Name ______________________________ Date ______________
Changing Surface of the Earth
Use this map of Michigan above to answer questions 1-4:
1. Which section of Michigan displays the most mountains?
a.
b.
c.
d.
region A
region B
region C
region D
 July, 2002 Jackson County Intermediate School District
Permission is given to Jackson County Schools to reproduce these assessments for classroom use.
2. Section C is most likely
a.
b.
c.
d.
a plain
a valley
a desert
mountains
3. The map is most likely displaying
a.
b.
c.
d.
elevation
topography
relief
bodies of water
4. Lilly is riding her bike from point A to point C. Describe the changing landscape that she will
ride through.
Jackson County Middle School Science Assessments July, 2002
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Using the Rock Cycle chart provided, answer questions 5-7.
5. Limestone has been located in a layer of deposited ice. This limestone is an example of what
kind of rock?
a.
b.
c.
d.
igneous
metamorphic
sedimentary
porous
6. Igneous rock from a volcanic eruption is exposed to certain changes over time, and eventually
is transformed into sedimentary rock. What are the changes that the igneous rock goes through
during this transformation?
a.
b.
c.
d.
heat and intense pressure
melting
cooling and crystallization
weathering, erosion and deposition
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7. Create a short story explain how a rock ejected from volcanoes can turn into a metamorphic
rock. Use the rock cycle chart to guide you to the correct answer.
8. Two farmers, Mr. Beet and Mr. Snow, shared land on the side of a hill. When it was time to
cultivate the land, they had an argument. Mr. Beet insisted that he rows should go straight up
and down the hill, while Mr. Snow argued that the rows should cut across the hill following
the contours. To settle the argument, they divided the land and did as they each wished.
Rainfall was extremely heavy that summer. Who made a better decision in the design of the
hill?
Mr. Beet
or
Mr. Snow
Explain your answer below:
9. Once upon a time, in a place called Walla Walla, Jimmie wanted to build a sidewalk. His
sidewalk would be built under a tree. Jimmie’s father told him that there is a problem with
building a sidewalk under a tree: In four or five years the sidewalk will be all broken up.
What type of specific weathering would occur to make the sidewalk break?
a.
b.
c.
d.
chemical weathering
mechanical weathering
erosion
deposition
Jackson County Middle School Science Assessments July, 2002
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MICHIGAN GEOLOGY & FOSSILS
Most Michigan fossils represent either the ancient Paleozoic Era or the recent Pleistocene Epoch,
or Ice Age. Actually, Michigan’s oldest fossils predate the Paleozoic Era. Algal stromatolites—
fossils of plantlike creatures called algae—found in the Canadian Shield in northern Michigan—
date back to the middle of the Precambrian Era. Can you imagine creatures that lived more than
half a billion years ago?
Michigan’s oldest known vertebrate fossils are Devonian (345-395 million years ago) fishes,
such as placoderms and primitive sharks. Fossil land plants from the Devonian and Mississippian
periods, more than 300 million years ago, show that Michigan wasn’t always underwater,
however. Other fossils that indicate dry land include lungfish burrows from the Pennsylvanian
Period, which ended about 280 million years ago, and pollen from the Mesozoic Era (65-230
million years ago), when dinosaurs stalked the land.
10. Based on the information above, what evidence proves that Michigan was once under
water?
a.
b.
a.
b.
fossils from the Devonian and Mississippian Periods
fossils from the Devonian Period
land plants
lungfish from the Pennsylvanian Period
11. Explain how scientists can prove that different animals appeared at different times on earth.
12. Bonnie is trying to learn as much about rocks as she can. One rock she has contains some
fossils. What can Bonnie learn form the fossils?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the mass of the rock
the relative age of the rock
whether or not the rock can float
whether the rock is a compound or an element
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13. The process by which earth material is broken down and moved form one place to another is
called erosion. Natural erosion, which has slowly occurred since the Earth formed 5 billion
years ago, is mostly beneficial because it results in the formation of new soil. But the rate of
erosion has greatly increased because of human activities such as poor farming practices,
logging, construction, and mining.
Describe how construction can increase the rate of erosion .
14. Elizabeth collects different types of rocks whenever she goes on vacation. She has rocks that
contain shiny crystals, grainy rocks, and rocks that are smooth. These rocks are formed by
different processes. Which of the following is NOT a process by which rocks are formed?
a.
b.
c.
d.
freezing of sediments
compaction of sediments
heat and pressure within Earth
cooling of magma at Earth’s surface
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