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Free Practice Quiz Question List

04 Plate Tectonics Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 04 Plate Tectonics, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
True or false
1 point

True or false: Earth's plates carry both continental crust and ocean floor; they are not simply pieces of continental crust.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

02
Choose one
1 point

Which combination makes up Earth's lithosphere?

  1. A

    The crust and the entire mantle

  2. B

    The crust and rigid uppermost mantle

  3. C

    The crust and the asthenosphere

  4. D

    The asthenosphere and the core

03
Fill in the blank
1 point

At a mid-ocean ridge, rising magma cools to form new .

04
Written response
1 point

What is the process called when one plate bends and sinks beneath another?

05
True or false
1 point

True or false: The asthenosphere is mostly solid rock, although it can deform and flow slowly over long periods.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

06
Choose one
1 point

Magnetic bands on the seafloor form matching patterns on opposite sides of mid-ocean ridges. Which interpretation does this pattern support?

  1. A

    They show that oceanic crust is youngest at trenches.

  2. B

    They show that Earth's magnetic field has never changed direction.

  3. C

    They support the idea that new crust forms at ridges and moves outward on both sides.

  4. D

    They show that continents move independently of the ocean floor.

07
Written response
1 point

What is the gravitational force called when a sinking, dense oceanic slab pulls the rest of its plate behind it?

08
Fill in the blank
1 point

Oceanic crust is youngest near spreading ridges and generally becomes farther away.

09
Choose one
1 point

What can scientists infer when they map the global patterns of earthquakes and volcanoes?

  1. A

    They show that plate boundaries occur only on continents.

  2. B

    Their global patterns outline many plate boundaries.

  3. C

    They show that all plate boundaries have the same kind of motion.

  4. D

    Their locations prove that the asthenosphere is liquid.

10
Choose all
1 point

Which observations supported Wegener's proposal that continents had once been joined? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    Matching fossils occur on continents now separated by oceans.

  2. B

    Every present-day coastline fits exactly with a neighboring coastline.

  3. C

    Matching rock formations occur on continents now separated by oceans.

  4. D

    Ancient glacial deposits occur in areas that are now warm.

11
Choose all
1 point

Which forces or processes contribute to plate motion? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    Mantle flow

  2. B

    A single, simple conveyor-belt current carrying passive plates

  3. C

    Slab pull

  4. D

    One force that explains every plate's motion

  5. E

    Ridge push

12
Choose one
1 point

Which method provides direct measurements of plate motion today?

  1. A

    Comparing matching fossils on separated continents

  2. B

    Mapping the ages of ancient rocks

  3. C

    Using satellite-based GPS measurements

  4. D

    Reassembling continents from past-climate clues

13
Choose one
1 point

Newly formed lithosphere stands higher at a mid-ocean ridge than older seafloor. Which force describes gravity helping move the plate away from the ridge toward lower elevations?

  1. A

    Slab pull, caused by a dense slab sinking at a trench

  2. B

    Ridge push, as gravity helps move lithosphere away from an elevated ridge

  3. C

    Subduction, the process of one plate sinking beneath another

  4. D

    Seafloor spreading, the formation of new crust at a ridge

14
Open ended
1 point

Why was Wegener's proposal that continents had once been joined not initially accepted, and how did later discoveries provide a framework that supported continental movement?

15
Written response
1 point

What is the name for the rigid layer made up of Earth’s crust and uppermost mantle?

16
Written response
1 point

At a trench, one plate bends and sinks beneath another. What is this process called?

17
True or false
1 point

The asthenosphere beneath the lithosphere is mostly solid rock that can deform and flow slowly, rather than a global ocean of magma.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

18
Choose one
1 point

Matching fossils and rock formations on South America and Africa are best interpreted as evidence that the continents were once joined. What do these observations support?

  1. A

    They identify the force that moves continents across the ocean floor.

  2. B

    They support the idea that continents now separated by oceans were once joined.

  3. C

    They show that continents are the only parts of Earth’s surface carried by plates.

  4. D

    They prove that oceanic crust does not form or change over time.

19
Choose one
1 point

Which sequence describes how seafloor spreading creates and moves oceanic crust?

  1. A

    Older oceanic crust melts at ridges and is pushed into the mantle.

  2. B

    Continents plow through oceanic crust and create new seafloor.

  3. C

    Magma rises at ridges, cools into new oceanic crust, and moves older seafloor outward.

  4. D

    Oceanic crust forms at trenches and spreads toward ridges.

20
Choose one
1 point

Matching, alternating magnetic bands occur on opposite sides of mid-ocean ridges. Which explanation best accounts for this pattern?

  1. A

    Alternating magnetic bands on both sides of a ridge record field reversals as new crust forms and moves outward.

  2. B

    The bands show that Earth’s magnetic field has stayed constant while crust formed only at trenches.

  3. C

    Matching bands show that continents have moved but oceanic crust has remained fixed.

  4. D

    The bands form because old oceanic crust becomes progressively younger farther from ridges.