Multiple Choice Past Quiz Questions

which of the following atmospheric gases does not implicate the presence of life? a. oxygen b. carbon monoxide c. carbon dioxide d. methane

when did Theia collide with the earth to form the moon? a. 5.54 Ba b. 4.54 Ba c. 4.25 Ba d. 3.25 Ba

who proposed the Gaia hypothesis? a. James Lovelock b. Charles Darwin c. Alfred Russel Wallace d. Stephen Jay Gould

who proposed the punctuated equilibrium as an alternative to Darwin’s gradualist view of organic evolution? a. James Lovelock b. Charles Darwin c. Alfred Russel Wallace d. Stephen Jay Gould

cyanobacteria are: a. prokaryotes b. metazoa c. eukaryotes d. bacteria containing cyanide

which of the following has not been proposed as a possible mechanism for drawing down atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the cold glacial stages of the quaternary? a. silicate weathering b. iron (dust) fertilisation in the ocean c. sea ice extent d. slowing down of the overturning circulation

which hypothesis explains the drawdown of CO2 as a result of oceanic iron feralization? a. Raymo-Ruddiman hypothesis b. BLAG hypothesis c. Martin hypothesis d. Shackleton hypothesis

which of the following was the largest mass extinction event in Earth history? a. the terminal cretaceous event (K/T boundary) b. terminal Permian event c. terminal Ordovician event d. terminal Cambrian event

what percentage of the African mammalian neighbourhood became extinct during the late Pleistocene? a. 6% b. 74% c. 32% d. 10%

which of the following does not involve CO2? a. Raymo-Ruddiman hypothesis b. BLAG hypothesis c. Martin hypothesis d. Shackleton hypothesis

what is the period of the Earth axial tilt? a. 96,000 years b. 41,000 years c. 23,000 years d. 400,000 years

which one of the following is NOT one of the Milankovitch cycles? a. eccentricity b. recession c. obliquity d. precession

what is the name given to the point when the Earth is closest to the sun during one orbit year? a. apocalypse b. periglacial c. aphelion d. perihelion

what name is given to an area with minimal or no tide? a. amphipod b. amphitheatre c. amphidrome d. amphizone

what is the relative tide-generating force of the sun in relation to the moon? a. 46% b. 4.6% c. 14.8% d. 100%

what is the name given to the proportion of insolation reflected back into space by different materials at the Earth’s surface? a. alfresco b. alfredo c. albedo d. abelone

when was the last major phase of Snowball Earth? a. Neogene b. Neolithic c. Neoproterozoic d. Neoprene

what is the name of the mechanism proposed to explain how Earth escapes the Snowball? a. CLAW mechanism b. Lovelock mechanism c. Gas hydrate mechanism d. Kirschvink mechanism

which of the following defines a closed system? a. transfers of mass and energy across the boundaries of the system b. transfers of energy but not of mass across the boundaries of the system c. no transfers of mass or energy across the boundaries of the system d. transfers of mass but not energy across the boundaries of the system

what chemicals form cloud condensation nuclei in the CLAW Hypothesis? a. dimethyl sulphide (DMS) b. sulphates (SO2) c. carbon dioxide (CO2) d. nitrogen (N2)

which of the following atmospheric gases intercepts harmful incoming UV radiation from the sun? a. nitrous oxide b. methane c. ozone d. carbon dioxide

what proportion of incoming short wave radiation from the Sun (insolation) is absorbed by the Earth’s surface to be re-radiated as long-wave counter radiation? a. 5% b. 26% c. 51% d. 95%

which of the following scientists developed the hypothesis of seafloor spreading following palaeomagnetic investigation of oceanic crust that was a key ingredient in the development of plate tectonic theory? a. Wegener b. Vine c. McKenzie d. Hess

which of the following rock types is associated with constructive plate margins? a. rhyolite b. mudstone c. sandstone d. basalt