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An Introduction to the World's Oceans, 10/e
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The Water Planet

Multiple Choice Quiz



1

Which of the following statements concerning the organization of our solar system is correct?
A)The four inner planets are less dense than the four planets beyond Mars.
B)The atmospheres of the outer planets are made up of oxygen and nitrogen.
C)The four planets beyond Mars have much greater mass relative to Earth.
D)Our solar system is thought to have originated 13 billion years ago.
2

The accepted age of the Earth was established by which of the following methods?
A)counting the generations in the Bible
B)calculating the time for molten rock to cool
C)calculating the time to accumulate the amount of salts into the oceans
D)comparing the quantity of unstable isotopes remaining in rocks with their known half-lives
3

The seasons of the Earth are attributed to:
A)annual variability in the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
B)the length of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
C)the length of time for the Earth to rotate on its axis.
D)the tilt of the Earth's axis with respect to its orbital plane around the Sun.
4

Select the correct statement about the Earth-Sun relationship.
A)The winter solstice marks the end of the Sun's northward movement in the sky.
B)The equinoxes mark when the Sun stands above the poles.
C)The Arctic circle is the northern limit of sunlight on the winter solstice.
D)The amount of daylight at the equator ranges from 24 hours to 0 hours.
5

The map projection that preserves lines of constant heading is the:
A)Mercator.
B)Polar Conic.
C)Polar Tangent.
D)Equatorial Conic.
6

Select the statement regarding location reference systems that is not correct.
A)Lines of latitude parallel each other.
B)Lines of longitude all intersect at the equator.
C)Lines of longitude are all great circles.
D)The equator is the only line of latitude that forms a great circle.
7

Which of the following statements does not correctly describe factors in the measurement of longitude?
A)The reference longitude is the prime meridian.
B)The Earth rotates on its axis at a rate of 15o/hour.
C)The star Polaris is always above the north pole.
D)Longitude measures angular distance east and west of the prime meridian.
8

If at your location the Sun's zenith occurs 3 hours before noon GMT, you are:
A)45o west of the prime meridian.
B)45o east of the prime meridian.
C)45o north of the equator.
D)going to be very late to your oceanography class.
9

Which of the following is not correct with respect to the hydrologic cycle?
A)Reservoirs include the atmosphere, oceans, and icecaps.
B)The hydrologic cycle involves the movement of water between reservoirs.
C)On a global average, land gives up more water to evaporation than it receives through precipitation.
D)Climate zones are primarily functions of patterns of temperature, precipitation and evaporation.
10

Select the statement that is not correct about reservoirs.
A)Larger reservoirs have longer residence times.
B)The size of the reservoir determines its reaction to changes in the rate of gains or losses.
C)Water frozen in icecaps and glaciers is not considered a reservoir because it is frozen.
D)The atmosphere cycles water through its reservoir very quickly relative to other reservoirs.
11

Which of the following statements correctly describes the Atlantic Ocean?
A)The Atlantic is the smallest ocean in area.
B)The Atlantic is the shallowest of the four oceans.
C)There are more shallow adjacent seas around the Atlantic than the other oceans.
D)The Atlantic is principally a Northern Hemisphere ocean.
12

Which of the following Earth-Sun relationships is not correct?
A)Summer Solstice, Tropic of Cancer
B)Autumnal Equinox, Equator
C)Vernal Equinox, Tropic of Capricorn
D)Winter Solstice, Tropic of Capricorn
13

The shape of the Earth is:
A)perfectly spherical.
B)slightly pear shaped.
C)very rough.
D)flat.
14

Select the correct order of geologic eras from oldest to youngest.
A)Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, Phanerozoic
B)Cambrian, Triassic, Tertiary, Quaternary
C)Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic
D)Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Palaeozoic, Precambrian
15

Which of the following statements regarding Earth's geologic history is not correct?
A)Dinosaurs and mammals did not coexist.
B)Land plants became established prior to the dinosaurs.
C)Dinosaurs did not survive past the Cretaceous period.
D)The first humans appeared in the Quaternary period.
16

Select the following statement about GPS that is not correct.
A)GPS is a satellite-based radio navigation system.
B)Commercial users can obtain positional accuracy of a few meters.
C)The principle behind GPS uses relationships between velocity and time to calculate location.
D)The user on the ground sends a radio signal to a satellite which then tells the user where they are located.
17

Which of the following isotopic relationships is not correct?
A)carbon-14, carbon-13
B)uranium-235, lead-207
C)carbon-14, nitrogen-14
D)potassium-40, argon-40
18

Which of the following cartographic relationships is not correct?
A)surface elevations, topographic map
B)water depth, bathymetric map
C)perspective, physiographic map
D)water depth, hypsographic map
19

Which of the following is not correct regarding the origin of the universe?
A)The universe began expanding 13.7 billion years ago.
B)Heavy elements, such as iron, were created by the Big Bang.
C)Heavy elements have been created by stars.
D)The existence of planets outside of our solar system has been demonstrated.
20

Select the statement regarding satellite oceanography that is not correct.
A)Geosynchronous satellites orbit the Earth above the Equator at the same speed as the Earth rotates.
B)The GOES family of satellites primarily monitors the weather.
C)Satellites use an AVHRR sensor to monitor sea surface elevations.
D)GPS use a constellation of 24 navigational satellites.
21

Why is it impossible to make a map without some distortion?
A)Because attempts to create maps of the Earth's surface are very recent
B)Because distortion is inherent when attempting to display the curved surface of the Earth on a flat map
C)Because we have not explored all areas of the Earth so it is difficult to map them
D)Because mapping technology is not yet very advanced
22

Which of the following is NOT a reason for the Earth's layered structure?
A)The Earth was bombarded by large objects in the solar system which caused it to heat up.
B)When the Earth heated up to a temperature at which all of its constituents melted, the denser material sank to the center and less dense material floated to the top
C)Earth accreted at distinct intervals resulting in layers, similar to tree rings
D)All of the above are true