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 : 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 : The transport of energy or matter across the parallels of latitude in a north-south direction or the reverse is called: w) global transport x) air transport y) meridional transport z) polar transport
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- MERIDIONAL TRANSPORT
Description : The horse latitude which occurs at approximately 30o - 35o north is also known as the: w) doldrums x) calms of Cancer y) calms of Capricorn z) trough of the Pacific
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- CALMS OF CANCER
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 : Which of the following does NOT form as a result o a low level temperature inversion? w) smog x) sleet y) tornado z) fog
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- TORNADO
Description : Cirrus clouds are: w) rain clouds x) thick and fleecy y) made of ice crystals z) low cloud layers
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- MADE OF ICE CRYSTALS
Description : Trade winds are persistent easterly winds develope between: w) subtropical high pressure and equatorial doldrum x) subtropical high pressure and subpolar low pressure y) westerlies and polar highs z) none of the above
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- SUBTROPICAL HIGH PRESSURE AND EQUATORIAL DOLDRUM
Description : Which of the following is TRUE of an earthquake's epicenter and focus? w) they are the same x) the focus is above the epicenter y) the epicenter is at the earth's surface z) the focus is at the earth's inner core
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- THE EPICENTER IS AT THE EARTH'S SURFACE
Description : Which one of these is NOT true? w) All planets revolve in the same direction. x) All planets rotate in the same direction. y) The orbits of the planets are all ellipses. z) The orbits of the planets are nearly in the same plane.
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- ALL PLANETS ROTATE IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
Description : All of the following are TRUE of the Paricutin volcano except w) its slopes are steep x) it is a lava cone y) it is located in Mexico z) it was built over a short period of time
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- IT IS A LAVA CONE
Description : Which of the following terms is used to describe the angular difference between TRUE north and magnetic north on a topographic map? Is it: w) Magnetic field x) Magnetic intensity y) Magnetic inclination z) Magnetic declination
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- MAGNETIC DECLINATION
Description : In geological studies, all of the following are TRUE of P waves except that they: w) are body waves x) travel like sound waves y) can pass through liquids z) are slower than S waves
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- ARE SLOWER THAN S WAVES
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 : 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 : Which of the following is the oldest period of tim lasting from the beginnings of the earth to approximately 570 million year ago? w) Precambrian x) Pleistocene (pron: ply-sto-sin) y) Miocene (pron: my-o-sin) z) Jurassic
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- PRECAMBRIAN
Description : The tectonic plates on which India and the adjacen portion of Asia ride are colliding at a rate of: w) 1-10 millimeters per year x) 1-10 centimeters per year y) 1-10 meters per year z) 1-10 decimeters per year
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- 1-10 CENTIMETERS PER YEAR
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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 oldest rocks that contain abundant fossils are: w) Precambrian x) Paleozoic y) Mesozoic z) Cenozoic
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- PALEOZOIC
Description : The principal mineral in most sand beaches is w) quartz x) orthoclase y) magnetite z) muscovite
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- QUARTZ
Description : The air around a high pressure area circulates: w) clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere x) counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere y) clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere z) in either direction regardless of hemisphere
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- CLOCKWISE IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
Description : On the Richter scale, a magnitude 6 earthquake is how much larger than a magnitude 4 earthquake? w) 1.5 times x) 4 times y) 15 times z) 100 times
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- 100 TIMES
Description : The longest era was the w) Mesozoic x) Precambrian y) Cenozoic z) Paleozoic
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- PRECAMBRIAN
Description : The rock in which ground water is LEAST likely to form caverns is: w) sandstone x) limestone y) salt z) rock gypsum
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- SANDSTONE
Description : As we have seen with Hurricane Andrew, natural forces can cause great loss of human life. Which of the following natural disasters has resulted in the greatest loss of human life in a single occurrence? w) typhoon x) volcanic eruption y) earthquake z) tornado
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- EARTHQUAKE (ON JANUARY 23, 1556, 830,000 PEOPLE DIED IN SHENSI, CHINW)
Description : Fossils are rarely found in such rocks as: w) limestone x) sandstone y) shale z) granite
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- GRANITE