Learning Outcomes Test #9
Unit 6, Lesson 4
Name: ___________________________________
Test Date: ________________________________
Students need to learn and understand the meaning of the following vocabulary words AND be able to
apply them to a variety of situations.
1. weathering – the process through which rocks or other materials are broken down into
smaller pieces
2. erosion – the process of carrying away soil or pieces of rocks
3. glacier – a large sheet of ice and snow that moves slowly over land
4. deposition – the process of dropping off pieces of eroded rock
5. meander – a bend or S-shaped curve in a river
6. sediment – the particles of soil or rock that may be eroded and deposited
7. floodplain – land near a river that is likely to be under water during a flood
8. mudslide – the movement of a large amount of mud and rocks down a slope
9. landslide – the movement of a large amount of rock and soil down a slope
10. headland – an area of land that has water on three sides
Students will learn in class about the following topics. Be prepared to be assessed on them.
1. How does water force cracks in rocks to become wider?
As water freezes, it expands. This forces the cracks to become larger.
2. In what way is chemical weathering different from physical weathering? KNOW THIS!!
***** In chemical weathering the rock is worn down by the effects of chemicals such as acid rain,
which is the product of gases from factories. In physical weathering the rock is worn over time by
rubbing, gravity, and temperature changes, among other things. Physical weathering is caused by
mechanical forces. Chemical weathering is the result of chemical changes in the material being
weathered.*****
3. How does acid rain damage statues? Acid rain can cause statues to become pitted, worn away, or
changed in color as a result of the acid reacting with the material in the statue.
4. When a tree root splits a rock or water freezes and splits a rock, the pieces of rock probably stay where
they are. Wind, gravity, and flowing water might move the broken pieces of rock to another location.
5. Land can be eroded by gravity, glaciers, running water, waves, or wind.
6. Landslides may occur after an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. These events cause the ground to
move. This loosens rocks and soil enough that gravity can pull them downward.
7. Plants can help prevent erosion from gravity.
8. What is the difference between erosion and weathering? Weathering breaks off pieces of rock; erosion
carries those pieces away.
9. What could people do to reduce the chances of a mudslide happening on a hill?
People could cultivate plants on the hill to keep the soil and rocks from being carried away by
the mudslide.
11. As a glacier moves, it carries away weathered pieces of rock. The bits of rock wear away the ground at
the beginning of the glacier, forming a steep bowl-shaped hollow called a cirque.
12. If a glacier melted, what would form in the cirque? A lake would form
13. What causes a glacier to flow? Gravity and the expansion and contraction of water cause a glacier
to flow.
14. When a glacier erodes dirt and rock, the eroded materials are pushed in front of it. When the glacier
starts to shrink, the eroded materials are left behind. The process by which eroded materials are
dropped off in another place is called deposition.
15. What things can carry pieces of rock? Wind, moving water, moving ice
16. As water runs down hills, it can wash away soil and erode rock. This eventually flows into a larger
body of water, like a river. Rivers with fast-moving water tend to follow straight paths and have
deeper channels and steeper banks. Rivers with slow-moving water tend to follow curving paths
and have shallow channels and low banks. More deposition occurs in slow-moving than in fastmoving water.
17. Water moves slowly along the inside edge of a meander, so sediment is deposited and eventually
builds new land. Water moves more rapidly around the outside edge of a meander. The sediment in
this part of the river is carried farther downstream and sometimes more sediment is eroded from
the outer edge of the curve.
18. When waves reach a headland, they curve around it and wash away at the sides of the headland.
As the waves continue to erode the sides, an arch forms.
19. Sandbars form when waves pick up sand and deposit it in the water.
20. A shoreline, or the edge of a body of water, is changed by the erosion and the deposition of
sediment.
21. What things would you find at a shoreline? Sand, water, waves, wind, grass, shells, gulls, crabs
Of these things, which might change the form of the shoreline over time? Water, waves, and wind
22. How do barrier islands protect beaches from erosion? A barrier island takes the force of waves
from a storm first. This protects the beach from erosion by waves.
23. Floods occur when water overflows the banks or beaches of a body of water. Floods may also
occur during a heavy rainfall. A floodplain is a place that is easily flooded when river water rises.
Floods can also erode the shoreline of a body of water and change its shape or course.
24. Wind blows sand away from the front of a beach and forms dunes. Dunes form in the direction
that the wind usually blows. Sand dunes can be moved from one place to another by wind. When
large sandbars stretch for hundreds of kilometers along a coastline, they are called barrier islands.
25. How do barrier islands protect the coastline? Barrier islands protect the coastline from erosion
caused by large waves during storms. The waves hit the barrier islands first and erode the
barrier islands rather than the coastline beaches.
26. How does planting grasses prevent wind from eroding dunes? Plants have roots that hold the sand
in place.
27. Shorelines can be protected by people building structures to help change the speed, block, or alter
the direction of running water. Structures such as dams, levees, canals, channels, or barricades
help. Read p. 340 to see how they help. Know this!
28. How do people prevent wind from eroding beaches and dunes? Fences are often put up near sand
dunes to decrease the speed of the wind so less sand is blown away. Grasses are also planted on
dunes so the roots will grow and hold the sand in place.
29. How might you tell which type of weathering had worn away a cliff? Dissolved minerals indicate
chemical weathering. Cracks and broken rocks indicate physical weathering.