APPSC TECHNICAL ASSISTANT IN MINING DEPARTMENT

Multiple Choice Questions Introduction to Geology

Introduction to the Earth

1. Which of the following statements regarding the scientific methods is true?

A hypothesis must be agreed upon by more than one scientist
A theory is a hypothesis that has withstood many scientific tests
A theory is proven to be true, and therefore may not be discarded
A hypothesis cannot predict the outcome of scientific experiments

2. According to the principle of uniformatarianism,

geologic processes we observe today have operated in the past
geologic process in the past operated at the same rate as they do today
all of the planets formed from a uniform solar nebula
early Earth was covered by a uniform magma ocean

3. Approximately how long ago did the Big Bang take place?

10-15 thousand years ago
10-15 million years ago
100-150 million years ago
10-15 billion years ago

4. Under intense pressure and high temperature, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium. This process is called:

nuclear fusion
nuclear fission
metamorphism
convection

5. What are the two most abundant elements in nebula (gas clouds) in the universe?

nitrogen and oxygen
oxygen and silicon
hydrogen and helium
iron and nickel

6. The process by which an originally homogeneous Earth developed a dense core and a light crust is called:

metamorphism
differentiation
accretion
compression

7. The heat that caused melting in the Earth's early history was supplied from which of the following events or causes?

volcanic activity and radioactivity
solar heating and volcanic activity
a large impact event and radioactivity
a large impact event and solar heating

8. How thick is the crust of the Earth?

about 4 miles
about 4 km
about 40 km
about 400 km

9. The layer that separates crust from core is the?

magma layer
lithosphere
mantle
continent

10. What drives the Earth's internal heat engine?

radioactivity
solar energy
volcanoes
ocean tides

11. In general, igneous rocks:

form at relatively high temperatures
form by crystallization of solids from a liquid
form at high and low pressures
all of the above

12. Minerals:

can form by life-processes -- organic
are crystalline solids
have a unique chemical composition
can be any state (solid, liquid, or gas) as long as that state occurs naturally

13. Metamorphic rocks are changed rocks. Which of the following rock types could be the "parent" of a metamorphic rock?

sedimentary
igneous
metamorphic
all of the above

14. _______involves transfer of heat by the physical movement of the material:

conduction
convection
metamorphism
radiation

15. __________is called the "father" of geology.

John Butler
Art Smith
James Hutton
Alfred Wegner

16. New seafloor is created at a ____________?

deep-sea trench
mid-ocean ridge
subduction zone
transform fault

17. The descent of oceanic lithosphere into the mantle is the process of _______?

accretion
subduction
divergence zone
contraction fault

18. Which of the following features is not associated with a convergent plate boundary?

a mid-ocean ridge
earthquakes
a deep-sea trench zone
volcanic activity

19. The greatest threat to our environment is ___________?

volcanoes
earthquakes
humans
bacteria

20. Earth materials always trace the complete rock cycle from sediment through igneous rocks.

True
False

21. The terms crust and lithosphere are synonymous.

True
False

22. The terms mantle and asthenosphere are synonymous.

True
False

23. Because we rarely witness dramatic changes in the Earth, we can conclude that the Earth is not changing very much.

True
False

24. The motions of the three types of plate boundaries would be described as divergent, convergent, and static.

True
False

25. The crust of the Earth is static and stable.

True
False

26. Features useful in defining plate boundaries include all except:

shorelines between continents and oceans
distribution of volcanoes
distribution of earthquakes
distribution of mountain ranges
all are correct

27. The age of the Earth is currently thought to be

about 6,000 years old
about 6 billion years old
about 4,500,000 years old
about 4,500,000,000 years old
none of the above

28. The contribution made to geology by James Hutton was:

the recognition that processes still active today could produce almost any known rock type.
the description of plausible processes for converting one rock type to another.
a change in outlook on Earth processes from a catastrophic to a uniformitarian one.
all of the above
none of the above

29. One of geology's greatest contributions to human thought is:

the realization that the world is round
the realization that the sun not the Earth is the center of the solar system
the recognition of the long span of time involved in Earth history
the recognition that the Earth is the center of the solar system

30. Evidence of uniformitarian change includes:

glacial deposits in areas where no glaciers are presently found.
fossils of marine animals found at high elevation
continents covered by sediments deposited in an ocean
wide canyons cut by small streams
all of the above
none of the above

31. Living organisms have been on Earth for ______ of Earth's history?

less than 1%
about 20%
about 50%
about 80%

32. Humans have been on Earth for _________ of Earth;s history?

less than 1%
about 20%
about 50%
about 80%

33. What caused dust and condensing material to accrete into planetesimals?

heating of gases
gravitational attraction and collisions
nuclear fusion
rotation of the proto-sun

34. Which of the following is not one of the four inner planets?

Mars
Earth
Neptune
Mars

35. The outer planets are composed mostly of ?

rocks and ice
oxygen and nitrogen
hydrogen and helium
helium and krypton

36. The moon is ?

older than the sun
older than most meteorites
older than the Earth
none of these

37. The name of the layer of the Earth that separates the crust from the core is the ___?

magma
lithosphere
asthenosphere
mantle

38. What powers the Earth's internal heat engine?

radioactivity
solar energy
volcanoes
ocean tides

39. The Earth's external heat engine is not responsible for which of the following:

climate
erosion
tides
winds

40. Oxygen built up in the Earth's atmosphere because:

the oceans separated from the crust
rocks weathered and released their oxygen
algae and other organisms employed photosynthesis
oxygen settled on Earth from planets further from the sun

41. Which of the planets is not geologically active?

Mars
Mercury
Venus
Earth

42. When did geologists develop the theory of plate tectonics

in the mid 1800s
in the early 1900s
in the 1950s
in the 1960s

43. The lithosphere is approximately ______ kilometers thick.

1-2
5-10
50-100
100-200

44. The asthenosphere is _________.

cool and strong
cool and weak
hot and strong
hot and weak

45. The Earth's lithosphere is broken into approximately ______ large, rigid plates.

2
12
50
100

46. A __________ plate boundary is illustrated in the figure show above.

transform fault
divergent
convergent - subduction
convergent - continent/continent collision

47. Which of the following statements about convection is true?

heat is transferred from hot material to cool material without inducing a flow.
cool material flows upward and displaces hot material
hot material flows upward and displaces cool material
random circulation occurs

48. Approximately how fast does an Earth lithospheric plate move?

several centimeters per year
several centimeters per day
several centimeters per hour
several centimeters per second

49. Which of the following is not a type of plate boundary?

convergent
divergent
transform fault
all of these are plate boundaries

50. New seafloor is created at a ________.

deep sea trench
mid-ocean ridge
subduction zone
transform fault

51. The descent of oceanic lithosphere into the mantle is the process of ______.

subduction
accretion
divergence
contraction

52. Approximately how deep (below sea level) are deep-sea trenches?

1 km
10 km
100 km
1000 km

53. Which of the following features is not associated with a transform plate boundary?

a mid-ocean ridge
earthquakes
a deep sea-trench
volcanic activity

54. Volcanism is associated with which of the following types of plate boundaries?

convergent plate boundaries
divergent plate boundaries
transform fault plate boundaries
divergent and convergent plate boundaries

55. The Andes Mountains of South America are a result of which type of plate boundary?

convergent
divergent
transform
they are not related to a plate boundary

56. Mount St. Helen's. a part of the Cascade Range of volcanoes, result from the subduction of which plate?

Pacific
Cocos
Juan de Fuca
North American

57. What is the name of the large supercontinent that existed 200 million years ago when all of the continents were together?

San Andreas
Andian
Indian
Pangaea

58. Why is our vulnerability to natural disasters growing?

because the frequency of volcanic eruptions is increasing
because the human population is increasing
because the number of earthquakes each year is increasing
because the number of floods each year is increasing

59. The theory of plate tectonics was not initially widely accepted because ______..

land bridges would have blocked plate movement
rocks of the Earth's crust were considered too stiff for continents to move through them
fossils on South America and Africa did not match
ocean floor mapping showed that older rocks occur away from mid-ocean ridges

60. Referring to the diagram above, path A is _______

cooling and crystallization
burial and lithification
weathering and deposition
cooling and uplift

61. Referring to the diagram above, path B is _______

uplift, weathering and erosion, deposition
deposition, heat and pressure, weathering
melting, crystallization, heat and pressure
deposition, lithification and crystallization

62. Referring to the diagram what factor(s) are responsible for path C?

melting
crystallization
heat and pressure
burial and lithification