Earth's History: Explore the Evolution of Our Planet

Question 1

Which of these is NOT a step in Earth's early formation?

Accepted Answer

Emergence of complex plant life

Answer

Accumulation of dust and gas

Answer

Cooling and hardening

Answer

Development of the first oceans

Question 2

Which layer of Earth holds most of its mass?

Accepted Answer

Mantle

Answer

Crust

Answer

Outer core

Answer

Inner core

Question 3

What is the idea that geological processes happening today are the same as those that have always occurred called?

Accepted Answer

Uniformitarianism

Answer

Catastrophism

Answer

Superposition

Answer

Actualism

Question 4

Which of these is NOT a major type of plate tectonic boundary?

Accepted Answer

Sinking

Answer

Convergent

Answer

Divergent

Answer

Transform

Question 5

Which of these is a resource that can be replaced naturally?

Accepted Answer

Water

Answer

Oil

Answer

Coal

Answer

Natural gas

Question 6

What is the main force that moves the continents?

Accepted Answer

Plate tectonics

Answer

Gravity

Answer

Wind

Answer

Water

Question 7

Which discovery provides the strongest evidence for the idea that all living things share a common ancestor over time?

Accepted Answer

Fossils that show gradual changes over time

Answer

All living things share a common ancestor

Answer

New species can be created in the laboratory

Answer

Earth is billions of years old

Question 8

What is the process called when pieces of rock are weathered and broken down?

Accepted Answer

Weathering

Answer

Erosion

Question 9

Which of these is a renewable energy source?

Accepted Answer

Wind energy

Answer

Coal

Question 10

What is the name of the Earth's solid, outermost layer?

Accepted Answer

Crust

Answer

Mantle

Question 11

What is the name of the boundary between two tectonic plates that move apart?

Accepted Answer

Divergent

Answer

Convergent

Question 12

Which force pulls objects towards each other?

Accepted Answer

Gravity

Answer

Friction

Question 13

Which layer of Earth's crust is the oldest?

Accepted Answer

Continental crust

Answer

Oceanic crust

Question 14

What process causes magma to rise to Earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

Volcanism

Answer

Erosion

Question 15

What theory explains the origin of life on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Abiogenesis

Answer

Natural selection

Question 16

Which type of rock is formed from cooled and hardened lava?

Accepted Answer

Igneous

Answer

Sedimentary

Question 17

What was the name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago?

Accepted Answer

Pangea

Answer

Gondwana

Question 18

Which is a type of fossil?

Accepted Answer

Footprint

Question 19

Who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection?

Accepted Answer

Charles Darwin

Answer

Albert Einstein

Question 20

Which of the following is a renewable resource?

Accepted Answer

Trees

Question 21

Which layer of Earth lies between the crust and the mantle?

Accepted Answer

Asthenosphere

Question 22

The earliest fossils of living organisms are found in which type of rocks?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary rocks

Answer

Igneous rocks

Answer

Metamorphic rocks

Answer

Volcanic rocks

Question 23

What is the main source of energy used by living organisms?

Accepted Answer

Chemical energy

Answer

Electrical energy

Answer

Light energy

Answer

Nuclear energy

Question 24

Which of the following is a renewable energy source?

Accepted Answer

Solar energy

Answer

Coal

Answer

Natural gas

Answer

Petroleum

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a layer of Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Hydrosphere

Answer

Troposphere

Answer

Stratosphere

Answer

Mesosphere

Question 26

What is the name of the process by which plants turn sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into energy-rich food?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthesis

Answer

Respiration

Answer

Decomposition

Answer

Combustion

Question 27

Which of these events is NOT a major turning point in Earth's history?

Accepted Answer

The invention of the wheel

Answer

Formation of the oceans

Answer

The great ice ages

Answer

The Cambrian explosion

Question 28

Which of these is NOT a layer of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

Atmosphere

Answer

Crust

Answer

Mantle

Answer

Core

Question 29

Which era of Earth's history was dominated by dinosaurs?

Accepted Answer

Mesozoic

Answer

Paleozoic

Answer

Cenozoic

Answer

Precambrian

Question 30

What is the main way new rocks are formed?

Accepted Answer

Deposition

Answer

Erosion

Answer

Weathering

Answer

Folding

Question 31

Which is NOT a type of rock?

Accepted Answer

Metallic

Answer

Igneous

Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Metamorphic

Question 32

How have living things evolved over time?

Accepted Answer

Living things have changed to fit their surroundings.

Answer

Living things have stayed the same.

Question 33

Which of the following is not a layer of Earth's interior?

Accepted Answer

Atmosphere

Answer

Crust

Answer

Mantle

Answer

Core

Question 34

What is the name of the ancient supercontinent that existed 200 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

Pangea

Answer

Laurasia

Answer

Gondwana

Answer

Rodinia

Question 35

Which event is widely believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?

Accepted Answer

Asteroid impact

Answer

Volcanic eruption

Answer

Climate change

Answer

Disease

Question 36

What geological principle states that older rocks are generally found below younger rocks?

Accepted Answer

Law of Superposition

Answer

Principle of Uniformitarianism

Answer

Theory of Plate Tectonics

Answer

Law of Lateral Continuity

Question 37

What is the primary source of energy for the Earth's geological processes?

Accepted Answer

Geothermal Heat

Answer

Wind

Answer

Sunlight

Answer

Hydroelectric Power

Question 38

What process creates new oceanic crust?

Accepted Answer

Seafloor Spreading

Answer

Subduction

Answer

Metamorphism

Answer

Erosion

Question 39

Which of the following is a renewable resource?

Accepted Answer

Solar Energy

Answer

Oil

Answer

Coal

Answer

Natural Gas

Question 40

What is the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Nitrogen

Answer

Oxygen

Answer

Carbon Dioxide

Answer

Argon

Question 41

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a fossil?

Accepted Answer

Always found in rocks

Answer

Preserved remains or traces of an ancient organism

Answer

Can provide information about past environments

Answer

Can be many years old

Question 42

What is the theory that explains how species gradually change over time?

Accepted Answer

Theory of Evolution

Answer

Theory of Relativity

Answer

Theory of Gravity

Answer

Theory of Electromagnetism

Question 43

Which of these factors does NOT contribute to natural disasters on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Human activities

Answer

Climate

Answer

Plate tectonics

Question 44

When did oxygen become abundant in Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

3.5 billion years ago

Answer

4.5 billion years ago

Answer

2 billion years ago

Answer

1 billion years ago

Question 45

Which factor significantly contributed to the rapid diversification of life during the Cambrian Explosion?

Accepted Answer

Increased oxygen levels in the atmosphere

Answer

Reduced volcanic activity

Answer

Development of photosynthesis

Answer

Sudden rise in sea levels

Question 46

Which period is the oldest in Earth's history?

Accepted Answer

Precambrian

Answer

Cenozoic

Answer

Paleozoic

Answer

Mesozoic

Question 47

What is widely accepted as the major cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs?

Accepted Answer

A comet or asteroid impact

Answer

Disease

Answer

Volcanic eruptions

Answer

Climate change

Question 48

Approximately how old is Earth?

Accepted Answer

4.5 billion years

Answer

500 million years

Answer

2 billion years

Answer

10 billion years

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT a layer of Earth?

Accepted Answer

Atmosphere

Answer

Mantle

Answer

Core

Answer

Crust

Question 50

What is the process by which rocks are formed from magma or lava?

Accepted Answer

Crystallization

Answer

Weathering

Answer

Deposition

Answer

Erosion

Question 51

Which of the following is a type of sedimentary rock?

Accepted Answer

Sandstone

Answer

Basalt

Answer

Marble

Answer

Granite

Question 52

What was the name of the supercontinent that existed about 200 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

Pangea

Answer

Laurasia

Answer

Gondwana

Answer

Rodinia

Question 53

Which of the following is a renewable resource?

Accepted Answer

Wind

Answer

Coal

Answer

Oil

Question 54

In which period of Earth's history did humans first emerge?

Accepted Answer

Cenozoic

Answer

Precambrian

Answer

Paleozoic

Answer

Mesozoic