ACAP Science Practice (Weather, Climate, and Plate Tectonics)

Stacey and her family are hiking in Olympic National Park in the state of Washington. Stacey is pointing out the valleys and explaining how they form. She knows that glaciers are still in the park.

What evidence does Stacey look for to determine whether the valleys were formed by glaciers?

• valleys with lots of trees on either side because as the glaciers retreated they deposited seeds picked up from other areas

• valleys with lots of fossils in the rock layers because as the glaciers were increasing in size, the ice preserved remains of organisms

• valleys that are V-shaped because when the glaciers melted, the flowing water quickly cut down through rock

• valleys that are U-shaped because when the glaciers slowly moved through the area they scraped away and smoothed the rock

Answer explanation

6.COS.5. Use evidence to explain how different geologic processes shape Earth’s history over widely varying scales of space and time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

A student plans to further study how water affects weathering in rocks. Which is the best question for the student to investigate to continue this study?

• How do plants affect weathering?

• Does wind speed affect weathering in rocks?

• Does the type of rock determine how fast water will weather it?

• Does littering by humans cause rocks to weather faster?

Answer explanation

6.COS.8. Plan and carry out investigations that demonstrate the chemical and physical processes that form rocks and cycle Earth materials.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Students created a model to explain how the flow of Earth's internal energy drives a cycling of matter between Earth's surface and deep interior. They took a beaker with water and placed one third of it over a hot plate, one third of the beaker over open air, and one third of it over a cool wooden block.

Then, they added drops of food coloring over the cool end of the beaker to observe the movement of the cool water. Which would most likely be what students would observe next?

• The cool water would rise and travel toward the hot end because cool water is more dense than hot water.

• The cool water would sink and travel toward the hot end because cool water is more dense than hot water.

• The cool water would rise and travel toward the hot end because cool water is less dense than hot water.

• The cool water would sink and travel toward the hot end because cool water is less dense than hot water.

Answer explanation

6.COS.9. Use models to explain how the flow of Earth’s internal energy drives a cycling of matter between Earth’s surface and deep interior causing plate movements.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

 The diagram shows where fossils of two different species, Lystrosaurus and Glossopteris, have been found on more than one continent.

How is this kind of evidence best used by scientists?

• to determine how the rocks formed on the different continents

• to predict how the continents might look in the future with continued plate movement

• to explain the process of how the continents are in different locations today than in the past

• to support the theory that these continents were once joined together but then moved apart over time

Answer explanation

6.COS.6. Provide evidence from data of the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to explain past plate motions.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Martin recently moved to a town in another state where the main industry is coal mining. He concludes that the area must be much more rich in coal deposits than his old home.

Which would best explain why coal is distributed unevenly?

• The water cycle causes sediments to be deposited in new areas.

• Some areas receive more lightning strikes than others.

• Divergent plate boundaries allow magma to erupt and form into coal.

• Some areas were once populated by dense plant matter that decayed over millions of years.

Answer explanation

6.COS.10. Use research-based evidence to propose a scientific explanation regarding how the distribution of Earth’s resources such as minerals, fossil fuels, and groundwater are the result of ongoing geoscience processes.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

Tessa is studying sketches of two different volcanoes.

Which choice best explains why Volcano A looks different from Volcano B?

• Volcano A was formed by very viscous lava.

• Volcano B was formed by very viscous lava.

• Volcano A was formed by ash only.

• Volcano B was formed by ash only.

Answer explanation

6.COS.8. Plan and carry out investigations that demonstrate the chemical and physical processes that form rocks and cycle Earth materials.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Nolan claims that it took millions of years for the volcano to look like it does in the photograph on the left and only minutes for the volcano to look like it does in the photograph on the right. What is the most likely cause for the volcano to look like the picture on the right which would support Nolan's claim?

• repeated eruptions of lava

• extreme pressure

• lava cooling to become rock

• rocks thrown from the volcano pile up around the crater

Answer explanation

6.COS.5. Use evidence to explain how different geologic processes shape Earth’s history over widely varying scales of space and time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Students are planning an investigation to model different parts of the rock cycle using a collection of different colored marshmallows. For one part of their investigation, they decide to leave the marshmallows in a bowl of lemon juice overnight. This would best represent which process?

• sedimentation

• crystallization

• chemical weathering

• physical weathering

Answer explanation

6.COS.8. Plan and carry out investigations that demonstrate the chemical and physical processes that form rocks and cycle Earth materials.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

The map shows where glaciers existed 250 million years ago. Which explanation is supported by the data in the map?

• Glaciers formed in the locations shown on the map because of a change in climate that caused the southern hemisphere to experience an ice age.

• Glaciers at one time covered most of the continents in the world, but the glaciers melted and the areas on the map are places where glaciers still remain.

• There is evidence of glaciers in the areas identified on the map because the current climate in those areas still supports glacier formation.

• There is evidence of glaciers in the areas identified on the map because the continents were once located near a polar region, but then over time the continents moved apart.

Answer explanation

6.COS.6. Provide evidence from data of the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to explain past plate motions.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Three earthquakes have been recorded on the world map. They are marked A, B, and C.

What was responsible for Earthquake B?

• Plates spreading at the mid-ocean ridge

• One oceanic plate moving beneath another oceanic plate at a trench

• Two continental plates colliding

• Two plates sliding past one another

Answer explanation

6.COS.5. Use evidence to explain how different geologic processes shape Earth’s history over widely varying scales of space and time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3