Earth Sciences Quiz
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Questions and Answers

Which ongoing source of Earth's internal heat is primarily due to radioactive processes?

  • Convection in the mantle
  • Impact cratering
  • Solar radiation
  • Radioactive decay (correct)

Plate tectonics is exclusively known to occur on which planet?

  • Mars
  • Earth (correct)
  • Jupiter
  • Venus

What factor is believed to contribute to the absence of ongoing plate tectonics on Venus?

  • Lack of a moon
  • Strong lithosphere due to high temperatures (correct)
  • Increased radiation from the Sun
  • Insufficient internal heat

The loss of gas in an atmosphere due to thermal escape depends on which factors?

<p>Temperature and atomic or molecular weight of gases (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to most of the carbon dioxide emitted from volcanic activity over Earth's history?

<p>It is locked in carbonate rocks (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which process is responsible for Earth's recovery from a snowball phase?

<p>Volcanic CO2 buildup in the atmosphere (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When discussing the order displayed by living organisms, what does this specifically refer to?

<p>Ordered structural patterns in organisms (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what year did the signal arrive at its destination?

<p>2046 (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does volcanic activity play in the carbon cycle over Earth's history?

<p>Helps sequester carbon in rocks (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the predicted chemical composition of the universe at its beginning according to the Big Bang theory?

<p>About 75% hydrogen and 25% helium (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What primarily determines the extent of the observable universe?

<p>The age of the universe (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What differs between isotopes of a particular element?

<p>Neutrons (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What kind of energy does gasoline possess that is used to make a car move?

<p>Potential energy (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do we learn the speed at which a distant object is moving toward or away from us?

<p>By identifying the shift, due to the Doppler effect, of spectral lines in its spectrum (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes jovian planets in our solar system?

<p>Made mostly of hydrogen, helium, and hydrogen compounds and orbit relatively far from the Sun (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the vast majority of the material that made up the solar nebula?

<p>Hydrogen and helium gas (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is necessary for a world to be considered habitable?

<p>It must have conditions suitable for life (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the current method employed by the SETI program?

<p>Using telescopes to search for signals from other civilizations (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Before the Greeks, what was the common belief about Earth?

<p>It was flat and motionless (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which astronomical object is essential for survival on Earth?

<p>The Sun (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When planets are observed over multiple nights, what movement do they typically exhibit?

<p>They generally move eastward relative to background stars (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the Ptolemaic model, how is retrograde motion explained?

<p>A planet moving backwards in a smaller circular orbit around Earth (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does stellar parallax refer to?

<p>The shift in position of nearby stars due to Earth's orbit around the Sun (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to Kepler’s Second Law, when does a planet move fastest in its orbit?

<p>When it is at its closest distance to the Sun (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did the discovery of a supernova by Tycho Brahe in 1572 challenge?

<p>The belief that the heavens were unchanging (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What breakthrough did Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's moons represent?

<p>That Jupiter moved about the Sun (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Occam’s Razor suggest regarding two models that explain observations equally well?

<p>The model that is simpler should be preferred (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the gravitational force exerted by the Sun on two identical asteroids located at different distances?

<p>It is one-quarter for the more distant asteroid (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the fact that the same physical laws operate throughout the universe impact the search for extraterrestrial life?

<p>It implies natural processes are consistent across worlds (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

If a radio signal were sent to a star system 40 light-years away in 2006, when would the signal arrive?

<p>In 2046 AD or 2047 (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement regarding the characteristics of planetary orbits is true?

<p>Kepler's laws govern the motion of planets in elliptical orbits (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic makes viruses unique in the context of living and nonliving entities?

<p>They require a host cell for reproduction. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which molecule is essential for the heredity of all known life on Earth?

<p>DNA (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is considered the most fundamental property of life by biologists?

<p>The ability to undergo evolutionary adaptation (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of a cell in living organisms?

<p>To separate living matter from the outside world (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What basic requirement is essential for metabolism within cells?

<p>A source of carbon and energy (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the one essential element that no organism can survive without on Earth?

<p>Liquid water (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does a lower fraction of the carbon-13 isotope in an ancient rock suggest about its history?

<p>It once contained living organisms. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is it believed that life probably did not originate on the land surface?

<p>Impacts would have destroyed early life. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What experimental evidence supports the idea that RNA was the first hereditary molecule of life?

<p>Short strands of RNA can spontaneously form with the aid of clay minerals. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is considered a reasonable explanation for life potentially arising on Venus or Mars?

<p>Both planets had conditions favorable for life in their early histories. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT typically linked to the Cambrian explosion?

<p>The sudden appearance of land predators. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which group moved to land first and why?

<p>Plants, because they provide food for other organisms. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the timeframe in which most extinctions occurred following a presumed giant impact that caused the dinosaurs' mass extinction?

<p>Over several months to years due to environmental disaster. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Did all dinosaurs completely go extinct 66 million years ago?

<p>No, some evolved into modern birds. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is true regarding the formation of self-replicating RNA?

<p>They only form under ultraviolet light in aqueous environments. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What misconception might someone have about the emergence of life on Mars compared to Venus?

<p>Only Venus had the right conditions for life to develop. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Habitable World

A world that supports life, regardless of its similarities to Earth.

SETI Program

The program uses telescopes to search for signals that could be emitted by technologically advanced civilizations.

Ancient Worldview

Ancient cultures believed that Earth was flat and stationary, not moving in space.

Essential Celestial Body

The Sun is the celestial object most crucial for life on Earth. It provides light and energy.

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Planetary Motion

Planets appear to move eastward against the background stars due to their orbital motion relative to Earth.

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Ptolemaic Model

In this model, a planet's retrograde motion is explained by its movement in a smaller circle around Earth.

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Stellar Parallax

The apparent change in position of a nearby star as Earth orbits the Sun.

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Kepler's Second Law

A planet moves fastest when it is closest to the Sun.

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Supernova Discovery

The discovery of a supernova by Tycho Brahe in 1572 contradicted the belief that the heavens were unchanging.

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Galileo's Moons

Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's moons proved that Earth is not the center of everything.

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Occam's Razor

Occam's Razor suggests choosing the simpler explanation among competing theories.

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Newton's Law of Gravity

The force of gravity between two objects decreases with the square of the distance between them.

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Universality of Physics

The laws of physics are universal, meaning they apply throughout the universe.

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Retrograde Motion

A phenomenon caused by shifts in a planet's apparent motion as viewed from Earth, often mistaken for backward movement.

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Celestial Sphere

The concept of a spherical Earth, with stars fixed at a great distance, became a common belief throughout history.

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Big Bang

The universe began with an extremely hot, dense state that rapidly expanded and cooled, leading to the formation of elements.

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Observable Universe Size

The observable universe's size depends on how far light from the Big Bang has had time to reach us.

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Doppler Effect

The Doppler Effect describes the change in wavelength of light or sound waves due to the relative motion of the source and observer. This effect allows astronomers to determine whether an object is moving towards or away from us.

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Isotopes

Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons.

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Potential Energy

The energy an object possesses due to its position or configuration, like the potential energy stored in gasoline.

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Jovian Planets

Jovian Planets are large gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn. They orbit farther from the Sun than terrestrial planets, which are primarily composed of rock and metal.

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Solar Nebula

The solar nebula was a vast, swirling disk of gas and dust, primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, from which the Solar System formed.

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Universe's Chemical Composition

Since the Big Bang, the universe has been mostly composed of hydrogen and helium, with far less amounts of other elements.

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Earth's Internal Heat

Radioactive decay of elements in Earth's interior is a continuous source of heat.

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Plate Tectonics

A process where Earth's outer shell (lithosphere) is broken into plates that move and interact, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain formation.

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Venus's Lack of Plate Tectonics

Venus lacks plate tectonics because its thick lithosphere, possibly due to its hot surface, makes plate movement extremely difficult.

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Thermal Escape

The process of an atmosphere losing gases to space, influenced by the gases' weight and the planet's temperature.

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Carbon Dioxide Storage

Most of the carbon dioxide released by volcanoes over Earth's history is stored within rocks formed by interactions between CO2 and water.

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Snowball Earth

A period when Earth's surface was covered in ice, triggered by a decrease in greenhouse gases, which eventually ended due to a buildup of volcanic carbon dioxide.

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Order in Living Organisms

Living organisms show patterns and organization in their structures rather than random arrangements.

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Evolutionary Order

Different species appeared at different times, illustrating a historical sequence of life on Earth.

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What makes viruses a unique life form?

Viruses are considered an intermediate form between living and nonliving because they lack the ability to reproduce independently. Instead, they rely on host cells to replicate.

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What molecule is responsible for heredity in all life forms?

DNA, a molecule carrying genetic information, is the foundation for heredity in all known life on Earth.

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Most fundamental property of life?

Biologists generally believe that the defining feature of life is its ability to adapt and evolve over time, resulting in changes across generations.

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What is the role of a cell in an organism?

A cell acts as a barrier, separating the living organism from the external environment.

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What are the basic metabolic requirements?

Metabolism inside cells requires both a source of energy and a source of carbon, which are essential for building molecules and performing functions.

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What substance is essential for all Earth life?

Living organisms on Earth cannot survive without liquid water, regardless of other factors.

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What does a lower carbon-13 ratio in ancient rocks imply?

A lower proportion of carbon-13 isotope in an ancient rock sample compared to inorganic materials suggests the presence of past life. This is because living organisms preferentially use carbon-12.

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Why did life not originate on land?

Life likely did not originate on the land surface because the lack of an ozone layer would have exposed early life to harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

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RNA's role in early life

Clay minerals played a role in the spontaneous formation of short RNA strands, which were likely present in the early oceans of Earth.

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Life's origin beyond Earth

The theory suggests that life on Venus or Mars could have migrated to Earth.

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Factors driving the Cambrian explosion

The Cambrian explosion period witnessed a rapid diversification of life forms. Oxygen availability, increased genetic complexity, the end of a 'Snowball Earth' event, and the absence of predators may have contributed to this explosion.

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Plants vs. animals on land

Plants colonized land before animals, as animals require plant life for sustenance.

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Dinosaur extinction mechanism

While large asteroid impacts can have catastrophic consequences, the mass extinction of dinosaurs likely occurred over months to years, primarily due to the effects of fires, ash, and dust blocking sunlight.

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Did all dinosaurs go extinct?

Not all dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago. Some evolved into birds.

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Panspermia

The theory of panspermia proposes that life originated elsewhere in the universe and reached Earth through the transfer of microorganisms or organic compounds via meteorites, asteroids, or comets.

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Early Earth's climate

The conditions on Earth may not have always been as hospitable as they are today. Early Earth was a much harsher environment, with a different chemical composition and no atmosphere. Life had to evolve under these challenging conditions, leading to the development of extremophiles.

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Study Notes

Exam Information

  • Only allowable items on desk: exam booklet, crowdmark sheet, writing tools, York student ID or other photo ID
  • Exam contains 60 multiple-choice questions, each worth 1 mark; no penalty for guessing
  • Clearly mark answers on both exam booklet and crowdmark sheet
  • 2 hours to complete the exam
  • Attendance sheet will be circulated, photo ID required
  • Return exam booklet and crowdmark sheet to an invigilator upon completion

Important Information (Fire Alarm)

  • Treat all fire alarms as emergencies
  • Leave exam papers on desk and follow invigilators to nearest exit
  • Take belongings quickly
  • Remain with invigilators outside until exam can resume or period ends (whichever comes first)
  • Students who don't return to exam room immediately will not be allowed to complete the exam or make it up later.

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Description

Test your knowledge about Earth's internal heat sources and the unique aspects of plate tectonics. This quiz covers fundamental concepts related to geology and planetary sciences. Perfect for students and enthusiasts alike!

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