1. The Catskills landscape region is classified as a plateau because it has A) low elevations and mostly faulted or folded bedrock B) low elevations and mostly horizontal bedrock C) high elevations and mostly faulted or folded bedrock D) high elevations and mostly horizontal bedrock 2. The longest portion of the Genesee River in New York State flows through which landscape region? A) Erie-Ontario Lowlands B) Tug Hill Plateau C) Allegheny Plateau D) St. Lawrence Lowlands 3. The cross section below shows four rock units, A, B, C, and D. Which rock unit is youngest in age? A) A B) B C) C D) D 4. Base your answer to the following question on the geologic cross section below of a region of Earth's crust. Rock layers A through E have been labeled. Two index fossils are shown and their locations within the rock layers are indicated. Evidence of tectonic activity in this cross section is provided by the A) folding and tilting of the rock layers B) faulting and movement of the rock layers C) igneous intrusion into the rock layers D) collision of crustal plate boundaries in the rock layers
5. Which index fossil has been found in Ordovician-age bedrock? A) B) C) D) 6. Organisms that later became good index fossils lived over a A) wide geographic area and existed for a long geologic time B) wide geographic area and existed for a short geologic time C) limited geographic area and existed for a long geologic time D) limited geographic area and existed for a short geologic time 7. What percentage of Earth's history represents human existence? A) less than 1.0% B) 1.8% C) 23.5% D) more than 98.6% 8. The division of Earth's geologic history into units of time called eons, eras, periods, and epochs is based on A) absolute dating techniques B) fossil evidence C) climatic changes D) seismic data 9. Which sequence shows the correct order of Earth s geologic time intervals from oldest to youngest? A) Archean Mesozoic Cenozoic Paleozoic Proterozoic B) Archean Proterozoic Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic C) Cenozoic Mesozoic Paleozoic Proterozoic Archean D) Cenozoic Paleozoic Archean Mesozoic Proterozoic 10. Pleistocene deposits of gravel are found lying directly on Precambrian bedrock. The interface between the gravel and the bedrock indicates A) a zone of contact metamorphism B) an area of volcanic activity that resulted in extruded gravels C) a period of continuous deposition D) a major time gap in the geologic record 11. Evidence indicates that 251 million years ago a mass extinction of many life-forms occurred on Earth. Which form of life became extinct at this time? A) trilobites B) dinosaurs C) mammoths D) eurypterids 12. Which group of organisms has the shortest record of life on Earth? A) eurypterids B) graptolites C) birds D) placoderm fish
13. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which represents the greenhouse effect in which heat energy is trapped in Earth's atmosphere Which type of radiation from Earth is the long-wave radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases? A) ultraviolet B) visible light C) infrared D) radio waves 14. What is the basic difference between ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation? A) half-life B) temperature C) wavelength D) wave velocity 15. Heat energy from the lower latitudes is transferred to colder Earth regions by planetary wind circulation mainly through the process of A) conduction B) radiation C) convection D) reflection 16. Which process produces the energy that allows the stars of the universe to radiate visible light? A) convection B) nuclear fusion C) insolation D) radioactive decay 17. The average temperature at Earth s equator is higher than the average temperature at Earth s South Pole because the South Pole A) receives less intense insolation B) receives more infrared radiation C) has less land area D) has more cloud cover 18. If Earth s axis were tilted 35 instead of 23.5, the average temperatures in Vermont would most likely A) decrease in both summer and winter B) decrease in summer and increase in winter C) increase in summer and decrease in winter D) increase in both summer and winter 19. How many times will the Sun s perpendicular rays cross Earth s Equator between March 1 of one year and March 1 of the next year? A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4 20. The graph below shows the general relationship between latitude and the duration of insolation on a particular day of the year. Which date is represented by the graph? A) March 21 B) June 21 C) September 21 D) December 21
21. Ozone is important to life on Earth because ozone A) cools refrigerators and air-conditioners B) absorbs energy that is reradiated by Earth C) absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation D) destroys excess atmospheric carbon dioxide 22. Equal areas of which surface would most likely absorb the most insolation? A) smooth, white surface B) rough, white surface C) smooth, black surface D) rough, black surface 23. Base your answer to the following question on the graph below, which shows the average yearly temperature and average yearly precipitation for Earth locations A through E. 24. Which weather station model for a New York State location indicates that snow may be about to fall? A) B) C) D) The climate indicated at location E on the graph would most likely be classified as A) cold and dry B) cold and humid C) warm and dry D) warm and humid
25. Base your answer to the following question on the weather map below, which represents a low-pressure system over New York State. The L on the map represents the center of the low-pressure system. Two fronts extend from the center of the low, and are labeled front 1 and front 2. Cloud cover has been omitted from the station models. The arrows on which map best represent the surface wind pattern around this low-pressure center? A) B) C) D) 26. Which cross section below best shows the locations of high air pressure and low air pressure near a beach on a hot, sunny, summer afternoon? A) B) C) D)
27. The highest surface wind speeds occur when there is a A) 4-millibar air-pressure difference between two nearby locations B) 4-millibar air-pressure difference between two distant locations C) 20-millibar air-pressure difference between two nearby locations D) 20-millibar air-pressure difference between two distant locations 28. What is the relative humidity when the dry-bulb temperature is 16 C and the wet-bulb temperature is 14 C? A) 90% B) 80% C) 14% D) 13% 29. The dewpoint changes most directly as a result of changes in the atmosphere's A) pressure B) wind direction C) convection currents D) water vapor content 30. The air over the Equator generally rises because the air is A) dry and cool with low density B) moist and hot with low density C) moist and cool with high density D) dry and hot with high density 31. In the Northern Hemisphere, in which direction does surface wind circulate in a high-pressure air mass? A) clockwise and toward the center B) clockwise and away from the center C) counterclockwise and toward the center D) counterclockwise and away from the center 32. What are the dewpoint and wind direction shown on the station model below? A) 72 F and wind from the northeast B) 72 F and wind from the southeast C) 74 F and wind from the northwest D) 74 F and wind from the southwest 33. Which sequence of events affecting moist air within Earth's atmosphere causes cloud formation? A) rising expanding cooling condensation B) rising contracting warming evaporation C) sinking expanding warming condensation D) sinking contracting cooling evaporation 34. The diagram below shows a cross section of a cold front. The cloud formation and precipitation shown in the cross section are caused by the A) rising of cold, moist air B) sinking of cold, moist air C) rising of warm, moist air D) sinking of warm, moist air
35. Jet stream winds over the United States generally move from A) east to west B) west to east C) north to south D) south to north 36. The terrestrial planets differ from the Jovian planets because the terrestrial planets are A) less dense and larger B) less dense and smaller C) more dense and larger D) more dense and smaller 37. If viewed from the Earth over a period of several years, the apparent diameter of Mars will A) decrease constantly B) increase constantly C) remain unchanged D) vary in a cyclic manner
38. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The diagram represents the inferred changes to the luminosity and color of the Sun throughout its life cycle. The diagonal dashed line represents the main sequence stars. The numbers 1 through 5 represent stages in the life cycle of the Sun. The Sun is inferred to be the most luminous when it is classified as a A) white dwarf star B) gas cloud (nebula) C) main sequence star D) giant star 39. Light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation are given off by stars using energy released during A) nuclear fusion B) conduction C) convection D) radioactive decay 40. Which planet has the least distance between the two foci of its elliptical orbit? A) Venus B) Earth C) Mars D) Jupiter
Answer Key Final Spring 2014 1. D 2. C 3. A 4. A 5. B 6. B 7. A 8. B 9. B 10. D 11. A 12. D 13. C 14. C 15. C 16. B 17. A 18. C 19. B 20. B 21. C 22. D 23. C 24. A 25. C 26. C 27. C 28. B 29. D 30. B 31. B 32. B 33. A 34. C 35. B 36. D 37. D 38. D 39. A 40. A