ESS 101 B Lab 5 Quiz: Sedimentary Rocks
Questions and Answers | 2024/2025 | Graded A+
Question 1
The process by which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces at Earth’s surface
is called:
A. Lithification
B. Weathering
C. Metamorphism
D. Compaction
Rationale: Weathering is the breakdown of rocks; lithification turns sediment into
rock.
Question 2
Mechanical weathering produces:
A. Dissolved ions
B. Smaller pieces of the same rock
C. Clay minerals
D. New chemical compounds
Rationale: Mechanical (physical) weathering breaks rock without changing
composition.
Question 3
Frost wedging is an example of:
A. Chemical weathering
B. Mechanical weathering
C. Biological weathering
D. Hydrolysis
Rationale: Freezing water expands, cracking rocks – physical process.
,Question 4
Which of the following increases the rate of chemical weathering?
A. Cold, dry climate
B. Warm, humid climate
C. Absence of vegetation
D. Fresh, unweathered bedrock
Rationale: Heat and moisture accelerate chemical reactions like hydrolysis and
oxidation.
Question 5
Hydrolysis of feldspar produces:
A. Quartz
B. Clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite) and ions
C. Iron oxide
D. Halite
Rationale: Feldspar + water → clay + dissolved cations (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺).
Question 6
The primary difference between mechanical and chemical weathering is:
A. Mechanical happens only in deserts
B. Mechanical breaks rock without changing composition; chemical alters
minerals
C. Chemical only affects limestone
D. There is no difference
Rationale: Mechanical = physical disintegration; chemical = decomposition.
Question 7
Which mineral is most resistant to chemical weathering?
A. Olivine
B. Quartz
,C. Calcite
D. Biotite
Rationale: Quartz is very stable at Earth’s surface; it is the last to weather.
Question 8
Oxidation, which produces reddish colors in rocks, is a type of:
A. Mechanical weathering
B. Chemical weathering
C. Biological weathering
D. Thermal expansion
Rationale: Oxidation (e.g., rusting) changes iron minerals chemically.
Question 9
The removal of overlying rock causing pressure release and sheeting is called:
A. Frost wedging
B. Unloading (exfoliation)
C. Root wedging
D. Hydrolysis
Rationale: Exfoliation occurs when overburden is eroded, allowing rock to expand
and crack.
Question 10
Sediment that is transported by a glacier is typically:
A. Well rounded and well sorted
B. Angular and poorly sorted
C. Very fine and well sorted
D. Rounded and poorly sorted
Rationale: Glacial till contains all sizes from clay to boulders, angular due to
crushing.
, Question 11
Which agent of transport can sort sediment by size?
A. Ice
B. Gravity
C. Water (rivers, waves) and wind
D. All of the above
Rationale: Flowing water and wind separate grains by settling velocity.
Question 12
The loose, unconsolidated particles produced by weathering are called:
A. Sedimentary rock
B. Sediment
C. Magma
D. Soil
Rationale: Sediment is the raw material for sedimentary rocks.
Question 13
Lithification includes:
A. Compaction only
B. Cementation only
C. Compaction and cementation
D. Melting and cooling
Rationale: Sediment is compacted by weight and cemented by minerals.
Question 14
Common cementing agents in sedimentary rocks include:
A. Quartz and feldspar
B. Calcite, silica, and iron oxides
C. Halite and gypsum
D. Clay and silt
Questions and Answers | 2024/2025 | Graded A+
Question 1
The process by which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces at Earth’s surface
is called:
A. Lithification
B. Weathering
C. Metamorphism
D. Compaction
Rationale: Weathering is the breakdown of rocks; lithification turns sediment into
rock.
Question 2
Mechanical weathering produces:
A. Dissolved ions
B. Smaller pieces of the same rock
C. Clay minerals
D. New chemical compounds
Rationale: Mechanical (physical) weathering breaks rock without changing
composition.
Question 3
Frost wedging is an example of:
A. Chemical weathering
B. Mechanical weathering
C. Biological weathering
D. Hydrolysis
Rationale: Freezing water expands, cracking rocks – physical process.
,Question 4
Which of the following increases the rate of chemical weathering?
A. Cold, dry climate
B. Warm, humid climate
C. Absence of vegetation
D. Fresh, unweathered bedrock
Rationale: Heat and moisture accelerate chemical reactions like hydrolysis and
oxidation.
Question 5
Hydrolysis of feldspar produces:
A. Quartz
B. Clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite) and ions
C. Iron oxide
D. Halite
Rationale: Feldspar + water → clay + dissolved cations (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺).
Question 6
The primary difference between mechanical and chemical weathering is:
A. Mechanical happens only in deserts
B. Mechanical breaks rock without changing composition; chemical alters
minerals
C. Chemical only affects limestone
D. There is no difference
Rationale: Mechanical = physical disintegration; chemical = decomposition.
Question 7
Which mineral is most resistant to chemical weathering?
A. Olivine
B. Quartz
,C. Calcite
D. Biotite
Rationale: Quartz is very stable at Earth’s surface; it is the last to weather.
Question 8
Oxidation, which produces reddish colors in rocks, is a type of:
A. Mechanical weathering
B. Chemical weathering
C. Biological weathering
D. Thermal expansion
Rationale: Oxidation (e.g., rusting) changes iron minerals chemically.
Question 9
The removal of overlying rock causing pressure release and sheeting is called:
A. Frost wedging
B. Unloading (exfoliation)
C. Root wedging
D. Hydrolysis
Rationale: Exfoliation occurs when overburden is eroded, allowing rock to expand
and crack.
Question 10
Sediment that is transported by a glacier is typically:
A. Well rounded and well sorted
B. Angular and poorly sorted
C. Very fine and well sorted
D. Rounded and poorly sorted
Rationale: Glacial till contains all sizes from clay to boulders, angular due to
crushing.
, Question 11
Which agent of transport can sort sediment by size?
A. Ice
B. Gravity
C. Water (rivers, waves) and wind
D. All of the above
Rationale: Flowing water and wind separate grains by settling velocity.
Question 12
The loose, unconsolidated particles produced by weathering are called:
A. Sedimentary rock
B. Sediment
C. Magma
D. Soil
Rationale: Sediment is the raw material for sedimentary rocks.
Question 13
Lithification includes:
A. Compaction only
B. Cementation only
C. Compaction and cementation
D. Melting and cooling
Rationale: Sediment is compacted by weight and cemented by minerals.
Question 14
Common cementing agents in sedimentary rocks include:
A. Quartz and feldspar
B. Calcite, silica, and iron oxides
C. Halite and gypsum
D. Clay and silt
