Earth Science MCQs
Earth Science MCQs
Try to answer these 1000+ Earth Science MCQs and check your understanding of the Earth Science subject. Scroll down and let's begin!
1: _____ cause earthquakes and volcanic activity at _____.
A. Plate tectonics, Plate boundaries
B. Plate tectonics, the ring of fire
C. Heat from Earths mantle, fault lines
D. All of these
2: A population distribution shows _______.
A. The distribution of age groups within a population
B. The amount of organisms in a unit area
C. The total number of organisms in a population
D. Where and in what arrangement organisms are located
3: A regular mile an hour is 5,280 feet per hour. a knot is ________.
A. Slightly faster than a regular mile per hour
B. Slightly slower than a regular mile per hour
C. Much faster than a regular mile an hour
D. Much slower than a regular mile an hour
E. A metric unit of measurement
4: A syncline is ________.
A. A hanging wall block that has moved down between two normal faults
B. A fold in which the strata dip toward the axis
C. An uplifted block bounded by two normal faults
D. A strike-slip fault that forms the boundary between tectonic plates
5: A temperature inversion occurs when ________.
A. A warm front collides with a cold front
B. Localized convective lifting occurs
C. Higher, cooler air acts like a lid, keeping warmer, lower air in place
D. Higher, warmer air acts like a lid, keeping cooler, lower air in place
6: A(n) ________ is a low lying, coral reef island perched above a sunken, truncated volcano.
A. Fringing reef
B. San Andreas strike-slip fault
C. Accretionary-wedge complex
D. Continental rise
7: Advantages of using algae as a biofuel include _______.
A. Producing fuel in a wider range of geographic areas
B. Decreasing the ecological impact of drilling for fossil fuels
C. Replacing fossil fuels with a renewable source of energy
D. All of these
8: Aerobic respiration became established as a result of the evolution of ____.
A. High in hydrogen, low in oxygen
B. Formation of membrane-bound protocells
C. The oxygen-producing pathway of photosynthesis
D. It evolved from chloroplasts.
9: Air is best described as ________.
A. Intense convective (thunderstorm) activity and strong cyclonic circulation
B. A mixture of gases, with solid particles and liquid droplets in it
C. Frontal wedging
D. They aid in condensation, and therefore in cloud formation.
10: All animals are _______.
A. Producers
B. Omnivores
C. Herbivores
D. Consumers
11: Zooxanthellae are ________.
A. Has the greatest impacts in tropical areas and arid regions
B. Poorly treated wastewater or from feed lots
C. Symbiotic algae that provide energy to many species of marine corals
D. Agricultural irrigation
12: Burning biomass _____.
A. Is a method of obtaining coal
B. Releases fewer toxins than coal
C. Is formed from plant remains
D. Is mostly methane
13: Color is _____.
A. Caused by the chemicals in a mineral
B. Has a Mohs hardness of 1
C. Softer than diamond
D. Softer than topaz
14: Complete this analogy: bouncing is to sand as suspension is to_____________.
A. Ions
B. Gravel
C. Sand
D. Clay
15: Darby finds a rock in her backyard. it has large crystals. she has found _____.
A. Cooled very quickly
B. Intrusive igneous rock
C. Basalt
D. Has a coarse texture
16: Desert climate associated with a rain shadow is found ________.
A. On the windward (shoreward) side of coastal mountain ranges
B. On the leeward (inward) side of coastal mountain ranges
C. In the middle of flat plains
D. Along continental coastlines
17: Dry climates characterize the ______ flank of subtropical highs.
A. Equatorward
B. Eastern
C. Moist climates
D. More
E. SUMMER
18: Due to the ozone layer the top of the stratosphere is ______ than the top of the troposphere.
A. Warm
B. Cool
C. Thin
D. None of these
19: Evaporation ________.
A. Is a cooling process
B. Is a process not requiring energy
C. Has its greatest rates when the air is already humid
D. Is a heating process
E. Releases latent heat in the air
20: Folds form in ________ temperature - ________ pressure environments.
A. High; Low
B. High; high
C. Divergent; high
D. Low; high
21: Global warming _____.
A. Can't be slowed or stopped
B. Threatens polar ecosystems
C. Will cause sea levels to fall
D. Only affects areas near the equator
22: Hydrothermal metamorphism _____.
A. Changes in rocks caused by magma seeping into crustal rock; occurs at high temperature and low pressure
B. Changes in rocks caused by tectonic plates pushing together; occurs at low to high temperatures and medium pressure
C. Changes in rocks caused by tectonic plates rubbing sideways against one another; occurs at low to high temperatures and high pressure
D. Changes in rocks caused by chemicals in hot water; occurs at low temperature and low pressure
23: If the direction of earth's rotation reversed, the most predictable effect would be ________.
A. Tropical forests-nearly constant day length and temperature
B. In biomes at different latitudes.
C. Winds blowing from west to east along the equator.
D. Temperature and rainfall
24: In 1868, the uss wateree was carried several miles inland by a tsunami along the coast of ______.
A. Chile
B. Alaska
C. Japan
D. Indonesia
25: In a mercury barometer, when air pressure increases, the mercury in the tube _____.
A. Rises
B. Falls.
C. Rises, then falls.
D. Falls, then rises.
26: In the northern hemisphere gyres _____
A. Spin clockwise
B. Spin counterclockwise
C. Move in straight lines
D. Move diagonally
27: Increases in the number of ______ can lead to warmer climates
A. Sun spots
B. IT IS NOT all freeze
C. Rings
D. Ice ages
28: Large circular downwarped structures are called ________.
A. Anticlines
B. Domes
C. Synclines
D. Basins
29: Mineralogically and chemically equivalent rocks are ___ and __.
A. Granite; rhyolite
B. Gabbro; basalt
C. Diorite; andesite
D. Mafic; ultramafic E. intermediate; felsic
30: Minerals are components of ________.
A. Sedimentary rocks
B. Organic components of Earth's crust
C. Soil horizons
D. The troposphere
E. The lithosphere
31: Most extinction is ________.
A. Gradual, generally occurring when species cannot adapt genetically to changes in environmental conditions
B. Not often a problem for endemics
C. The result of slow climate change
D. The result of envIronmental catastrophe
E. Problematic for generalists
32: Most boreal forests are dominated by ________ .
A. Coniferous evergreen trees
B. Glacial ice and snow
C. The earths rotation
D. Conversion to cropland
33: Most lakes _____.
A. Contain saltwater
B. Are recharged by evaporation
C. Are in high latitudes and mountain regions
D. Formed from trapped ocean water
34: Of the following, ________ would represent a clumped population dispersion pattern.
A. Oaks planted on city streets
B. A forest of pine trees
C. A pod of 40 migrating gray whales
D. Eagles nesting in the tallest trees in the Grand Canyon
E. Earthworms in the soil of a garden
35: Paleontologists have found evidence that after a major extinction occurs, _____.
A. There is no particular pattern of speciation
B. Many new species often appear at about the same time
C. A new species evolves to replace each species that became extinct
D. Most species move away because they cannot adapt
36: Potential evapotranspiration is ________.
A. Very small when the atmosphere is warm
B. Usually about the same as actual evapotranspiration
C. Usually not as great as actual evapotranspiration
D. An amount much less than transpiration
E. Not described by any of the above
37: Recent research indicates that the variation in solar output ________.
A. Is less than any of the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change
B. Is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases
C. Is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economies
D. None of these
38: Sand is deposited on the ________ side of a dune.
A. Bajadas
B. Saltation
C. Blowouts
D. Loess
E. Leeward
39: Secondary succession could occur after a _____.
A. Forest fire
B. Transverse
C. Pressure
D. Circular
40: Slate is ________ than shale.
A. More planar
B. Darker
C. Denser
D. Lighter
41: Taproots, thorns, and fleshy stems are characteristics of ________.
A. Epiphytes
B. Xerophytes
C. Angiosperms
D. Gymnosperm
42: The ____ formed during the paleozoic era.
A. Birds evolved from dinosaurs
B. Appalachian Mountains
C. Organic evolution
D. They might have been warm-blooded
43: The blueschist facies is a metamorphic realm of ________.
A. Changes in mineralogy and texture in response to heat and stress
B. Metamorphism
C. High pressure but relatively low temperature
D. Complete remelting of the rock, followed by solidification to form a new rock
44: The pattern of __________ determines earth's precipitation pattern.
A. Interference with photosynthesis; global atmospheric conditions
B. Global atmospheric conditions, solar activity, and volcanic eruptions.
C. Both
D. None of these
45: The scientific process and knowledge is based on ________.
A. A systematic process of learning about and testing our understanding of the world
B. An expanding knowledge based on observation, questioning, testing and discovery
C. Is an activity designed to test the validity of a hypothesis
D. None of these
46: The surface of the lithosphere is fractured into a number of______________.
A. Chronometer
B. Tectonic plates
C. Ice cores
D. Transform
47: ________ is not part of the water cycle?
A. Water moving into creeks and streams following a rainstorm
B. Calcium carbonate dissolving in soil water and groundwater
C. Water infiltrating into the soil and bedrock
D. Water evaporating from a lake
48: A region generally is higher than an adjacent region if ____________ than in the adjacent region.
A. Deposition and burial
B. Pyroclastic flow; welded
C. The crust is thicker
D. Phenocrysts; porphyritic
49: Mechanisms that enhance or drive change are known as ________.
A. Closed feedback mechanisms
B. Positive feedback mechanisms
C. Open feedback mechanisms
D. Negative feedback mechanisms
50: Scientific __________ must be able to generate predictions.
A. Predictions
B. Seismologist
C. Models
D. None of these
51: The word topsoil is commonly used, but not always correctly. the proper definition is ________.
A. The A, E and B horizons
B. The dark, organic rich layers of O and A
C. The entire soil down to the base of the C horizon
D. Only the O horizon
52: Warm sea air is required for a _____.
A. Hurricanes
B. Nor'easter
C. Squall line
D. Synoptic scale
53: Warm air of a specific volume __________.
A. Is able to hold more water vapor than the same volume of cold air.
B. Temperature falls as elevation increases.
C. Destroy ozone for only a short time.
D. Atmospheric conditions on a given day
54: The theory of plate tectonics is about the _____.
A. The lithosphere is divided into plates
B. The asthenosphere is strong and rigid
C. The asthenosphere moves over the lithosphere
D. The asthenosphere is divided into plates
55: When a radioactive isotope decays by electron capture, the electron ________.
A. Makes the parent isotope into an ion with a charge of negative one
B. Combines with a proton in the nucleus; the atomic number of the daughter is one less than the parent
C. Combines with a neutron in the nucleus, raising the mass number of the daughter isotope by one
D. Makes the daughter isotope into an ion with a charge of positive one
56: ________ are not associated with a mid-ocean ridge.
A. Deep-ocean trenches
B. Turbidtes
C. A seamount is a volcano that forms on the ocean floor
D. Residual, unmelted, crustal lithosphere
E. They are geologically very stable
57: As the zenith angle _____ the amount of energy reaching the surface _____.
A. Increases; decreases
B. Decreases; increases
C. Decreases;decreases
D. Increases; increases
58: Erosion, compaction, and sedimentation are most closely associated with ________ rocks.
A. Basaltic.
B. Metamorphic.
C. Igneous.
D. Intrusive.
E. Sedimentary
59: Marine magnetic anomaly belts run parallel to ________.
A. Mid-ocean ridges
B. Fracture zones
C. Continental coastlines
D. Continental shelves
60: Broadly, metamorphism involves ________.
A. Changes in mineralogy and texture in response to heat and stress
B. Mica crystals within schist are larger than those within phyllite.
C. Foliation
61: Chesapeake bay and delaware bay are ________
A. Associated with a submergent coast
B. Former river valleys that were flooded by a rise in sea level
C. Excellent examples of large estuaries
D. All of the above
62: The combustion of ________ has added great quantities of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
A. Oxygen
B. Wood
C. Paper
D. Fossil fuels
63: The wet tropics are limited to areas ________.
A. Where the trade winds bring moisture
B. Where the humidity averages more than 70%
C. Where the temperature is always above 35°C
D. Below 1000 meters of elevation
64: The blue nile flows ________ across the sahara desert.
A. Eastward
B. Northward
C. Westward
D. Southward
65: Isobars are contour lines that connect __________.
A. Points of equal air pressure
B. Only low-pressure systems
C. Air pressure changes over time
D. Different air pressure values
66: Water erodes the outside of a river bend to form a __________.
A. Chlorine
B. Cut bank
C. Both of these
D. None of these
67: Spreading rates of ________ are common along the mid-atlantic and the mid-indian ridges.
A. Around seafloor hot spring vents
B. 1 to 5 centimeters per year
C. Ship-mounted echo sounders
D. Deep ocean trenches
68: Earthquakes are usually associated with _____.
A. Violent weather
B. Faults
C. Large cities
D. The East Coast of North America
69: Leaching and the rate of movement of water would be greatest in a soil classified as ________.
A. Organic
B. Hypersaline
C. Clay
D. Silty
E. Sandy
70: A ________ is formed by abrasion of rocks by windblown sand.
A. Playa
B. Ventifact
C. Pediment
D. Desert pavement
71: On a typical seismogram ________ will show the highest amplitudes
A. P waves
B. Surface waves
C. S waves
D. Body waves
72: The relative humidity within a cloud is ______ 100 percent.
A. About
B. Over
C. Under
D. Of
73: Which of the following statements is not true? hornfels facies ________.
A. Are typically nonfoliated.
B. Form at high pressures but low temperatures
C. Often form as a result of contact metamorphism
D. Are often associated with igneous intrusions
74: Alternate freezing and thawing often leads to _____.
A. Creep
B. Slumps
C. Mud flows
D. Earth flows
75: Seafloor spreading generates __________ magma
A. Grantic
B. Rhyolitic
C. Andesitic
D. Basaltic
76: Thermal (contact) metamorphism occurs ________.
A. In areas surrounding igneous intrusions
B. Only where gneiss is in contact with schist
C. As a consequence of the sinking of a broad region to great depth
D. Only at the surface, where rock is in contact with the atmosphere
77: Surface tension _____
A. Is caused by cohesion between water molecules on the surface
B. Is beneficial to living organisms in aquatic ecosystems
C. Is less dense than water
D. None of the above
78: Algae can survive on the seafloor only in _____.
A. Polar areas
B. Deep areas
C. Shallow areas
D. High-density areas
79: The moon has __________ because all energy is reradiated back to space.
A. An atmosphere that absorbs all radiation
B. A relatively high average surface temperature
C. Modest amount of greenhouse gases
D. A relatively low average surface temperature
80: Today there are between _____ languages spoken on earth
A. 14,000 and 15,000
B. 8,000 and 10,000
C. 200 and 300
D. 5,000 and 6,000
81: Areas such as the san joaquin valley and mexico city have experienced subsidence because ____.
A. Of a drought that lasted decades
B. Sediments were all clay
C. Groundwater was overpumped
D. Of urban growth that made the area sink
E. Main rivers were damned
82: Argentina's primate city is ______________.
A. Montevideo
B. Asunción
C. La Paz
D. Buenos Aires
E. Cordoba
83: One of the advantages of nuclear power over traditional fossil fuels is that nuclear power _____.
A. Emphasis is on pollution cleanup.
B. A base gives off hydroxide ions.
C. Is based on uranium, which is plentiful
D. It requires more coal mining
84: Placer mining is environmentally damaging because most methods ________.
A. Create large open pits that fill up with groundwater and react with sulfides to form sulfuric acid
B. Wash large amounts of sediments into streams, making the streams uninhabitable for many forms of aquatic life
C. Lead to acid drainage that affects nearby streams and rivers
D. Remove large amounts of surface soil and rock, leading to wide-scale erosion
E. Inject toxic solutions deep into the ground
85: Soils in different regions differ based on the _______.
A. Local climate
B. Topography of the land
C. Native organisms
D. All of the above
86: Deep-ocean trenches are found predominantly along the perimeter of the ________ .
A. Indian Ocean
B. Pacific Ocean
C. Atlantic Ocean
D. Arctic Ocean
87: During the miocene epoch, evolution of ______ took off.
A. Lemurs
B. Catarrhines
C. Platyrrhines
D. Hominoids
88: Earth's climate history can be studied by analyzing _____.
A. Ice cores and rock records
B. Fossils of plants and animals
C. Sustaining life with oxygen
D. Filtering harmful rays from the Sun
89: Earth's geothermal gradient is the rate of temperature change incurred by ____.
A. Moving towards the solar system
B. Moving towards the sun
C. Traversing through the world
D. Traversing down within Earth's interior
90: Wet and unconsolidated substrates are uniquely susceptible to ________ during an earthquake.
A. Displacement.
B. Collapse.
C. Liquefaction.
D. Faulting
91: The "horse latitudes" are zones of minimal winds that are associated with the ________ system.
A. Ascent and Subsidence
B. Intertropical convergence zone
C. From west to east
D. Subtropical High Pressure
92: Warm air ____ and cool air ____.
A. Expands and rises; contracts and sinks
B. 30° N&S and 90° N&S
C. The condensation of warm, moist air
D. The denser air mass slides beneath the lighter air mass forming a front
93: Atmospheric pressure changes ____.
A. Southeast (blue arrows pointing towards sourtheast)
B. The air would become more dense, and the surface air pressure would increase.
C. More rapidly in the vertical direction than in the horizontal
D. An instrument that indicates both wind speed and direction
94: When water molecules are disappearing into the air, there is a net _______.
A. Continental margin
B. Pacific Coast Ranges
C. Net evaporation
D. Hot air balloons
95: Gas molecules in the lower atmosphere ________.
A. Infrequently collide with each other
B. Are strongly bound to each other
C. Tend to explode when they collide with each other
D. Tend to stay at rest
E. Are readily compressed and heated
96: The global positioning system (gps) is based on ________.
A. Continuously Operating GPS Reference Stations (CORS)
B. Map projection.
C. Data from satellites.
D. For ocean navigation
97: When electrons are shared amongst all atoms, the resulting bond is a(n) ________ bond.
A. Metallic.
B. Partial.
C. Covalent.
D. Ionic
98: The antitrade winds can be found ________.
A. In the polar regions
B. At great heights over the trade winds
C. Near the polar front jet stream
D. In the tropics blowing from north to south
E. In the intertropical convergence zone
99: As the angle of incidence becomes less, the ________.
A. Tilt of Earth's axis increases
B. Less concentrated solar energy becomes
C. Distance from Earth to Sun increases
D. Amount of energy coming from the Sun decreases
E. Sun appears higher in the sky
100: A sea breeze circulation is caused by ____ differences.
A. Gulf stream
B. Temperature
C. In early afternoon
D. Land breeze
List of Earth Science MCQs Mul...
Available in:
Earth Science MCQs
