Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the
statement or answers the question.
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1.
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The difference between mechanical and chemical weathering is ____.
a. | the length of time each takes to break up a rock | b. | that only chemical
weathering involves water | c. | the way they affect the makeup of a
rock | d. | all of the above |
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2.
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Decayed organic material turns into a dark colored material called
___________.
a. | litter | c. | humus | b. | clay | d. | soil |
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3.
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Chemical weathering ____.
a. | is caused by freezing and thawing | b. | breaks apart rocks by physical
processes | c. | occurs when chemical reactions dissolve or change the minerals in
rocks | d. | none of above |
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4.
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The B horizon is ____.
a. | rockier than the C horizon | c. | lighter in color than the A
horizon | b. | richer in humus than the A horizon | d. | thinner than the C
horizon |
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5.
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The rate of weathering depends upon the area's ____.
a. | oxygen | c. | water | b. | climate | d. | soil |
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6.
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All of the following cause mechanical weathering EXCEPT ____.
a. | ice | c. | burrowing animals | b. | tree roots | d. | carbonic acid |
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7.
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Each layer of a soil profile is called a __________.
a. | horizon | c. | humus | b. | horizontal | d. | litter |
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8.
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 Which of these layers would contain the
most humus? a. | A | c. | C | b. | B | d. | all have the same
amount |
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9.
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Mechanical weathering ____.
a. | breaks apart rocks by physical processes | b. | occurs when chemical
reactions dissolve or change the minerals in rocks | c. | occurs when iron is exposed to oxygen and
water | d. | none of the above |
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10.
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Soil is a mixture of weathered rock, mineral fragments, water, air and
____.
a. | sand | c. | moss | b. | decayed organic matter | d. | clay |
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11.
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____ regions are especially vulnerable to erosion because their soils are useful
to farmers for only a few years before their nutrients are gone.
a. | Desert | c. | Mountain | b. | Tropical | d. | Prairie |
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12.
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Chemical weathering is more rapid in a ____ climate.
a. | warm, dry | c. | cold, dry | b. | warm, wet | d. | cold, wet |
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13.
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The ____ horizon has smaller rock and mineral particles than the other
layers.
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14.
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Soil is a mixture of __________.
a. | weathered rock and water | c. | mineral
fragments | b. | decayed organic matter and oxygen | d. | all of these |
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15.
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Why is ice wedging most obvious in the mountains?
a. | because the altitude directly contributes to how the water freezes in the cracks of
rocks | c. | because the pressure in the mountains allows for the repeated freezing and thawing of
water caught in cracks of rocks | b. | because gravity pulls on the water in the
cracks more if its found higher in the mountains
| d. | because the temperature changes in the
mountains allow for the repeated freezing and thawing of water caught in cracks of
rocks |
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16.
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Mechanical weathering is more rapid in a ____ climate.
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17.
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Soils in ____ contain little organic material and are thin.
a. | tropical areas | c. | prairies | b. | deserts | d. | temperate
forests |
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18.
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Below the C horizon is ____.
a. | topsoil | c. | clay | b. | rock | d. | humus |
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19.
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When water mixes with carbon dioxide in the air, it forms __________.
a. | sulfuric acid | c. | carbonic acid | b. | hydrochloric acid | d. | ozone |
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20.
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The rock and mineral fragments in soil come from rock that has been ____.
a. | blasted | c. | weathered | b. | carved | d. | chemically
treated |
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21.
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Minerals found in the B horizon were dissolved in water and carried there by a
process called ____.
a. | oxidation | c. | weathering | b. | leaching | d. | littering |
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22.
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Surface processes that work to break down rock are called__________.
a. | erosion | c. | ice wedging | b. | weathering | d. | oxidation |
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23.
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Plants cannot grow without ____.
a. | rocks | c. | moss | b. | soil | d. | pesticides |
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24.
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Oxidation occurs when materials containing ____ are exposed to oxygen and
water.
a. | iron | c. | kaolinite | b. | carbonic acid | d. | all of the
above |
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25.
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When water mixes with carbon dioxide gas in the air or soil, ____ forms.
a. | carbonic acid | c. | calcite | b. | lactic acid | d. | oxygen |
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26.
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The organic matter in humus is made of ____.
a. | dead worms | c. | roots | b. | plant stems | d. | all of the
above |
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27.
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How is surface area related to chemical weathering?
a. | Decreased surface area allows for more interactions of rocks with water and
oxygen. | c. | Increased surface area allows for more interactions of rocks with water and
oxygen. | b. | Increased surface area allows for more interactions of rocks with plants and
animals. | d. | Decreased surface
area allows for more ice wedging. |
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28.
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Climate affects soil types; for instance, prairie soils have __________.
a. | thinner A and B horizons due to leaching, which is promoted by
rainfall | c. | granitic C horizons because little or no grass grows there
| b. | thin, lightly
colored A horizons because of the lack of vegetation
| d. | thick, dark, A horizons because of all the
grasses that contribute organic materials |
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29.
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Because desert soils contain little organic material, their soil profiles have
____ horizons.
a. | thick | c. | thin | b. | no | d. | b or c |
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30.
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____ is a factor that affects soil development.
a. | Time | c. | Type of rock | b. | Slope | d. | all of the
above |
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31.
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The layer of soil that contains the most organic material is called the ____
horizon.
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32.
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A soil's composition is dependent on weathering because __________.
a. | it makes the soil more fertile | c. | it keeps the soil
moist | b. | it contributes sediment to the soil | d. | it moves the topsoil to other areas where it is
more needed |
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33.
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In areas where freezing and thawing occur frequently, rocks weather rapidly
because of the ____ of freezing water.
a. | evaporation | c. | leaching | b. | expansion | d. | oxidation |
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34.
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Plants don't grow as well when ____ has been lost.
a. | clay | c. | parent rock | b. | topsoil | d. | slope |
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35.
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 In which
horizon of a soil profile does leaching normally occur? a. | A | c. | C | b. | B | d. | neither of
these |
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36.
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In bottomlands where water is plentiful, soil is often ____.
a. | thin | c. | thick | b. | rocky | d. | light |
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37.
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How do chemical and mechanical weathering
differ?
a. | Mechanical weathering occurs when rocks are broken by physical processes, and
chemical weathering happens when chemical reactions dissolve minerals.
| c. | Chemical weathering
can occur with the help of water reacting with carbon dioxide, and water has nothing to do with
mechanical weathering.
| b. | Mechanical and chemical weathering can happen
with the help of animals.
| d. | Plant roots can help mechanical weathering occur, but have no impact on soil when it
comes to chemical weathering. |
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38.
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Ice wedging is brought about by ____.
a. | carbonic acid freezing on rocks | c. | water freezing and
thawing | b. | water and oxygen reacting | d. | rocks colliding with each other |
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39.
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How does climate affect chemical and mechanical weathering?
a. | Mechanical weathering occurs more rapidly in warm, wet climates, and chemical
weathering occurs more in cold climates.
| c. | Chemical weathering occurs more
rapidly in dry climates and mechanical weathering occurs more in windy
climates.
| b. | Chemical weathering occurs more rapidly in warm, wet climates, and mechanical
weathering occurs more in cold climates.
| d. | Chemical and mechanical weathering occur more
rapidly in warm, wet climates. |
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40.
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Litter often covers the ____ horizon.
a. | A | c. | C | b. | B | d. | all of the
above |
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