Praxis Earth and Space Sciences (5572)

In a controlled experiment testing how soil type affects water infiltration rate, which factor should be the independent variable?

• AThe type of soil used in each trial
• BThe volume of water that drains through
• CThe temperature of the laboratory
• DThe time required for all water to drain

A scientist proposes that increased atmospheric CO2 raises global average temperature. For this idea to be a scientific hypothesis, it must primarily be:

• AAccepted by a majority of the public
• BTestable and falsifiable through observation or experiment
• CConsistent with personal intuition
• DPermanent and never subject to revision

Which statement best describes a scientific theory such as plate tectonics?

• AAn untested guess about how something works
• BA fact that can never be questioned
• CA well-substantiated explanation supported by a large body of evidence
• DA mathematical proof with absolute certainty

A graph shows global sea level rising steadily from 1900 to 2020. The best supported conclusion is that over this period sea level has:

• ARemained essentially unchanged
• BDecreased then leveled off
• CFluctuated randomly with no pattern
• DShown a long-term upward trend

An engineering team designs a levee to protect a city from river flooding. Which step best represents defining the problem in the engineering design process?

• AIdentifying flood frequency, water height, and protection criteria
• BBuilding the final concrete structure
• CSelling the project to investors
• DCelebrating completion of the levee

Which is the most appropriate tool for measuring the mass of a small rock sample in a classroom lab?

• AA graduated cylinder
• BA triple-beam balance
• CA barometer
• DA seismograph

A student measures a rock's density five times and gets values clustered tightly around 2.65 g/cm3, but the true value is 3.10 g/cm3. The measurements are best described as:

• AAccurate but not precise
• BBoth accurate and precise
• CPrecise but not accurate
• DNeither accurate nor precise

Which practice most strengthens the reliability of an experimental result?

• ARunning the experiment only once
• BDiscarding data that disagree with the hypothesis
• CUsing a single subject without comparison
• DRepeating trials and using a control group

Burning fossil fuels for electricity is an example of a human activity that primarily affects Earth systems by:

• AAdding greenhouse gases that alter the atmosphere and climate
• BIncreasing the rate of plate tectonic motion
• CChanging the Moon's orbital period
• DReversing Earth's magnetic field

A model of the water cycle is most useful in science because it:

• AReproduces every detail of the real system exactly
• BSimplifies a complex system to show key processes and relationships
• CEliminates the need for any observation
• DProves the system can never change

Which is the best example of a constraint in an engineering design problem for a coastal seawall?

• AThe decision to protect the coastline
• BThe desire for a durable structure
• CA fixed construction budget of two million dollars
• DThe goal of reducing flood damage

Scientific peer review primarily serves to:

• AGuarantee that results are absolutely true forever
• BEnsure researchers earn financial profit
• CReplace the need for experimental data
• DEvaluate research methods and validity before publication

In an experiment, the controlled (constant) variables are best described as factors that are:

• AKept the same so they do not affect the outcome
• BDeliberately changed by the experimenter
• CMeasured as the experiment's result
• DIgnored entirely during the study

A scatter plot shows a strong positive correlation between ocean temperature and coral bleaching events. The most scientifically cautious interpretation is that:

• ATemperature definitely has no effect on coral
• BHigher temperatures are associated with more bleaching, though correlation alone does not…
• CCoral bleaching causes ocean temperatures to rise
• DThe relationship is purely coincidental and meaningless

Which unit is most appropriate for reporting the wavelength of visible light in a science classroom?

• AKilometers
• BLiters
• CNanometers
• DNewtons

Which mineral property describes the way a mineral breaks along flat, smooth planes of weakness?

• AStreak
• BLuster
• CHardness
• DCleavage

Granite is best classified as which type of rock?

• AIntrusive igneous
• BClastic sedimentary
• CFoliated metamorphic
• DChemical sedimentary

Which process directly converts sediment into sedimentary rock?

• AMelting and crystallization
• BCompaction and cementation
• CHeat and pressure metamorphism
• DWeathering and erosion

At a divergent plate boundary along a mid-ocean ridge, the dominant process is:

• ASubduction of one plate beneath another
• BTransform sliding with no crust created or destroyed
• CCreation of new oceanic lithosphere by upwelling magma
• DContinental collision forming high mountains

Which evidence most directly supported Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift before the theory of plate tectonics was developed?

• ADirect GPS measurements of plate motion
• BSatellite imagery of subduction zones
• CLaboratory simulations of mantle convection
• DMatching fossils and rock formations on widely separated continents

A volcano that erupts highly viscous, silica-rich magma is most likely to:

• AErupt explosively and build a steep composite cone
• BProduce gentle effusive flows building a broad shield
• CForm a thin basaltic plateau
• DNever erupt at all

The Richter or moment magnitude scale primarily measures the:

• ADamage to buildings at the surface
• BEnergy released by an earthquake
• CDepth of the earthquake focus
• DDuration of aftershocks

Which seismic wave type cannot travel through Earth's liquid outer core, providing key evidence for its liquid state?

• AP-waves (primary compressional waves)
• BSurface Love waves
• CS-waves (secondary shear waves)
• DSound waves in air

Chemical weathering of feldspar in granite most commonly produces:

• APure quartz crystals
• BLiquid magma
• CMetamorphic gneiss
• DClay minerals

The principle of superposition states that in an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rock layers:

• AOlder layers lie beneath younger layers
• BYounger layers lie beneath older layers
• CAll layers formed at exactly the same time
• DLayer age cannot be determined from position

A fossil is most useful as an index fossil if the organism:

• ALived continuously for hundreds of millions of years
• BWas widespread but existed for a short geologic time
• CWas confined to a single small lake
• DHas no preserved hard parts

Carbon-14 dating is most appropriate for determining the age of:

• ABillion-year-old igneous rocks
• BThe age of the solar system
• CRecently formed organic material up to roughly 50,000 years old
• DLiquid ocean water

Which feature is most characteristic of a convergent boundary where oceanic crust subducts beneath continental crust?

• AA mid-ocean ridge with new seafloor
• BA transform fault with frequent lateral slip
• CA flat continental interior with no seismicity
• DA deep ocean trench and a volcanic mountain arc

The rock cycle describes how rocks change among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic types. Which statement is correct?

• AAny rock type can be transformed into any other type over time
• BSedimentary rock can only become igneous rock
• COnce a rock is metamorphic it cannot change again
• DIgneous rock cannot be weathered into sediment

Which mineral is the standard for hardness 7 on the Mohs scale?

• ATalc
• BQuartz
• CCalcite
• DDiamond

A U-shaped valley with steep walls and a broad floor is most characteristic of erosion by:

• AA meandering river
• BWind in a desert
• CA glacier
• DOcean tides

Which layer of Earth's interior is composed mostly of solid iron and nickel under extreme pressure?

• AThe crust
• BThe asthenosphere
• CThe lithosphere
• DThe inner core

Basalt and obsidian are both igneous, but obsidian has no visible crystals because it:

• ACooled extremely quickly, often as volcanic glass
• BCooled very slowly deep underground
• CFormed from compacted sediment
• DWas metamorphosed under high pressure

The San Andreas Fault in California is a classic example of which plate boundary?

• ADivergent boundary
• BTransform boundary
• COcean-ocean convergent boundary
• DContinental hotspot

Which sedimentary rock forms primarily from the accumulation and lithification of calcium carbonate, often from shells and marine organisms?

• ASandstone
• BShale
• CLimestone
• DConglomerate

Which statement correctly describes the apparent daily motion of stars across the night sky?

• AStars physically orbit Earth once every 24 hours
• BThe Sun pushes the stars across the sky each night
• CStars move because the Moon pulls them along its orbit
• DStars appear to move because Earth rotates on its axis from west to east

Which agent of erosion is primarily responsible for forming sand dunes in deserts?

• AWind
• BGlacial ice
• CRiver currents
• DWave action

An angular unconformity in a rock sequence indicates that:

• AAll layers were deposited continuously without interruption
• BOlder tilted layers were eroded before younger horizontal layers were deposited
• CThe rocks have never been deformed
• DThe youngest rocks are at the bottom

Hawaii's volcanic island chain is best explained by:

• ATwo continents colliding
• BA transform fault releasing magma
• CA stationary mantle hotspot beneath a moving Pacific Plate
• DSubduction along a deep trench

Which statement about the geologic time scale is correct?

• APeriods are longer than eons
• BThe Precambrian represents only the last 5% of Earth's history
• CHumans have existed for most of geologic time
• DEons are divided into eras, which are divided into periods

Frost wedging is a form of physical weathering that occurs when:

• AWater freezes in cracks, expands, and breaks rock apart
• BAcidic rain dissolves limestone
• CPlant roots photosynthesize
• DMagma cools into crystals

Which type of fault is associated with tensional stress that pulls the crust apart, dropping the hanging wall down relative to the footwall?

• AReverse fault
• BNormal fault
• CThrust fault
• DStrike-slip fault with no vertical motion

Compared with the Sun, a red giant star is generally:

• AMuch smaller and far hotter at its surface
• BIdentical in size and temperature
• CMuch larger in radius and cooler at its surface
• DA type of black hole

Which mineral group, including quartz and feldspar, makes up the largest proportion of Earth's crust?

• ACarbonates
• BSulfides
• CNative elements
• DSilicates

A delta forms where:

• AA river deposits sediment as it enters a slower body of water
• BA glacier scrapes a valley into a U-shape
• CWind erodes a desert plateau
• DTwo tectonic plates collide and uplift mountains

The epicenter of an earthquake is defined as the point:

• AWhere the fault plane reaches the mantle
• BOn Earth's surface directly above the focus
• CAt the center of Earth's core
• DWhere the strongest aftershock occurs

To locate an earthquake's epicenter, seismologists typically use:

• AA single seismograph reading the wave amplitude
• BThe color of the seismogram paper
• CTriangulation from the S-P time difference at three or more stations
• DOnly the magnitude value

Which process best explains the formation of the Himalayan mountains?

• ASubduction of oceanic crust forming a volcanic arc
• BA mantle hotspot beneath a moving plate
• CErosion exposing ancient bedrock
• DCollision of the Indian and Eurasian continental plates