SIO15 Final Exam, Friday Dec. 9, 2016
TEST VARIATION: 3
1) In the U.S., which single natural disaster caused the highest number of fatalities?
a) a landslide
b) an earthquake
c) a heat wave
d) a cold storm
e) a hurricane
2) In the U.S., on average, more people die from extreme heat than from extreme cold.
a) true
b) false
3) Which of these statements about evaporation is true?
a) releases potential energy
b) takes up kinetic energy
c) is an adiabatic process
d) releases latent heat
e) takes up latent heat
4) Which type of energy is the energy of motion?
a) potential energy
b) kinetic energy
c) momentum
d) rotational energy
e) inertia
5) What is the alignment of Sun, Earth and Moon during Full Moon?
a) Earth, Moon and Sun make a right angle
b) Sun-Moon-Earth as viewed from above Earth’s orbit around the Sun
c) Sun-Earth-Moon as viewed from above Earth’s orbit around the Sun
6) What is the tidal range?
a) the Earth-Moon distance
b) the difference between spring and neap tide
c) the time period between spring and neap tide
d) the range to which tidal wave run up on the shore
e) the sea level difference between high and low tide
7) Which of these is the smallest planet in our solar system?
a) Neptune
b) Mercury
c) Jupiter
d) Earth
e) Moon
8) Where is the Kuiper belt located?
a) between Sun and Mercury
b) between Venus and Earth
c) between Earth and Mars
d) between Mars and Jupiter
e) beyond Neptune
9) What is a meteor?
a) a remnant of a space object after it impacted on Earth’s surface
b) a space object entering Earth’s atmosphere
c) the light phenomenon caused by a space object burning up in Earth’s atmosphere
10) In Earth’s most recent history, magnetic reversals have occurred on what time scale?
a) on order of days
b) on order of years
c) on order of hundreds of year
d) on order of thousands of year
e) on order of millions of years
11) Which of these statements is wrong?
a) the lithosphere is brittle
b) lithosphere is stronger than the asthenosphere
c) the asthenosphere can flow
d) lithosphere floats on the asthenosphere
e) the asthenosphere is strong but brittle
12) Which of these types of earthquake is most likely to occur in a subduction zone?
a) strike-slip
b) normal
c) reverse
d) all of the above
e) convergent
13) What does the principle of isostasy describe?
a) outer core is liquid
b) balance between potential and kinetic energy
c) lithosphere floats on the asthenosphere
d) asthenosphere floats on the lithosphere
14) About how old is the oldest oceanic lithosphere?
a) 2 billion years
b) 200 million years
c) 2 million years
d) 200,000 years
e) 5,000 years
15) What is meant by post-glacial rebound?
a) species rebound from near-extinction
b) species migrate back to its previous climate zone
c) lithosphere sinks after ice sheets melt
d) lithosphere rises after ice sheets melt
16) Which of these statements does NOT apply to tsunami?
a) travels extremely fast
b) travels across entire oceans
c) deep-water wave
d) can built up as it approaches a shore
17) The San Andreas Fault is what kind of plate boundary?
a) divergent
b) ocean-ocean convergent
c) ocean-continent convergent
d) right-lateral transform
e) left-lateral transform
18) Through which process can an earthquake trigger the formation of a mud volcano?
a) friction
b) liquefaction
c) heating of water to steam
d) melting of rock
e) conduction
19) Which of these San Diego areas is most likely to experience liquefaction during an earthquake?
a) Lindbergh Field airport
b) UCSD campus
c) Clairemont Mesa
d) Mt. Soledad
20) A tsunami is a form of tidal wave.
a) true
b) false
21) What is the largest earthquake moment magnitude ever measured?
a) about 1
b) about 5
c) about 9
d) about 11
22) A tsunami is caused by what kind of earthquake?
a) thrust
b) strike-slip
c) normal
d) all of the above
e) a) and c)
23) What is the name of the most active faults within San Diego county?
a) Laguna Salada
b) San Andreas
c) San Clemente
d) San Jacinto
e) Rose Canyon
24) Strain is a form of
a) deformation
b) heat
c) energy
d) force
25) How is INSAR used to forecast earthquakes?
a) monitors volcanic eruptions
b) monitors groundwater movement
c) monitors slow ground movement in aseismic periods
d) counts number of small earthquakes
26) Which of these does NOT apply to S waves?
a) shear wave
b) secondary wave
c) body wave
d) arriving before the surface waves
e) compressional wave
27) Volcanic eruptions are more likely to occur at night than during the day?
a) true
b) false
28) Which of these volcanic hazards is NOT among the top three killers?
a) pyroclastic flows
b) indirect/famine
c) ash fall
d) tsunami
29) What distinguishes a dormant volcano from an extinct volcano?
a) a dormant volcano has erupted in the last 50 years
b) a dormant volcano exclusively produces effusive eruptions
c) a dormant volcano is older
d) a dormant volcano has erupted in historic times (last 10,000 years)
30) Of which VEI was the humongous eruption of Yellowstone about 630,000 years ago?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 5
d) 8
e) 20
31) Which of these best describes a lahar?
a) volcanic mud flow
b) volcanic lava flow
c) a type of ash flow
d) submarine volcanic eruption
e) fast-moving mix of hot gases and volcanic ash
32) What process is more likely to melt rock?
a) increase in pressure
b) decrease in pressure
c) both are equally likely
33) On which side of the melting curve does mantle rock have to be in order to melt?
a) right
b) left
34) Submarine volcanic eruptions can cause tsunami?
a) true
b) false
35) In which of these places does most of Earth’s volcanism occur?
a) mid-ocean ridges
b) East Africa rift zone
c) Meteor hotspot
d) Africa
e) Hawaii
36) What is the primary role of volcanic gases in a volcanic eruption?
a) determine the color of volcanic ash
b) create a new opening
c) drive an eruption
d) control how regularly a volcano erupts
e) contribute material to a lahar
37) Why did relatively few people die in the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens?
a) evacuation orders were in place
b) it was an effusive eruption
c) all of the above
d) it was a small eruption
e) no people lived there
38) Where would we find the Cascades?
a) California through Washington
b) southern California
c) Nevada
d) Colorado
e) Alaska
39) Piles made of larger pebbles typically have a larger angle of repose?
a) true
b) false
40) Which of these is NOT a feature of a slump?
a) toe
b) central hole
c) transverse cracks
d) head-scarp
41) Which of these actions reduces slope stability and makes mass movements more likely?
a) reduce slope angle
b) increase slope angle
c) add mass to bottom
d) remove mass from bottom
e) b) and d)
42) How does the groundwater table relate to the likelihood of mass movement?
a) more likely when water table above glide horizon
b) more likely when water table below glide horizon
c) less likely when water table below glide horizon
d) a) and c)
e) a) and b)
43) In which climate is deforestation particularly damaging?
a) polar
b) arid
c) tropical
d) temperate
e) high mountains
44) Which of these will likely NOT cause a flash flood?
a) cloud burst
b) prolonged rain
c) local thunderstorm
d) dam burst
45) Which of these is NOT a typical risk factor for mass movements in Southern California?
a) active plate tectonics
b) occasional heavy rains
c) extreme heat
d) sparse vegetation
46) What is the base level of a stream?
a) the average discharge
b) the lowest possible discharge
c) the highest point where the spring is
d) the lowest point to which erosion can occur
47) What does the stream profile describe?
a) the longitudinal elevation vs distance along a river
b) the cross-section through a river
c) the annual cycle of the discharge of a river
d) the chemical makeup of river water
e) the lateral flux of the ground water table
48) In a straight river, where do we find the highest flow speeds?
a) near the bottom
b) near the banks
c) near the top center
d) speed is the same everywhere
49) In a meander, which river bank experiences sedimentation?
a) inner bank
b) outer bank
c) both banks
50) A hydrograph reveals that the flood stage of a river lags rainfall?
a) true
b) false
51) In which of these areas is the infiltration greatest?
a) Cleveland National Forest near Mt. Laguna
b) Balboa Park
c) downtown San Diego
d) downtown La Jolla
e) Disneyland
52) What are flood frequency curves used for?
a) to estimate the highest flood likely in a 100-year interval
b) to estimate the minimum flood stage of a river
c) to estimate the average rainfall over a river
53) Which of these has the highest albedo?
a) glacier ice
b) oceans
c) lakes
d) grass
54) Which season does Mexico City have when it is winter in Buenos Aires, Argentina?
a) spring
b) summer
c) fall
d) winter
55) How does the temperature in Earth’s atmosphere vary with altitude?
a) decreases linearly with altitude
b) decreases exponentially with altitude
c) is a complicated function of altitude
d) stays the same everywhere
56) Which atmospheric layer is the weather layer?
a) stratosphere
b) troposphere
c) thermosphere
d) mesosphere
e) ionoshere
57) Which of these is NOT associated with the belt of major deserts on Earth?
a) located between Hadley and Ferrel cells
b) located near 30º latitude
c) along belt of high surface pressure
d) along belt of low surface pressure
58) Why does Earth have seasons?
a) the Sun’s output changes
b) Earth’s distance to the Sun changes
c) the Moon generates seasons on Earth
d) Earth’s tilted rotation axis moves around the Sun
e) Milankovitch cycles
59) How does the Coriolis Effect deflect an object moving away from the equator?
a) to the east
b) to the west
c) to the right
d) to the left
60) Where would we find the intertropical convergence zone?
a) near the equator
b) at the bottom of the troposphere
c) at the top of the troposphere
d) at about 30º latitude
61) What happens when an air pocket rises adiabatically?
a) it contracts
b) it warms
c) it cools
d) no change
62) Low relative humidity cuts short which of these stages of fire?
a) preheating phase
b) pyrolysis
c) flaming combustion
d) glowing combustion
63) Which of these is NOT a reason why nature needs fires?
a) germination
b) pest control
c) improving root growth
d) recycling of organic material
64) Which of these increase the wildfire risk in San Diego County?
a) urban sprawl into the wildland
b) careless use of sparking machinery during a Santa Ana
c) careless toss of cigarette butts from a car during a Santa Ana
d) all of the above
e) a) and c)
65) Fires use O2 and produce CO2?
a) true
b) false
66) Why would winds increase the risk of devastating wildfires?
a) winds raise the surface temperature
b) winds push fires out of control
c) winds dry out potential fuels
d) all of the above
e) b) and c)
67) At which of these temperatures is the wind chill factor most significant?
a) 50ºF
b) 40ºF
c) 30ºF
d) 20ºF
68) In the U.S., which of these is NOT a criterion for a blizzard?
a) visibility of 0.25 miles or less
b) sustained winds of 35 mph or more
c) duration more than 3 h
d) blowing snow
e) temperatures less than 25ºF
69) Where do Nor’Easters typically occur?
a) northeastern California
b) northeast Asia
c) Pacific Northwest
d) northeastern Pacific Ocean
e) U.S. eastern seaboard
70) Which of these conditions is typically NOT associated with thunderstorms?
a) hurricanes
b) strong convective lifting during the winter
c) cold front moving in
d) prolonged period of rain
71) Which of these U.S. states has the highest occurrence of thunderstorms?
a) Florida
b) Texas
c) Kansas
d) Oklahoma
e) California
72) Where would we find Tornado Alley?
a) i in Australia
b) n Canada
c) Texas and northward
d) Florida
e) in the Atlantic
73) In a thunderstorm, when does lightning occur before the corresponding thunder?
a) always
b) never
c) sometimes
d) often
74) In the U.S.’s Tornado Alley, during which season are tornadoes most likely?
a) spring
b) summer
c) fall
d) winter
75) Which of these scales classifies tornadoes?
a) Beaufort scale
b) Torino scale
c) Mercalli scale
d) Saffir-Simpson scale
e) Fujita scale
76) Which ocean has the highest occurrence of hurricanes?
a) North Atlantic
b) East Pacific
c) West Pacific
d) South Atlantic
e) Indian Ocean
77) Why do east Pacific hurricanes currently not make landfall in southern California?
a) all eastern Pacific hurricanes travel southward
b) Mexican hurricanes form in the southern hemisphere
c) no hurricanes ever form in the eastern Pacific
d) the cold California Current prevents hurricanes from sustaining themselves
78) CFCs trap heat more efficiently than CO2 does?
a) true
b) false
79) Greenhouse gases trap which kind of sunlight?
a) the whole spectrum
b) Earth’s greenhouse does not trap any sunlight
c) visible
d) ultraviolet
e) infrared
80) Which of these is the primary gas that makes up Earth’s atmosphere?
a) CFCs
b) O3
c) O2
d) CO2
e) N2
81) About when did the last major ice age end?
a) 100 years ago
b) 1000 years ago
c) 10,000 years ago
d) 100,000 years ago
e) 1 million years ago
82) Which of the following does NOT contribute to global sea level rise?
a) thermal expansion of ocean water
b) melting of ice sheets
c) melting of sea ice
d) melting of mountain glaciers
83) What happens to the global sea level going into an ice age?
a) it rises
b) it sinks
c) it stays the same
84) Which of these is responsible for the ozone hole?
a) O2
b) CO2
c) N2
d) CFCs
e) O3
85) In the Keeling Curve, how do seasonal variations compare to the overall trend?
a) opposite
b) same
c) much larger
d) much smaller
86) How far can dust storms transport pathogens?
a) a few inches
b) a few miles
c) a few hundred miles
d) a few thousand miles
87) Which of these is NOT a proper description of tropical soil?
a) humus layer is particularly vulnerable to erosion
b) thick humus layer
c) organic material decays very quickly
d) thick soil profile
e) thin humus layer
88) In the U.S., how long does it take to grow 1 inch of topsoil?
a) 30 days
b) 3 months
c) 30 months
d) 3 years
e) 30 years
89) What is known as the “Dust Bowl”?
a) desertification in the Sahel
b) deforestation in Indonesia
c) U.S. 1930s drought and resulting soil erosion
d) 1990 dust storm in central Australia
e) 2010 heat wave and drought in Russia
90) Which process is responsible for acid rain in the eastern U.S.?
a) fast food restaurants
b) nuclear power plants
c) coal burning power plants
d) traffic
e) wildfires
91) Where does the mercury in canned Tuna come from?
a) cosmic rays
b) volcanism
c) canning industry
d) coal burning power plants
e) agricultural run-off
92) The U.S. depends on imports from other countries for virtually all strategic metals?
a) true
b) false
93) Which of these is the least recycled item?
a) glass
b) metals
c) paper
d) plastic
94) Petroleum is made of which of these?
a) fish bones
b) dinosaur fossils
c) plants
d) plankton
e) volcanic rock
95) How does plastic break down?
a) photosynthesis
b) biodegradation
c) photodegradation
d) radiodegradation
96) What happens to fisheries off the coast of Peru during an El Niño?
a) huge increase
b) huge decrease
c) marked increase in salmon
d) a decline as a result of particularly high catches by fishermen
97) What is by-catch?
a) a fishing technique using two nets
b) unwanted and then discarded animals caught by fishing vessels
c) the soot caught by filters in coal firing plants
d) the prey animals of the California Brown Pelican
e) off-spring of a target fish
98) What is the approximate lifetime of the longest-living sharks?
a) a few months
b) a few years
c) a few decades
d) a few centuries
e) a few thousand years
99) What originally triggered the ongoing piracy incidents in the Indian Ocean?
a) nations fighting over Iranian nuclear power plants
b) the Sahel drought and famine in the 1970s
c) 9/11
d) the war in Afghanistan
e) overfishing by foreigners off the Somali coast
100) Where would we find the K-T boundary?
a) between U.S.A. and Canada
b) between the stratosphere and the ionosphere
c) between the Cretaceous and the Tertiary geologic periods
d) between Kenya and Tanzania
e) between air masses in an occluded front
101) What is the number one producer of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere?
a) volcanic eruptions
b) thunderstorms
c) photosynthesis
d) human activity
e) respiration
102) The extinction rate of which large animal has accelerated in recent years because of poaching?
a) elephant
b) bonobo
c) blue whale
d) mammoth
e) buffalo
103) Which ecosystems have seen a vertebrate decline of up to 81% since 1970?
a) tropical rainforests
b) Arctic tundras
c) freshwater systems
d) saltwater systems
104) Where would we find the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
a) near Australia
b) in the southeast Pacific
c) near India
d) central north Pacific
e) near Antarctica
105) On which continent did farmers recently conduct a massive bird kill from planes?
a) Southeast Asia
b) Africa
c) Australia
d) North America
e) South America