Name: _____________________________________________
Sheehan Mid-Term Review
A) younger than both the calcite cement and the
conglomerate
B) younger than the calcite cement, but the same
age as the conglomerate
C) older than both the calcite cement and the
conglomerate
D) older than the calcite cement, but the same age
as the conglomerate
1. The photograph below shows conglomerate composed
of pebbles cemented together with calcite.
Compared to the ages of the calcite cement and the
conglomerate, the relative age of the pebbles is
A) dissolving as water is running over the rock
B) abrasion by colliding with other rocks
C) deposition in well-sorted layers
D) resistance to weathering and erosion
2. As a quartz pebble is transported by a stream, the
pebble will become more rounded as a result of
A) garnet B) pyrite
C) magnetite D) hematite
3. Which mineral is produced when two atoms of iron
chemically combine with three atoms of oxygen?
A) glaciers B) mass movement
C) wave action D) wind action
4. Which agent of erosion is most likely responsible for
the deposition of sandbars along ocean shorelines?
A) velocity of the river decreases
B) force of gravity decreases
C) volume of water increases
D) slope of the river increases
5. Sediment is deposited as a river enters a lake because
the
A) deserts and beaches
B) deltas and floodplains
C) glaciers and moraines
D) mountain peaks and escarpments
6. The diagram below shows sand particles being moved
by wind.
At which Earth surface locations is this process
usually the most dominant type of erosion?
A) iron B) sodium
C) carbon D) sulfur
7. Which element is always found in bioclastic
sedimentary rocks?
A) arrival time of the first P-wave
B) difference in arrival times between P- and S
-waves
C) distance to the epicenter
D) energy released by an earthquake
8. The magnitude of an earthquake is a number that
represents the
A) a tsunami B) a delta
C) an El Niño event D) an ocean current
9. A strong earthquake that occurs on the ocean floor
could result in the formation of
A) pebbles, sand, silt, and clay, only
B) sand, silt, and clay, only
C) silt and clay, only
D) clay, only
10. Which particles will be transported by a stream
moving at a velocity of 5 cm/s?
A) quartz B) pyroxene
C) gypsum D) calcite
11. Which mineral can be found in the rocks phyllite,
sandstone, and granite?
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A)
B)
C)
D)
12.Which table correctly shows the interior temperature, melting point, and state (phase) of matter of the
materials located 4000 kilometers below Earth's surface?
Base your answers to questions 13 and 14 on the graph below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The graph shows the number of radioactive Isotope X atoms present as a sample of the
isotope undergoes radioactive decay.
A) 6 h B) 9 h C) 3 h D) 12 h
13. Based on the graph, the half-life of this radioactive isotope is
A) 90 B) 115 C) 155 D) 200
14. Based on the graph, what is the approximate number of radioactive atoms of Isotope X that are
present when 8 hours of decay has occurred?
A) schist B) slate
C) marble D) quartzite
15. If a metamorphic rock bubbles when a drop of acid
is placed on its surface, the rock is most likely
A) lighter B) flatter
C) better sorted D) more dense
16. When small particles settle through water faster than
large particles, the small particles are probably
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A) Volcanic eruptions contain large amounts of
water vapor
B) Coral reefs formed, in the past, along the edges
of many continents.
C) Seafloor spreading has pulled landmasses apart
and pushed them together.
D) Sedimentary bedrock of marine origin covers
large areas of Earth's continents.
17. Which statement best supports the inference that
most of Earth's present-day land surfaces have, at
one time, been covered by water?
A) silt B) sand
C) pebbles D) cobbles
18. What is the name of the largest sediment that can be
transported by a stream moving at a velocity of 100
centimeters per second (cm/s)?
A) Ithaca and Jamestown
B) Utica and Syracuse
C) Oswego and Old Forge
D) Albany and Massena
19. Sedimentary rock layers that were deposited
between 488 million and 444 million years ago are
found on the surface at which two New York State
locations?
A) A B) B C) C D) D
20. The cross section below represents an outcrop of
sedimentary rock layers exposed on Earth's surface.
Rock layers A, B, C, and D are labeled.
Which rock layer shows the greatest resistance to
weathering and erosion?
A) gabbro and schist
B) dunite and sandstone
C) granite and gneiss
D) pumice and scoria
21. Which two rocks contain the mineral quartz?
A) 1000 km B) 2000 km
C) 2600 km D) 5600 km
22. An earthquake occurs at 10:05 a.m. At 10:09 a.m.,
the first P-wave from this earthquake is detected at a
seismic station. Approximately how many
kilometers (km) from the epicenter is this seismic
station located?
A) B)
C) D)
23. The block diagram below represents the under-lying
bedrock structure of a landscape region.
Which diagram represents the most likely stream
drainage pattern on the surface of this landscape?
A) shallow marine B) tropical forest
C) coastal plain D) interior grassland
24. Brachiopod fossils were found in a layer of
limestone rock. In which type of environment did
the limestone layer form?
A) Eurypterus and Cooksonia
B) Aneurophyton and Naples Tree
C) mastodont and Beluga whale
D) Coelophysis and Elliptocephala
25. Which organisms were alive when New York State
was last covered by a continental ice sheet?
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26. Base your answer to the following question on the graph below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The diagram represents a portion of Earth's interior. Letters A, B, and C represent interior
layers. The graph shows the velocity of P-waves and S-waves at various depths in Earth's interior.
A) A is the crust and B is the rigid mantle.
B) A is the lithosphere and B is the asthenosphere
C) A is the asthenosphere and B is the crust.
D) A is the rigid mantle and B is the lithosphere
Which layers of Earth's interior are represented by letters A and B?
A) A B) B C) C D) D
27. The world map below shows Earth's major tectonic plate boundaries. Letters A through D represent
four surface locations.
Which location is on a major rift valley?
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28. Base your answer to the following question on the following cross section and on your knowledge of
Earth science. The cross section shows the boundary between the Juan de Fuca Plate and the North
American Plate.
A) thicker and less dense B) thicker and more dense
C) thinner and less dense D) thinner and more dense
Compared to the crust of the North American Plate, the crust of the Juan de Fuca Plate is
29. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The diagram represents a cut-away view of Earth's interior and the paths of some of the
seismic waves produced by an earthquake that originated below Earth's surface. Points A, B, and C
represent seismic stations on Earth's surface. Point D represents a location at the boundary between
the core and the mantle.
A) 2 minutes 20 seconds B) 6 minutes 40 seconds
C) 8 minutes 20 seconds D) 15 minutes 00 second
Seismic station A is 5000 kilometers from the epicenter. What is the difference between the arrival
time of the first P-wave and the arrival time of the first S-wave recorded at this station?
A) unsorted pebbles B) unsorted sand
C) sorted pebbles D) sorted sand
30. Which type of sediment sample normally has the
greatest permeability rate?
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A) chemical weathering and groundwater flow
B) chemical weathering and runoff
C) physical weathering and groundwater flow
D) physical weathering and runoff
31. The two block diagrams below represent the formation of caves.
Which types of weathering and erosion are primarily responsible for the formation of caves?
A) B)
C) D)
32. Each of the rock particles below has the same
density and volume. Which particle will most likely
settle at the fastest rate in moving water?
A) less dense and more mafic
B) less dense and more felsic
C) more dense and less mafic
D) more dense and less felsic
33. Compared to the density and composition of the
oceanic crust, the continental crust is
A) extinction
B) evolution
C) dynamic equilibrium
D) original horizontally
34. The change in life-forms in the fossil record from
less complex organisms to more complex organisms
over time is best explained by
A) sample size B) hardness
C) type of luster D) angles of cleavage
35. Which property is most useful in distinguishing
pyroxene from amphibole?
A) folding B) weathering
C) mass movement D) volcanic activity
36. The photograph below shows the bedrock structure
of a limestone outcrop.
Which process is responsible for the deformation of
this bedrock?
A) decreasing vegetation and decreasing runoff
B) decreasing vegetation and increasing runoff
C) increasing vegetation and decreasing runoff
D) increasing vegetation and increasing runoff
37. Urbanization affects the amount of vegetation and
runoff in an area by
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A) crust B) outer core C) troposphere D) hydrosphere
38. The pie graph below represents the composition, in percent by mass, of the chemical elements found
in an Earth layer.
The composition of which Earth layer is represented by the pie graph?
A) plus = older age; minus = younger age
B) plus = younger age; minus = older age
C) plus = reversed magnetic polarity; minus = normal magnetic polarity
D) plus = normal magnetic polarity; minus = reversed magnetic polarity
39. The block diagram below represents the present ocean floor. The white arrows show the movement of
the ocean floor and the black arrows show the movement of the asthenosphere.
Which characteristic of the ocean-floor bedrock is best described by the plus and minus symbols in
the diagram?
A) slate B) marble C) unconformity D) shale
40. The geologic cross section below shows rock layers that have not been overturned.
The fault is older than the
Sheehan Mid-Term Review
A) running water B) glacial ice
C) ocean waves D) prevailing wind
41. The photograph below shows both erosional and depositional features formed by an agent of erosion.
Which agent of erosion produced the features shown in the photograph?
A) an arid region that experienced mostly uplifting forces
B) an arid region that experienced mostly erosional forces
C) a humid region that experienced mostly uplifting forces
D) a humid region that experienced mostly erosional forces
42. The sequence of bedrock cross sections below represents the same landscape region over a period of
geologic time.
This sequence best represents
A) gradient of a stream
B) type of soil
C) profile of the land
D) rate of erosion
43. Which characteristic of a landscape is usually the
most difficult to observe?
A) India B) Antarctica
C) North America D) South America
44. Which landmass is moving northward with Australia
as part of the same tectonic plate'?
A) clastic shale
B) foliated phyllite
C) nonfoliated marble
D) crystalline rock salt
45. Which rock is classified as an evaporite?
Sheehan Mid-Term Review
A) sandstone B) limestone C) hornfels D) granite
46. The photograph below shows bedrock composed of sediments that have been deposited by wind.
This bedrock is most likely
A) The Himalaya Mountains were formed by
volcanic activity.
B) Sea level has been lowered more than 29,000
feet since the shells were fossilized.
C) The bedrock containing the fossil shells is part
of an uplifted seafloor.
D) The Himalaya Mountains formed at a divergent
plate boundary.
47. The Himalaya Mountains are located along a portion
of the southern boundary of the Eurasian Plate. At
the top of Mt. Everest (29,028 feet) in the Himalaya
Mountains, climbers have found fossilized marine
shells in the surface bedrock. From this observation,
which statement is the best inference about the
origin of the Himalaya Mountains?
A) 7:03:00 p.m., and the S-wave arrived at this
station at 7:12:40 p.m.
B) 7:03:00 p.m., and the S-wave arrived at this
station at 7:15:40 p.m.
C) 7:17:00 p.m., and the S-wave arrived at this
station at 7:12:40 p.m.
D) 7:17:00 p.m., and the S-wave arrived at this
station at 7:15:40 p.m.
48. A seismic recording station located 4000 kilometers
from the epicenter of an earthquake received the first
P-wave at 7:10:00 p.m. (h:min:s). Other information
that could be determined from this recording was
that the earthquake occurred at approximately
A) vertical lifting of surface rock
B) folding of surface rock
C) down-warping of the crust
D) movement along a transform fault
49. The diagram below shows land features that have
been disrupted by an earthquake.
Which type of crustal movement most likely caused
the displacement of features in this area?
A) sedimentary, with limestone, shale, sandstone,
and dolostone
B) sedimentary, with limestone, shale, sandstone,
and conglomerate
C) metamorphic, with quartzite, dolostone, marble,
and schist
D) metamorphic, with gneiss, quartzite, marble,
and slate
50. Which type of surface bedrock is most commonly
found in the Utica, New York area?
A) Cambrian B) Ordovician
C) Silurian D) Devonian
51. During which geologic period did plants and animals
first appear in land environments?
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A) B)
C) D)
52. The diagram below represents the size and shape of a pebble. This pebble and 20 other pebbles
having a similar size and shape were placed in a rock tumbler with water and allowed to abrade for
five days.
Which diagram best represents the size and shape of this pebble after the five-day period?
A) wind abrasion B) glacial deposition
C) wave action D) mass movement
53. The photograph below shows the results of a landslide.
This landslide is an example of
A) 0.1 cm/s B) 0.002 cm/s
C) 5.5 cm/s D) 10.0 cm/s
54. The minimum stream velocity necessary to transport
a sediment particle that is 0.1 centimeter in diameter
is closest to
A) dunite B) granite
C) peridotite D) gabbro
55. Which igneous rock could physically weather to
beach sand that contains the minerals pyroxene,
plagioclase feldspar, and olivine?
A) cool and arid B) cool and humid
C) warm and arid D) warm and humid
56. Which climate conditions most likely produce a
landscape with rounded hills, large river valleys with
many tributaries, and tropical vegetation?
A) granite B) limestone
C) gneiss D) quartzite
57. Which rock will weather at the fastest rate when
exposed to acid rain?
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58. Base your answer to the following question on the block diagram below and on your knowledge of
Earth science. The block diagram represents a river drainage system. A portion of the river, seen in
box A, has been enlarged. Points X and Y are on opposite sides of the river. Letter B indicates the
location where the river enters the ocean.
A) topography B) watershed C) water table D) floodplain
The area of land drained by this river and its tributaries is best described as the river's
A) B)
C) D)
59. The block diagram below represents a meandering stream.
Which table indicates where the greatest stream velocity and the greatest rate of stream erosion
occur?
Sheehan Mid-Term Review
60. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The diagram represents three tubes, A, B, and C, each containing an equal volume of
uniform-sized spherical beads. The bottom of each tube is covered with a wire screen. XY is a
reference line.
A) highest in tube A B) highest in tube B
C) highest in tube C D) the same height in all three tubes
These tubes are placed in water up to the level of line XY to demonstrate capillarity. After one hour,
the height of the water above line XY will be
A) A B) B C) C D) D
61. The map below shows some tectonic plate
boundaries near South America and Africa. Letters
A,B,C, and D represent locations on Earth's surface.
Which location most likely has the youngest
bedrock?
A) particle density B) erosion
C) deposition D) mass movement
62. When the velocity of a stream suddenly decreases,
the sediment being transported undergoes an
increase in
A) A B) B C) C D) D
63. The cross section below represents zones of soil
labeled A, B, and C. Letter D represents underlying
bedrock.
Which letter identifies the zone having the most
organic and weathered material?
A) large area during a short period of time
B) large area during a long period of time
C) small area during a short period of time
D) small area during a long period of time
64. Volcanic ash deposits found in the geologic record
are most useful in correlating the age of rock layers
if the volcanic ash was distributed over a
Sheehan Mid-Term Review
65. Base your answer to the following question on the map below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The map shows part of the North American coastline. The present coastline is shown as a
solid line. The symbols on the key below indicate the inferred coastline 18,000 years ago and an
inferred future coastline if global warming continues.
A) total amount of global precipitation will decrease
B) thickness of the ozone layer will decrease
C) concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere will increase
D) rate of uplift of the North American continent will increase
The inferred position of the future coastline is based on the assumption that the
Sheehan Mid-Term Review
66. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The diagram represents four tubes, labeled A, B, C, and D, each containing 150 mL of
sediments. Tubes A, B, and C contain well-sorted, closely packed sediments of uniform shape and
size. Tube D contains uniformly shaped, closely packed sediments of mixed sizes. The particle size of
the sediment in each tube is labeled.
A) greatest in tube A B) greatest in tube B
C) greatest in tube C D) the same for tubes A, B, and C
If tubes A, B, and C were set up to test for capillarity, the data would show that capillarity is
A) 1 and 8 B) 2 and 9 C) 3 and 7 D) 4 and 5
67. The cross sections below represent two bedrock outcrops 15 kilometers apart. Numbers 1 through 9
indicate rock layers. Some layers contain index fossils. No overturning of rock layers has occurred.
Which layers most likely formed during the same geologic time period?
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68. Base your answer to the following question on the diagrams below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The diagrams represent four columns, labeled A, B, C, and D, that are partially filled with
equal volumes of dry, sorted sediments. A fine wire mesh screen covers the bottom of each column to
prevent the sediment from falling out. The lower part of each column has been placed in a beaker of
water.
A) B) C) D)
Equal volumes of sediments from all four columns are mixed and poured into a column of water.
Which diagram best represents how the sediments will most likely settle?
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A)
B)
C)
D)
69. The photograph below shows different-sized rounded sediment.
Which table shows the most likely process and agent of erosion responsible for this rounded
sediment?
A) color and type of luster B) streak and hardness
C) composition and atomic arrangement D) density and magnetism
70. The diagrams below represent the crystal shape and type of cleavage of two different minerals.
The crystal shape and type of cleavage of these two minerals are determined mainly by the minerals'
Answer Key
mid-term-review
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1. C
2. B
3. D
4. C
5. A
6. A
7. C
8. D
9. A
10. B
11. A
12. B
13. C
14. C
15. C
16. D
17. D
18. C
19. D
20. A
21. C
22. B
23. D
24. A
25. C
26. B
27. A
28. D
29. B
30. C
31. A
32. D
33. B
34. B
35. D
36. A
37. B
38. A
39. D
40. D
41. B
42. B
43. D
44. A
45. D
46. A
47. C
48. B
49. D
50. A
51. C
52. D
53. D
54. C
55. D
56. D
57. B
58. B
59. A
60. A
61. C
62. C
63. A
64. A
65. C
66. A
67. C
68. C
69. B
70. C
