Content Benchmark E.12.C.5
Students know soil, derived from weathered rocks and decomposed organic material, is found in
layers. E/S
Sample Test Questions
1st Item Specification: Describe the structure of soil, its components, and its formation.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. The cross section below shows soil layer X, which was formed from underlying bedrock.
(From http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/scire/es806.pdf)
Which change would most likely cause soil layer X to increase in thickness?
A. A decrease in slope
B. A decrease in rainfall
C. An increase in biologic activity
D. An increase in air pressure
2. As particles of sediment in a stream break into several smaller pieces, the rate of weathering
of the sediment will
A. decrease due to a decrease in surface area.
B. increase due to a decrease in surface area.
C. decrease due to an increase in surface area.
D. increase due to an increase in surface area.
3. Which activity demonstrates chemical weathering?
A. Freezing of water in the cracks of a granite boulder
B. Abrasion of a streambed by tumbling rocks
C. Dissolving of limestone by carbonic acid
D. Boulders falling from a cliff and shattering on the rocks below
4. The four limestone samples illustrated below have the same composition, mass, and volume.
Under the same climatic conditions, which sample will weather SLOWEST?
A. Sample A
B. Sample B
C. Sample C
D. Sample D
5. Humus, which is formed by the decay of plant and animal matter, is important for the
formation of most
A. round sediments.
B. soils.
C. surface bedrock.
D. minerals.
6. The cross section below shows a soil profile.
(From http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/scire/estestja05.pdf)
This soil was formed primarily by
A. erosion by running water over a relatively long period of time.
B. weathering and biological activity over a relatively long period of time.
C. erosion by running water over a relatively short period of time.
D. weathering and biological activity over a relatively short period of time.
7. The cross section below shows layers of soil.
(From http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/scire/es106.pdf)
Which two processes produced the layer of dark brown to black soil?
A. Compaction and cementation
B. Erosion and uplift of bedrock
C. Weathering and biological activity
D. Melting and solidification of magma
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
8. The cross section below shows soil layer X, which was formed from underlying bedrock.
(From http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/scire/es806.pdf)
Which change would most likely cause soil layer X to increase in thickness?
A. A decrease in slope
B. An increase in biologic activity
C. A decrease in rainfall
D. An increase in air pressure
9. Two tombstones, located in the same cemetery approximately 10 meters apart, face east.
Tombstone A had dates cut into the rock in 1922. Tombstone B had dates cut into the rock in
1892.
(From http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/scire/sciarch/psestestau03.pdf)
Which statement best explains why the dates are more difficult to read on Tombstone A than
on Tombstone B?
A. Tombstone A contains minerals less resistant to weathering than Tombstone B.
B. Tombstone A has undergone a longer period of weathering than Tombstone B.
C. Tombstone A has experienced cooler temperatures than Tombstone B.
D. Tombstone A was exposed to less acid rain than Tombstone B.
10. Use graphs #1-4 to answer the following question.
Graph 1
Graph 2
Graph 3
Graph 4
Which graph best represents the chemical weathering rate of a limestone boulder as it is
broken into pebble-sized particles?
A. Graph 1
B. Graph 2
C. Graph 3
D. Graph 4
11. Base your answer to the question on the graph below, which shows the effect that the average
yearly precipitation and temperature have on the type of weathering that will occur in a
particular region.
(From http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/scire/es807.pdf)
Which type of weathering is most common where the average yearly temperature is 5°C and
the yearly precipitation is 45 cm?
A. Moderate chemical weathering with frost action
B. Moderate chemical weathering
C. Very slight weathering
D. Slight frost action
Content Benchmark E.12.C.5
Students know soil, derived from weathered rocks and decomposed organic material, is found in
layers. E/S
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. C, DOK Level 1
2. D, DOK Level 1
3. C, DOK Level 1
4. A, DOK Level 1
5. B, DOK Level 1
6. B, DOK Level 1
7. C, DOK Level 1
8. B, DOK Level 2
9. A, DOK Level 2
10. D, DOK Level 2
11. D, DOK Level 2