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A) The rock formed deep in the Earth's interior.B) The rock cooled very rapidly.C) The rock dates from the Precambrian Era.D) The rock is black and shiny.

1. In the classroom during a visual inspection of a rock,a student recorded four statements about the rock.Which statement about the rock is an observation?

A) experimentsB) the sensesC) proportionsD) mathematical calculations

2. In order to make observations, an observer mustalways use

A) There are five footprints in the mud.B) The depth of the deepest footprint is 3

centimeters.C) The footprints were made by a dog.D) The footprints are oriented in an east-west

direction.

3. A student examined a patch of mud and recordedseveral statements about footprints in the mud. Whichstatement is most likely an inference?

A) observation B) interpretationC) measurement D) classification

4. The grouping of objects or events based on similarcharacteristics is called

A) 15 mL B) 25 mLC) 40 mL D) 65 mL

5. The sphere was dropped into water in a graduatedcylinder as shown below.

What is the volume of the sphere?

A) 1 × 10–1 m B) 1 × 10–2 mC) 1 × 100 m D) 1 × 102 m

6. A centimeter is 0.01 meter. This measurement canalso be expressed as

Base your answers to questions 7 through 9 on thediagrams below, which represent two different solid,uniform materials cut into cubes A and B.

A) 9 g B) 27 g C) 3 g D) 81 g

7. What is the mass of cube B?

A) less B) greaterC) the same

8. Assume cube B was broken into many irregularlyshaped pieces. Compared to the density of the entirecube, the density of one of the pieces would be

A) 0.2 g/cm3 B) 5.0 g/cm3

C) 12.8 g/cm3 D) 64.0 g/cm3

9. What is the density of cube A?

A) 250 years B) 350 yearsC) 500 years D) 700 years

10. Two geologic surveys of the same area, made 50years apart, showed that the area had been uplifted 5centimeters during the interval. If the rate of upliftremains constant, how many years will it take forthis area to be uplifted a total of 70 centimeters?

A) 21% B) 33% C) 46% D) 94%

11. What is the approximate percent of oxygen byvolume present in Earth’s lower atmosphere?

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A) limestone B) dolostone C) rock gypsum D) rock salt

12. Which rock is composed of the mineral halite that formed when seawater evaporated?

A) 6°/hr B) 8°/hrC) 3°/hr D) 18°/hr

13. The graph below shows temperature readings for aday in April.

The average rate of temperature change, inFahrenheit degrees per hour, between 6 a.m. andnoon was

A) The sailboat is moving around the curvedsurface of Earth.

B) The sailboat appears smaller as it moves fartheraway.

C) The change in density of the atmosphere iscausing refraction of light rays.

D) The tide is causing an increase in the depth ofthe ocean.

14. The diagrams below represent photographs of a largesailboat taken through a telescope over time as theboat sailed away from shore out to sea. Eachdiagram shows the magnification of the lenses andthe time of day.

Which statement best explains the apparent sinkingof this sailboat?

A) troposphere B) stratosphereC) mesosphere D) thermosphere

15. The ozone layer protects life on Earth by absorbingharmful ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer islocated between 17 kilometers and 35 kilometersabove Earth's surface in which atmospherictemperature zone?

A) solid outer layer of EarthB) liquid outer layer of EarthC) magma layer located below Earth's stiffer

mantleD) gaseous layer extending several hundred

kilometers from Earth into space

16. Earth's hydrosphere is best described as the

A) silicon B) leadC) nitrogen D) hydrogen

17. The pie graph below shows the elements comprisingEarth's crust in percent by mass.

Which element is represented by the letter X?

A) crust B) stiffer mantleC) outer core D) inner core

18. In which Earth layer does the pressure reach 3.5million atmospheres?

A) Buffalo B) AlbanyC) Ithaca D) Plattsburgh

19. Which New York State city is located at 42°39' N73°45' W?

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A) A B) B C) C D) D

20. The map below shows a portion of the Middle East. Points A, B, C, D, and X are locations on Earth'ssurface.

When it is 10:00 a.m. solar time at location X, at which location is 11:00 a.m. solar time beingobserved?

A) northeast B) northwestC) southeast D) southwest

21. The topographic map below shows part of a stream.

In which general direction is the stream flowing?

A) pyroxene B) quartzC) biotite D) potassium feldspar

22. Which mineral can be found in all samples ofrhyolite and andesite?

A) graphite B) calciteC) olivine D) dolomite

23. Which mineral will scratch fluorite, galena, andpyroxene?

A) lava that cooled slowly on Earth’s surfaceB) lava that cooled quickly on Earth’s surfaceC) silt that settled slowly in ocean waterD) silt that settled quickly in ocean water

24. What is the origin of fine-grained igneous rock?

A) andesite B) pegmatiteC) pumice D) scoria

25. Which igneous rock has a vesicular texture andcontains the minerals potassium feldspar and quartz?

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A) hematite B) fluorite C) galena D) talc

26. Which mineral is mined for its iron content?

A) 10 a.m. B) 2 a.m.C) 6 a.m. D) 8 a.m.

27. The diagram below shows the latitude and longitudelines on Earth. Points A and B are locations onEarth's surface.

If it is 4 a.m. at location A, what time is it at location B?

A) light reflects from crystal surfacesB) energy is released during crystallizationC) of impurities that produce surface variationsD) of the internal arrangement of the atoms

28. The diagrams below show the crystal shapes of twominerals.

Quartz and halite have different crystal shapesprimarily because

A) 40 m/km B) 80 m/kmC) 100 m/km D) 120 m/km

29. The topographic map below shows a hill. Points X and Y represent locations on the hill's surface.Elevations are shown in meters.

What is the gradient between points X and Y?

A) Mercury is larger than Earth, so it gets hit withmore meteors.

B) Mercury is an older planet, so it has a longerhistory of meteor impacts.

C) Earth’s less dense water surface attracts fewermeteors.

D) Earth’s hydrosphere and atmosphere destroyedor buried most meteor impact sites.

30. Why is the surface of Mercury covered with meteorimpact craters, while Earth’s surface has relativelyfew craters?

A) 43° B) 47° C) 76° D) 90º

31. What is the approximate altitude of Polaris atSyracuse, New York?

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Base your answers to questions 32 through 34 on the topographic map below. Points X, Y, and Z arelocations on the map. Elevations are expressed in meters.

A) B)

C) D)

32. Which profile best represents the topography along the dashed line from point X to point Y?

A) 190 m B) 220 m C) 240 m D) 250 m

33. What is the elevation of point Z?

A) southeast B) southwest C) northeast D) northwest

34. Mill River generally flows toward the

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35. Base your answer to the following question on the drawings of six sedimentary rocks labeled A through F.

A)

B)

C)

D)

Which table shows the rocks correctly classified by texture?

A) physical weathering of sandstoneB) physical weathering of limestoneC) chemical weathering of sandstoneD) chemical weathering of limestone

36. The block diagram below represents caves thatdeveloped in a region over time.

Which type of weathering was primarily responsiblefor the development of these caves?

A) The quartzite formed from molten magma.B) The limestone is thicker than the quartzite.C) The quartzite is older than the limestone.D) The limestone is less resistant to weathering

than the quartzite.

37. The cross section below shows residual soils thatdeveloped on rock outcrops of metamorphicquartzite and sedimentary limestone.

Which statement best explains why the soil isthicker above the limestone than it is above thequartzite?

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38. Base your answer to the following question on the data table below, which lists some properties offour minerals that are used as ores of zinc (Zn).

A) zincite B) willemite C) sphalerite D) smithsonite

Which mineral belongs in the same mineral group as quartz and olivine?

Base your answers to questions 39 through 41 on the diagram below, which shows four tubescontaining 500 milliliters of sediment labeled A, B, C, and D. Each tube contains well-sorted, looselypacked particles of uniform shape and size and is open at the top. The classification of the sediment ineach tube is labeled.

A) saturated and impermeable B) saturated and permeableC) unsaturated and impermeable D) unsaturated and permeable

39. Water will be able to infiltrate each of these sediment samples if the sediment is

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A) B)

C) D)

40. Water was poured into each tube of sediment and the time it took for the water to infiltrate tothe bottom was recorded, in seconds. Which data table best represents the recorded results?

A) A B) B C) C D) D

41. Each tube is filled with water to the top of the sediments and the tube is covered with a fine screen.The tubes are then tipped upside down so the water can drain. In which tube would the sedimentretain the most water?

A) B)

C) D)

42. The diagram below represents a geologic crosssection.

Which rock type appears to have weathered anderoded the most?

A) sorted and layeredB) sorted and not layeredC) unsorted and layeredD) unsorted and not layered

43. Sediments found in glacial moraines are bestdescribed as

A) It is located at a high elevation in amountainous area.

B) It is less than 25 centimeters in diameter.C) Its composition is different from that of the

bedrock under it.D) It appears to have been intensely

metamorphosed.

44. What is the best evidence that a glacial erratic hasbeen transported?

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45. Base your answer to the following question on the two tables below and on your knowledge of Earthscience. Table 1 shows the composition, hardness, and average density of four minerals often used asgemstones. Table 2 lists the minerals in Moh's Scale of Hardness from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).

A) internal arrangement of atoms B) geologic time of formationC) oxygen content D) natural abundance

The hardness and density of each gemstone is based primarily on the gemstone's

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Base your answers to questions 46 through 48 on the graph below and on your knowledge of Earthscience.

The graph shows the temperature, pressure, and depth environments for the formation of the threemajor rock types. Pressure is shown in kilobars (kb). Letters A through D identify differentenvironmental conditions for rock formation.

A) A B) B C) C D) D

46. Which letter represents the environmental conditions necessary to form gneiss?

A) quartzite B) scoria C) shale D) granite

47. Which rock is most likely to form directly from rock material at a depth of 30 km and a temperatureof 1000°C?

A) 2 kb and 150°C B) 6 kb and 200°CC) 10 kb and 400°C D) 12 kb and 900°C

48. At what pressure and temperature is sand most likely to be compacted into sandstone?

A) 110 cm/s B) 190 cm/sC) 325 cm/s D) 425 cm/s

49. What is the approximate minimum stream velocityneeded to keep a particle in motion that has adiameter of 10 centimeters?

A) rock salt and gypsumB) limestone and graniteC) gneiss and quartziteD) conglomerate and sandstone

50. Which two types of rock are most commonly foundas outcrops in New York State’s Newark Lowlandslandscape region?

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51. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below. Rock units are labeled 1 through 8. The line between A and A' indicates anunconformity.

A) marble B) basalt C) quartzite D) hornfels

Which rock most probably formed in the contact metamorphic zone within rock unit 6?

A) It will become jagged and its mass willdecrease.

B) It will become jagged and its volume willincrease.

C) It will become rounded and its mass willincrease.

D) It will become rounded and its volume willdecrease.

52. What change will a pebble usually undergo when itis transported a great distance by streams?

A) high elevation with distorted bedrockB) high elevation with nearly horizontal layers of

bedrockC) low elevation with distorted bedrockD) low elevation with nearly horizontal layers of

bedrock

53. New York’s Tug Hill landscape region is classifiedas a plateau because this region has a

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A) B)

C) D)

54. The diagram below represents three identical beakers filled to the same level with spherical beads.

If the packing of the beads within each beaker is the same, which graph best represents the porositywithin each beaker?

A) chemical weathering B) wind actionC) mass movement D) rock abrasion

55. The diagrams below represent four different examples of one process that transports sediments.

Which process is shown in these diagrams?

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A) B)

C) D)

56. The cross section below shows the movement of wind-driven sand particles that strike a partlyexposed basalt cobble located at the surface of a windy desert.

Which cross section best represents the appearance of this cobble after many years of exposure to thewind-driven sand?

A) The rate of deposition is less than the rate of erosion.B) The rate of deposition is greater than the rate of erosion.C) Sea level is slowly falling.D) Sea level is slowly rising.

57. The diagrams below show gradual stages 1, 2, and 3 in the development of a river delta where a riverenters an ocean.

Which statement best explains why the river delta is developing at this site?

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58. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which shows the edge of acontinental glacier that is receding. R indicates elongated hills. The ridge of sediments from X to Y represents a landscape feature.

A) sorted and deposited by ice B) sorted and deposited by meltwaterC) unsorted and deposited by ice D) unsorted and deposited by meltwater

The ridge of sediments from X to Y can best be described as

A) less total volumeB) more chemical bondsC) more total surface areaD) lower density

59. The demonstration shown in the diagram belowindicates that powdered limestone reacts faster thana single large piece of limestone of equal mass whenboth are placed in acid.

The most likely reason powdered limestone reactsfaster is that it has

A) A and B B) B and CC) C and D D) D and A

60. The map below shows a meandering stream as itenters a lake. The arrow shows the direction ofstream flow. Points A through D represent locationson the surface of the stream.

The greatest stream velocities are found closest topoints

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A) erosion by glaciersB) erosion by running waterC) capillarity and human activityD) weathering and biological activity

61. The cross section below shows a soil profile.

This soil was formed primarily by

A) weakly consolidated gravels and sandsB) quartzites, dolostones, marbles, and schistsC) conglomerates, red sandstones, basalt, and

diabaseD) limestones, shales, sandstones, and

conglomerates

62. In New York State, the surface bedrock of theCatskills consists mainly of

A) A and D B) B and FC) C and E D) D and E

63. The cross section below shows layers of sedimentsdeposited in a region of Wisconsin that hasexperienced several periods of glaciation.Descriptions of the sediments in layers A through F are included.

Which two layers of sediments were probablydeposited directly by glaciers?

A) type of bedrock B) amount of foldingC) time D) climate

64. The diagrams below represent two different plateaus.

Which factor was probably most important incausing one plateau to develop smooth, roundedsurface features and the other plateau to developsharp, angular surface features?

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A)

B)

C)

D)

65. Which profile best shows the general depositional pattern that occurs when water from a streamenters the ocean?