Description : Biomass energy is w) formed through photosynthesis x) caused by heat due to the large mass of the Earth y) has been used for only a few years z) the predominant source of commercial heat energy in the northern regions of the United States
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- FORMED THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Description : Which animal is the center of the timber-harvest controversy in the Pacific Northwest? w) blackfooted ferret x) California condor y) northern spotted owl z) gray wolf
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL
Description : A city that suffered a major earthquake, but is not on a plate boundary, is w) Los Angeles, California x) San Francisco, California y) Tokyo, Japan z) Charleston, South Carolina
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
Description : The San Andreas fault in California is a classic example of which of the following types of faults? w) tear fault x) upthrust fault y) dip-slip fault z) strike-slip fault
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- STRIKE-SLIP FAULT
Description : In 1991, critical habitat was designated for this well-known species in the states of Washington, Oregon and California. w) brown bear x) northern spotted owl y) bald eagle z) snail darter
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL
Description : Cloud droplets unite most easily to form raindrops in clouds containing which of the following substances? w) ozone x) plant pollen y) carbon tetrachloride z) large salt crystals
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- LARGE SALT CRYSTALS
Description : When the difference in the temperature of the wet-bulb thermometer and dry-bulb thermometer is large, what does it indicate about the air? w) it is very dry x) it is nearly saturated y) it is very warm z) it is very cold
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- IT IS VERY DRY
Description : When the front of a glacier is stationary for a long time, the glacier will do which of the following? w) form many crevasses x) melt away y) not erode its bed z) build a large terminal moraine
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- BUILD A LARGE TERMINAL MORAINE
Description : Large streams that enter a standing body of water produce which of the following geological features at their mouths? w) deltas x) load casts y) anticlines z) sync (pron: sink)
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- DELTAS
Description : The lag time between precipitation period and peak discharge period of a river: w) is increased by urbanization x) is decreased by urbanization y) is shorter for a large drainage basin than for a small one z) depends upon the hydraulic heads
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- IS DECREASED BY URBANIZATION
Description : The approximate average yearly rainfall in centimeters for the United States is: w) 25 centimeters x) 50 centimeters y) 75 centimeters z) 100 centimeters
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 75 CENTIMETERS
Description : Which of the following number of years best approximates the length of time since the last ice age in the United States? w) 1,000,000 x) 1,000 y) 11,000 z) 250,000
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 11,000
Description : Of the following states, the principal bituminous coal producing state in the United States is: w) Tennessee x) Illinois y) Pennsylvania z) West Virginia
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- WEST VIRGINIA
Description : Another method of locating points on a map besides the longitude and latitude method which is frequently employed in the western states is known as the: w) Arc Method x) Tier and Range System y) Square Similar Method z) none of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- TIER AND RANGE SYSTEM
Description : Of the energy used in the United States, about wha percent is provided by hydroelectric power? w) 4% x) 20% y) 50% z) 75%
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- 4%
Description : Which of the following time periods describes the age of the coal deposits of the Eastern United States? w) Jurassic and Cambrian x) Mississippian and Pennsylvanian y) Pliocene and Miocene z) none of these
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- MISSISSIPPIAN AND PENNSYLVANIAN
Description : The deposits of loess in the United States probabl originated as which of the following? w) talus x) rock flour y) humus z) geyserite
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- ROCK FLOUR
Description : The ice sheet that covered northeastern United States came from which of the following locations? w) Labrador center in eastern Canada x) Keewatin center in central Canada y) Cordilleran center in the Rocky Mountains z) Greenland
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- LABRADOR CENTER IN EASTERN CANADA
Description : Fossils are rarely found in such rocks as: w) limestone x) sandstone y) shale z) granite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- GRANITE
Description : Which of the following elements is found in the earth's crust as both a native element and as a compound? w) argon x) copper y) chlorine z) silicon
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- COPPER
Description : The fossils found in the tar pits of Rancho La Bre in Los Angeles included all of the following EXCEPT one. Which one was absent? w) saber-toothed cat x) dire wolf y) wooly mammoth z) giant ground sloth
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- WOOLY MAMMOTH
Description : The most common mineral found in igneous rock is: w) feldspar x) olivine y) muscovite z) fluorite
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- FELDSPAR
Description : Pedocal (pron: ped-eh-kal) soils are usually found to have developed in: w) forests x) swamps y) grasslands z) jungles
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- GRASSLANDS
Description : In which of the following is a continental glacier found? w) Switzerland x) the Rockies y) Greenland z) the Andes Mountains
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- GREENLAND
Description : Which of these pairs of minerals are always found in granites? w) muscovite and calcite x) quartz and orthoclase y) hornblende and talc z) augite and magnetite
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- QUARTZ AND ORTHOCLASE
Description : While many different gases are found in the atmosphere, a number do NOT contribute significantly to solar heating of the atmosphere. Which TWO of the following gases do NOT absorb much heat? w) carbon dioxide x) nitrogen y) water vapor z) oxygen
Last Answer : ANSWER: X and Z -- NITROGEN and OXYGEN
Description : Pangaea is the name of a former continent that included: w) all the continents x) only Europe and Asia y) only South America and Africa z) only North and South America
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- ALL THE CONTINENTS
Description : What mineral is the most dense? w) hematite x) cinnabar y) marcasite z) rhodochrosite
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- CINNABAR
Description : Which of the following mountain ranges was formed during the Mesozoic era? w) Rocky Mountains x) Cascades y) Appalachian z) Sierra Nevada
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- SIERRA NEVADA
Description : Sulfuric acid aerosols from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo reduced the rate of global warming last year. They also contributed to the record size of: w) acid rainfalls in Europe x) the anchovy catch off Peru y) the ozone hole over Antarctica z) fish kills in the Amazon River
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- THE OZONE HOLE OVER ANTARCTICA
Description : Which of the following is an average number of inches of snow equal to one inch of rain? w) 1 inch x) 5 inches y) 10 inches z) 25 inches
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 10 inches
Description : What is considered to be the oldest lake in North America? w) Mono Lake, CA x) Lake Superior, MI y) The Great Salt Lake, UT z) Crater Lake, OR
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- MONO LAKE, CA
Description : On which of the following does the capacity of a kilogram of air for holding water depend? w) the air pressure x) the air temperature y) the dust content of the air z) the ions in the air
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- THE AIR TEMPERATURE
Description : What is considered to be the approximate difference in average temperature between the "little ice age" and today? w) 1 to 3 degrees centigrade x) 5 to 8 degrees centigrade y) 10 to 12 degrees centigrade z) 15 to 20 degrees centigrade
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- 1 TO 3 DEGREES CENTIGRADE
Description : What form of runoff is water that flows down a slope within the upper layers of the soil rather than on top of them? w) interflow x) extraflow y) endoflow z) detrital runoff
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- INTERFLOW
Description : When does the air cool most rapidly? Is it during w) a cloudy day x) a cloudy night y) a sunny day z) a clear night
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- A CLEAR NIGHT
Description : Valleys formed by glaciers always have which of the following characteristics? w) U-shaped cross sections x) straight courses y) uniform slopes z) bedrock floors
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- U-SHAPED CROSS SECTIONS
Description : Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas. What is the current rate in parts per million per year of atmospheric increase of this gas? w) 0.15 ppm per year (parts per million) x) 1.5 ppm per year y) 15 ppm per year z) 150 ppm per year
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- 1.5 PPM PER YEAR
Description : The largest single component, by weight, in the average American landfill is: w) toxic waste x) diapers y) newspapers z) pizza boxes
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- NEWSPAPERS
Description : North American Indians used this mineral of volcanic origin to make tips for arrows: w) obsidian x) quartz y) flint z) pumice
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- OBSIDIAN
Description : In geological studies, the Mohorovicic Discontinuity, commonly called the Moho, is the boundary between the w) the mantle and the crust x) asthenosphere and the mantle y) mantle and the outer core z) outer core and the inner core
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- THE MANTLE AND THE CRUST
Description : Which of the following is the approximate ratio of the area of the continents to the area of the earth's oceans? w) 2:1 x) 1:1 y) 2:5 z) 1:10
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 2:5
Description : Which of the following distances in kilometers is closest to the diameter of the earth? w) 750 kilometers x) 2,750 kilometers y) 12,750 kilometers z) 127,500 kilometers
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- 12,750 KILOMETERS
Description : Safety aside, for which of the following reasons is alcohol used in preference to mercury in a minimum thermometer? w) Alcohol has a higher boiling point x) Alcohol has a lower freezing point y) Alcohol contracts more uniformly z) Alcohol can be dyed for visibility
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- ALCOHOL HAS A LOWER FREEZING POINT
Description : The core of the earth is thought to be composed of which of the following? w) basalt and granite x) compressed gases y) uranium and lead z) iron and nickel
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- IRON AND NICKEL
Description : Which of the following is the mineral name for ordinary salt? w) biotite x) calcite y) halite z) dolomite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- HALITE
Description : Which of the following minerals is a source of lead? w) Bauxite x) Hematite y) Malachite z) Galena
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- GALENA
Description : A geologic feature called a kimberlite indicates the possibility of thepresence of which of the following? w) rubies x) diamonds y) sapphires z) opals
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- DIAMONDS
Description : The wind-chill index outside is -10 F when the wind blows at 20 mph and the air temperature is 20 F. To what temperature will a dry object cool when placed outside? w) 20 F x) 10 F y) -10 F z) -20 F
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- 20 F
Description : The oldest rocks that contain abundant fossils are: w) Precambrian x) Paleozoic y) Mesozoic z) Cenozoic
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- PALEOZOIC