Description : The jet-stream lies between which two layers of th earth's atmosphere? w) thermosphere and ionosphere x) mesosphere and thermosphere y) troposphere and stratosphere z) stratosphere and mesosphere
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- TROPOSPHERE AND STRATOSPHERE
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 : Winds are classed as agents of erosion rather than of weathering because: w) they have nothing to do with the weather x) they carry rock particles away y) they work only part of the time z) they build up rather than wear down the rock
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- THEY CARRY ROCK PARTICLES AWAY
Description : You are flying between Chicago and San Francisco on a commercial jet. The pilot comes on the public address system and announces that the plane's cruising altitude is 40,000 feet. At this altitude are you in the: w) troposphere x) stratosphere y) ozonosphere z) chemosphere
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- STRATOSPHERE
Description : Which physical phenomenon or principle is most often applied in the search for petroleum reservoirs? w) magnetic field distortions x) electromagnetic radiation y) natural radioactive decay of minerals z) acoustic wave transmission and reflection
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- ACOUSTIC WAVE TRANSMISSION AND REFLECTION
Description : Which physical phenomenon or principle is most often applied in the search for petroleum reservoirs? w) gravitational attraction x) magnetic field distortions y) natural radioactive decay of minerals z) acoustic wave transmission and reflection
Description : The saltation of sand grains refers to the sand grains: w) being coated with salt x) moving in jumps and bounces y) moving in a steady stream z) being cemented together
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- MOVING IN JUMPS AND BOUNCES
Description : A yazoo stream flows through which of the following? w) gorge x) divide y) backswamp z) water gap
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- BACKSWAMP
Description : You are adrift off the coast of Miami, Florida in the Gulf Stream. Where would you most likely land? w) Argentina x) Louisiana y) New York z) The British Isles
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- THE BRITISH ISLES
Description : Which one of these glacial features is believed to have formed in the bed of a subglacial stream? w) an esker x) a kame y) a drumlin z) a moraine
Last Answer : ANSWER: W -- AN ESKER
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 : Global climate change is being attributed to the atmospheric increase in what two gases produced by human activities? w) ozone and methane x) nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide y) methane and carbon dioxide z) ozone and carbon monoxide
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE
Description : Which of the following processes doesn't account for an increase in atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels? w) deforestation x) photosynthetic processes y) plant respiration z) fossil fuel combustion
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESSES
Description : Global climate change is being attributed to the atmospheric increase in what two gases produced by human activities? w) oxygen and hydrogen x) ozone and methane y) nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide z) methane and carbon dioxide e) ozone and carbon monoxide
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE
Description : Which element in chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is responsible for destroying the Earth's ozone layer? w) oxygen x) fluorine y) chlorine z) bromine
Last Answer : ANSWER: Y -- CHLORINE
Description : To what does the atmosphere's "greenhouse effect" refer to? w) the fact that ozone reflects ultraviolet radiation x) the fact that air prevents heat from leaving the earth y) the fact that clouds prevent sunlight from reaching the earth z) the fact that green plants use sunlight to produce food
Last Answer : ANSWER: X -- THE FACT THAT AIR PREVENTS HEAT FROM LEAVING THE EARTH
Description : The Greenhouse Effect is caused primarily by which of the following processes? w) blocking incoming short wave solar energy x) absorbing incoming short wave solar energy y) heating of the Earth's stratosphere z) absorbing outgoing long wave radiation from the Earth
Last Answer : ANSWER: Z -- ABSORBING OUTGOING LONG WAVE RADIATION FROM THE EARTH
Description : What In the Northern Hemisphere the Coriolis effect causes winds to curve to the?
Last Answer : right
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 : 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 : 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 : 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 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
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