Question 1

Minerals always form from fluids.

Accepted Answer

True

Answer

False

Question 2

In a mineral, the particles line up in a repeating pattern to form __________.

Accepted Answer

a crystal

Answer

an element

Answer

a mixture

Answer

a compound

Question 3

This term means a mineral cannot arise from materials that were once part of a living thing.

Accepted Answer

inorganic

Answer

crystal

Answer

streak

Answer

organic

Question 4

The size of a mineral's crystals depends on which of the following?

Accepted Answer

the rate of cooling of the magma or solution

Answer

the solution from which the mineral formed

Answer

the mineral's crystal group

Answer

the smelting process in which magma formed

Question 5

A rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral is called a(n):

Accepted Answer

ore.

Answer

glass.

Answer

mineral.

Answer

crystal.

Question 6

The series of processes that change rock from one type to another is called the __________.

Accepted Answer

rock cycle

Answer

circle

Answer

water cycle

Answer

mineral cycle

Question 7

The names of the three major groups of rocks refers to:

Accepted Answer

how the rocks formed.

Answer

the size and shape of the rocks' grains.

Answer

where the rocks formed.

Answer

when the rocks formed.

Question 8

Sedimentary rock can be formed from:

Accepted Answer

all of these.

Answer

sedimentary rocks.

Answer

metamorphic rocks.

Answer

igneous rocks.

Question 9

Heat and pressure from deep beneath the Earth's surface can change any rock into:

Accepted Answer

metamorphic rock.

Answer

sedimentary rock.

Answer

gemstones.

Answer

chemical rock.

Question 10

Erosion and deposition play roles in the formation of what kind of rock?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary rock

Answer

Metamorphic rock

Answer

Igneous rock

Answer

Foliated rock

Question 11

What type of rock is rock A?

Accepted Answer

Igneous

Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Metamorphic

Question 12

What type of rock is rock B?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Metamorphic

Answer

Igneous

Question 13

What type of rock is rock C?

Accepted Answer

Metamorphic

Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Igneous

Question 14

How can rock B turn into rock A?

Accepted Answer

Melting and cooling

Answer

Erosion

Answer

Heat and pressure

Question 15

The geologic time scale is a record of:

Accepted Answer

the life forms and geologic events in Earth's history.

Answer

the time since the evolution of dinosaurs.

Answer

the rate of fossil formation.

Answer

the thickness of sedimentary rock layers.

Question 16

What is it called when a gap in the geologic record forms when sedimentary rocks cover an eroded surface?

Accepted Answer

Unconformity

Answer

Extrusion

Answer

Fault

Answer

Intrusion

Question 17

Split Apple Rock is a rock formation in New Zealand. It is made of granite, which formed from magma millions of years ago. Split Apple Rock is located close to a beach. The formation is shaped like an apple cut in half. Split Apple Rock split in half as the result of weathering caused by ice. What type of rock is Split Apple Rock?

Accepted Answer

Igneous

Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Metamorphic

Question 18

Dun Briste is a rock formation in Ireland. It is more than 120 feet tall. The formation was once part of the mainland. Over time, waves eroded the land around it. In Irish, the word "briste" means broken. The formation is made of rocks such as shale. The rocks are arranged in layers. They formed from layers of sand and mud deposited about 350,000,000 years ago. What type of rock is Dun Briste made of?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Igneous

Answer

Metamorphic

Question 19

The Breadknife is a rock formation in Australia. It is almost 300 feet high and 13 feet wide. The formation is shaped like a long, narrow knife. The breadknife is made of trachyte. It formed when melted rock was forced through a crack in the Earth's surface. The formation was once surrounded by other rocks. These rocks have since been eroded, leaving behind a long, thin column of trachyte. What type of rock is the breadknife made of?

Accepted Answer

Igneous

Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Metamorphic

Question 20

West Mitten Butte is a rock formation in Arizona. It is made mostly of sandstone, shale, and siltstone. The rocks formed from sediments deposited by water and wind hundreds of millions of years ago. A butte is a hill with a flat top and steep sides. West Mitten Butte gets its shape from its pattern of erosion. It formed as a result of erosion by water, wind, and ice. What type of rock is West Mitten Butte made of?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Igneous

Answer

Metamorphic

Question 21

Where does most metamorphic rock form?

Accepted Answer

Deep underground

Answer

In ocean waters

Answer

At the surface

Answer

Near the surface

Question 22

What is a fossil?

Accepted Answer

The preserved remains or traces of an organism

Answer

An unusual type of rock

Answer

Any dead organism

Answer

A perfect copy of a rock

Question 23

The mesozoic era is divided into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. These divisions of the geologic time scale are called:

Accepted Answer

periods.

Answer

decades.

Answer

eons.

Answer

eras.

Question 24

The relative age of a rock is:

Accepted Answer

its age compared to the ages of other rocks.

Answer

the number of years since the rock formed.

Answer

less than the age of the fossils the rock contains.

Answer

its age based on how much carbon-14 the rock contains.

Question 25

The Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic are divisions in the geologic time scale called:

Accepted Answer

eras.

Answer

centuries.

Answer

layers.

Answer

periods.

Question 26

Based on the diagram, which of the following rock layers is older?

Accepted Answer

Layer B

Answer

Layer F

Answer

Layer A

Question 27

Based on the diagram, which of the following rock layers is older?

Accepted Answer

Layer C

Answer

Layer G

Answer

Layer E

Question 28

Which of the following is TRUE about how water can change Earth’s solid rock layer and loose material on top of it?

Accepted Answer

Water can carry rocks, break rocks, and drop rocks in new locations.

Answer

Water can break rocks and drop them in new locations but cannot carry them.

Answer

Water can carry rocks and drop them in new locations but cannot break rocks.

Answer

Water can break rocks but not carry and drop them in new locations.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is TRUE about where loose rocks on the surface of the earth come from?

Accepted Answer

Loose rocks, including very large rocks as well as the very small pieces of rock in sand, were at one time part of Earth’s solid rock layer.

Answer

The very small pieces of rock in sand were at one time part of Earth’s solid rock layer, but very large rocks were not.

Answer

Very large rocks were at one time part of Earth’s solid rock layer, but the very small pieces of rock in sand were not.

Answer

No loose rocks, including very large rocks and the very small pieces of rock in sand, were ever part of Earth’s solid rock layer.

Question 30

Which of the following statements describes how wind can change valleys?

Accepted Answer

Wind can gradually wear away the solid rock of river valleys as much as thousands of feet over millions of years.

Answer

Wind cannot wear away the solid rock of river valleys, even over many millions of years.

Answer

Wind can wear away the solid rock of river valleys no more than several feet over many millions of years.

Answer

Wind can wear away the solid rock of river valleys no more than several inches over many millions of years.

Question 31

Which of the following can cause pieces of rock to break off from Earth's solid rock layer?

Accepted Answer

Both the growth of plant roots and the freezing of water can break off pieces of rock from Earth’s solid rock layer.

Answer

The freezing of water can break off pieces of rock from Earth’s solid rock layer, but the growth of plant roots cannot.

Answer

Neither the freezing of water nor the growth of plant roots can break off pieces of rock from Earth’s solid rock layer.

Answer

The growth of plant roots can break off pieces of rock from Earth’s solid rock layer, but the freezing of water cannot.

Question 32

Which of the following statements is TRUE about the loose rocks on the surface of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

Both the large loose rocks and the small loose rocks used to be part of Earth’s solid rock layer.

Answer

Neither the large nor the small loose rocks used to be part of Earth’s solid rock layer.

Answer

The large loose rocks used to be part of Earth’s solid rock layer, but the small loose rocks were never part of the solid rock layer.

Answer

The small loose rocks used to be part of Earth’s solid rock layer, but the large loose rocks were never part of the solid rock layer.

Question 33

Could wind and water have broken the solid rock of a mountain so that it is now half the height that it was millions of years ago?

Accepted Answer

Wind and water could have broken the solid rock of the mountain gradually every day, which after millions of years could have made the mountain half the height it used to be.

Answer

Wind and water could have broken the solid rock of the mountain and made it smaller, but wind and water could not have made the mountain half the size it used to be.

Answer

Wind and water could have made the mountain half the height it used to be, but only by occasionally breaking the solid rock of the mountain during huge storms.

Answer

Even though the mountain could have become be half the height it used to be, it could not have gotten smaller from wind and water breaking the solid rock of the mountain.

Question 34

Which of the following statements describes how long it takes for moving water to wear away the solid rock of a valley?

Accepted Answer

Moving water continuously wears away the solid rock of a valley, which changes the valley even if you can’t see it happening.

Answer

Moving water cannot wear away solid rock of a valley.

Answer

It would take moving water millions of years or more to cause any change to the valley, no matter how small.

Answer

It would take moving water about a hundred years or more to cause any change to the valley, no matter how small.

Question 35

What is TRUE about where very large rocks come from?

Accepted Answer

Large rocks break off from even larger rocks, and large rocks break off from the Earth's solid rock layer.

Answer

Large rocks break off from even larger rocks, but large rocks do not break off from the Earth's solid rock layer.

Answer

Large rocks form when smaller rocks stick together, large rocks do not come from breaking off from Earth's solid rock layer or from larger rocks.

Answer

Large rocks do not come from smaller rocks sticking together, and they do not come from breaking off from even larger rocks or from the Earth's solid rock layer. Large rocks have always been the same as they are today.

Question 36

Which of the following changes to the earth's surface can be caused by wind and water?

Accepted Answer

Both the shape of a coastline and the path of a river

Answer

Neither the shape of a coastline nor the path of a river

Answer

The shape of a coastline but not the path of a river

Answer

The path of a river but not the shape of a coastline

Question 37

The geologic time we live in is the:

Accepted Answer

Cenozoic

Answer

Paleozoic

Answer

Jurassic

Answer

Mesozoic

Question 38

The state fossil of Nevada is the Ichthyosaur, a dinosaur that lived in salt water. Why are so many of these fossils found in Nevada, which is a high desert?

Accepted Answer

Nevada was once covered by oceans.

Answer

Lake Mead once covered most of Nevada.

Answer

Ichthyosaurs left the water to die.

Answer

Ichthyosaurs were washed onto land by tsunamis.

Question 39

The Law of Superposition states that, in horizontal layers of sedimentary rock, each layer is:

Accepted Answer

older than the layer above it and younger than the layer below it.

Answer

younger than the layer above it and older than the layer below it.

Answer

neither older or younger than the other layers.

Answer

always older than any vertical layer.

Question 40

What does the Law of Superposition help scientists to determine?

Accepted Answer

The relative age of rock layers

Answer

The absolute age of fossils

Answer

The absolute age of rock layers

Answer

The superpowers of rocks

Question 41

How old is the Earth?

Accepted Answer

4.5 billion years

Answer

4.5 million years

Answer

3.5 billion years

Answer

Several thousand years

Question 42

Which rock layer in this image is the oldest?

Accepted Answer

E

Answer

B

Answer

C

Answer

A

Question 43

Which rock layer is younger, A or D?

Accepted Answer

A

Answer

D

Question 44

Imagine you are looking at a rock formed by smaller pieces of rock that settled at the bottom of a lake millions of years ago. What type of rock are you looking at?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Metamorphic

Answer

Igneous

Answer

None of these

Question 45

__________ states that the forces that are changing Earth’s surface today are the same forces that changed Earth’s surface in the past.

Accepted Answer

Uniformitarianism

Answer

Original horizontality

Answer

The rock cycle

Answer

Law of Superposition

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