Earth Science, 16e (Tarbuck)
Chapter 12 Earth’s Evolution through Geologic Time
1) Why is the mass of Earth important for life?
A) If Earth had more or less mass, it would not have plate tectonics and would be covered
entirely by water.
B) If Earth had more or less mass, the atmosphere would be very different with either too
much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and water.
C) If Earth’s mass were significantly different, we would be bombarded by cosmic rays that
would strip away our atmosphere.
D) If Earth’s mass were greater, we would be bombarded by meteorites and if it were
smaller, we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
2) What are exoplanets?
A) Moons that orbit other planets.
B) Stars that emit unusual amounts of light.
C) Planets that orbit stars outside of our solar system.
D) Planets located within our solar system.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
3) What is the habitable zone?
A) The region around a star where any planet can be found.
B) The area near a star where temperatures are too hot for liquid water.
C) The region around a star where a planet can maintain liquid water with sufficient
atmospheric pressure.
D) The area around a star where no atmosphere is necessary for life.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
1
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,4) Why is the habitable zone in the Trappist-1 system closer to its star compared to Earth’s
distance from the Sun?
A) Trappist-1 is a M-type star, which is smaller and cooler than the Sun.
B) Trappist-1 is a G-type star, which is larger and hotter than the Sun.
C) The planets in the Trappist-1 system are much larger than Earth and therefore, are closer.
D) The Trappist-1 system is located closer to our solar system, meaning its habitable zone is
also closer.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
5) Why is it important that we have a rigid lithosphere overlying a weak asthenosphere?
A) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, the Earth would not
have plate tectonics and would be covered entirely by water.
B) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, the atmosphere would
be very different with either too much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and
water.
C) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, we would be
bombarded by cosmic rays that would strip away our atmosphere.
D) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, we would be
bombarded by meteorites and we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
6) Why is the molten metallic outer core and the magnetic field important to life on Earth?
A) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, the Earth would not have plate
tectonics and would be covered entirely by water.
B) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, the atmosphere would be very
different with either too much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and water.
C) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, we would be bombarded by
cosmic rays that would strip away our atmosphere.
D) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, we would be bombarded by
meteorites and we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
2
Copyright © 2026 Pearson Education, Inc.
, Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
7) What would have happened to Earth if it were 10% closer to the Sun?
A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
B) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
C) Liquid water and the water cycle would not exist.
D) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not
evolve.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
8) What would have happened if Earth were located 10% further out from the Sun?
A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
B) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
C) Our oceans would all be frozen.
D) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not
evolve.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
9) What would have happened to Earth if the Sun had been significantly larger than it is?
A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
B) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
C) Liquid water and the water cycle would not exist.
D) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not
evolve.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
3
Copyright © 2026 Pearson Education, Inc.
, 10) The Goldilocks scenario suggests that f i l l i n t h e b l a n k .
A) we are very fortunate that the meteorites that have bombarded Earth over time were not
too large or too small
B) we are very fortunate to be in the right place in the universe and to have had the right
condition to develop and sustain life
C) we are very fortunate that dinosaurs were destroyed but left us an inhabitable planet
D) we are very fortunate to be in a solar system where life can develop and be sustained
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
11) How is computed tomography (CT) used in modern paleontology?
A) To classify fossils based on external features visible to the naked eye.
B) To analyze organic molecules such as DNA and proteins in fossils.
C) To observe microstructures in fossils.
D) To examine fossils internally and create 3D models for detailed analysis.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
12) Earth formed approximately f i l l i n t h e b l a n k years ago.
A) 5,000
B) 11,000,000
C) 4,600,000,000
D) 13,800,000,000
E) 33,200,000,000,000
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.2 Birth of a Planet
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
13) The first elements to form after “Big Bang” were f i l l i n t h e b l a n k .
A) oxygen and hydrogen
B) oxygen and iron
C) hydrogen and iron
4
Copyright © 2026 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 12 Earth’s Evolution through Geologic Time
1) Why is the mass of Earth important for life?
A) If Earth had more or less mass, it would not have plate tectonics and would be covered
entirely by water.
B) If Earth had more or less mass, the atmosphere would be very different with either too
much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and water.
C) If Earth’s mass were significantly different, we would be bombarded by cosmic rays that
would strip away our atmosphere.
D) If Earth’s mass were greater, we would be bombarded by meteorites and if it were
smaller, we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
2) What are exoplanets?
A) Moons that orbit other planets.
B) Stars that emit unusual amounts of light.
C) Planets that orbit stars outside of our solar system.
D) Planets located within our solar system.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
3) What is the habitable zone?
A) The region around a star where any planet can be found.
B) The area near a star where temperatures are too hot for liquid water.
C) The region around a star where a planet can maintain liquid water with sufficient
atmospheric pressure.
D) The area around a star where no atmosphere is necessary for life.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
1
Copyright © 2026 Pearson Education, Inc.
,4) Why is the habitable zone in the Trappist-1 system closer to its star compared to Earth’s
distance from the Sun?
A) Trappist-1 is a M-type star, which is smaller and cooler than the Sun.
B) Trappist-1 is a G-type star, which is larger and hotter than the Sun.
C) The planets in the Trappist-1 system are much larger than Earth and therefore, are closer.
D) The Trappist-1 system is located closer to our solar system, meaning its habitable zone is
also closer.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
5) Why is it important that we have a rigid lithosphere overlying a weak asthenosphere?
A) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, the Earth would not
have plate tectonics and would be covered entirely by water.
B) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, the atmosphere would
be very different with either too much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and
water.
C) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, we would be
bombarded by cosmic rays that would strip away our atmosphere.
D) If we did not have the rigid lithosphere and weak asthenosphere, we would be
bombarded by meteorites and we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
6) Why is the molten metallic outer core and the magnetic field important to life on Earth?
A) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, the Earth would not have plate
tectonics and would be covered entirely by water.
B) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, the atmosphere would be very
different with either too much ammonia and methane or too little oxygen and water.
C) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, we would be bombarded by
cosmic rays that would strip away our atmosphere.
D) If we did not have the molten core and the magnetic field, we would be bombarded by
meteorites and we would not be able to hold the moon in orbit.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
2
Copyright © 2026 Pearson Education, Inc.
, Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
7) What would have happened to Earth if it were 10% closer to the Sun?
A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
B) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
C) Liquid water and the water cycle would not exist.
D) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not
evolve.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
8) What would have happened if Earth were located 10% further out from the Sun?
A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
B) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
C) Our oceans would all be frozen.
D) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not
evolve.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
9) What would have happened to Earth if the Sun had been significantly larger than it is?
A) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of carbon dioxide.
B) Our atmosphere would consist mainly of nitrogen.
C) Liquid water and the water cycle would not exist.
D) Our Sun would have burned out after a few hundred million years so life would not
evolve.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
3
Copyright © 2026 Pearson Education, Inc.
, 10) The Goldilocks scenario suggests that f i l l i n t h e b l a n k .
A) we are very fortunate that the meteorites that have bombarded Earth over time were not
too large or too small
B) we are very fortunate to be in the right place in the universe and to have had the right
condition to develop and sustain life
C) we are very fortunate that dinosaurs were destroyed but left us an inhabitable planet
D) we are very fortunate to be in a solar system where life can develop and be sustained
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
11) How is computed tomography (CT) used in modern paleontology?
A) To classify fossils based on external features visible to the naked eye.
B) To analyze organic molecules such as DNA and proteins in fossils.
C) To observe microstructures in fossils.
D) To examine fossils internally and create 3D models for detailed analysis.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.1 What Makes Earth Habitable?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
12) Earth formed approximately f i l l i n t h e b l a n k years ago.
A) 5,000
B) 11,000,000
C) 4,600,000,000
D) 13,800,000,000
E) 33,200,000,000,000
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 12.2 Birth of a Planet
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remembering/Understanding
13) The first elements to form after “Big Bang” were f i l l i n t h e b l a n k .
A) oxygen and hydrogen
B) oxygen and iron
C) hydrogen and iron
4
Copyright © 2026 Pearson Education, Inc.
