Free Practice Quiz Question List

09 The History of Earth Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 09 The History of Earth, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

True or false

1 point

Modern humans have existed for only a tiny fraction of Earth’s history. Is this statement true or false?

A
True
B
False

True or false

1 point

Erosion refers only to the breakdown of rock; it does not include transporting the broken material. Is this statement true or false?

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Which sequence best describes one possible path through the rock cycle from granite to metamorphic rock?

A
The granite melts immediately, then cools into sandstone.
B
The granite weathers and erodes; its grains become sandstone, which burial and heat can change into metamorphic rock.
C
The granite is compacted directly into metamorphic rock, then eroded into sandstone.
D
The granite is deposited as dissolved minerals, then volcanic gases turn it into sandstone.

Written response

1 point

The Hadean, Archean, and Proterozoic eons are commonly grouped into which oldest part of Earth’s history?

Written response

1 point

Mammals and flowering plants diversified after the mass extinction about 66 million years ago. What is the name of the era that began then and continues today?

Choose one

1 point

Which era fits this sequence: Pangaea began to break apart, dinosaurs dominated many land ecosystems, and an asteroid-associated mass extinction occurred at the era’s end?

A
The Paleozoic Era, which began as Pangaea broke apart and ended with the asteroid-associated extinction about 66 million years ago.
B
The Mesozoic Era, which began as Pangaea broke apart and ended about 66 million years ago with an asteroid-associated mass extinction.
C
The Cenozoic Era, which began when Pangaea first joined together and ended with the disappearance of non-avian dinosaurs.
D
The Precambrian, which began about 541 million years ago with the diversification of animal life.

Choose one

1 point

Which geologic period began about 541 million years ago with a major diversification of animal life preserved in the fossil record?

A
The Permian Period, marked by the start of a major diversification of animal life.
B
The Cambrian Period, marked by a major diversification of animal life.
C
The Cenozoic Era, marked by the arrival of the first single-celled organisms.
D
The Mesozoic Era, marked by the first formation of Earth’s oceans.

Choose all

1 point

Select all the statements that correctly describe ways scientists reconstruct the geologic timeline.

A
In undisturbed sedimentary rocks, lower layers are generally older than layers above them.
B
Fossils can help match rock layers from different places.
C
Radiometric dating estimates numerical ages by measuring radioactive isotope decay in minerals.
D
Fossils by themselves always provide exact numerical ages for the layers containing them.
E
In undisturbed sedimentary rocks, upper layers are generally older than those below them.

Choose all

1 point

Select all the statements that accurately describe changes as the early Earth took shape and cooled.

A
Dense iron-rich material sank inward to form the core.
B
Lighter materials rose to form the mantle and an early crust.
C
Volcanoes released gases that helped create an early atmosphere.
D
As the surface cooled, water vapor condensed and liquid water accumulated to form oceans.
E
The core formed from the lightest materials rising to the surface.
F
The early atmosphere formed only after oxygen released by animals accumulated.

Open ended

1 point

Explain one pathway by which granite can become sandstone and then metamorphic rock. Include the roles of weathering, erosion, and burial and heat, and distinguish this change from what happens if rock melts and later cools.

True or false

1 point

The earliest part of Earth’s rock record is incomplete in part because older rocks have often been changed or destroyed.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A rock forms from particles deposited in layers and later compacted. Which rock group does it belong to?

A
Igneous
B
Sedimentary
C
Metamorphic
D
Mineral

Choose one

1 point

A geologist observes two plates moving apart and new ocean crust forming between them. What type of boundary is being observed?

A
A convergent boundary, where plates collide and one may sink beneath another.
B
A transform boundary, where plates slide past each other.
C
A spreading boundary, where plates move apart and new ocean crust forms.
D
A fault where rocks slip without any plate motion.

Choose one

1 point

A scientist measures radioactive isotope decay in minerals to estimate a rock’s numerical age. Which method is being used?

A
Radiometric dating
B
Comparing the positions of undisturbed rock layers
C
Matching fossils between rock layers
D
Measuring the thickness of a rock layer

Written response

1 point

What type of rock forms when an existing rock is changed by heat, pressure, or fluids without fully melting?

Choose one

1 point

As the early Earth differentiated, which process led to the formation of its core, mantle, and early crust?

A
Lighter materials sank to form the core, while iron-rich material rose to the crust.
B
All materials remained evenly mixed as Earth cooled.
C
The core formed from water vapor condensing beneath the crust.
D
Dense iron-rich material sank inward, while lighter materials rose toward the surface.

Choose one

1 point

Which sequence best describes how photosynthesis changed Earth’s oxygen environment?

A
Photosynthesis consumed oxygen, which then accumulated in the oceans.
B
Photosynthesis released oxygen; it first reacted with materials in oceans and rocks before accumulating in the atmosphere.
C
Volcanic activity produced all the oxygen, which immediately accumulated in the atmosphere.
D
Oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere before photosynthesis evolved.

Written response

1 point

According to the material, what numerical age in million years ago is given for the beginning of the Cambrian Period? Enter the stated number.

Fill in the blank

1 point

The slow motion of tectonic plates is driven by inside Earth.

Fill in the blank

1 point

A naturally occurring solid with a characteristic chemical composition and is a mineral.