1. Which will most likely form when a steep mountain stream flows abruptly onto a flat plain:
1. delta
2. alluvial fan
3. braided stream
4. mid-channel bar
Answer: 2
2. When, in the geologic column, did dinosaurs become extinct:
1. at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary
2. at the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary
3. at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary
4. at the Permian-Triassic boundary
Answer: 1
3. When, in the geological time scale, did dinosaurs first appear:
1. Jurassic
2. Triassic
3. Cretaceous
4. Tertiary
Answer: 2
4. These clouds are named for their smooth, round, lens-like shape and commonly form over mountains:
1. lenticular
2. contrails
3. stratocumulus
4. mackerel
Answer: 1
5. It is estimated that the temperature of the Earths core is:
1. as hot as the surface of the sun
2. much hotter than the surface of the sun
3. much cooler than the surface of the sun
4. it cannot be estimated
Answer: 1
6. Which of the following would give the best indication of how a rock was formed:
1. structure and color
2. mineralogy and texture
3. structure and weight
4. shape and size
Answer: 2
1. intensity of P-wave
2. intensity of S-wave
3. difference in intensity between P and S-waves
4. time interval between P-wave and S-wave arrival
Answer: 4
8. Which of the following is primarily involved in the movement of a glacier:
1. running water
2. ambient temperature
3. topology
4. gravity
Answer: 4
9. Of the following, which are clouds formed at the highest altitude:
1. altocumulus
2. altostratus
3. cirrocumulus
4. nimbostratus
Answer: 3
10. The Arctic Circle lies at which of the following latitudes:
1. 66 ½oNorth
2. 90oNorth
3. 66 ½oSouth
4. 90oSouth
Answer: 3
11. The Fujita Scale is used to classify intensities of:
1. hurricanes
2. tornadoes
3. earthquakes
4. volcanic eruptions
Answer: B
12. The ability of rock or soil to transmit water is called its:
1. permeability
2. porosity
3. viscosity
4. wetability
Answer: A
13. Which of the following is NOT likely to have been formed by glaciers:
1. arete
2. hanging valley
3. fjord
4. dike
Answer: D
1. terminal moraine
2. end moraine
3. ground moraine
4. medial moraine
Answer: B
15. A high pressure center is associated with what kind of weather:
1. warm and dry
2. warm and wet
3. cool and dry
4. cool and wet
Answer: C
1. it is of a different composition than the underlying rock
2. it is rounded and worn
3. it is larger than any surrounding rocks
4. it is located near a glacial lake
Answer: A
1. 23 ½oSouth on September 21
2. 50oNorth on June 21
3. 50oSouth on March 21
4. 0oon June 21
Answer: B
1. sirocco
2. mistral
3. foehn
4. chinook
Answer: D
19. A tropical storm will be declared a hurricane when:
1. there is evidence of eye formation
2. wind speeds reach 64 mph
3. wind gusts are in excess of 74 mph
4. there is evidence of eye formation and sustained wind speeds of 74 mph
Answer: D
20. Which is NOT true about the concentration of methane gas in the atmosphere:
1. it is generated by biological activity related to rice cultivation
2. it is generated as a byproduct of the digestive processes of cattle
3. it is generated as a byproduct of refrigerants and aerosols
4. it has an atmospheric lifetime of about 10 years
Answer: C
21. What is the name for a roughly circular coral reef enclosing a shallow lagoon:
1. barrier reef
2. fringing reef
3. shallow reef
4. atoll
Answer: D
1. streak
2. polish
3. refractivity
4. luster
Answer: D
23. A low-gradient stream would most likely form a:
1. V-shaped valley
2. waterfall
3. meander
4. straight channel
Answer: C
24. The angle of insolation on the Earth's surface is most direct at which latitude:
1. 0o
2. 90oNorth or South
3. 66 ½oNorth or South
4. 23 ½oNorth or South
Answer: A
25. Ground depressions in areas of Karst topography are called:
1. kettles
2. grabens
3. sinkholes
4. cirques
Answer: C
