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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The first eruption of Yellowstone took place how many years ago?
(a) 16.5 million.
(b) 74 thousand.
(c) 630 thousand.
(d) 19.7 billion.

2. During the time of the dinosaurs, Earth's magnetic field was:
(a) Fluctuating wildly.
(b) Three times weaker than today.
(c) Three times stronger than today.
(d) Same as it is now.

3. According to James Ussher, an Archbishop of the Church of Ireland who was alive in the 1600s, Earth had been created:
(a) On January 1, 10,000 B.C.
(b) In an instant.
(c) Millions of years ago.
(d) On October 23, 4004 B.C.

4. Arranged side by side, how many atoms can fit across the width of a typical human hair?
(a) Half a trillion.
(b) Five thousand.
(c) Five hundred.
(d) Half a million.

5. Using a depth sounder during World War II, Harry Hess discovered that ocean floors:
(a) Have canyons and trenches.
(b) Are flat.
(c) Are too deep to be measured.
(d) Have swirling sand drifts.

Short Answer Questions

1. A caldera is a:

2. Who suggested that mass and energy are actually the same thing?

3. What organization opposed geologist Clair Patterson and his campaign?

4. Which of the following is not part of an atom?

5. According to the author, humans today have 625 percent more what in their bloodstream compared to previous generations?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain Albert Einstein's theory of space curvature using a tennis ball and an ant.

2. How close did asteroids come to Earth in 1991 and 1993?

3. Describe the protons, neutrons, and electrons of an atom.

4. What is the theory of continental drift? Who first proposed this theory, and how was it received?

5. Who is the Reverend Robert Evans, and what is he known for?

6. Summarize what the author says about why it took so long to discover that Pluto has a moon.

7. Describe the three basic layers of Earth, namely, the crust, mantle, and core.

8. Describe what happened after the last supervolcano erupted on Earth. When did this happen?

9. How did the English scientist Henry Cavendish determine the weight of Earth?

10. Describe what happens in a supernova.

(see the answer keys)

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