EXAM QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 1: CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY

1. The earth’s current population is approximately:

a. 3 billion
b. 6 billion
c. 10 billion
d. 20 billion

2. The increasing rate of population growth over the past 50 years is the result of:
a. increasing birth rates in the developed countries
b. increasing birth rates in the developing countries
c. decreasing mortality rates in the less developed countries
d. increasing mortality rates in the less developed countries

3. If the population growth rate remains at 1.3% per year, the earth’s population will
reach 12 billion:
a. around the year 2025
b. around the year 2050
c. around the year 2075
d. none of the above

4. In order for the world’s population to stabilize at the level of 12 billion by the year
2200, the growth rate must:
a. increase
b. remain stable
c. decrease
d. decrease to zero

5. Which of the following energy resources currently provides the greatest percentage
of the total energy usage in the United States?
a. coal
b. oil
c. gas
d. nuclear

6. The Big Rollover is the point at which:

a. petroleum resources are exhausted
b. oil production drops below coal production
c. all petroleum reserves with the exception of OPEC are exhausted
d. worldwide petroleum production begins to decline

7. OPEC controls about how much of the world’s petroleum reserves?

a. 25%
b. 50%
c. 75%
 d. 90%

8. Fresh water, excluding glaciers and icecaps, accounts for about how much of the
earth’s total water?
a. 1%
b. 3%
c. 10%
d. 50%

9. Sustainable water resources in the future will require:

a. increased efficiency of irrigation
b. greater crop yields
c. restriction of groundwater withdrawals to sustainable levels
d. all of the above

10. Which of the following is probably an important regulator of the earth’s climate on
a short-term basis?
a. orbital movements
b. atmospheric circulation patterns
c. deep oceanic currents
d. none of the above

11. Which of the following terms refers to the size or intensity of a geologic event?
a. frequency
b. recurrence interval
c. magnitude
d. all of the above

12. The statistical relationship between the magnitude and frequency of geologic events
is:
a. inversely proportional
b. directly proportional
c. unpredictable
d. inversely proportional, but only at low magnitudes

13. The design of engineering structures should take into consideration:

a. magnitude-frequency relationships of geologic events
b. potential risks to life and property
c. costs of construction
d. all of the above

CHAPTER 2: THE EARTH AND ITS SYSTEMS

14. Which of the following planets is not one of the terrestrial planets?
a. Earth
b. Venus
 c. Mars
d. Jupiter

15. A hypothesis for the origin of the solar system in which rings of matter were spun
off a contracting solar nebula is the:
a. nebular hypothesis
b. collision hypothesis
c. protoplanet hypothesis
d. asteroid hypothesis

16. The origin of the solar system began with a solar nebula that was:
a. initially hot, but later cooled and contracted
b. initially hot, but later cooled and expanded
c. initially cool, but later heated and contracted
d. initially cool, but later heated and expanded

17. With respect to the giant planets, the terrestrial planets:

a. are rich in iron and magnesium and poor in volatiles
b. are poor in iron and magnesium and rich in volatiles
c. are composed of materials of low boiling points
d. contain ores rich in volatile elements

18. Differentiation refers to the process in which the earth:

a. accreted from smaller terrestrial bodies
b. was bombarded by frequent meteorite collisions
c. became chemically segregated due to melting and sinking of iron
d. became a separate and distinct planetary body along with the other terrestrial
planets

19. Which layer of the earth has the lowest density?

a. lithosphere
b. asthenosphere
c. continental crust
d. oceanic crust

20. One zone within the earth deforms plastically and may even be partially molten.
This is the:
a. outer core
b. inner core
c. asthenosphere
d. lithosphere

21. The lithosphere is best defined as:

a. a thin layer of material of low density that accumulated near the earth’s surface
during differentiation
b. a thin layer within the mantle that is near the melting point and, therefore,
deforms as a plastic