Sixth Grade GPS Benchmark Assessment
Geology Domain
(S6E5 and S6E6b)
1. Which rock was MOST LIKELY changed by heat and pressure?
A.
B.
C.
D.
2. The three basic types of rocks are
A.
B.
C.
D.
lava, coal, and gravel.
color, streak, and luster.
heat, pressure, and weathering.
igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
3. Some rocks form when
A.
B.
C.
D.
snow covers a mountain
fertilizer is added to soil
rocks melt underground and flow to the surface
large, colored crystals form inside minerals
4. For her science fair project, Hanna melts chocolate, and then allows it to cool and
harden. What rock formation is she demonstrating?
A. sedimentary rock formation
B. metamorphic rock formation
C. igneous rock formation
D. sandstone formation
5. Which could happen after a volcano erupts?
A. New rocks could form.
B. Some rocks could erode.
C. Living things could have more food.
D. Soil could become fossils.
6. High temperatures inside Earth form
A.
B.
C.
D.
Melted rock
Fossils
Soil
Minerals
7. Coal and oil are natural materials used
A.
B.
C.
D.
to make houses
to make jewelry
as food for animals
as fuel for heat
8. For his science fair project, Gary put slices of dark and white bread between paper
and smashed the bread together by stepping on it. What is Gary trying to show?
A.
B.
C.
D.
how fossils form
how crystals form
how soils form
how some rocks form
9. The hot water that heats springs in Georgia is caused by
A.
B.
C.
D.
geothermal energy
nuclear energy
solar energy
electrical energy
10. Typically, sedimentary rocks are formed
A. below the Earth’s surface
B. only in undersea volcanoes
C. only under great pressure and temperature
D. from eroded materials that settle in layers
11. Which is made from a nonrenewable resource?
A.
B.
C.
D.
aluminum soda cans
paper shopping bags
cardboard boxes
cotton clothing
12. When volcanoes erupt, they overflow with
A.
B.
C.
D.
molten lava
oil
hot water
clay
13. Which of the following is NOT a result of plate tectonics?
A.
B.
C.
D.
sandy beaches
ocean floor spreading
Earth’s seven continents
Same kinds of fossils on widely separated continents
14. Which is an example of chemical weathering?
A.
B.
C.
D.
rocks hitting each other in a swift river
a strong wind blowing through a canyon
ice forming cracks in rocks
acidic water dissolving limestone
15. Limestone is a sedimentary rock. How does acid rain affect limestone?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Acid rain causes limestone to become magma.
Acid rain turns limestone into slate.
Acid rain builds up on limestone.
Acid rain breaks down limestone.
16. Which explains how water in a river erodes a rock?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The water’s weight compresses rock molecules.
The rock becomes filled with water and then breaks apart.
The water dissolved the outer part of the rock.
The particles carried by the water grind the rock down.
17. Which of the following does NOT support the theory of continental drift?
A.
B.
C.
D.
identical fossils found in Antarctica and China
identical rocks found in the mountains of South Africa and South America
coral reefs and coal deposits found in the North Polar Regions
similar volcanic islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
18. Which human action is the greatest cause of soil erosion?
A.
B.
C.
D.
poor farming practices
construction
building of dams
irrigation
19. Which theory explains the change in the position of the continents during the history
of Earth?
A.
B.
C.
D.
natural selection
plate tectonics
big bang
rock cycle
20. Which feature of Earth is created by faults?
A.
B.
C.
D.
a rift valley
a glacier
a sandbar
a floodplain
Use the picture below to answer question 21.
21. The steep slope between the two landforms was MOST LIKELY created by
A. a fault
B. a volcano
C. a glacier
D. stream erosion
Use the diagram below to answer question 22.
22. The sliding of the oceanic crustal plate under the continent does NOT cause
A.
B.
C.
D.
volcanoes
ocean trenches
rises in ocean level
earthquakes
Use the pictures below to answer question 23.
23. The pictures show the same river over thousands of years. Which order of numbers
lists the pictures from the youngest to the oldest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
1,3,2
3,2,1
3,1,2
2,3,1
24. Which of these statements about Earth’s crust is true?
A. It is a layer of solid rock that remains the same throughout time.
B. It includes the continents, but not the ocean floor.
C. It is a changing, moving surface with the same thickness everywhere.
D. It is a system of large masses called plates that slowly move together or apart.
25. In most regions of the United States it is cold enough for water to freeze and split
rocks. Describe another natural process that splits rocks.
26. Many scientists believe that if carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere continue
to go up,
A.
B.
C.
D.
average temperatures would increase
the ocean would get smaller
the humidity would increase
the polar ice caps would get larger
27. Which action adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?
A.
B.
C.
D.
reducing amounts of air pollution
using solar and wind energy
burning only fossil fuels to get energy
traveling in electric cars
28. Because of the formation of new crust on its floor, the Atlantic Ocean
A. is growing wider.
B. is getting narrower.
C. has fewer mountains.
D. has lost some of its fishing grounds.
29. Some factories release pollutants that form acid rain into the air. What determines
where the acid rain is MOST LIKELY to fall?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ocean currents
wind direction
air temperature
relative humidity
30. When industrial waste enters rivers, it eventually reaches the ocean. This pollution
can kill ocean life or make seafood unsafe for eating. Which is NOT true about this type
of pollution?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It is spread in the ocean by currents.
It is sometimes radioactive.
It is often concentrated in coastal areas.
It is all being eliminated by modern technologies.
31. Which resource is currently taken from the ocean environment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
cola
diamonds
oil
uranium
32. What type of rock is sandstone?
A.
B.
C.
D.
igneous
metamorphic
ferromagnetic
sedimentary
33. Which type of rock forms from the cooling of magma?
A. sedimentary
C. igneous
B. metamorphic
D. sand
34. Which type of rock can be identified by strata?
A. igneous
C. metamorphic
B. sedimentary
D. magma
35. A rock that contains fossil seashells was most likely formed as a result of
A. volcanic activity
B. sedimentation
C. heat and pressure
D. magma cooling
Use the picture to answer the following question:
36. Jody put soil in two tubes, added water, and shook the tubes up. After a few minutes,
she saw that the water in one tube was still cloudy but the other tube had clear water.
Which is NOT true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The soil in the tube with clear water on top was sandy.
The soil in the cloudy tube was clay.
Both soils had minerals in them.
Both soils came from the same place.
37. Rocks break down to
A.
B.
C.
D.
plants
cells
fossils
soils
38. Soil is made up MOSTLY of
A.
B.
C.
D.
nitrogen
weathered rock
water
air
39. Which is NOT true about minerals?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Minerals are parts of rocks.
Minerals are fossils.
Minerals are solid.
Minerals are crystals.
40. Stan saw tiny crystals inside a rock. He should know that the rock has
A.
B.
C.
D.
a fossil inside
minerals inside
soil inside
air inside
GPS Correlation
Question #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
GPS
S6E5d
S6E5d,e
S6E5d,e
S6E5d,e
S6E5d
S6E5a
S6E6b
S6E5d,e
S6E5e,f
S6E5c
S6E6b
S6E5f
S6E5f
S6E5d
S6E5d
S6E5d
S6E5g
S6E5i
S6E5e
S6E5f
S6E5d
S6E5d
S6E5d
S6E5a
S6E5e
S6E5j
S6E5j
S6E3c; S6E5f
S6E4b; S6E5j
S6E5i
S6E5j; S6E6b
S6E5c
S6E5c
S6E5c
S6E5c
S6E5h
S6E5h
S6E5h
S6E5b
S6E5b
Answer
C
D
C
C
A
A
D
D
A
D
D
A
A
D
D
D
D
A
B
A
A
C
A
D
Short Answer
A
C
A
B
D
C
D
C
B
B
D
D
B
B
B