The Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test!

Environmental geology is a field that focuses on applying geological principles to address environmental challenges. This practice involves leveraging geological research to tackle issues related to land use. This quiz will test your knowledge on aspects such as surface water in oceans and waveforms near the shore. Don't miss the chance to enhance your understanding by taking this comprehensive quiz.

Edited by Me.bot Editorial Team Questions: 50 October 4, 2024

Character Test

1. The salinity of oceans varies from 34 to 37 parts per thousand. What is the definition of salinity?

Grams of dissolved ions in 1 kilogram of solution.

Grams of water in 1 kilogram of solution.

Grams of sodium per kilogram of dissolved ions.

Grams of solution per cubic kilometer of seawater.

2. Why does ocean water have higher salinity in subtropical regions than along the equatorial belt?

Evaporation exceeds precipitation in the subtropical region, whereas the reverse occurs along the equator.

More streams and rivers empty into the ocean within subtropical regions than along the equatorial belt.

Rainfall within subtropical regions has a higher salt content than along the equator.

Precipitation is greater in the subtropics than along the equatorial belt.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true regarding surface water in the oceans?

Most surface water originates near Greenland and Antarctica and afterwards flows as surface water towards the equator.

Motion of the surface layer is primarily driven by wind and deflected by the Coriolis force.

The surface layer is heated by the sun.

The temperature of surface water varies with latitude and the seasons.

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Global sea level has risen and fallen many times throughout Earth history.

Ocean currents generate the tides.

The sea surface is everywhere smooth and flat.

Coastlines are always in equilibrium with oceans and therefore never change.

5. The following configuration of the Earth-Moon-Sun system will result in__________.

Spring tide

A lunar eclipse

Ocean gyres

Neap tide

6. Which of the following will cause a global rise in sea level?

Global warming during an interglacial cycle

Assembly of continents into a supercontinent

Global cooling during an ice age

Removing fish from the oceans

7. For incoming ocean waves approaching a coast, which of the following wave forms occur closest to the beach?

Breakers

Crests

Surf

Swells

8. Which of the following statements regarding waves approaching a coast is FALSE?

Waves speed up when approaching the beach.

Wave crests bunch closer together when approaching the beach.

Wave crests increase in height when approaching the beach.

Approaching wave crests align parallel with the coastline in what is known as wave refraction.

9. Which of the following depositional features along a coast is called a Bay barrier or baymouth bar?

10. Which of the following structures is a breakwater?

11. For the following figure, where is the greatest amount of coastal erosion occurring?

Headlands

Cove

Bay

Coastal erosion is the same everywhere

12. Which of the following statements about beach drift and longshore currents is TRUE?

Beach drift transports sediment in the same direction as does longshore current.

Beach drift causes beach sand to remain in place.

Longshore currents prevent waves from striking the beach.

The zigzag motion of sand describes sediment transport by longshore currents.

13. Atoll, barrier, and fringing describe different types of ________.

Coral reefs

Wetlands

Coastal depositional features

Coastal erosion features

14. Which of the following is LEAST LIKELY associated with wetlands?

Wave-cut platform

Bogs

Salt marshes

Mangroves

15. Which of the following features of an Alpine glacier is (are) formed by deposition rather than erosion?

Lateral moraine

U-shaped valley

Horn

Paternoster lakes

16. Which of the following lines is (are) pointing to an Arete?

17. Stratified drift is most likely deposited by ___________

Glacial meltwater

Glacial ice and snow

Terminal moraines

Drumlins

18. For an alpine glacier, which of the following features or processes occurs within the zone of accumulation?

Cirque

Calving

Terminal moraine

Crevasses

19. Which of the following statements best describes an esker?

Sinuous, narrow ridge of coarse sand and gravel formed by a meltwater stream that flowed beneath a glacier

Hole in the ground left behind after a large block of ice melts

Small hill or knob of poorly sorted gravel deposited by a melting glacier

Elongated deposit of till streamlined in the direction of ice movement by a continental glacier

20. The figure below illustrates features associated with a continental glacier. Which of the following letters corresponds to the outwash plain?

21. Which of the following would LEAST LIKELY characterize a periglacial landscape?

Areas in subarctic and polar climates where the ground is cold but never freezes.

Ice wedges develop in fractures below the ground surface.

Melting of permafrost beneath a building constructed on the ground surface causes the structure to collapse.

Patterned ground forms due to frost action in the soil.

22. Which of the following events MOST-LIKELY occurred during the last ice age when glaciers reached maximum extent ~18,000 years ago?

Plants and animals characteristic of colder climates migrated southward to lower latitudes

Earth's crust in areas covered by glaciers rebounded to higher elevations

Global sea level rose

Land bridges and continental shelves became submerged under water

23. Ice cores recovered in Greenland and Antarctica provide a record of changes in atmospheric temperature and composition dating back to over 100,000 years ago. Based on ice core data, which of the following statements is TRUE?

Atmospheric temperature has been steadily increasing over the last 12 thousand years and we are presently in an interglacial cycle

Ice cores indicate that global temperatures have been fairly constant over the last few tens of thousands of years.

The concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases increase dramatically during periods of glaciation and global cooling.

The atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane have actually decreased over the last 50 years.

24. How can sunspot activity possibly affect Earth's climate?

Higher sunspot activity increases the solar wind, which in turn warms Earth's upper atmosphere

The amount of sunspot activity never changes and therefore cannot affect Earth's climate

Lower sunspot activity allows more solar radiation to escape the Sun and reach Earth, thus warming the planet

Higher sunspot activity pushes Earth's orbit further from the sun, thus cooling the planet

25. Changes in the angle of tilt of Earth's rotational axis occurs approximately in _________ year cycles.

41,000

26,000

100,000

26. Which of the following examples will result in positive feedback?

Climate cooling increases the snow cover on land, thus increasing global albedo and causing more solar radiation to be reflected back into space

Greater snow cover during climatic cooling reduces the activity of carbon dioxide sinks such as photosynthesis and formation of carbonate rocks, thus causing carbon dioxide to build up in the atmosphere

Warming of the climate increases evaporation in the oceans, leading to greater cloud cover such that more solar radiation is reflected back into space.

An increase in plant activity during global warming results in more carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere

27. How did global climate overall change throughout the last 60 million years of the Cenozoic Era?

Cenozoic climate was warmest 60 million years ago and has gradually cooled since then, culminating in the Pleistocene Ice Age beginning 2 million years ago

Global climate today is the warmest it has ever been over the last 60 million years

Cenozoic climate started out cold, then warmed about 30 million years ago, and has since cooled again.

Global climate was cold throughout the entire Cenozoic Era as evidenced by 60 million year old glaciers found today in Antarctica

28. Which of the following factors can affect global climate on a time scale of several decades?

Human activity such as burning of fossil fuels

Plate tectonics

Milankovitch cycles

Changes in overall sunspot activity

29. Sea ice and ice shelves in the Arctic and Antarctica have increased in area over the past two decades in spite of recent global warming.

False

True

30. Within which soil horizon does clay, iron and aluminum brought down from overlying horizons accumulate?

B-horizon

O-horizon

A-horizon

C-horizon

31. The terms blocky, platy, and granular describe the soil's __________

Structure

Permeability

Consistency

Texture

32. Which of the following does NOT add fertility to a soil?

Leaching of cations

Available water

Good porosity

Presence of soil colloids

33. Loam consists of...

Sand, silt and clay

Sand and clay only

Clay only

Humus and sand only

34. Where would soil be best developed?

Temperate climate and flat to gently-rolling topography

Cold, dry climate and scarce vegetation

Area of abundant rainfall but scarce vegetation

Dry climate and steep slopes

35. Oxisols form by a process known as ___________

Laterization

Calcification

Cryoturbation

Podzolization

36. Which of the following would most likely be a result of calcification?

A hardened layer in the B horizon called caliche

An O- and A-horizon rich in humus

A leached soil high in iron and aluminum

A churned and mixed soil resulting from repeated freezing and thawing

37. Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of Spodosols and the process of Podzolization?

Form from young volcanic ash and cinders

Common in northern coniferous forests

Oxides and clays brought down from higher horizons accumulate in the B-horizon

Surface horizon consists of acid-rich forest litter

38. ___________ soils occur in regions of permafrost where cryoturbation is common and supports tundra-type of vegetation.

Gelisols

Andisols

Ultisols

Histosols

39. This type of soil consists largely of partially decomposed organic material associated with bogs and is commonly referred to as peat.

Histosol

Aridosol

Entisol

Vertisol

40. The figure below illustrates the soil-forming process known as ____________.

Cryoturbation

Calcification

Laterization

Podzolization

41. Which of the following terrestrial biomes occurs at the highest latitudes and highest altitudes?

Tundra

Savanna

Rain forest

Broadleaf forest

42. Which of the following terrestrial biomes is characterized by three levels of canopy, high insolation, high average annual temperature, and contains the most diverse body of life on earth?

Tropical rain forest

Tropical Savanna

Mediterranean shrubland

Needleleaf forest

43. Which of the following statements is LEAST consistent with a Mediterranean Shrubland Biome?

Monsoonal rains

Stunted, woody shrubs

Southern California is an example

Dry summer climate

44. Where do plants with deep roots, spreading root systems, water-holding tissue, and leaves with waxy coatings and fine hair most likely occur?

Deserts

Tropical savannas

Temperate rain forest

Montane forest

45. The photo below is most likely that of a _____________ biome.

Tropical savanna

Tropical rain forest

Needleleaf forest

Temperate rain forest

46. An ecosystem is composed of many communities.

True

False

47. The function or occupation of a life form within a community is called a(n) _________.

Niche

Habitat

Web

Ecosystem

48. Which of the following processes is NOT part of the carbon cycle?

Use of fertilizers on crops

Release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere via volcanic eruptions

Storage of oil, coal, and gas below Earth's surface

Subduction of carbon-bearing oceanic sediments and rocks along a convergent plate boundary

49. Which of the following cannot be directly used by plants, but rather must first be converted into usable compounds by lighting and certain soil bacteria?

Atmospheric nitrogen

Water

Carbohydrates (sugars)

Atmospheric oxygen

50. Which of the following factors influences the distribution and biogeography of plant species?

All of the above

Soil type

Solar insolation

Amount of precipitation

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Loved by Environmental Geology Enthusiasts

This Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test was exactly what I needed to deepen my understanding of surface water in oceans. The questions were challenging yet informative. It really enhanced my knowledge on waveforms near the shore. Highly recommend!

Alice Green

Geology Student

I found the quiz incredibly comprehensive. It perfectly blends geological principles with real-world environmental challenges. The focus on land use and surface water systems made it a superb learning tool.

John Kim

Environmental Researcher

The practice test was a fantastic review of key topics in environmental geology. I appreciated the focus on oceans and waves near the shore. It was a great test for brushing up on my knowledge in a fun way!

Emma Collins

Oceanography Enthusiast

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the focus of The Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test?

The Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test focuses on the application of geological principles in solving environmental issues, particularly involving surface water in oceans and waveforms near the shore.

How does this practice test help in understanding environmental geology?

This practice test enhances understanding in environmental geology by evaluating knowledge on practical geological applications to environmental problems, such as the dynamics of ocean surface waters and shoreline waveforms.

Why is studying surface water significant in environmental geology?

Studying surface water is crucial in environmental geology because it helps in understanding water resource management, pollution control, and the ecological impacts on marine and coastal environments, which are aspects covered in The Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test.

What geological concepts are highlighted in the test regarding waves?

The test highlights geological concepts related to waveforms near beaches, focusing on how these can affect coastal processes, erosion, and landform development, essential for anyone studying The Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test.

Who would benefit from taking The Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test?

Students and professionals interested in leveraging geological principles for environmental problem-solving, particularly in areas involving ocean science and coastal geology, would greatly benefit from taking The Environmental Geology 1340 Exam Practice Test.

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