Earth and Space Science Praxis Test Questions

A drainage basin is the area of land where surface water is drained downhill into a body of water. A divide is...

• the high ground separating two drainage basins.

• a man-made fence that is built at the top of a drainage basin.

• a line halfway down the slope of a drainage basin.

• the low ground where two drainage basins meet.

What 3 places will agricultural runoff from farms eventually end up?

• biosphere,hydrosphere,atmosphere,geosphere

• atoms,molecules,compounds,mixtures

• organisms,populations,communities,biomes

• in nearby rivers, in distant rivers downstream, and in the ocean

Which of the following is a way in which groundwater becomes surface water?

• infiltration

• wells or springs

• evaporation

• runoff

The water cycle involves water in the liquid, solid, and gaseous states of matter. In which of the following Earth systems can water be found in one or more of these states?

• hydrosphere

• atmosphere

• lithosphere

• all of these

Which of the following is an example of water transferring from the atmosphere to the cryosphere?

• Rain falls on the Earth's surface and seeps into the ground, forming a groundwater reservoir.

• A riverbed dries up during a severe heat wave and drought.

• Snow falls on a glacier and is gradually compacted into ice over many years.

• An iceberg floats into warm waters and melts.

Identify the global winds.

• trade winds, prevailing westerlies, polar easterlies

• gulf stream current, California current, south equatorial current

• Ohio river, Mississippi river, Colorado river

• latitude, longitude, prime meridian

Pilots often take advantage of the ________________, which are high speed winds between 7 km and 16 km above Earth's surface.

• jet stream

• coriolis effect

• upwelling

• sea breeze

Matter on Earth constantly cycles between the different reservoirs of the Earth system. As matter cycles through the Earth's reservoirs, what effect does this have on the total amount of matter on Earth?

• The total amount of matter on Earth constantly decreases.

• The total amount of matter on Earth constantly increases.

• The total amount of matter on Earth remains constant.

• The amount of matter on Earth is equal to the number of living organisms.

Which of the following pathways represents the most probable flow of nitrogen through an ecosystem?

• animals → bacteria → air → plants → bacteria → animals

• animals → plants → bacteria → air → bacteria → animal

• air → bacteria → plants → animals → bacteria → air

• air → plants → bacteria → animals → bacteria → air

The location of ozone in the atmosphere determines whether it is “good” or “bad.” Which of the following statements about ozone is true?

• Ozone in the troposphere is harmful, and ozone in the stratosphere is beneficial.

• Ozone in both the troposphere and the stratosphere is bad.

• Ozone in the stratosphere is harmful, and ozone in the troposphere is beneficial.

• Ozone in both the troposphere and the stratosphere is good.