ICAS Earth and Environmental Science 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the Coriolis effect and how does it influence wind patterns?
- It heats air near the equator, causing it to rise
- It deflects moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere (Correct answer)
- It pulls air toward the poles from the tropics
- It causes air to move from high to low elevation
Correct answer: It deflects moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere
The Coriolis effect, caused by Earth's rotation, deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Question 2: Which of the following correctly describes the carbon cycle process of photosynthesis?
- Animals release CO₂ when they breathe
- Plants convert CO₂ and water into glucose using sunlight (Correct answer)
- Decomposers break down organic matter releasing carbon
- Carbon is stored in sedimentary rock layers
Correct answer: Plants convert CO₂ and water into glucose using sunlight
During photosynthesis, plants absorb CO₂ and water and use solar energy to produce glucose, removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Question 3: A scientist finds marine fossils near the top of a mountain in the Himalayas. What does this most likely indicate?
- The ocean once covered the entire planet at that elevation
- The region was once at or below sea level and was uplifted by tectonic forces (Correct answer)
- Marine animals could once climb to great heights
- The fossils were deposited there by glaciers moving from the ocean
Correct answer: The region was once at or below sea level and was uplifted by tectonic forces
Marine fossils at high elevations indicate that the rock was once on an ocean floor and was later pushed upward by the collision of tectonic plates.
Question 4: Which of the following is a consequence of ocean acidification caused by increased atmospheric CO₂?
- Increased oxygen levels in seawater
- Coral reefs growing faster due to more carbon availability
- Difficulty for marine organisms to build calcium carbonate shells (Correct answer)
- Higher salinity in coastal waters
Correct answer: Difficulty for marine organisms to build calcium carbonate shells
When CO₂ dissolves in seawater it forms carbonic acid, lowering pH and making it harder for corals, mollusks, and other organisms to form calcium carbonate structures.
Question 5: What distinguishes an epicenter from a focus (hypocenter) in an earthquake?
- The epicenter is underground where rock first breaks; the focus is on the surface directly above
- The focus is underground where rock first breaks; the epicenter is the point on the surface directly above (Correct answer)
- The epicenter measures magnitude; the focus measures intensity
- The focus occurs in the ocean; the epicenter occurs on land
Correct answer: The focus is underground where rock first breaks; the epicenter is the point on the surface directly above
The focus (hypocenter) is the underground point where an earthquake originates, while the epicenter is the point on Earth's surface directly above it.
Question 6: Which of the following human activities most directly contributes to soil erosion?
- Building irrigation canals
- Removing vegetation through farming or logging without replanting (Correct answer)
- Constructing greenhouses
- Installing solar panels on rooftops
Correct answer: Removing vegetation through farming or logging without replanting
Removing plant cover exposes soil to wind and water erosion because roots that hold soil in place are no longer present.
Question 7: What is the difference between a mineral and a rock?
- Rocks are found underground; minerals are found at the surface
- A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a defined chemical composition; a rock is made of one or more minerals (Correct answer)
- Minerals are man-made; rocks form naturally
- A rock has a crystal structure; a mineral does not
Correct answer: A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a defined chemical composition; a rock is made of one or more minerals
Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with specific chemical formulas and crystal structures, while rocks are aggregates of one or more minerals.
ICAS Earth and Environmental Science 5
What is the Coriolis effect and how does it influence wind patterns?