6th Grade Earth Science
Midterm Study Guide 2016
Unit 1 Chapter 1: Intro to Earth Science
1. What is science? Define.
2. What is Earth Science? Define.
3. What is technology? Define.
4. What is the scientific method?
5. What are the steps to the scientific method?
6. Name and define the branches of Earth Science. You will be answering questions about each branch.
7. What are the two most powerful agents of change on the surface of the Earth? (Hint: it’s not what
you might think!)
Unit 1 Chapter 4: The Structure of Earth
1. How do Scientists know about the center of the earth?
2. What is MOHO?
3. Where is the transition zone located?
4. Where do S waves and P waves come from?
5. Why does the Earth have a magnetic field?
6. Which layer of the Earth has a variety of features?
7. The temperature of the inner core is compared to the heat on the ___________________________?
8. What is the thickest layer of the Earth?
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6th Grade Earth Science
Midterm Study Guide 2016
9. What in the thinnest layer of the Earth?
10. Which layer of the Earth has the most volume?
Unit 1 Chapter 2: Minerals
1. What are minerals?
2. What do we call scientists who study minerals?
3. What are some unsafe ways to test minerals?
4. Which minerals are known to be radioactive? Are most minerals radioactive or very few?
5. What is a silicate? What is it made of?
6. Why are metals valuable? List some qualities it has that we find important?
7. What is the Moh’s hardness scale? List some minerals and state whether they are hard or soft.
8. What is the hardest mineral?
9. Can we use any one test to identify a mineral or must we perform several?
10. What are the 2 basic types of mineral?
11. What special property occurs in some minerals when a glass is held up to it?
Unit 1 Chapter 3: Rocks
1. How are Igneous Rocks formed?
2. How are igneous Rocks Classified?
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6th Grade Earth Science
Midterm Study Guide 2016
3. What are Sediments?
4. Is the Rock Cycle a definite cycle or just a series of possibilities of what might happen?
5. What Latin word is Igneous based on?
6. What does it mean if a rock is “plastic”?
7. How is Metamorphic Rock Formed?
8. How is Sedimentary rock formed?
9. What is the Rock Cycle? (In a nutshell)
10. What is a conglomerate rock? How is it formed? What is it composed of?
11. What is the biggest factor that contributes to rocks breaking down into sediments?
Unit 1 Chapter 1: The Moving Crust
1. What layer does the crust “float” on?
2. Have the magnetic poles changed position over the years?
3. What makes up the majority of the Earth’s surface?
4. When Magma breaks through weak places in the Earth’s surface, what can form?
5. Did Wegener ever prove his theory of “Pangea”?
6. What separates the continents?
7. A Thin layer of dense rock make up the (Continental crust, Oceanic Crust)? (Circle one).
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6th Grade Earth Science
Midterm Study Guide 2016
Unit 2 Chapter 2: Earthquakes
1. What types of waves cause the most damage during an earthquake?
2. What is the difference between the focus and the epicenter of an Earthquake?
Unit 2 Chapter 3: Volcanoes
1. Tell me about the composition of lava. Is it always made of the same materials and elements or does
it vary?
2. What is The Ring of Fire? Explain.
3. What is the definition of an active volcano?
Vocab to Know

Plate Boundary

Continental Crust

Dormant Volcano

Ductility

Magma

Lava

Tectonics

Volcano

Asthenosphere

Isostasy

Cleavage

Abrasion

Fault

S Waves

P Waves
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6th Grade Earth Science
Midterm Study Guide 2016
3 Short Answer
1.
Explain why Earth has a Magnetic Field (3pts).
2. What evidence did Wegener give of Continental Drift (3pts)?
3. List and describe the 4 classifications of volcanoes according to eruptions. (4pts)
Application
1. Draw and label the three types of stress that tectonic plates can experience by showing how they
move. Beneath each drawing, give a written explanation of what is/will happen as the move past
each other (5pts).
Essays
For the Midterm you will choose any 2 of the 3 essays below.
1. List the layers of the Earth starting in the center and working your way to the crust. Describe each
layer in detail as you list. (10pts)
2. On the board you will see the images of two minerals. One is composed of diamonds the other is
composed of quartz. Describe what tests you would perform in order to determine which mineral is
which. Please write your answer in paragraph form (10 pts).
3. In your own words, explain the theory of Plate Tectonics and its effect on our understanding of Earth
(10 pts).
Extra Credit Option
You may list, draw, explain or otherwise share with me any information that you have learned over the
course of these last 2 quarters that does not appear on this exam. I will apply up to 2% extra credit to
your test score.
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