ACING EAPS 100 WITH ESSENTIAL A+ QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
What are the two sources of energy for the earth system?
The sun, which drives external processes, and heat inside the Earth, which drives
internal processes
A scientific ________ is a tentative or untested explanation that is proposed to
explain scientific observations
Hypothesis
The ________ is the thinnest layer of Earth.
crust
Compare the thickness of the atmosphere to the thickness of the geosphere.
The atmosphere is much thinner than the geosphere, which approximates a radius of
6400 kilometers.
The exchange of energy between the surface of Earth, the atmosphere, and space
causes ________.
weather
What is the source of the energy that powers the Earth system?
Heat from the earths interior and the sun
In the proto-solar system nebula, gravity pulled matter together to form larger
bodies. As they collided, what happened to these bodies?
Immense heat was released within the colliding bodies as gravitational potential energy
was converted to heat.
How do the floors of ocean basins and continents differ?
Continents are thicker and composed of granitic rocks, which are less dense than the
basaltic rocks that comprise the thinner ocean floor.
Earth is estimated to be approximately 4.6 billion years old. Life appeared early in
the history of Earth, but metazoans (multicelled organisms) did not appear until
about 600 million years ago. If the history of Earth were compressed into a single
year, about when would metazoans appear?
mid-October
The layers of Earth are based on what two sets of characteristics?
, chemical composition and physical properties
What is the D" layer?
A partially molten layer above the outer core at the base of the mantle.
The upper mantle can be divided into the asthenosphere and lithosphere based
on what physical properties?
The asthenosphere is solid, but mobile, while the lithosphere is solid and relatively rigid.
What are the two types of crust?
oceanic and continental
What happens to the atmosphere as you move away from Earth's surface?
the atmosphere thins
According to the nebular theory, all of the bodies in the universe evolved from a
rotating cloud of gases and dust about ________ billion years ago.
5
The largest of Earth's spheres is the ____
geosphere
The bond between sodium (Na) abd Chlorine (Cl) to form halite (salt) is a(n) ____
bond
ionic
Although it is relatively common, limestone is an economically important rock
type because its major constituent material, _______, is used in the production of
__________
calcite; cement
What time span is required to produce most mineral deposits?
Tens of thousands to millions of years
Diamond and graphite are both minerals composed of _______
a single element
Which two elements combine to make most of the common rock-forming
minerals in the crust?
Silicon and oxygen
Atoms that share electrons have a(n) _______ bond
covalent
ANSWERS
What are the two sources of energy for the earth system?
The sun, which drives external processes, and heat inside the Earth, which drives
internal processes
A scientific ________ is a tentative or untested explanation that is proposed to
explain scientific observations
Hypothesis
The ________ is the thinnest layer of Earth.
crust
Compare the thickness of the atmosphere to the thickness of the geosphere.
The atmosphere is much thinner than the geosphere, which approximates a radius of
6400 kilometers.
The exchange of energy between the surface of Earth, the atmosphere, and space
causes ________.
weather
What is the source of the energy that powers the Earth system?
Heat from the earths interior and the sun
In the proto-solar system nebula, gravity pulled matter together to form larger
bodies. As they collided, what happened to these bodies?
Immense heat was released within the colliding bodies as gravitational potential energy
was converted to heat.
How do the floors of ocean basins and continents differ?
Continents are thicker and composed of granitic rocks, which are less dense than the
basaltic rocks that comprise the thinner ocean floor.
Earth is estimated to be approximately 4.6 billion years old. Life appeared early in
the history of Earth, but metazoans (multicelled organisms) did not appear until
about 600 million years ago. If the history of Earth were compressed into a single
year, about when would metazoans appear?
mid-October
The layers of Earth are based on what two sets of characteristics?
, chemical composition and physical properties
What is the D" layer?
A partially molten layer above the outer core at the base of the mantle.
The upper mantle can be divided into the asthenosphere and lithosphere based
on what physical properties?
The asthenosphere is solid, but mobile, while the lithosphere is solid and relatively rigid.
What are the two types of crust?
oceanic and continental
What happens to the atmosphere as you move away from Earth's surface?
the atmosphere thins
According to the nebular theory, all of the bodies in the universe evolved from a
rotating cloud of gases and dust about ________ billion years ago.
5
The largest of Earth's spheres is the ____
geosphere
The bond between sodium (Na) abd Chlorine (Cl) to form halite (salt) is a(n) ____
bond
ionic
Although it is relatively common, limestone is an economically important rock
type because its major constituent material, _______, is used in the production of
__________
calcite; cement
What time span is required to produce most mineral deposits?
Tens of thousands to millions of years
Diamond and graphite are both minerals composed of _______
a single element
Which two elements combine to make most of the common rock-forming
minerals in the crust?
Silicon and oxygen
Atoms that share electrons have a(n) _______ bond
covalent
