1
of 25
Compared to air, seawater is stable. As a result, physical conditions ______ in the sea.

are always changing

fluctuate wildly

remain relatively constant

change between night and day

are always exactly the same at all depths

Question
2
of 25
The _______ provided by seawater allows marine organisms to reach large size without having a skeleton.

temperature

buoyancy

salinity

transparency

oxygen content

Question
3
of 25
Which of the earth’s layers is considered to be its coolest?

Crust

Mantle

Inner Core

Asthenosphere

Outer Core

Question
4
of 25
Which of the following events removes dissolved oxygen (DO) from seawater?

Photosynthesis

Cellular respiration

Diffusion from the atmosphere

Loss of carbon from living tissue

Death of plankton at the sea bottom

Question
5
of 25
An object will sink in seawater if its density is ______________________.

greater than the density of sea water

less than the density of sea water

the same density as sea water

increasing with seawater depth

decreasing with seawater depth

Question
6
of 25
Places where crust plunges down into the mantle and is destroyed are called ___________ zones.

subduction

spreading

anomalous

tectonic

earthquake

Question
7
of 25
Which of the following statements about the salinity of seawater is FALSE?

Salinity is the total concentration of salts dissolved in the water.

Salinity averages 3.5% for most oceans.

If a person adds freshwater to seawater, the salinity will rise.

Seawater is more buoyant than freshwater.

Seawater tastes salty to humans.

Question
8
of 25
At 4°C_____________.

water will begin to boil

water converts to steam

all life moves more slowly in water

water molecules become more compact down to 2°C

water reaches its maximum density

Question
9
of 25
Hydrothermal vents form as a result of the accumulation of

animals from the deepest parts of the sea.

bodies of dead organisms that accumulate on the bottom of the sea.

rocks and debris dislocated by submarine movements.

various kinds of minerals.

lava as it flows out of cracks in the crust.

Question
10
of 25
Which wavelength penetrates the least distance in water?

Blue

Green

Yellow

Red

Violet

Question
11
of 25
The distance between the crests of two adjacent waves is called the __________.

wavelength

trough

amplitude

period

frequency

Question
12
of 25
The steepest part of the continental margin is known as the

shelf break.

continental rise.

edge of the abyssal plain.

continental slope.

shoreline.

Question
13
of 25
Tides are caused by

patterns of ocean current deflection.

pulses of magma flowing from the center of the earth.

gravitational attraction of the moon and sun.

plates of the earth’s crust rubbing together.

the Coriolis Effect.

Question
14
of 25
The major continents have achieved their present position as a result of a geologic event known as ___.

continental migration

plate movement of land masses

earth-shift dynamic

continental drift

land-mass subduction

Question
15
of 25
There is evidence that the earth and the rest of the solar system formed about

5 million years ago.

1 billion years ago.

4.5 billion years ago.

10.5 billion years ago.

10 million years ago.

Question
16
of 25
The thinnest layer of the earth is the

inner core.

outer core.

crust.

mantle.

asthenosphere .

Question
17
of 25
Which of the following is not true of mid-ocean ridges?

Earthquakes and volcanoes are associated with them.

The sediments get thinner as one moves away from them.

The rock on the sea floor is older as one moves away from them.

Sea floor spreading is associated with them.

All are interconnected.

Question
18
of 25
Which of the following is the factor that most affects wind patterns in the atmosphere of the earth?

Evaporation

Cloud cover

Temperature

Katabatic winds

Gravitational pull of sun and moon

Question
19
of 25
Spring tides are caused by which of the following?

Gravitational attraction of the moon

Gravitational attraction of the sun

Gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun when in line

Gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun when at right angles to each other

Ocean currents

Question
20
of 25
The main thermocline is located at the zone

right above the mixed layer.

between the warm and cold layers.

along the bottom.

below the intermediate layer.

right at the surface in warm tropical water.

Question
21
of 25
How does the oxygen content of the ocean compare to the air that humans breathe?

Higher oxygen content

Lower oxygen content

No significant difference exists

Depends of the salinity of the water

Depends on the depth of the water

Question
22
of 25
Every
4,000 years a significant mixing of water from the depths of the ocean
occurs. This mixing is the result of ______________________.

thermocurrent density gradients

tidal shift events

El Niño

surface layer mixing

the great ocean conveyor

Question
23
of 25
The deadliest waves are known as _________________.

submerged waves

tsunamis

electromagnetic waves

surface waves

surging waves

Question
24
of 25
When a wave reaches the shore, _____________________.

the wavelength increases as the depth increases

the time between waves becomes longer

the depth decreases and the wave becomes more smooth

salinity decreases and the wave “breaks”

the wavelength shortens, and the wave becomes higher and steeper

Question
25
of 25
Life around hydrothermal vents depends on

photosynthesis carried on by sea grass and other plants.

oxygen production by surface zooplankton.

food production by chemosynthetic bacteria.

light from the surface coming through tropical thermoclines.

the breakdown of dead phytoplankton drifting down from the surface.