Mid-term Examination I

Mid-term Exam I Questions

TYPICAL MULTIPLE CHOICE (Correct answer in parentheses)

1. Which of the following are all examples of minerals? (C)
A. bronze, steel, glass, aluminum, pencil lead

B. gold, silver, uranium, lead, silica, iron

C. copper, ice, quartz, topaz, diamond, corundum

D. water, mercury, metallic hydrogen, limestone

E. petroleum, coal, iron, feldspar, basalt

2. Which of the following is a renewable resource? (C)
A. natural gas

B. gravel

C. wood

D. uranium

E. coal

3. Plutonic rocks (D)
A. form below the surface of the ground.

B. form above the surface of the ground.

C. form by crystallization of magmas intruded into surrounding rocks.

D. A and C

E. all of the above

4. Large crystals found in a fine-grained groundmass can indicate (E)
A. origin from a magma with an early intrusive phase followed by an extrusive phase.

B. origin from a magma with an early extrusive phase followed by an intrusive phase.

C. a rock of mixed volcanic-plutonic origin.

D. A or B

E. A and C

5. Natural glass such as obsidian forms when (B)

A. magma cools rapidly and very tiny crystals form.

B. magma cools too rapidly for crystals to form.

C. magma cools too slowly for crystals to form.

D. magma doesn't cool.

E. magma is reheated.

6. An example of a shield volcano is (B)
A. Mount St. Helens.

B. Kilauea.

C. Mount Shasta.

D. Mount Mazama.

E. Mount Fuji.

7. An example of a composite volcano is (E)
A. Fujiyama, Japan.

B. Nevado del Ruiz, Columbia.

C. Mount Vesuvius, Italy.

D. Mount St. Helens, Washington.

E. All of the above

8. Which of the following contribute to weathering? (E)
A. organisms such as worms, bacteria and trees

B. oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air

C. rain water

D. organic acids

E. all of the above

9. Weathering is classified into which of the following categories? (C)

A. mechanistic and compositional

B. mechanical an physical

C. chemical and mechanical

D. physical and chemical

E. organic and inorganic

10. Frost wedging in the mountains produces which type of material? (B)

A. tailings

B. talus

C. conglomerate

D. exfoliation

E. regolith

11. Chemical weathering is most effective in which combination of conditions? (B)

A. cold and arid

B. warm and humid

C. warm and arid

D. humid and seasonal

E. cold and humid

12. The important weathering product of hydrolysis of feldspar is (D)
A. ferromagnesian minerals.

B. sand minerals.

C. dissolved Ca.

D. clay minerals.

E. accessory minerals.

13. What ore of aluminum is commonly developed in tropical soils? (B)
A. borax

B. bauxite

C. laterite

D. phosphate

E. manganese

14. A well-sorted sediment might consist of (B)
A. small grains of a variety of sizes (diameters).

B. large grains all of approximately the same size (diameter).

C. grains of moderate but different dimensions (diameters).

D. predominantly round grains.

E. predominantly smooth grains.

15. Hydrolysis is particularly effective in the weathering of: (E)
A. limestone.

B. sandstone.

C. quartz.

D. calcite.

E. feldspar.

16. Which of the following is not a factor influencing the rate of chemical weathering? (E)
A. climate

B. particle size

C. parent material

D. humidity

E. gravity

TYPICAL TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS (Correct answer in parentheses)

1. True False Bowen's Reaction Series explains the order of mineral formation with decreasing temperature. (TRUE)

2. True False A rock may be subjected to either mechanical or chemical weathering but never both at the same time. (FALSE)

3. True False Laterite soils are typical of rainforests. (TRUE)

4. True False Some sedimentary rocks form from material weathered by solution. (TRUE)

5. True False Metamorphic rocks are formed by the melting and crystallization of magma far beneath the surface. (FALSE)

6. True False Sedimentary rocks may consist of particles of pre-existing sedimentary rocks. (TRUE)

7. True False Intrusive igneous rocks form at the surface. (FALSE)

8. True False All minerals are compounds. (FALSE)

9. True False The number of neutrons in an atom always equal the number of protons. (FALSE)

10. True False Olivine is an example of a mineral with isolated silica tetrahedral. (TRUE)

11. True False Minerals of the amphibole group have their silica tetrahedra arranged in double chains. (TRUE)

12. True False Volcanism is primarily a destructive process. (FALSE)

13. True False Fossils consist only of skeletal and shell remains. (FALSE)

TYPICAL FILL-IN-THE-BLANK QUESTIONS (Correct answer in the parenthesis)

1. An igneous rock in which large mineral grains called __________ (phenocrysts) are suspended in a finely crystalline groundmass is called a __________ (porphyry).

2. Basalt and gabbro are compositional equivalents which means that they are made up of the same __________ (minerals) but have different __________ (textures).

3. When a magma cools rapidly, nucleation __________ (decreases), and the rate of crystal growth __________, and the resulting rock is (fine/coarse) __________-grained. (increases)

4. __________ (pumice) is a volcanic glass which is so porous that it can float in water.

5. __________ (ash) is pyroclastic material which is less than 2 mm in diameter. Particles ranging from 2 to 64 mm in diameter are known as __________ (lapilli), while __________ (bombs) are pieces larger than 64 mm in diameter.

6. Composite volcanoes are composed of both __________ (lavas) and __________ (pyroclastic rocks).

7. __________ (laterite) soils, which are a result of intense weathering, are typically found in the tropics.

8. The basic building block of silicate minerals is the silica __________ (tetrahedron).

9. A __________ (transgression) occurs when the sea advances landward.

10. Two examples of sedimentary structures are __________ (cross-bedding), __________ (mud cracks).

11. The largest intrusive bodies are called __________ (batholith) and, by definition, they must have at least __________ (100) square kilometers of surface area.

12. Sediment becomes sedimentary rock by the process known as __________ (lithification), which involves the __________ (compaction) of grains, loss of water, and __________ (cementation) whereby material is precipitated in pore spaces and binds grains together.