REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR EXAM 1

(Answers to Review Questions)
 

1.  True or false:  the scientific method only applies to the natural sciences. 
 

2.  True or false:  natural science relies exclusively on controlled experiments to test
      hypotheses. 
 

3.  Why does geology (the study of the earth) often require the use of circumstantial
     (indirect) evidence?
 

4.  A hypothesis that has been accepted after being subjected to proper testing:  

      a.  is known as a theory.
      b.  is a proven fact.
      c.  by definition does not rely on any auxiliary assumptions.
      d.  all of the above are true.
      e.  only a. and b. are true.
 

5.   An Indian legend describes the origin of Devil's Tower in Wyoming as the result of a  
      giant bear scratching claw marks in the rock as it pursued Indian braves (or children,
      depending on the version).  What aspects of this story make it unscientific?

       a.  It relies on anecdotal evidence.
       b.  It relies on circumstantial evidence.
       c.  It draws from an invalid analogy.
       d.  It wrongly infers a cause and effect relationship.
       e.  all of the above are true.
 

6.  True or false:  if the devil really made Devil's Tower, that fact would be outside the
     realm of scientific discovery. 
 

7.  The principal problem with Wegener's hypothesis of "continental drift" was that:

       a.  it contradicted what was known about the earth's magnetic field.
       b.  his mechanism for continental drift was not plausible.
       c.  it relied on anecdotal evidence.
       d.  he believed Greenland to be moving away from Europe.
       e.  it relied primarily on circumstantial evidence.
 

8.  True or false: because of its relatively low density, continental crust will not subduct.
 

9.  True or false: the athenosphere is partially melted and capable of slow, plastic flow.
 

10.  True or false: the lithosphere includes the Mohorovicic Discontinuity.
 

11.  True or false:  deep ocean trenches occur over divergent (rift zone) boundaries.
 

12.  True or false: continental mountain ranges along a coastline often occur adjacent to 
       subduction zones.
 

13.  True or false:  collision zones always involve two continental plates.
 

14.  What does the information shown in this linked figure suggest?

       a.  The occurrence of earthquakes is randomly distributed around the globe.
       b.  All earthquakes occur along plate boundaries.
       c.  Only large earthquakes occur along plate boundaries.
       d.  Some earthquakes occur in locations that would not be predicted by the locations  
            of plate boundaries.
       e.  There are more than 100 earthquakes around the world each year. 
 

15.  Based on your understanding of plate tectonics, would you predict that a large earth-
       quake will occur in Wisconsin within the next 100 years?
 

16.  What type of evidence has convinced scientists that the polarity of the Earth's magnetic
       field periodically reverses itself (see p. 51-54 in your textbook)?

        a.  Observations of the reversals as they occur.
        b.  Data collected from laboratory experiments.
        c.  Theoretical calculations.
        d.  Circumstantial evidence.
        e.  all of the above are true.
 

17.  What evidence does the Benioff Zone provide for plate tectonics?
 

18.  The theory of plate tectonics suggests that:

        a.  Greenland is moving farther away from Europe.
        b.  the United States is moving farther away from Europe.
        c.  India is moving closer to the Eurasian continent.
        d.  South America is moving farther away from Africa.
        e.  all of the above.
 

19.  Is the island of Maui (see page 63 in your textbook) an extinct (dead) or a dormant 
       ("sleeping") volcano?  Why?
 

20.  Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming occurs over a mantle "hot spot" (see page 56
       in your textbook).   Which of the following facts might this explain?

       a.  That land surface elevations in this area are rising.
       b.  That geysers occur within the park.
       c.  That extinct volcanic features occur to the west of Yellowstone in Idaho.
       d.  That Yellowstone often experiences large forest fires during the summer.
       e.  That there are volcanic rocks present at the land surface within the park.

21.  Isostasy has been compared to ice floating in water, but mountain peaks are not like
       "tips of the iceberg" in relation to their "roots".  In other words, "roots" are not that
       much larger than the peaks.  This fact suggests that:

       a.  floating ice is an invalid analogy for isostasy.
       b.  the density contrasts between the crust and mantle are different than those between
            ice and water.
       c.  a better analogy might be a ship floating on water.
       d.  isostasy is an unfalsifiable hypothesis.
       e.  isostasy is not a theory.
        f.  both b. and c. are true.
 

22.  Which of the two models for isostasy (Airy's or Pratt's) appears to be true?  What is  
       the evidence for this?