PHY 102 COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2025/2026 QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS MARKED A+
✔✔What are three types of energy involved in a roller coaster - ✔✔Potential energy,
kinetic energy, and gravitational potential energy
✔✔What are four ways earths atmosphere protects life - ✔✔1. The ozone layer blocks
out harmful forms of radiation
2. Earths atmosphere contains water so it regulates the balance of water on earth and
delivers precipitation to areas without water
3. Oxygen and carbon dioxide balance to prevent global warming
4. Nitrogen helps make life-sustaining soil
✔✔What are easy low-cost things to do before earthquake? - ✔✔Prepare an
emergency plan, prepare food water flashlight and first aid kit, and make sure the
foundation and fireplaces are stable in case of emergency
✔✔What are three kinds of rocks - ✔✔sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous
✔✔Why are major observatories on high mountain tops or in space? - ✔✔Mainly to get
away from distortion of starlight due to the atmosphere, because the. Elevation the
telescopes are above most water vapor so infrared astronomy can be done
✔✔✔✔What type of glacier forms at the bottom of mountains were several other
glaciers combine - ✔✔Piedmont
✔✔When mass wasting drops debris onto a glacier, which landform is created? -
✔✔Moraine
✔✔Where does the most erosion caused by glaciers occur - ✔✔Where the glacier
meets the valley floor
✔✔Which of the following causes more discharge of water - ✔✔A shallow gradient
✔✔Which of the following has a low permeability - ✔✔Aquitards
✔✔Which type of flood is the most dangerous - ✔✔Flash
✔✔Which type of mass wasting cost the most money in damages - ✔✔Slow
✔✔Which of the following is false about tropical soil? - ✔✔It is fertile
✔✔What determines the viscosity of magma? - ✔✔Both silica and gas content
, ✔✔What kind of basaltic lava is sharp when it hardens? - ✔✔AA
✔✔What kind of magma forms the dangerous pyroclastic flows? - ✔✔Granitic
✔✔Which of the following is true about Yellowstone National Park? - ✔✔There's a
hotspot below that erupts about every 600,000 years
✔✔Which type of volcano has a vicious lava that builds up in the dome of the volcano
before too much pressure is present and erupts? - ✔✔Stratovolcano
✔✔Which type of volcano is the most dangerous? - ✔✔Composite
✔✔What is the location where the rupture of an earthquake occurs? - ✔✔Focus
✔✔Which of the following has an intraplate earthquake? - ✔✔The New Madrid
earthquake of 1811 to 1812
✔✔Suppose a rock is subjected to a large amount of heat and pressure and is
transformed without being melted what kind of rock is this? - ✔✔Metamorphic
✔✔The most economically important minerals are... - ✔✔Non-silicates
✔✔This particular property does not increase linearly for example this property for
diamond is 140 times greater than it is for the next closest mineral, corundum. What is
the property? - ✔✔Hardness
✔✔What is it called when a mineral is split along weak bonds? What is it called when a
mineral without weak bonds breaks? - ✔✔Cleavage, fracture
✔✔Which of the following is classified as a non-silicate? - ✔✔Native elements
✔✔Which type of volcano is the smallest and shortest lived? - ✔✔Cinder cone
✔✔A P-wave is which of the following? - ✔✔Primary wave, longitudinal wave, And
pressure wave
✔✔How do we get information About the earths interior? - ✔✔We study seismic waves
and use numerical models
✔✔What causes earths plates to move? - ✔✔Convection
AND SOLUTIONS MARKED A+
✔✔What are three types of energy involved in a roller coaster - ✔✔Potential energy,
kinetic energy, and gravitational potential energy
✔✔What are four ways earths atmosphere protects life - ✔✔1. The ozone layer blocks
out harmful forms of radiation
2. Earths atmosphere contains water so it regulates the balance of water on earth and
delivers precipitation to areas without water
3. Oxygen and carbon dioxide balance to prevent global warming
4. Nitrogen helps make life-sustaining soil
✔✔What are easy low-cost things to do before earthquake? - ✔✔Prepare an
emergency plan, prepare food water flashlight and first aid kit, and make sure the
foundation and fireplaces are stable in case of emergency
✔✔What are three kinds of rocks - ✔✔sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous
✔✔Why are major observatories on high mountain tops or in space? - ✔✔Mainly to get
away from distortion of starlight due to the atmosphere, because the. Elevation the
telescopes are above most water vapor so infrared astronomy can be done
✔✔✔✔What type of glacier forms at the bottom of mountains were several other
glaciers combine - ✔✔Piedmont
✔✔When mass wasting drops debris onto a glacier, which landform is created? -
✔✔Moraine
✔✔Where does the most erosion caused by glaciers occur - ✔✔Where the glacier
meets the valley floor
✔✔Which of the following causes more discharge of water - ✔✔A shallow gradient
✔✔Which of the following has a low permeability - ✔✔Aquitards
✔✔Which type of flood is the most dangerous - ✔✔Flash
✔✔Which type of mass wasting cost the most money in damages - ✔✔Slow
✔✔Which of the following is false about tropical soil? - ✔✔It is fertile
✔✔What determines the viscosity of magma? - ✔✔Both silica and gas content
, ✔✔What kind of basaltic lava is sharp when it hardens? - ✔✔AA
✔✔What kind of magma forms the dangerous pyroclastic flows? - ✔✔Granitic
✔✔Which of the following is true about Yellowstone National Park? - ✔✔There's a
hotspot below that erupts about every 600,000 years
✔✔Which type of volcano has a vicious lava that builds up in the dome of the volcano
before too much pressure is present and erupts? - ✔✔Stratovolcano
✔✔Which type of volcano is the most dangerous? - ✔✔Composite
✔✔What is the location where the rupture of an earthquake occurs? - ✔✔Focus
✔✔Which of the following has an intraplate earthquake? - ✔✔The New Madrid
earthquake of 1811 to 1812
✔✔Suppose a rock is subjected to a large amount of heat and pressure and is
transformed without being melted what kind of rock is this? - ✔✔Metamorphic
✔✔The most economically important minerals are... - ✔✔Non-silicates
✔✔This particular property does not increase linearly for example this property for
diamond is 140 times greater than it is for the next closest mineral, corundum. What is
the property? - ✔✔Hardness
✔✔What is it called when a mineral is split along weak bonds? What is it called when a
mineral without weak bonds breaks? - ✔✔Cleavage, fracture
✔✔Which of the following is classified as a non-silicate? - ✔✔Native elements
✔✔Which type of volcano is the smallest and shortest lived? - ✔✔Cinder cone
✔✔A P-wave is which of the following? - ✔✔Primary wave, longitudinal wave, And
pressure wave
✔✔How do we get information About the earths interior? - ✔✔We study seismic waves
and use numerical models
✔✔What causes earths plates to move? - ✔✔Convection
