TESTBANK for EXAM 3 – Physical Geography, Spring, 2010
2. The process in which rocks are fractured, broken and/or transformed to softer more soluble forms
is known as _______________.
a. erosion
b. mass wasting
c. weathering
d. soil creep
5. As bedrock is brought near the surface by erosion of overlying layers a physical weather process
known as _____________ produces sets of horizontal and vertical fractures in the bedrock as the
overlying confining pressure diminishes.
a. frost action
b. salt crystallization
c. plant root action
d. exfoliation
7. In warm, humid climates of the equatorial, tropical, and subtropical zones, ______ often result in
the decay of igneous and metamorphic rocks to a depth of ____ meters.
a. oxidation, 50
b. hydrolysis, 100
c. oxidation and hydrolysis, 100
d. chemical weathering, 25
8. When carbon dioxide naturally dissolves in rain, soil and ground waters it produces
_____________ which can easily dissolve __________________.
a. carbonic acid, carbonate sedimentary rocks
b. carbonic acid, igneous rocks
c. carbonic acid, clastic sedimentary rocks
d. sodium bicarbonate, carbonate sedimentary rocks
11. A(n) _______________ is the rapid sliding of large masses of bedrock and is usually triggered by
a(n) _______________.
a. landslide, earthquake
b. landslide, thunderstorm
c. mudflow, thunderstorm
d. earthflow, earthquake
12. Mudflows that occur on the flanks of erupting volcanoes are called _______________.
a. pyroclastic flows
b. debris floods
c. lahars
d. mudflows
13. A region in close proximity to active glaciers and ice sheets and typified by intense frost action is
generally referred to as a(n) __________ environment.
a. subarctic
b. glacial
c. periglacial
d. arctic
15. The ___________________ layer of permafrost terrains is due to seasonal thaws.
a. continuous permafrost
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b. permafrost
c. active
d. discontinuous permafrost
18. A system of interconnected ice-wedges that often form in silty alluvium near the top of the
permafrost table is known as _______________.
a. Ice-wedge polygons
b. Ice-wedge hexagons
c. Ice-wedge crystals
d. Ice-lenses
28. True/False The effects of frost action can be seen in all climates having a winter season with
many alternations of freeze and thaw.
1. Groundwater is the part of the subsurface water that fully saturates the pore spaces in bedrock,
regolith, or soil, and so becomes part of the _______________.
a. the saturated zone
b. the unsaturated zone
c. water table
d. infiltration water
2. Where is the water table at its highest?
a. under the lowest areas of land surface
b. under the highest areas of land surface
c. it is even across the subsurface as it is a liquid
d. in lakes
3. A layer of rock or sediment that contains abundant, freely flowing ground water is known as a(an)
_______________.
a. aquiclude
b. aquitard
c. aquifer
d. perched water table
4. Geographers apply the term _______________ to the topography of any limestone area where
sinkholes are numerous and small surface streams are nonexistent.
a. travertine
b. karst
c. carbonate
d. dolomite
5. As water is pumped from a well, a(n) ______________ is formed, which shows the drawdown of
the groundwater.
a. depression zone
b. cone of depression
c. well zone
d. equilibrium zone
6. In cases where many water pumping wells are in operation, the rate of groundwater depletion
exceeds recharge to the point where groundwater is often classified as a _______________
resource.
a. depleting
b. renewable
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c. nonrenewable
d. sustainable
7. A source of groundwater contamination in coastal wells is _______________.
a. saltwater intrusion.
b. solid waste disposal
c. high temperature incineration
d. air pollution
9. Changes in a stream’s cross-sectional area and average velocity are due to changes in the
_____________________.
a. gradient of the stream channel
b. amount of water in the stream
c. flow velocity of the stream
d. stream channel difficult to measure
12. The most important factor determining the lag time between a period of heavy rainfall or
snowmelt and a stream’s increased discharge response is _______________.
a. the size of the drainage basin feeding the stream
b. the number of drainage systems involved
c. the amount of drainage basin rainfall or snowmelt
d. the steepness of the gradient of the drainage basin
13. Lag time is measured as the difference between the time at which __________ percent of the
precipitation has occurred and that at which __________ percent of the runoff has passed
downstream.
a. fifty; twenty-five
b. twenty-five; fifty
c. fifty; fifty
d. seventy-five; twenty-five
14. An urban environment with a closely built-up residential area and small lot sizes may manifest an
impervious surface region which may run as high as __________ percent.
a. fifty
b. sixty
c. seventy
d. eighty
15. A __________ is a particular river surface height which indicates that inundation of the flood plain
will result at a particular location.
a. lag time stage
b. floodplain stage
c. center of mass of runoff
d. flood stage
16. Flashfloods are characteristic of streams draining __________ watersheds with __________
slopes.
a. large; gentle
b. small; steep
c. small; gentle
d. large; steep
18. Lakes without outlets, other than evaporation, often show ______________.
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a. salt buildup
b. lesser surface area
c. silty bottoms
d. reduced volumes
19. The combined volume of water within the five Great Lakes of North America accounts for
approximately _____________ percent of all the fresh surface water on Earth.
a. thirty-two
b. twenty-three
c. eighteen
d. twelve
20. Due to the climate moderating effects of the Great Lakes, the annual frost free period near the
lakes is up to __________ days longer than for areas outside the Great Lakes Basin.
a. 100
b. 25
c. 75
d. 50
24. True/False Salt builds up in irrigated deserts because of water loss due to evapotranspiration.
26. True/False In agricultural regions, an important source of water pollutant is animal waste.
27. True/False Fresh water in lakes, streams, and rivers exceeds that of ground water.
28. True/False Limestone caverns are carved by carbonic acid.
1. Landforms shaped by ____________ are described as fluvial landforms.
a. glacial ice
b. wave action
c. denudation
d. running water
4. In steep sloped landscapes, a destructive form of soil erosion called _______________ results in
many closely spaced channels in response to torrential rain episodes.
a. rill erosion
b. sheet erosion
c. furrow erosion
d. gully erosion
5. The term ____________ is used to describe any stream-laid sediment deposit.
a. colluvium
b. alluvium
c. fluvium
d. sediment
6. Stream ____________ consists of the movement of the eroded particles dragged over the stream
bed, suspended in the body of the stream, or held in solution as ions.
a. erosion
b. transportation
c. deposition
d. hydraulic action
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7. The process of mechanical wear by the rolling of cobbles and boulders along the beds of streams is
called _________________.
a. deflation
b. ablation
c. abrasion
d. grinding
8. Chemical rock weathering processes such as acid reactions and solution collectively refer to a
mechanism known as _________________.
a. erosion
b. demineralization
c. salinization
d. corrosion
9. Clay and silt particles are carried in streams as _____________________.
a. components of the dissolved load
b. suspended loads
c. ions in dissolved loads
d. bed loads
10. A large river, such as the Mississippi, carries as much as _______ percent of its load in
suspension.
a. fifty
b. sixty
c. eighty
d. ninety
11. The maximum solid load of debris that can be carried by a stream at a given discharge is a
measure of the ____________________.
a. stream suspension pattern
b. deposition rate
c. stream capacity
d. stream velocity
12. Stream velocity increases stream capacity because __________ becomes more intense.
a. carrying capacity
b. turbulence
c. suspension
d. flow
14. A gradual reduction in the channel gradient (slope) of a stream leads to ______________.
a. a greater capacity to carry suspended load
b. an increase in stream velocity
c. a reduced ability of the stream to carry bed load
d. greater erosion at the mouth of the stream
16. Water falls in East Africa have been formed due to:
a. block faulting of large crustal blocks
b. glacial activity in new river channels
c. undermining of softer basement rocks
d. overhanging lava flows
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18. The continual formation of sediment bars in a stream divides stream flow into multiple threads
forming a _______________.
a. trellised stream
b. series of meanders
c. braided stream
d. choked channel
19. _______________ are formed when rapid uplift causes meandering rivers to cut deeply into the
underlying bedrock.
a. sinuous bends
b. floodplain meanders
c. meander gorges
d. entrenched meanders
20. These common features of arid landscapes occur where streams discharge water and sediment
from a narrow canyon or gorge onto an adjacent plain.
a. delta
b. natural levee
c. alluvial fan
d. pediment
True/False Questions
21. True/False A playa forms in humid environments where large quantities of sediments are
deposited.
22. True/False Fluvial landforms and fluvial processes dominate the continental land surfaces the
world over.
28. True/False When a stream’s velocity is doubled in flood, its ability to transport bed load is
increased from eight to sixteen times.
1. Of the following rock types, which one weathers most rapidly in humid climates but remains
weather resistant in arid climates?
a. shale
b. slate
c. limestone
d. granite
3. Cliff retreat produces a _______________, which is a table-topped plateau bordered on all sides
by cliffs.
a. butte
b. promontory
c. plateau
d. mesa
4. As drainage patterns are often related to the underlying rock type and structure, regions of
horizontal strata usually illustrate broadly branching _______________ pattern networks.
a. trellis drainage
b. pinnate drainage
c. dendritic drainage
d. radial drainage
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7. During an advanced stage of coastal-plain development, rapid denudation of the more easily
eroded strata like shale isolates broad belts of hills between them called _______________.
a. buttes
b. mesas
c. cuestas
d. plateaus
8. Which of the following descriptions best fits the sedimentary dome?
a. a circular structure in which strata have been forced upward
b. an oval structure in which strata have been tilted vertically
c. a circular shaped structure with interleaving layers of shale and sandstone
d. an oval shaped landform which inclines greatly from horizontal
10. A troughlike downbend of strata is a(n) ___________, and the archlike upbend next to it is a(n)
________________.
a. anticline, syncline
b. incline, geosyncline
c. syncline, anticline
d. geosyncline, incline
11. Where strata have been tightly folded and altered into metamorphic rocks during continental
collisions, the non-resistant _______________ metamorphic rocks usually underlie valleys.
a. slate and marble
b. quartzite and gneiss
c. slate and schist
d. marble and schist
12. An extensive upland composed of weather resistant igneous rock of granitic composition
represents an intrusive _______________ that has been uncovered by erosion of less resistant
overlying sedimentary strata.
a. monadnock
b. anticline
c. dome
d. batholith
15. Fold belts create a _______________ landscape of alternating resistant-rock ridges and nonresistant rock valleys.
a. anticline-and –syncline
b. ridge-and-valley
c. horst-and-graben
d. dome-and-basin
16. Of the following, which rock type does not fit the pattern of highly folded metamorphic
landscapes?
a. slate
b. marble
c. quartzite
d. sandstone
18. Eroded volcanoes develop a _______________ drainage pattern of streams leading away from the
summit.
a. radial
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b. trellised
c. dendritic
d. pinnate
19. The landscape feature remaining after the most advanced stage of erosion of a stratovolcanoe is
called a _______________.
a. lava mesa
b. volcanic plug
c. volcanic neck
d. monadnock
20. A hard, broad platform of rock in an arid region is called a____________.
a. mesa
b. butte
c. monadnock
d. plateau
True/False Questions
21. True/False The intersection between an inclined rock plane and a horizontal surface has a
particular orientation on a compass called strike.
24. True/False Coastal plains are found along active tectonic plate boundaries.
27. True/False The coastal plain of the United States is a major geographical region, extending along
the length of the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Seaboard.
28. True/False The Idaho batholith and the Sierra Nevada are good examples of metamorphic
batholiths.
1. The shifting line of contact between water and land is referred to as a _______________ while a
broader term _______________ refers to a zone in which coastal processes operate or have strong
influence.
a. coastline; shoreline
b. beach, coastline
c. shoreline, coastline
d. seashore; coastline
2. Where a river empties into an ocean bay, the bay is termed a(n) _________________.
a. estuary
b. shoreline
c. coast
d. coastline
3. The most important agent shaping coastal landforms is ___________ action.
a. storm
b. stream
c. salinization
d. wave
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5. For typical waves with characteristic crests and troughs, wave _______________ is defined as the
vertical distance between trough and crest while wave _______________ is the horizontal
distance between successive crests.
a. height, period
b. length; height
c. pattern; length
d. height; length
6. Wave size is related to wind speed, wind duration and the _______________ over which the
wind blows.
a. water expanse
b. fetch
c. wave length
d. nautical distance
7. As wave lengths decrease and wave heights increase as a wave moves closer towards a shoreline,
the wave is steepened into a _______________ which moves suddenly forward and finally
collapses on the beach.
a. swash
b. backwash
c. breaker
d. crest
9. The initial result of littoral drift moving sand eroded from a beach in one direction across the
mouth of a bay is a _______________.
a. sandspit
b. lagoon
c. sandbar
d. barrier island
11. The time from high tide to high tide is approximately how long?
a. 6 1/4 hours
b. 12 1/2 hours
c. twenty-four hours
d. twenty-five hours
12. Tidal currents are made up of two opposing currents called ________________ currents.
a. longshore and littoral
b. ebb and flood
c. longshore and flood
d. ebb and littoral
13. The _________ coast is a deeply embayed coast resulting from submergence of a landmass
dissected by streams.
a. fiord
b. ria
c. barrier-island
d. volcano coast
14. The _________ coast is deeply indented by submerged steep-walled glacial troughs.
a. fiord
b. ria
c. volcano
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d. fault
15. Broad expanses of isolated shallow water called _______________ are common features
immediately adjacent to barrier island coastlines.
a. salt marshes
b. marine terraces
c. lagoons
d. tidal inlets
16. The deposition of sediments by a stream or river entering a large body of standing water often
produces a _______________.
a. delta
b. ria
c. marine terrace
d. fault
17. _____________ coasts are unique in that the addition of new land is made by organisms in warm
oceans.
a. delta
b. coral-reef
c. ria
d. volcano
18. When an abrupt tectonic uplift occurs along a coastline, a ____________ is often formed.
a. ria coast
b. volcano coast
c. marine terrace
d. barrier-island coastline
19. ______________is formed when fine particles of silt and clay are removed from the surface by
wind deflation. Subsequent deposition of the wind transported silt and clay particles produce
_______________ deposits which help enrich soils with nutrients.
a. Desert bedrock. loess
b. Kaleche. loess
c. Loess, silt
d. Desert pavement. loess
20. One common type of sand dune is a _______________ dune which is an isolated heap of free
sand.
a. barchan
b. transverse
c. star
d. parabolic
23. True/False Groins are installed perpendicular to a beach to stop or slow retrogradation.
2. Layers of snow in the process of compaction and recrystallization are called _______________.
a. cirque ice
b. glacial ice
c. dense snow
d. firn
3. What condition must be met for a glacier to begin flowing downhill?
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a. snow compacts into granular ice
b. snow compacts into hard crystalline ice
c. the ice mass must become so thick that the bottom layers become plastic
d. overt ablation must occur over several years
5. ________________ results in grooved and polished bedrock surfaces which mark the former path
of movement of glacial ice.
a. Glacial plucking
b. Glacial abrasion
c. Glacial deposition
d. Glacial erosion
6. Snow collected and compacted at the upper end of a bowl-shaped depression called a
_______________ demarcates the top of most alpine glaciers.
a. cirque
b. tarn
c. crevasse
d. glacial trough
7. Where two cirque headwalls intersect from opposite sides, a jagged, knife-like ridge called a(n)
_______________ is formed.
a. areté
b. tarn
c. horn
d. col
8. A ridge or pile of rock debris left by glacial action (till) that marks the terminus of a glacier is
called a(n) _______________.
a. medial moraine
b. recessional moraine
c. terminal moraine
d. lateral moraine
9. Of the following locations, which is not covered with an ice sheet?
a. north pole
b. south pole
c. Greenland
d. Antarctica
10. ____________ are bodies of land ice that have broken free from glaciers that terminate in the
ocean.
a. Bergs
b. Icebergs
c. Sea ice
d. Pack ice
11. A succession of glaciations regularly interrupted by warmer interglacial periods constitutes a(n)
____________.
a. glacial period
b. freezing epoch
c. ice age
d. interstadial
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12. At the maximum spread of the ice sheets of the last ice age (the Wisconsinin Glaciation), sea level
was approximately __________ lower than it is today.
a. 100 meters
b. 75 meters
c. 200 meters
d. 125 meters
14. _________ are long sinuous ridges of sediment marking the position of a former ice tunnel.
a. Drumlins
b. Eskers
c. Till plains
d. Outwash plains
19. The most likely explanation for the cyclical nature of glaciations and interglaciations during the
Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs is _______________.
a. the changing distance between the Earth and sun
b. the changing tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation
c. both a and b
d. none of the above
20. The elapsed time span of about 10,000 years since the Wisconsinan Glaciation ended is called the
_______________.
a. Holocene Epoch
b. Miocene Epoch
c. Paleocene Epoch
d. Pleistocene Epoch
True/False Questions
21. True/False One method of reconstructing the history of climate and vegetation throughout
Holocene time is to study spores and pollen grains found in layered order from
bottom to top in postglacial bogs.
30. True/False Deep sea sediment cores reveal a long history of alternating glaciations and
interglaciations going back at least as far as 2 million years and possibly 3 million
years before present.
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