Plate Motion End-of-Unit Assessment

What is Earth’s outer layer like beneath the surface?

• It is made of sand and water.

• It is made of hard, solid rock.

• Under soil, it is rock; under ocean, it is sand.

• Under soil, it is water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

Dr. Raisa and her team of geologists have been studying GPS data that shows that two plates moved apart. Which diagram shows what happened between the two plates as they moved away from each other?

• Diagram A: A new plate from underneath filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram B: Sand and dirt filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram C: Ocean water filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram D: Soft, solid rock from underneath the plates rose and hardened, adding solid rock to the edges of both plates.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Fossil remains of Lystrosaurus have been found in India and South Africa. They lived on land and could not swim. Now, there is an ocean between these fossils. What explains how they got so far apart?

• India and South Africa are on different plates. The plates moved apart as rock was added to the edges over millions of years.

• India and South Africa are on different plates. The plates floated away from each other across the ocean.

• India and South Africa are on different plates. The plates moved apart as new plates formed between them over millions of years.

• India and South Africa are on different plates. The plates were pushed apart by earthquakes, and rock was added to the edges.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

If we took a cross section of a potted plant by cutting it vertically, what would the cross section look like?

• Diagram A

• Diagram B

• Diagram C

• Diagram D

Where will the geologists find hard, solid rock?

• neither under 1 nor 2, because there is sand and gravel under both places

• neither under 1 nor 2, because there is water under both places

• under 1 and 2, because Earth’s entire outer layer is made of hard, solid rock

• only under 1, because Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock under continents but not under the ocean

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Dr. Patel and her team have been using GPS to track two plates that are moving toward each other. Which diagram shows what is happening at the place where the plates are moving toward each other?

• Diagram A: Two plates are hitting each other, and the plates are breaking into pieces, creating sand.

• Diagram B: Two plates are pushing against each other, causing the edges to bend upward.

• Diagram C: One plate is going underneath the other plate and sinking into the soft rock below.

• Diagram D: One plate is going underneath the other plate and sinking into the ocean below.

Similar rock formations have been found in Brazil and South Africa, formed at the same time and made of the same rocks. How did these rocks end up so far apart?

• Brazil and South Africa are on different plates. Earthquakes pushed them apart, adding rock to the plate edges.

• Brazil and South Africa are on different plates. The plates drifted apart across the ocean.

• Brazil and South Africa are on different plates. New plates formed between them, moving them apart over millions of years.

• Brazil and South Africa are on different plates. Rock was added to the plate edges, moving them apart over millions of years.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Patterns on this map tell us that . . .

• volcanic activity and earthquakes can cause damage to buildings and hurt people.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in similar areas.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in random locations all over the map.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in the following order: volcanic activity, earthquake, volcanic activity, earthquake, and so on.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which statement best describes what Earth’s outer layer is like underneath the surface in the image?

• Underneath the soil, Earth’s outer layer is made of water.

• Underneath the soil, Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock. Underneath the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of sand.

• Underneath both the soil and the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock.

• Underneath both the soil and the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of sand and water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

What would a vertical cross section of an apple look like?

• Diagram A

• Diagram B

• Diagram C

• Diagram D