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Earth Science Midter
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The Earth's actual shape is most correctly described as | an oblate sphere |
| The polar circumference of the Earth is 40,008 kilometers. What is the equatorial circumference? | 40,076 km |
| An observer watching a sailing ship at sea notes that the ship appears to be "sinking" as it moves away. Which statement best explains this observation? | The Earth has a curved surface. |
| The element oxygen is found in the Earth's | troposphere, hydrosphere, and crust |
| Which list shows atmospheric layers in the correct order upward from the Earth's surface? | troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere |
| Almost all of the water vapor in Earth's atmosphere is contained in the | troposphere |
| As altitude increases in the troposphere and stratosphere, the air temperature | decreases in the troposphere and increases in the stratosphere |
| What do the tropopause, stratopause, and mesopause all have in common? | Each is an interface between two layers of the atmosphere. |
| The water sphere of the Earth is known as the | hydrosphere |
| At which New York State location will an observer most likely measure the altitude of Polaris as approximately 42°? | Jamestown |
| Which reference line passes through both the geographic North Pole and the geographic South Pole? | 0° longitude |
| As a ship crosses the Prime Meridian, an observer on the ship measures the altitude of Polaris at 60°. What is the ship's location? | 60° north latitude and 0° longitude |
| A person knows the solar time on the Prime Meridian and the local solar time. What determination can be made? | the longitude at which the person is located |
| In order to make observations, an observer must always use | the senses |
| Using a ruler to measure the length of a stick is an example of | extending the sense of sight by using an instrument |
| A group of students observed and measured various characteristics of a stream for one day. Which statement about the stream is most likely an inference? | The water level of the stream will rise after the next rainfall. |
| Which evidence best supports the theory that the universe began with a massive explosion? | cosmic background radiation in space |
| What does a red shift in light from distant celestial objects indicate to a scientist on Earth? | The universe appears to be expanding. |
| If we observe a Doppler blue shift from a star, the star must be | moving toward us |
| What causes clouds of dust and gas to form a protostar? | gravitational attraction |
| Which property primarily determines whether a giant star or a supergiant star will form? | mass |
| Which process generates the energy that is released by stars? | nuclear fusion |
| Which star type has a surface temperature of 4000 K and a luminosity 1000 times greater than the Sun? | giant |
| The "fuel" of the sun is | hydrogen |
| Approximately how many times larger is the diameter of the sun compared to the earth? | 100 times |
| What is the inferred age of our solar system, in millions of years? | 4600 |
| Most asteroids in our solar system are located in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. What is the approximate distance from the Sun to the asteroid belt? | 403 million km |
| Planets that are closest to the Sun are identified as | high-density terrestrial |
| Compared to the masses and densities of terrestrial planets, Jovian planets have | greater mass and are less dense |
| Compared to terrestrial planets, Jovian planets have | larger equatorial diameters and longer periods of revolution |
| Which characteristic is directly related to a planet's average distance from the Sun? | period of revolution |
| Which sequence lists the Jovian planets in order of increasing mass? | Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter |
| One factor responsible for the strength of gravitational attraction between a planet and the Sun is the | distance between the planet and the Sun |
| This apparent path of the Sun through the sky is caused by | Earth's rotation on its axis |
| To a nighttime observer on Earth, how many degrees do the stars appear to move around Polaris in 3 hours? | 45° |
| heliocentric | having or representing the sun as the center, as in the accepted astronomical model of the solar system. |
| geocentric | having or representing the earth as the center, as in former astronomical systems. |
| Since Earth has an elliptical orbit, the | distance between the Sun and Earth varies |
| The best evidence of Earth's rotation is provided by the | Foucault pendulum and Coriolis effect |
| The basis for the time difference between adjoining time zones is Earth's | 15° per hour rate of rotation |
| Cities located on the same meridian (longitude) must have the same | solar time |
| A person knows the solar time on the Prime Meridian and the local solar time. What determination can be made? | the longitude at which the person is located |
| The same side of the Moon always faces Earth because the Moon's period of revolution | equals the Moon's period of rotation |
| Solar and lunar eclipses rarely happen during a cycle of phases because the | plane of the Moon's orbit is different from the plane of Earth's orbit |
| How many days are required for the Moon to go from one full-Moon phase to the next full-Moon phase when viewed from Earth? | 29.5 |
| The change in the tides is primarily the result of | Earth's rotation and the Moon's revolution |
| Which is the major source of energy for most Earth processes? | radiation received from the Sun |
| The various forms of electromagnetic energy are distinguished from one another by their | wavelengths |
| All objects warmer than 0º Kelvin (absolute zero) must be | radiating electromagnetic energy |
| Which color of the visible light has the shortest wavelength? | violet |
| Which form of electromagnetic energy has the longest wavelength? | radio waves |
| Most insolation striking a smooth, light-colored, solid surface is | reflected |
| Which of these characteristics identify an Earth surface that is likely to be the best absorber of insolation? | dark colored and rough |
| All forms of electromagnetic energy have | transverse wave propertie |
| When a heat source loses energy, that energy is | absorbed by a heat sink |
| Which method of energy transfer is primarily responsible for energy being lost from Earth into space? | radiation |
| By which process does starlight travel through space? | radiation |
| When equal masses of ice and liquid water receive the same amount of energy, without a change in state, the ice changes temperature faster than the liquid water does because the | specific heat of ice is less than the specific heat of liquid water |
| Specific heat is used to explain why different substances | change temperature at different rates |
| Which group of substances is arranged in order of decreasing specific heat values? | liquid water, ice, water vapor |
| What is the total number of energy required to melt 1 gram of ice at 0°C to liquid water at 0°C? | 334 J |
| The change from the vapor phase to the liquid phase is called | condensation |
| For which phase change does water absorb the most energy? | evaporation |
| During which phase change of water is the most energy released into the environment? | water vapor condensing |
| Which phase change requires water to gain 2260 Joules per gram? | liquid water vaporizing |
| Which process requires the addition of energy to water? | vaporization of water |
| Which type of surface material absorbs and reradiates the greatest amount of energy? | dark with a rough texture |
| Ozone gas in the Earth's atmosphere helps to protect life on the Earth. This protection is due to the ability of ozone to absorb | ultraviolet radiation |
| Two major greenhouse gases that absorb outgoing long-wave radiation within the atmosphere are | methane and carbon dioxide |
| Most insolation striking a smooth, light-colored, solid surface is | reflected |
| Land surfaces of Earth heat more rapidly than water surfaces because | land has a lower specific heat than water |
| Evidence supports the idea that increases in carbon dioxide and methane in Earth's atmosphere are major contributors to global warming. This is based primarily on the fact that carbon dioxide and methane are excellent absorbers of | infrared radiation |
| Very cold climates occur at Earth's North and South Poles because the polar regions | receive low-angle insolation |
| On which two dates could all locations on Earth have equal hours of day and night? | March 21 and September 23 |
| In New York State, summer is warmer than winter because in summer New York State has | more hours of daylight and receives high-angle insolation |
| Approximately how many hours of daylight are received at the North Pole on June 21? | 24 |
| Which two factors determine the number of hours of daylight at a particular location? | latitude and season |
| Which event is inferred by most scientists to be responsible for a climate change that has recently led to a decrease in the size of most glaciers? | an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere |
| Deforestation increases the greenhouse effect on Earth because deforestation causes the atmosphere to contain | more carbon dioxide, which absorbs infrared radiation |
| Which substance given off by a volcano is most likely to cause global cooling following a large volcanic eruption? | airborne ash |
| Compared to non-El Niño years, which climatic conditions exist near the equator on the western and eastern sides of the Pacific Ocean during an El Niño event? | The western Pacific is drier and the eastern Pacific is wetter. |
| During an El Niño year, winter climatic conditions in New York State will most likely be | warmer and drier |
| For weeks after a series of major volcanic eruptions, Earth's surface air temperatures are often | cooler because ash and dust decrease atmospheric transparency |
| Which change would cause a decrease in the amount of insolation absorbed at Earths surface? | a decrease in atmospheric transparency |
| Seasonal changes on Earth are primarily caused by the | tilt of Earth's axis as Earth revolves around the Sun |
| When Earth is closest to the Sun, which season is occurring in the Northern Hemisphere? | winter |
| What would most likely happen to New York State's summer and winter temperatures if the tilt of Earth's axis increased from 23.5° to 30°? | The summers would become warmer and the winters would become cooler. |
| During which season in the Northern Hemisphere is Earth at aphelion? | summer |
| What is the tilt of Earth's rotational axis relative to a line perpendicular to the plane of Earth's orbit? | 23.5° |
Created by:
jmang335