Free Practice Quiz Question List

8 The Oceans Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 8 The Oceans, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

Fill in the blank

1 point

An underwater landscape map shows extensive, relatively flat areas far offshore, interrupted by seamounts. What feature name completes the description? The deep-ocean floor includes .

True or false

1 point

In a typical surface wave, water particles move in roughly circular paths while the wave carries energy onward.

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

A coastal observer measures horizontal tidal flow while sea level is falling. What is this phase of the tidal current called?

Choose one

1 point

Two winds have the same speed and blow for the same length of time. One blows across a much longer uninterrupted stretch of open water. Which outcome is more likely?

A
The longer open-water distance can allow larger waves to develop.
B
The longer distance prevents wind from transferring energy to the water.
C
The waves must become smaller because the wind acts over a larger area.
D
Fetch affects tides, but cannot affect wave size.

Fill in the blank

1 point

The ocean warms and cools more slowly than the air above it because seawater has a high .

True or false

1 point

Tides are mainly generated by wind transferring energy to the ocean surface.

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

Continents steer surface currents into broad rotating systems. What is the term for one such system?

Choose all

1 point

Which processes tend to lower the salinity of seawater? Select all that apply.

A
Evaporation from the sea surface
B
Rainfall onto the ocean
C
Fresh water flowing from rivers into the sea
D
Melting ice adding water to the sea
E
Sea ice forming and leaving much of its salt in the surrounding water

Choose one

1 point

A coastal forecast predicts a larger tidal range because the Sun’s and Moon’s tidal effects reinforce each other. Which arrangement best explains this prediction?

A
The Sun, Moon, and Earth are approximately aligned.
B
The Sun and Moon are at right angles relative to Earth.
C
The Moon’s gravity is absent and the Sun acts alone.
D
The tide is rising, regardless of the positions of the Sun and Moon.

Choose all

1 point

A surface-current system forms a broad rotating gyre. Which factors help shape such systems? Select all that apply.

A
Winds drive surface currents.
B
Earth’s rotation deflects moving water through the Coriolis effect.
C
Continents steer currents into broad rotating systems.
D
Tidal currents are the main force that forms all major gyres.
E
Subduction directly steers surface currents into rotating systems.

Choose one

1 point

A coastal ecosystem receives a supply of cold, nutrient-rich water from below the surface. Which ocean process most likely brought it upward?

A
Warm, nutrient-poor surface water sinking into the deep ocean
B
Colder, often nutrient-rich water rising toward the surface
C
A wind-generated wave carrying water particles forward over long distances
D
A tidal current flowing toward shore during a rising tide

Choose one

1 point

As a wind-generated wave moves into shallow coastal water, what interaction helps cause it to steepen and break?

A
The Moon’s gravity speeds up the wave’s lower part and flattens it.
B
Wind stops transferring energy as soon as the wave reaches the coast.
C
The seafloor slows the lower part of the wave, causing it to steepen and possibly break.
D
The wave turns into a deep-ocean current before reaching shore.

Open ended

1 point

Two adjacent water masses differ: one is cold and salty, while the other is warm and less salty. Which is generally denser, how will it move relative to the other, and how can this movement affect ocean circulation?

True or false

1 point

A layer of cold, salty seawater lies above warmer, less-salty water. Based on how seawater density generally works, is the upper layer likely to sink below the lower layer?

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Two stretches of ocean experience winds of the same speed for the same length of time. In one stretch, the wind blows across a much longer distance of open water. What effect is most likely?

A
The waves should be larger because the water is saltier.
B
The waves can be larger because the wind acts across a longer fetch.
C
The waves should be smaller because longer fetch reduces wind energy.
D
Fetch affects tides, so it should not affect wave size.

Written response

1 point

Average ocean salinity is about what percentage of seawater's mass? Enter the approximate value as a number.

Choose one

1 point

A seafloor survey finds a deep, narrow depression beside a convergent plate boundary where oceanic crust is descending. Which feature best fits the evidence?

A
A broad, shallow edge of a continent where new oceanic crust forms
B
An extensive, flat area of deep seafloor where one plate rises
C
A deep, narrow depression where oceanic crust may descend into Earth's interior
D
A submerged mountain chain formed as plates move apart

Written response

1 point

What is the process called when colder, often nutrient-rich deep water rises toward the ocean surface?

Choose one

1 point

The Sun, Moon, and Earth are approximately aligned. What tidal pattern should this arrangement produce, and why?

A
A spring tide, because the tidal effects reinforce one another
B
A neap tide, because the tidal effects reinforce one another
C
A neap tide, because the Sun and Moon are at right angles relative to Earth
D
No change in tidal range, because alignment does not affect tides

Choose one

1 point

A wind-driven surface wave enters shallow water near shore. What change helps explain why it may break?

A
The upper part of the wave slows first, flattening the wave until it disappears.
B
The seafloor increases the wave's fetch, causing it to turn into a tide.
C
The wave's water particles begin travelling forward with it over long distances.
D
The lower part of the wave slows, causing the wave to steepen and possibly break.