Content Benchmark E.8.C.5
Students know how geologic processes account for state and regional topography. E/S
Relate geological processes to certain topographical features (e.g. basin and range,
canyon, alluvial fans, and volcanoes)
Sample Test Questions
1st Item Specification: Students know how geologic processes account for local and
state topography.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. Which of the following is a landform created by two tectonic plates converging?
A. Playa
B. Mountain
C. Plateau
D. River valley
2. The Basin and Range geology of Nevada and parts of the Southwestern US is the
result of Earth’s crust
A. stretching.
B. shrinking.
C. splitting in half.
D. compression.
3. The Basin and Range topographic province of Nevada is recognized for
A. valleys and rivers.
B. valleys and mountains.
C. volcanoes and earthquakes.
D. valleys and earthquakes.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
4. How is the geologic process of creating canyons and mountains different?
A. Canyons are made by faulting and mountains are created by erosion.
B. Canyons are made by erosion and mountains are created by erosion.
C. Canyons are made by erosion and mountains are made by folding.
D. Canyons are made by faulting and mountains are made by folding.
5. Which geologic process is most responsible for the formation of extinct volcanic
mountains in Nevada’s geologic history?
A. Crust strecthing and magma upwelling
B. Crust compression
C. Weathering and erosion
D. Metamorphism of rock around a magma chamber
2nd Item Specification: Recognize and compare geologic processes that shape
Nevada’s regions.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
6. Use the diagram to answer the following question.
(From http://www.seismo.unr.edu/graphics/Maps/nv-topo.jpg)
The above map shows the mountainous topography of Nevada. The orientation or
direction of the majority of mountains in Nevada is
A. northwest – southeast.
B. east – west.
C. south-southwest.
D. northeast – southwest.
7. Answer the following question using the map below.
(From http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/)
Based on the map above, which area has the highest frequency of earthquakes?
A. Northern California
B. Southern Nevada
C. Northern Nevada
D. Southern California
8. Answer the following question using the diagram below.
(From: http://facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/GEOL101/Study/Images/NormalFault.gif)
What type of fault is a result of horizontal movement in an opposite direction along the
Earth’s crust?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Block
Normal
Strike-Slip
Reverse
9. Answer the following question using the diagram below.
(From: http://facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/GEOL101/Study/Images/NormalFault.gif)
What type of fault is a result of horizontal movement away from the fault line?
A. Block
B. Normal
C. Strike-Slip
D. Reverse
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
10. Which of the following landforms in Nevada are classified as a result of erosion?
A. canyon and mountain
B. alluvial fan and canyon
C. mountain and volcano
D. alluvial fan and mountain
11. Which of the following is an effect of convergent plate movement?
A. glacial activity
B. mountain building
C. canyon erosion
D. alluvial fan
Constructed Response E.8.C.5
Answer the following questions using the diagram below.
(From: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rcb7/Grand_Staircase.jpg)
1. Identify a process of erosion that helps to shape the Grand Staircase.
2. Explain the difference between erosion and weathering and how each process acts on
the Grand Staircase.
3. Describe how the Navajo Sandstone (Ss) would erode slower than the Tropic Shale
(Sh).
Content Benchmark E.8.C.5
Students know how geologic processes account for state and regional topography. E/S
Relate geological processes to certain topographical features (e.g. basin and range,
canyon, alluvial fans, and volcanoes)
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. B, DOK level 1
2. A, DOK level 1
3. B, DOK level 1
4. C, DOK level 2
5. A, DOK level 2
6. D, DOK level 1
7. D, DOK level 1
8. C, DOK level 1
9. B, DOK level 1
10. B, DOK level 2
11. B, DOK level 2
Constructed Response E.8.C.5 Score Rubric:
3 points
2 points
Response addresses all parts of the question clearly and correctly.
1. Erosion of the Grand Staircase can occur by water, wind, and
gravity.
2. Erosion is the movement of rocks whereas weathering is the
breakdown of rocks. Each acts on the Grand Staircase by breaking
rocks down into sediment and moving them.
3.Sandstone is resistant to weathering and erosion because it is
composed mostly of quartz, a rather hard mineral. Tropic shale breaks
down easily due its composition and therefore would be eroded faster
than the Navajo Sandstone.
Response addresses all parts of the question and includes only minor
errors.
Response does not address all parts of the question.
1 point
0 points
Response is totally incorrect or no response provided.