Earth & Space Science — Final exam

Question 1 · 1 point

Three readings are 8, 10, and 12 mm. Find their mean.

Question 2 · 1 point

Repeated measurements that agree closely with each other but differ from a known standard are

1. accurate but imprecise
2. precise but inaccurate
3. both accurate and precise
4. neither

Question 3 · 1 point

Contour lines drawn close together indicate

1. a gentle slope
2. a steep slope
3. flat ground
4. a lake

Question 4 · 3 points

A contour map rises from 240 m to 540 m over 6 km horizontally. Find gradient and state why a winding trail can have a different length.

Question 5 · 3 points

A gauge gives rainfall values 28, 30 and 32 mm. Find mean and range; explain why these readings do not rule out a calibration error.

Question 6 · 1 point

Which is the thin, solid, outermost layer of the Earth, where we live?

1. The crust
2. The mantle
3. The outer core
4. The inner core

Question 7 · 1 point

The outer core is inferred to be liquid because

1. it is the hottest layer
2. S-waves do not pass through it
3. it is closest to the surface
4. it contains water

Question 8 · 1 point

New ocean floor is created at

1. subduction zones
2. mid-ocean ridges
3. transform faults
4. continental interiors

Question 9 · 1 point

Symmetrical magnetic stripes either side of a mid-ocean ridge are evidence of

1. a static sea floor
2. sea-floor spreading
3. meteorite impacts
4. ocean currents

Question 10 · 3 points

Ocean-floor rocks become older away from a ridge on both sides and have mirrored magnetic patterns. Explain the plate process and why combining evidence helps.

Question 11 · 3 points

Two towns have comparable earthquake shaking hazard but different building strength and population density. Explain risk differences and propose a mitigation with a limit.

Question 12 · 1 point

Which of these is NOT one of the five traits required for a substance to be classified as a mineral?

1. Naturally occurring
2. Made of living tissue
3. A solid
4. Definite chemical composition

Question 13 · 1 point

Streak is a more reliable identifier than colour because streak

1. is easier to see
2. is unaffected by most impurities
3. changes with light
4. measures hardness

Question 14 · 1 point

Large interlocking crystals in an igneous rock indicate the magma cooled

1. rapidly at the surface
2. slowly underground
3. in water
4. without minerals

Question 15 · 1 point

Breaking rock into smaller fragments speeds chemical weathering because it increases

1. the mass
2. the total surface area exposed
3. the density
4. the hardness

Question 16 · 3 points

A basin receives 200 water units, loses 130 naturally and has 50 withdrawn. Calculate storage change; explain why high porosity alone does not prove rapid groundwater flow.

Question 17 · 3 points

A stream slows entering a lake and deposits coarse grains before fine grains. Explain the process and why color alone cannot identify a sampled rock.

Question 18 · 1 point

Which lists the units of the geologic time scale from LARGEST to smallest?

1. Eon, era, period
2. Period, era, eon
3. Era, eon, period
4. Period, eon, era

Question 19 · 1 point

A fault that cuts through several rock layers must be

1. older than all of them
2. younger than the layers it cuts
3. the same age
4. undatable

Question 20 · 1 point

After three half-lives, the percentage of original parent isotope remaining is

1. 33
2. 25
3. 12.5
4. 6.25

Question 21 · 1 point

The most useful index fossil comes from a species that was

1. long-lived and local
2. short-lived and widespread
3. still alive today
4. rare everywhere

Question 22 · 3 points

Beds A, B and C lie bottom to top, an intrusion cuts all three and a fault cuts the intrusion. Order events and explain what an unconformity would indicate.

Question 23 · 3 points

A closed mineral retains 12.5% of its original parent isotope. Half-life is 5 million years. Calculate age and state two dating assumptions.

Question 24 · 1 point

Which process changes liquid water into water vapor, mostly from the surface of the ocean?

1. Evaporation
2. Condensation
3. Precipitation
4. Infiltration

Question 25 · 1 point

Paving over a field most directly increases

1. infiltration
2. surface runoff
3. transpiration
4. groundwater recharge

Question 26 · 1 point

Closely spaced isobars on a weather map indicate

1. light winds
2. strong winds
3. no wind
4. high temperature

Question 27 · 1 point

When air temperature equals the dew point, the relative humidity is

1. 0 percent
2. 50 percent
3. 100 percent
4. undefined

Question 28 · 3 points

A front moves 240 km between maps 8 h apart. Find mean speed and explain why that alone does not give an exact later arrival time.

Question 29 · 3 points

A dark and light surface warm differently in sunlight. Design a controlled comparison and explain why this small test does not fully explain global winds.

Question 30 · 1 point

Which statement correctly describes the difference between weather and climate?

1. Weather is day-to-day conditions; climate is the long-term average pattern.
2. Weather and climate mean the same thing.
3. Climate changes every hour; weather stays the same for decades.
4. Weather only applies to storms; climate applies to sunny days.

Question 31 · 1 point

Greenhouse gases warm the surface because they

1. block incoming sunlight
2. absorb and re-emit outgoing infrared radiation
3. cool the upper atmosphere only
4. reflect sunlight

Question 32 · 1 point

Deep ocean circulation is driven mainly by differences in

1. wave height
2. temperature and salinity, and so density
3. tides
4. wind alone

Question 33 · 1 point

Melting sea ice exposing darker ocean is an example of

1. negative feedback
2. positive feedback
3. no feedback
4. a carbon sink

Question 34 · 3 points

An annual mean is 15°C. Two graph baselines are 13°C and 14°C. Calculate both anomalies and explain why a baseline change does not change the measured temperature.

Question 35 · 3 points

Warming reduces reflective ice cover and increases absorbed sunlight. Identify the feedback; explain why one cold local day does not test the whole climate trend.

Question 36 · 1 point

What actually causes the Moon's phases?

1. Earth's shadow falls on the Moon
2. Different amounts of the Moon's sunlit half face Earth as it orbits
3. The Moon changes how much light it produces
4. Clouds on Earth block our view of the Moon

Question 37 · 1 point

Moon phases are caused by

1. Earth's shadow
2. the changing angle from which we see the Moon's sunlit half
3. clouds
4. the Moon's own light

Question 38 · 1 point

Earth is closest to the Sun in early January. This shows that seasons are not caused mainly by

1. axial tilt
2. distance from the Sun
3. day length
4. sunlight angle

Question 39 · 1 point

Astronauts float on a space station because they and the station are

1. beyond Earth's gravity
2. falling freely around Earth together
3. weightless objects
4. shielded from gravity

Question 40 · 3 points

Explain why full moons are usually not eclipsed and why opposite hemispheres have opposite seasons.

Question 41 · 3 points

For one star, planet B has semimajor axis 9 times planet A's. Find the period ratio using T²∝a³ and explain why gravity does not cancel in a circular orbit.

Question 42 · 1 point

The Sun’s main energy source is…

1. coal combustion
2. nuclear fusion
3. reflected moonlight
4. friction with air

Question 43 · 1 point

Elements heavier than iron are formed mainly

1. in ordinary main-sequence fusion
2. in supernovae and similar extreme events
3. in planets
4. in comets

Question 44 · 1 point

That more distant galaxies show greater redshift is evidence for

1. Earth at the centre
2. an expanding universe
3. a static universe
4. measurement error

Question 45 · 3 points

A known spectral line at 600 nm appears at 612 nm. Calculate z and explain why several matching lines are useful.

Question 46 · 3 points

A star is cooler than another but much more luminous. Explain what this suggests about size and why apparent brightness alone cannot settle the comparison.

Question 47 · 1 point

Which of these is a renewable resource?

1. Coal
2. Wind
3. Natural gas
4. Copper ore

Question 48 · 1 point

A renewable resource can still be depleted if it is

1. used at all
2. used faster than it is replenished
3. stored
4. labelled renewable

Question 49 · 1 point

The strongest evidence that a conservation measure worked is a recovery measured against

1. public opinion
2. a baseline and an untreated comparison site
3. the project's cost
4. the number of volunteers

Question 50 · 3 points

A renewable forest gains 15 wood units yearly and loses 22 to harvest. Find stock change and explain why renewable does not mean unlimited.

Question 51 · 3 points

Runoff design A reduces modeled flow from 200 to 150 mL; B reduces it to 120 mL. Compare percentages and recommend additional evidence before adopting B.