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NATS101 Intro. to Global Change
Sample Mid-Term Exam Name____________________
Select the SINGLE BEST answer among the choices and place
letter of correct answer in blank to the left.
(Study your lecture notes from 1/11 through 3/6; readings in chapters 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 7; examine “classnotes” link on web page; study sample quizzes and
Q1, Q2, and Q3; Review GA1&GA2; don’t make writing mistakes discussed in
class)
1. The age of the
Earth is .
A. 10,000 years C.
10-15 billion years
B. 6000 years D.
4.6 billion years
2. The layered
structure of the inside of the Earth is primarily the result of .
A. gyres C.
the Big Bang E.
the red shift
B. supernova D.
melting and gravity separation F.
the Doppler effect
3. The process of nuclear fusion takes place in
the sun, which .
A reacts H+H to H2 C.
burns pure carbon to CO2
B. reacts H+H to He D.
burns pure H to H2O
4. The first nebulas
that formed in the universe were composed of only hydrogen and helium (Big Bang
residue). Which of the following is
evidence that the nebula from which our solar system formed was at least in
part derived from the remnants of earlier stars?
A. the Hubble constant C.
helium balloons on your birthday E.
Hubba-bubba bubble gum
B. the red shift D.
the lead weights used to balance your tires
5. The First Law of
Thermodynamics states that .
A. gravity can hurt your head C.
for a given force, a nerf ball will move faster than a bowling ball
B. energy is always conserved D.
transfer of energy from one form to another is not 100% efficient
6. Without the
addition of energy to hold things together (such as the organic molecules in
our bodies), systems tend to become more dispersed, disordered, and
random. This is known as .
A. entropy C.
convection E.
the Coriolis Effect
B. the red shift D.
potential energy F.
centrifugal “force”
7. 21H
represents .
A. hydrogen with 2 neutrons & 1 proton C. hydrogen with 1 neutron and 1 proton
B. hydrogen with 2 electrons & 1 proton D. helium with 2 protons and 1 neutron
8. The rate of
lithospheric plate movement is typically .
A. several feet per day C.
several centimeters per year
B. several kilometers per year D.
several miles per hour
9. Earthquakes in
A. a transform plate boundary C.
a divergent plate boundary
B. heavy winter storms D.
a convergent plate boundary
10. The most
abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere is .
A. krypton C. oxygen E. nitrogen
B. argon D.
carbon dioxide F.
hydrogen
11. The freezing
temperature of water (32oF, 0oC) would be degrees on the Kelvin scale.
A. 0 C.
273 E. 500
B. 212 D.
100 F. 4.6
billion
12. The “ozone
layer” is in the .
A. troposphere C.
mesosphere and mantle E.
ionosphere
B. lithosphere D.
tropospause F.
stratosphere
13. The layer of the
atmosphere characterized by major vertical motion as well as horizontal motion
is the .
A. asthenosphere C.
thermosphere E.
ecosphere
B. troposphere D.
stratosphere F. lithosphere
14. The 2 most
important greenhouse gases on our planet are .
A. ozone and CFC's C.
nitrogen and oxygen
B. water and carbon dioxide D.
methane and aerosols
15. The peak
wavelength emitted by the Earth is in what part of the electromagnetic
spectrum?
A. in the infrared C. in the visible
B. as ultraviolet D. as
microwaves
16. An object at 600K will emit times as much electromagnetic radiation as an
object at 300K.
A. 2 C.
8 E. 0.5
B. 4 D.
16 F. 1
17. Seasons are
caused by .
A. distance between Earth and sun C.
tilt of the Earth's axis
B. changes in solar energy output D.
absorption of radiation by atmospheric gases
18. In the
hydrologic cycle, water is transferred from the atmospheric
"reservoir" to the oceanic "reservoir" by which flux?
A. evaporation C.
runoff E.
outgassing
B. precipitation (rain & snow) D.
groundwater flow F. pH
19. Very dense ocean
water can be generated (made) by .
A. river inflow and rainfall C.
warming and increasing salinity
B. wind and surface currents D.
cooling and increasing salinity
20. Algae would be
an example of a .
A. heterotroph C.
primary producer E.
decomposer
B. primary consumer D.
secondary consumer F. A &
B
21. The mass (weight)
of living organisms in a biome is called .
A. productivity C.
consumption E. box models
B. biomass D.
population F. basalt
22. Which of the
following is not an abiotic component of biosystems (ecosystems)?
A. water B. decomposers C.
solar energy D. climate E. nutrients
23. During La Niña
years, you might expect increased forest fires in _______?
A. the
24. The ocean is characterized as having (1) total biomass compared to the amount of
biomass on continents, but the primary productivity of the ocean is (2) the primary productivity of the continents.
A. 1-the same; 2-about 1/1000 C. 1-very high; 2-about
1/1000 E. 1-about 1/2; 2-the
same as
B. 1-the same; 2-also the same as D. 1-very low; 2-about
1/2
25. Today, most biomass in any given biome resides in .
A. abiotic components C.
secondary consumers E.
decomposers
B. primary consumers D.
producers
___26. The compartments or pools in box models are known
as
A. biomass C.
reservoirs
B. productivity D.
fluxes
___27. The general form/compound in which carbon is most
abundantly present in the biosphere is _____.
A. CH4 C.
CO2
B. kerogen D. CH2O
___28. A process by which carbon is removed from the
atmosphere (a flux of carbon out of the atmosphere) is
A.
precipitation C. photosynthesis E. volcanoes
B.
respiration D. fossil-fuel
combustion
___29. In the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases are
fairly transparent to incoming (1)____electromagnetic radiation but strongly
absorb outgoing (2)____ radiation.
A. 1- infrared; 2- visible C. 1- ultraviolet; 2- visible
B. 1- visible; 2- ultraviolet D. 1- visible; 2- infrared
There will probably
be 40-50 M/C questions- See your quizzes and samples Qs for more.
30. SENTENCES NOT
REQUIRED FOR THIS QUESTION
a. Write an approximate equation for
PHOTOSYNTHESIS (show the raw materials (reactants) on one side of the arrow and
the products on the other). If other
materials/circumstances are needed for this process/reaction, list them as
well.
b. What general types of organisms (for
example the trophic level or other descriptive terms) carry out this
process/reaction? Name a very specific
organism (a biological species) that does.
c. Can the reaction go in the opposite
direction of your arrow? What 3
process(es) would that opposite reaction represent?
d. Describe a way in which one of the
reactions in #a or #c has (or could) influence global change.
31. THIS ANSWER
REQUIRES SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS; WRITING WILL COUNT!
Precisely
describe how the greenhouse effect works.
(A good answer will specify the varieties of "energy" that are
involved, the location where this effect takes place, the "material or
chemical species" (ie, compounds or chemicals) that produce this effect,
the (beneficial) importance of this effect to Earth, and why there is concern
about potential dangers of the effect.
32. Water is a magnificent fluid, in large part
because of the polarity of its molecules.
Briefly explain the
following properties of water (sentences
are not necessary, but in brief and concise wording equivalent to
about 1 sentence each, convey the meaning or importance of these with
respect to water): A. specific heat B. latent heat C. adhesion D. cohesion E.
solvent
33. Earth's biological systems are
driven by energy (and in the context of ecosystems we often talk about matter
and energy interchangeably). In well-written paragraph(s), explain (a)
the ultimate source of this energy, (b) how the energy is first captured in
biological systems, and (c) how the energy is transferred throughout biological
systems (and how it can be lost during transfer). (HINT: the answers to these
questions would be the same, no matter what biological system you are talking
about, ie, whether it is tropical rainforest, or grassland, or marine biome off
the coast of