Verified Test Bank Chapter 3 Test Bank Earth Materials

Chapter 03 Test Bank: Earth Materials

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following elements makeup most of the rocks in Earth’s crust?

A. Carbon and Iron

B. Iron and Calcium

C. Iron and Magnesium

D. Silicon and Oxygen

E. Silicon and Aluminum

2. All minerals have a unique combination of internal structure and chemical composition. The structure and chemistry of minerals determines which of the following?

A. Where minerals are found in the crust.

B. Whether minerals form on the surface or deep within the crust.

C. The grain size of minerals.

D. Whether minerals form from magma or water.

E. The physical and chemical properties of minerals.

3. Which of the following statements best describe what geologists refer to as rock-forming minerals?

A. The minerals that form after a rock has already turned into a solid.

B. Consist of over 4,000 types of minerals that make up most of the rocks in Earth's crust.

C. The few dozen or so minerals that make up most of the rocks in Earth's crust.

D. The minerals found in rocks that are the most durable and hard.

E. The minerals that were present in the original rocks that cooled to form Earth’s crust.

4. Which of the following is NOT a rock forming mineral or mineral group?

A. Calcite

B. Quartz

C. Clay Mineral Group

D. Feldspar Group

E. Amorphosite

5. Which of the following is NOT true regarding clay minerals?

A. Are a major component of soils.

B. Form when feldspar and ferromagnesian minerals break down.

C. Are extremely small compared to sand-sized grains.

D. Precipitate out of magmas.

E. Are a rock forming mineral group.

6. Which of the following statements best descrubes extrusive igneous rocks?

A. Cool beneath the surface and have a fine-grained texture (small mineral crystals).

B. Cool on the surface and have a fine-grained texture (small mineral crystals).

C. Cool on the surface and have a course-grained texture (large mineral crystals).

D. Cool beneath the surface and have a course-grained texture (large mineral crystals).

7. Which of the following terms do geologists use to describe the process whereby rocks are mechanically broken down into smaller pieces?

A. Disaggregation weathering

B. Chemical weathering

C. Disintegration weathering

D. Physical weathering

E. Pulverization weathering

8. Which of the following is an example of how chemical sedimentary rocks form?

A. Collision of continental landmasses.

B. Precipitation of dissolved ions as a water body evaporates.

C. Hot fluids circulating through rocks deep within the crust.

D. Weathering of slate.

E. Sandstones that undergo deposition.

9. Which of the following is an example of a detrital sedimentary rock?

A. Chert

B. Marble

C. Sandstone

D. Quartzite

E. Schist

10. Which of the following best describes how metamorphic rocks form?

A. Lithification of sediment

B. Crystallization of magma

C. Increased pressure and temperature

D. Weathering and erosion

E. Precipitation of minerals

11. Which of the following best explains how foliated metamorphic rocks form?

A. By circulation of hot fluids.

B. By hot mantle plumes.

C. By increased pressure.

D. All of the answers listed here.

E. By alignment with Earth’s magnetic field.

12. Which of the following best explains why rocks can be used to interpret the geologic past?

A. The hardness of rocks tells us how old they are.

B. Different types of rocks form in different types of environments.

C. The chemical composition of rocks tells us how old they are.

D. Rocks contain varying amounts of carbon.

E. The minerals in rocks tell us how old rocks are.

13. When using rocks to study Earth's history, information about the surface environment is best provided by which of the following types of rock?

A. granite and basalt

B. quartzite and marble

C. dunite and rhyolite

D. schist and slate

E. limestone and shale

14. Which of the following best describes what happens when a sedimentary rock is heated to the point it completely melts and later re-crystallizes?

A. This is not a likely or realistic scenario.

B. It becomes a metamorphic rock.

C. It becomes an igneous rock.

D. It remains a sedimentary rock.

15. Which of the following is NOT a subatomic particle found in the nucleus of atoms?

A. Neutron

B. Proton

C. Electron

D. Photon

16. Which of the following is NOT a type chemical reaction that breaks down minerals?

A. Fusion

B. Oxidation

C. Hydrolysis

D. Reduction

E. Dissolution

True / False Questions

17. Geologists are able to study processes that form rocks here on Earth and then use this information to help interpret the geologic history of other planets.

True / False

18. Earth’s crustal rocks have a higher density compared to the Earth as a whole.

True / False

19. All metamorphic rocks have a foliated texture.

True / False

20. The term lava is used to refer to molten rock that makes its way onto Earth’s surface environment.

True / False

Multiple Choice Questions

21. What is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust?

A. Oxygen

B. Iron

C. Silica

D. Aluminum

22. A mineral has all of the following properties except

A. crystalline.

B. inorganic.

C. liquid.

D. being composed of one or more elements.

23. What does the term amorphous mean?

A. Inorganic

B. Opaque appearance

C. Not composed of elements

D. Non-crystalline

24. Why do diamond and graphite have such different physical properties?

A. Different chemical compositions

B. Different crystalline structures

C. Different electrical properties

D. Different optical properties

25. What is an example of a rock made of only one mineral?

A. Quartzite

B. Granite

C. Basalt

D. Shale

26. What is rock texture?

A. Hardness of mineral constituents

B. Size and shape of mineral constituents

C. Number of different mineral constituents

D. Crystal structure of mineral constituents

27. Which are the most common minerals?

A. Carbonates

B. Sulfides

C. Silicates

D. Sulfates

28. Ferromagnesian minerals are high in

A. calcium and magnesium.

B. calcium and potassium.

C. iron and magnesium.

D. potassium and sodium.

29. What is the main component of limestone?

A. Calcite

B. Quartz

C. Olivine

D. Pyrite

30. What type of rock is formed by magma?

A. Metamorphic

B. Sedimentary

C. Igneous

D. None of these choices are correct

31. What are the most abundant igneous rocks in the Earth's crust?

A. Diorite and andesite

B. Gabbro and rhyolite

C. Basalt and granite

D. Peridotite and volcanic glass

32. Frost wedging is a type of

A. chemical weathering.

B. physical weathering.

C. biological weathering.

D. None of these choices are correct

33. Which is a type of mineral formed by hydrolysis?

A. Clay minerals

B. Sulfide minerals

C. Ferromagnesian minerals

D. Feldspar

34. Detrital sedimentary rocks are formed from

A. fossils.

B. chemical precipitates from seawater.

C. pre-existing rock and mineral fragments.

D. lava flows.

35. What is required to convert sediment into sedimentary rock?

A. Weathering

B. Burial beneath the Earth's surface

C. Volcanism

D. Metamorphism

36. What rock type is composed of rounded gravel?

A. Conglomerate

B. Breccia

C. Sandstone

D. Shale

37. What is the most common type of chemical sedimentary rock?

A. Rock salt

B. Chert

C. Coal

D. Limestone

38. Chalk is a type of

A. sandstone.

B. fossiliferous limestone.

C. agate.

D. coal.

39. Contact metamorphism occurs as a result of

A. severe folding and faulting.

B. magma.

C. very high pressure.

D. chemical contact with limestone.

40. What kind of ancient environment is indicated by coal?

A. A swamp

B. A beach

C. A stream

D. A desert