Soils & Geology Test 1. Which of the following best describes soils in many tropical rain forests?
a. They lack soil horizons
b. They are quickly depleted of nutrients when the forest is removed
c. They are similar to soils in grasslands
d. They are well suited for growing a wide variety of crops
e. They are deep and well drained
2. Which of the following elements constitutes the highest percentage of mass in Earth’s crust?
a. Oxygen
b. Aluminum
c. Carbon
d. Potassium
e. Nitrogen
3. A sample of radioactive waste has a half­life of 10 years and an activity level of 2 curies. After how many years will the activity level of this sample be 0.25 curie?
a. 10 years
b. 20 years
c. 30 years
d. 40 years
e. 80 years
4. Most volcanism in the world is associated with
a. Plate boundaries
b. Midcontinental hot spots
c. Faulting
d. Aquifer Depletion
e. Desertification
5. There are various stages in the formation of coal as heat and pressure are increased and moisture content is decreased. These stages, in order, are
a. Bituminous, peat, lignite, anthracite
b. Peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite
c. Peat, lignite, anthracite,bituminous
d. Lignite, bituminous, anthracite, peat
e. Anthracite, bituminous, peat, lignite
6. High rates of species extinction caused by human activities have taken place at which of the following times in Earth’s history?
I.
At the end of the Permian period
II.
At the end of the Cretaceous period
III.
During Recent times
a. I only
b. II only
c. III only
d. I and II only
e. I, II, and III

14. Volcanic arcs are formed at these plate boundaries.
a. Oceanic­oceanic convergent boundaries
b. Oceanic­continental convergent boundaries
c. Continental­continental convergent boundaries
d. Divergent plate boundaries
e. Transform plate boundaries
15. The earth’s crust is neither formed nor destroyed at these boundaries.
a. Oceanic­oceanic convergent boundaries
b. Oceanic­continental convergent boundaries
c. Continental­continental convergent boundaries
d. Divergent plate boundaries
e. Transform plate boundaries

16. New crust is formed at these boundaries.
a. Oceanic­oceanic convergent boundaries
b. Oceanic­continental convergent boundaries
c. Continental­continental convergent boundaries
d. Divergent plate boundaries
e. Transform plate boundaries
17. Which type of soil consists of very fine particles that make permeability of water low?
a. Clay
b. Gravel
c. Loam
d. Sand
e. Silt
18. Which type of soil allows water to permeate too quickly for most crops to use?
a. Clay
b. Gravel
c. Loam
d. Sand
e. Silt
19. At the convergence of two oceanic plates, one would expect to find
I.
the subduction of a continental plate
II.
a trench
III.
minimal volcanic activity
a. I only
b. II only
c. III only
d. I and II only
e. I, II, and III only
20. Which of the following puts the events below in proper chronological order?
A. The formation of the Rocky Mountains
B. The formation of the Appalachian Mountains
C. The Pleistocene Ice Ages
D. The Holocene Epoch
E. The Precambrian Era
a. E, B, A, C, D
b. A, E, B, C, D
c. A, B, E, D, C
d. C, E, A, B, D
e. C, B, E, A, D
21. The Mesozoic Era was also known as the Age of
a. Mammals
b. Reptiles
c. Amphibians
d. Fishes
e. Invertebrates
22. The Earth’s seasons are caused mainly by
a. the changing distance between the Earth and the Sun
b. changes in the frequency of solar energy output
c. the tilting of the Earth’s rotational axis with respect to the plane of its orbit about the Sun

d. the changing relative position of the moon with respect to the Sun and the Earth
e. changes in warm ocean currents due to cyclical submarine volcanic activity
23. The majority of crustal activity on Earth is centered about
a. the Mediterranean Sea
b. the African continent
c. the Pacific Ocean
d. the Atlantic Ocean
e. none of the above
24. The most eroded country in the world is
a. Armenia
b.