Review of Geology
Laws of Relative Dating
Earth’s Interior
Earthquakes
Question Types
Just like the OGT:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Extended Response
You must get at least a point on the
Extended Response in order to pass
the test –Just like the OGT!
A class of high school students went on a field trip to
observe some rock formations exposed in a
hillside. The rocks were sedimentary and the
formation looked like the diagram below. Briefly
explain what caused the sedimentary rock layers
to be offset? (2 points)
• Use complete
sentences
• State laws and
principles you
have learned in
class
• Avoid incorrect
information
• Be thorough
• Avoid using
vague pronouns
like “it” or “they.”
Rate the answer 0, 1, 2
• The rock layers are illustrating the fact
that rocks form sedimentary layers.
Rate this answer 0, 1, or 2
• I say it was faulting
Plan a GOOD response
Pressure from
Geological event
Moving plates or
earthquake
Offset
Rock layers
Cause:
Faulting
Define
Faulting
Write out your response!
• The rock layers are not in horizontal rows
as they should normally be found because
there was probably some type of faulting
that occurred due to a geological event
such as the movement of plate tectonics
or an earthquake. (1 point for introducing
that you know how the layers should look
and the process by which they have been
rearranged.) The process of faulting is
when a crack in the layers occurs and the
layers are offset due to a geological event
such as the movement of plate tectonics
Multiple Choice
Questions
•
Come up with what you think the correct
answer is BEFORE looking at the
choices.
• If you do not have an answer, try to
eliminate one or more choices then
make your selection.
Use the diagram
• 1. Scientists believe
that forces in Earth’s
mantle move Earth’s
crustal plates. What
do the arrows in the
diagram represent?
• A. ocean currents
• B. gravity
• C. convection
currents
• D. wind patterns
• 2. The early development of the theory
of plate tectonics was supported by
which of these observations?
• A. matching fossils on the continents of
Africa and South America
• B. glacier deposits far from existing
continental glaciers
• C. thick sediment layers at the mouths
of rivers
• D. sudden volcanic activity of longdormant volcanoes
• 3. What is the name of the
theory that states Earth’s crust
is broken up into large pieces
that move and interact?
• A. natural selection
• B. mountain building
• C. the rock cycle
• D. plate tectonics
• 4. Major mountain ranges are
formed when crustal plates
• A. push into each other
• B. slide past each other
• C. move away from each
other
• D. break into smaller plates
•
•
5. In which state is an earthquake most
likely to occur?
A. Florida
•
B. Kansas
•
C. Ohio
•
D. California
• 6. The Hawaiian Islands are riding on the
Pacific Plate as it moves northwestward. They
are being formed as the plate moves over a hot
spot in the mantle.
• Where is the next volcano likely to form?
•
7. Which finding provided earlier
evidence for the theory of continental
drift?
– a. observing that continents fit
together like a jigsaw pieces
– b. identifying major earthquake zones
and volcanic belts
– c. measuring the distance across the
Atlantic Ocean
– d. determining the age of rocks under
the Atlantic Ocean
• 8. What do you predict will
happen to the Atlantic Ocean if
the seafloor spreading continues
along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
• A. It will become wider
• B. It will become narrower
• C. It will become deeper
• D. It will remain the same size
• 9. Which mechanism is thought
to be responsible for the seafloor
spreading and plate tectonics?
• A. mid-ocean ridge volcanoes
• B. convection currents in the
mantle
• C. earthquakes at the edge of the
plates
• D. Earth’s magnetism and
polarity
• 10. The Hawaiian Islands were
produced by volcanic activity
associated with a
• A. mid-oceanic ridge
• B. subduction zone in the crust
• C. hot spot in the middle of a
crustal plate
• D. Pacific Ocean trench
12. By studying folds and faults in
rocks, scientists can determine
the
A. absolute age of the rocks
B. order of past geologic events
C. depth of the ocean when the
rocks formed
D. life forms that lived when the
rocks formed
• 13. The geologic timetable is
divided into three large time units
called eras. Which factor was
these time divisions based upon?
A. volcanic and earthquake activity
B. locations where rocks are found
C.equal units of geologic time
D.major changes in the life forms
• 14. The geologic eras are made
up of smaller units called
periods. What are these
divisions based upon?
A. geologic events only
B. biological changes only
C.geologic and biological events
D.equal units of geologic time
•
•
•
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15. Which method is most reliable in
correlating rocks from two different
locations?
A. identifying physical characteristics of
the rocks
B. identifying the mineral content of the
rocks
C. identifying similar fossils in the rock
layers
D. identifying the thickness of the rock
layers