An observer watching a sailing ship at sea notes that the ship appears to be "sinking" as it moves away. Which statement best explains this observation?
The earth has a curved surface
the equatorial radius of the Earth is approximately
6370 km
At which location would an observer find the greatest force due to the Earth's gravity?
North Pole
The water sphere of the earth is known as the
hydrosphere
Which statement provides the best evidence that the Earth has a nearly spherical shape?
The altitude of Polaris(N. Star) changes with the observer
The latitude of a point in the Northern Hemisphere may be determined by measuring the
altitude of Polaris
An observer in NYS measures the altitude of Polaris to be 44�. Where is the location closest to the observer?
Watertown
If the deepest parts of the ocean are about 10 kilometers and the radius of the Earth is about 6400 kilometers, the depth of the oceans would represent what percent of the the Earth's radius?
less than 1%
The true shape of the Earth is best described as a
slightly oblate sphere
Compared to Earth's crust, Earth's core is believed to be
more dense, hotter, and composed of more iron
Which two locations are in the same New York State landscape region?
Jamestown and Ithaca
How are latitude and longitude lines drawn on a globe of Earth?
Latitude lines are parallel and longitude lines meet at the poles.
An airplane takes off from a location at 17�S latitude and flies to a new location 55� due north of its starting point. What latitude has the plane reached?
38�N
The system of lines used to locate a certain place on Earth are called...
coordinate systems
Which reference line passes through both the geographic North Pole and the geographic South Pole?
0� longitude
Compared to felsic igneous rocks, mafic igneous rocks contain greater amounts of
iron
What are the two most abundant elements by mass found in Earth's crust?
oxygen and silicon
Which mineral is white or colorless, has a hardness of 2.5, and splits with cubic cleavage?
halite
Compared to dull and rough rock surfaces, shiny and smooth rock surfaces are most likely to cause sunlight to be
reflected
Which crystals most likely formed from a molten material that cooled and solidified most rapidly?
If an igneous rock cools quickly it will have small mineral crystals within. An example of an igneous rock with small crystals that cools quickly is basalt. To see the crystals contained in basalt one must use a magnifying lens. If an igneous rock cools s
Which sedimentary rock is most likely to be changed to slate during regional metamorphism?
shale
Two streams begin at the same elevation and have equal volumes. Which statement best explains why one stream could be flowing faster than the other stream?
The faster stream has a much steeper gradient.
What is the age of the most abundant surface bedrock in the Finger Lakes region of New York State?
Devonian
If Lucy wanted to give Linus correct information about pebbles, which statement would be most accurate?
Any large rock that weathers could become a pebble.
In which sediment will capillary action cause the water from the beaker to rise fastest in the column?
silt
The permeability rate of the medium sand sample was shown to be
greater than the silt sample but less than the pebble sample
During which geologic epoch did this glacier retreat from New York State?
Pleistocene
Which factor has the greatest influence on the weathering rate of Earth's surface bedrock?
regional climate
The moraines were deposited directly by the glacier. The sediments within these moraines are most likely
unsorted by size and unlayered
The shape of elongated hills labeled drumlins is most useful in determining
the direction of glacial movement
the general relationship between soil particle size and the permeability rate of infiltrating rainwater
The larger the size of the particles underground, the higher the porosity and permeability
faulting
folding
According to the map, in which two present-day New York State landscape regions is the most Precambrian bedrock likely to be exposed on the land surface?
The Adirondack Mountains and Hudson Highlands
Approximately how long does an earthquake P-wave take to travel the first 6500 kilometers after the earthquake occurs?
10.0 min
This stream's velocity decreases from 300 to 200 centimeters per second, which size sediment will be deposited?
cobbles
Compared to the thickness and density of the continental crust of South America, the oceanic crust of the Pacific floor is
thinner and more dense
The arrows shown in the asthenosphere represent the inferred slow circulation of the plastic mantle by a process called
convection
During which era did the initial opening of the present-day Atlantic Ocean most likely occur?
Mesozoic
The absolute age of a rock is the approximate number of years ago that the rock formed. The absolute age of an igneous rock can best be determined by
comparing the amounts of decayed and undecayed radioactive isotopes in the rock
Which radioactive isotope is most useful for determining the age of mastodon bones found in late Pleistocene sediments?
carbon-14
What is the dewpoint when the dry-bulb temperature is 24�C and the wet-bulb temperature is 15�C?
8�C
In New York State, dry, cool air masses (cP) often interact with moist, warm air masses (mT). Which statement correctly matches each air mass with its usual geographic source region?
cP is from northern Canada and mT is from the Gulf of Mexico.
In general, the probability of flooding decreases when there is an increase in the amount of
infiltration
The air near the center of this low-pressure system usually will
rise and form clouds
Jamestown received more rainfall per year than Elmira. A reason for this difference is that Jamestown is located
closer to a large body of water
Which of these locations had the lowest average annual precipitation?
Plattsburgh
Which surface ocean current transports warm water to higher latitudes?
Gulf Stream
The most likely cause of the overall change in the level of carbon dioxide from 1960 to 1990 is an increase in the
use of fossil fuels
Liquid water can store more heat energy than an equal amount of any other naturally occurring substance because liquid water
has the higher specific heat
The cP air mass is identified on the basis of its temperature and
moisture content
Clouds usually form when
air temperature reaches the dewpoint
The length of an Earth day is determined by the time required for approximately one
Earth rotation
To an observer in Buffalo, New York, the North Star, Polaris, is always located above the northern horizon at an altitude of approximately
43�
Which planet is approximately thirty times farther from the Sun than Earth is?
Neptune
Which object is located at one focii of the elliptical orbit of Mars?
the Sun
What is the basic difference between ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation?
wavelength
The apparent daily path of the Sun changes with the seasons because
Earth's axis is tilted
This object orbits Earth in both the Earth-centered (geocentric) and Sun-centered (heliocentric) models of our solar system?
the Moon
Predictable changes in the direction of swing of a Foucault pendulum provide evidence that
Earth rotates on its axis
A major piece of scientific evidence supporting this theory is the fact that wavelengths of light from galaxies moving away from Earth are observed to be
longer than normal (a red shift)
Which planet takes more time to complete one rotation on its axis than to complete one revolution around the Sun?
Venus
Summer days in New York State are likely to be hotter than winter days because in summer
Earth's northern axis is tilted toward the Sun
Which observation provides the best evidence that Earth rotates?
The direction of swing of a freely swinging pendulum changes during the day.
At which location will the highest altitude of the star Polaris be observed?
Arctic Circle
Energy is transferred from the Sun to Earth mainly by
electromagnetic waves
In which direction on the horizon does the Sun appear to rise on July 4 in New York State?
north of due east
The apparent rising and setting of the Sun, as viewed from Earth, is caused by
Earth's rotation
A major belt of asteroids is located between Mars and Jupiter. What is the approximate average distance between the Sun and this major asteroid belt?
390 million kilometers
A cycle of Moon phases can be seen from Earth because the
Moon revolves around Earth