1. Scientists can determine if oxygen existed in Earth's Archean atmosphere by
A. looking at the amount of salt content in rocks.
B. determining the lack of oxidation that occurred.
C. looking for oxidized iron in rocks.
D. determining how many people survived.
2. The greenhouse effect is related to the phenomenon of an increase in average surface temperature
known as
A. conservation.
B. agricultural improvement.
C. air pollution.
D. global warming.
3. In addition to possibly releasing harmful chemicals in the environment, mining is considered
A. the most dangerous job in the United States.
B. the least lucrative job in the United States.
C. the least dangerous job in the United States.
D. the most lucrative job in the United States.
4. Which of the following resources is a nonrenewable resource?
A. Tree
B. Gold
C. Carbon
D. River
5. The Cenozoic Era is also referred to as the
A. Age of Dinosaurs.
B. Age of Fish.
C. First Era.
D. Age of Mammals.
6. The building blocks of proteins are known as
A. oxygen.
B. euphoric acid.
C. amino acids.
D. carbon dioxide.
7. Ancient cyanobacteria released ______, which assisted in creating the atmosphere as we know it today.
A. ore
B. lead
C. oxygen
D. hydrogen
8. Geologist James Hutton argued that the geologic processes occurring today have occurred since the
formation of Earth. This idea is known as
A. uniformitarianism.
B. principle of inclusions.
C. original horizontality.
D. superposition.
9. A substance that enters Earth's cycles and does harm to living things is
A. freshwater.
B. a pollutant.
C. hydrogen.
D. oxygen.
10. The principle that states the undisturbed rock sequence has the oldest rocks on the bottom is known as
A. original parallelism.
B. original juxtaposition.
C. superposition.
D. relative age dating.
11. The microscopic organisms at the base of the marine food chain are known as
A. terrestrial animals.
B. plant life.
C. phytoplankton.
D. primitive life.
12. Small fragments of orbiting bodies that have fallen on Earth's surface are known as
A. uranium.
B. zirconium.
C. meteorites.
D. asteroids.
13. Sand or gravel that naturally forms near Earth's surface is known as
A. pollen.
B. ore.
C. bedrock.
D. aggregate.
14. The resources that are provided by Earth are known as _______ resources.
A. natural
B. renewable
C. nonrenewable
D. synthetic
15. A natural resource that is mined for profit is called
A. ore.
B. topsoil.
C. aggregate.
D. sand.
16. The ancient geographic setting of an area is known as its
A. transgression.
B. phytoplankton.
C. passive margin.
D. paleogeography.
17. The combination of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and atmospheric moisture creates
A. acid rain.
B. pesticides.
C. drinking water.
D. smog.
18. In addition to being necessary for respiration, _______ also provides UV radiation protection.
A. oxygen
B. carbon dioxide
C. hydrogen
D. water
19. Fuels derived from living things are known as
A. synthetic fuels.
B. hybrid fuels.
C. biomass fuels.
D. electricity.
20. Geologists have divided Earth's history into time units, which are largely based on
A. fossils.
B. written correspondences.
C. oral histories.
D. climates.
