2nd 9wks--Benchmark Assessment
  • 1. Mid-ocean ridges are
A) located along the coast.
B) found in all of Earth's ocean's.
C) found only in the Pacific Ocean.
D) long deep-ocean trenches.
  • 2. Most geologists think that the movement of Earth's plates is caused by
A) convection currents.
B) conduction.
C) earthquakes.
D) Earth's magnetic field.
  • 3. A place where two plates slide past each other, moving in opposite directions, is known as a
A) rift valley.
B) transform boundary.
C) divergent boundary.
D) convergent boundary.
  • 4. S waves are known as
A) Surface waves
B) secondary waves
C) Q waves
D) primary waves
  • 5. What type of earthquake wave can travel through solids, liquids, and gases?
A) surface waves
B) p waves.
C) rift valley.
D) s waves
  • 6. If geologists detect small earthquakes in an area near a volcano, what can they infer about the volcano?
A) It is a good source of energy.
B) It is dormant.
C) It is probably ready to erupt.
D) It is extinct.
  • 7. What does a seismograph record?
A) The vibrations caused by seismic waves.
B) The location of the epicenter.
C) The Mercalli scale rating.
D) The location of the focus.
  • 8. What is the correct order of the Earth's layers (starting at the surface)?
A) crust, outer core, mantle, inner core
B) crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
C) mantle, core, crust, inner core
D) outer core, mantle, inner core , crust
  • 9. Before lava reaches the surface, the molten material is called
A) magma.
B) volcanic ash.
C) fire.
D) rock.
  • 10. The place where two plates collide or compress together is known as a
A) transform boundary.
B) rift valley.
C) divergent boundary.
D) convergent boundary.
  • 11. The process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle is known as
A) convention.
B) subduction.
C) conduction.
D) continental drift.
  • 12. During sea-floor spreading, molten material rises from the mantle and erupts
A) at the north and south poles.
B) along the edges of the coast.
C) along mid-ocean ridges.
D) along the edge of the continents.
  • 13. The type of seismic waves that occur first are called
A) q waves.
B) p waves.
C) surface waves.
D) s waves.
  • 14. A collision between two pieces of continental crust at a converging boundary forms
A) trenches.
B) mountains.
C) valleys.
D) rifts.
  • 15. The geological theory that states that pieces of the Earth's lithosphere are in constant, slow motion is the theory of
A) plate tectonics.
B) subduction.
C) boundary.
D) sea-floor spreading
  • 16. Geologists cannot yet predict earthquakes because
A) they don't know what an earthquake is.
B) there are too many faults to monitor.
C) they have too much data.
D) they can't be sure of when or where the stress will be released along the fault.
  • 17. What is Pangaea?
A) the name of the supercontinent that is believed to have existed millions of years ago.
B) the name of an ancient fossil.
C) name of a continent.
D) the name of a scientist.
  • 18. Earth's INNER core is
A) layer of hot magma.
B) a layer of cooled rock.
C) empty.
D) a dense ball of iron and nickel.
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