Name: 
 

Unit 4 B Benchmark Study Guide


Modified True/False
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false.  If false, change the identified word or phrase to make the sentence or statement true.
 

1. 
Earth’s tidal bulges are always aligned with the Sun. _________________________

 

2. 
The Koeppen classification system classifies climate based on mean monthly values of temperature and precipitation. _________________________

 

3. 
Today, the thickening of glaciers is causing a slow rise in the average global sea level. _________________________

 

4. 
Dissolved salts, gases, and nutrients are present in seawater in the form of ions. _________________________

 

5. 
When Earth’s elliptical orbit elongates during its 100 000-year cycle, Earth passes closer to the sun and temperatures become warmer than normal. _________________________

 

6. 
Scientists believe that comet strikes may have been one source of the water in Earth's oceans. _________________________

 

7. 
Periods of extensive glacial coverage are called glacial ages. _________________________

 

8. 
Melting sea ice lowers the salinity of seawater in polar regions. _________________________

 

9. 
The Maunder minimum is a period of very low precipitation activity that closely corresponded to an unusually cold climatic episode. ____________________

 

10. 
Barrier islands are formed by rip currents. _________________________

 

11. 
Once a seafloor structure, such as a seamount, is formed, the only process that modifies it is erosion. _________________________

 

12. 
If a coastline sinks, there is a relative drop in sea level along that coast. _________________________

 

13. 
The depth to which a wave disturbs the water is called the wave height. _________________________

 

14. 
Waves move more slowly in deep water than in shallow water causing wave crests to bend. _________________________

 

15. 
The major criteria used to classify climates are temperature and amount of precipitation. _________________________

 

16. 
Wave-cut platforms and sea stacks are examples of features that are formed by deposition of sediments. _________________________

 

17. 
Closed, circular surface current systems are called density currents. _________________________

 

18. 
The shape of Earth’s landmasses and the tilt of its axis could have triggered climate changes in the past. _________________________

 

19. 
A ridge of sand called a tombolo connects an island to the mainland to form the tip of a peninsula. _________________________

 

20. 
One of the effects of El Niño is that the jet stream shifts farther north. _________________________

 

21. 
Thin continental crust is associated with higher elevations on land. _________________________

 

22. 
Oceans are dark below the depth of about 100 m. _________________________

 

23. 
Black and white smokers are submerged basalt volcanoes. _________________________

 

24. 
The greenhouse effect is the natural cooling of Earth’s surface caused by certain gases in the atmosphere. _________________________

 

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

25. 
Two climates that are at the same latitude may be different because of ____.
a.
bodies of water
c.
soil type
b.
distance from the poles
d.
Earth’s magnetic field
 

26. 
The shallowest parts of the ocean are the ____.
a.
continental slopes
c.
submarine canyons
b.
continental margins
d.
continental rises
 

27. 
A turbidity current can form a ____.
a.
barrier island
c.
continental margin
b.
submarine canyon
d.
continental slope
 

28. 
Studies indicate that periods of low sunspot activity, like the ____, correspond to unusually cold climate conditions.
a.
Maunder maximum
c.
Maunder minimum
b.
Maunder ice age
d.
Maunder divide
 

29. 
How does the formation of sea ice raise the density of nearby water?
a.
The water is chilled under the forming ice.
b.
The growing ice sheet puts downward pressure on the water.
c.
Salt ions are concentrated in the water under the ice.
d.
Salty water migrates toward the forming ice.
 

30. 
The climatic zone that receives the least solar radiation and has the coldest climate is the ____.
a.
tropical zone
c.
polar zone
b.
temperate zone
d.
equatorial zone
 

31. 
After volcanism created Earth's atmosphere, what happened next to lead to the formation of oceans?
a.
Meteorite strikes stopped.
b.
Carbon dioxide and other gases formed in the crust.
c.
Ice caps melted.
d.
Earth’s crust cooled.
 

32. 
A widely used climate classification system is the ____ system.
a.
Topographic
c.
Koeppen
b.
Maunden
d.
Korten
 

33. 
Which of the following is NOT true of global sea level?
a.
Global sea level can rise in response to the melting of glaciers.
b.
Tectonic forces cannot affect global sea level.
c.
During an ice age, global sea levels drop.
d.
Average global sea level is rising today by 1 to 2 mm per year.
 

34. 
Most seafloor features are changed only by ____.
a.
sedimentation
c.
erosion
b.
volcanoes
d.
ooze
 

35. 
What is the average surface temperature of the ocean?
a.
-2°C
c.
15°C
b.
30°C
d.
2°C
 

36. 
In addition to average weather conditions, climatological data also describes annual variations and fluctuations of temperature, precipitation, ____, and other variables.
a.
wind speed
c.
ocean temperature
b.
cloud height
d.
soil moisture
 

37. 
The burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of ____ into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming.
a.
calcium carbonate
c.
carbon monoxide
b.
sulfur dioxide
d.
carbon dioxide
 

38. 
Which of the following was the first expedition to use scientific measuring devices to study the ocean?
a.
Poseidon expedition
c.
Challenger expedition
b.
SEASAT expedition
d.
Meteor expedition
 

39. 
The area where a freshwater river or stream enters the ocean is a(n) ____.
a.
beach
c.
longshore current
b.
estuary
d.
barrier island
 

40. 
The following are true about climatological normals EXCEPT:
a.
They represent the standard values for a location.
b.
They are averaged on a monthly or annual basis.
c.
The information applies only to the place where the data were collected.
d.
They describe normal weather conditions.
 

41. 
A large, extinct, basaltic volcano with a flat, submerged top is called a ____.
a.
seamount
c.
guyot
b.
mid-ocean ridge
d.
hydrothermal vent
 

42. 
The bending of wave crests as they reach shallow water is ____.
a.
a longshore current
c.
erosion
b.
wave refraction
d.
a rip current
 

43. 
Which of the following is NOT an Atlantic deep-water mass?
a.
Antarctic Bottom Water
c.
Atlantic Bottom Water
b.
North Atlantic Deep Water
d.
Antarctic Intermediate Water
 

44. 
The submerged parts of continents are called ____.
a.
continental shelves
c.
continental slopes
b.
continental margins
d.
continental crust
 

45. 
Which of the following affects the density of seawater?
a.
salinity
c.
hydrogen bonds
b.
breakers
d.
melting point
 

46. 
As a headland is eroded, the flat surface formed is called a ____.
a.
sea cave
c.
sea stack
b.
wave-cut platform
d.
barrier island
 

47. 
Types of climate data include annual variations in temperature, precipitation, and ____.
a.
wind
c.
water cycle
b.
air pollution
d.
topography
 

48. 
Given enough time, wave action can make shorelines ____.
a.
straight
c.
irregular
b.
sandy
d.
into bays
 

49. 
Which of the following correctly describes the order of the steps involved in the formation of sea ice?
a.
ice crystals, slush, pancake ice, pack ice
b.
slush, ice crystals, pancake ice, pack ice
c.
ice crystals, slush, pack ice, pancake ice
d.
ice crystals, pancake ice, slush, pack ice
 

50. 
When moist winds approach a mountain, they often drop rain as they rise over the mountain, and come down the other side of the mountain much ____.
a.
warmer and drier
c.
warmer and wetter
b.
cooler and drier
d.
cooler and wetter
 



 
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