lots of volcanic and earthquake activity

e. thin sediment accumulation

a - broad continental shelf

Walking away from the shore toward the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in what order would one find the following provinces?

a. slope, rise, shelf, abyssal plain

b. shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain

c. abyssal plain, rise, slope, shelf

d. abyssal plain, shelf, slope, rise

b - shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain

Shelf break marks the boundary between the ________ and the __________.

a. shelf; rise

b. shelf; slope

c. shelf; abyssal plain

d. slope; rise

b - shelf; slope

Sediments which are poorly sorted and made of a variety of minerals might have been deposited by

a. a volcanic eruption

b. the wind

c. a river

d. a turbidity current

d - a turbidity current

Which of the following is made of calcium carbonate?

a. granite

b. basalt

c. diatoms

d. shark's teeth

e. foraminifera

e - foraminifera

Which of the following is made of silica?

a. phosphorites

b. corals

c. diatoms

d. foraminifera

e. coccolithophores

c - diatoms

The most likely place to find abundant manganese nodules is

a. a continental shelf

b. an abyssal plain far from a continent

c. near the crest of a mid-ocean ridge

d. in the Atlantic Ocean basin

e. all of the above have abundant nodules

b - an abyssal plain far from a continent

Sediments derived from preexisting rocks are called

a. lithogenous

b. biogenous

c. hydrogenous

d. cosmogenous

a - lithogenous

Sediments produced by plants and animals in the sea are called

a. lithogenous

b. biogenous

c. hydrogenous

d. cosmogenous

b - biogenous

Sediments produced as a result of chemical reactions in seawater are called

a. lithogenous

b. biogenous

c. hydrogenous

d. cosmogenous

c - hydrogenous

All of the following are terrestrial sediments except

a. clays

b. beach sand

c. diatom ooze

d. glacial deposits

e. volcanogenic particles

c - diatom ooze

Biogenous sediments might be composed of all of the following except

a. coralline sands

b. diatoms

c. coccolithophores

d. foraminifera

e. red clay

e - red clay