Practice Quiz

MTEL Earth Science Practice Test - Question List

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6.
A hydrologist is collecting water samples to determine the dissolved oxygen content of a pond that has become choked with weeds. To most closely reflect the actual dissolved oxygen content of the pond water, which of the following methods should the hydrologist use to collect the water samples?
  1. The water should be collected from below the pond's surface in various locations, filling and then sealing the containers rapidly and recording the locations.
  2. The samples should be collected from the pond's surface near the outlet where the water is moving rapidly and few weeds are growing.
  3. The water should be collected from near the bottom, making sure to leave some air space in the container and including some of the organic matter found in the pond.
  4. The samples should be collected near the pond's inlet and should avoid including any organisms or debris that may be in the water.
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7.
A researcher investigating the geologic history of a region collects data on the orientation of a limestone layer exposed along a highway. The convention for reporting the orientation of the limestone layer typically would include which of the following information?
  1. The meters below the land surface of different sections of the top of the exposed part of the limestone.
  2. The angle between an imaginary vertical line and the uppermost surface of the limestone.
  3. The degree measurements that show the strike and dip of the bedding plane of the limestone.
  4. The thickness of the limestone and how it has changed from its original horizontal position.
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8.
Hydrologists are helping establish the variability of discharge on a particular river. They determine the average discharge of the river over the past 100 years using historical data. Which of the following is the best measure of the variability of this data set? 
  1. The median
  2. The standard deviation
  3. The mode
  4. The arithmetic mean
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9.
A scientist collects 50 years of temperature data from the Midwest that show a steady increase in daytime summer temperatures. Which of the following is the best way for the scientist to use these data to make predictions about how the average temperatures may increase in the coming years?
  1. Plot the data set and extend the line of best fit into the coming years.
  2. Take the median of the data set and add that to the average temperature for each coming year.
  3. Determine the range of the data set and assume any future increases will be within that range.
  4. Calculate the total change over time in the data set and assume it reflects the minimum increase in the future.
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10.
Which of the following is the best example of using a physical model to understand a complex natural system?
  1. Paleontologists reconstruct the habitat of an extinct fossilized animal by examining the type of rock in which the animal was found and the associated plant fossils.
  2. Meteorologists use historical data correlating sunspot cycles with short-term temperature changes to predict winter weather several years in advance.
  3. Geologists measure changes in the speed and direction of seismic waves produced by explosions or earthquakes to locate deposits of oil and natural gas.
  4. Oceanographers study damage produced when 25 cm waves are generated in a scaled- down replica of San Francisco Bay to assess how a tsunami might affect the region.
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