WGU C165 Section 3 Test questions with verified
answers
A geologist notices that four layers of rock are stacked directly on top of each
other. The geologist labels the top layer as #1 and the bottom layer as #4. Which
layer is the oldest?
#3
#4
#1
#2 Ans✓✓✓-#4 The rock layer at the bottom is older than the rock layers on the
top by the principle of superposition.
A hydroelectric power plant converts the energy from flowing water in rivers into
electric power. Water exists on Earth in all three states of matter as it makes its
way through the water cycle. What is the main driving force for the water cycle?
The sun by causing evaporation
Fossil fuels in the generating plant
Gravity in changing potential energy of the water into kinetic energy
Earth's interior by heating water Ans✓✓✓-The sun by causing evaporation.
Energy from the sun is what changes water into water vapor and powers the
hydrologic cycle.
At which location are volcanoes and strong earthquakes likely?
At boundaries between converging tectonic plates
At deep sea trenches
At the elevated areas surrounding divergent boundaries
, At boundaries between diverging tectonic plates Ans✓✓✓-At boundaries
between converging tectonic plates. Volcanoes and earthquakes often occur at
convergent boundaries.
In which layer of Earth's atmosphere do storms and other weather phenomena
occur?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Exosphere
Mesosphere Ans✓✓✓-troposphere. This is the lowest layer and the layer in
which weather phenomena occur.
In winter, the prevailing winds from west to east pass over the relatively warm
waters of the Great Lakes. At Watertown, New York, on the eastern edge of Lake
Ontario, the land rises, and the winds force warm, moist air upward. Which kind
of winter weather would this make more likely in Watertown when the wind from
the west is strong and the air is cold?
Snowstorms
Clear skies
Hurricanes
Thunderstorms Ans✓✓✓-snowstorms. This is the mechanism that produces lake-
effect storms. Cooling the moisture-laden air decreases the amount of water
vapor it can hold and causes precipitation.
Many cycles of water getting into a rock and expanding by freezing have produced
large cracks. What is this is an example of?
Erosion
Chemical weathering
answers
A geologist notices that four layers of rock are stacked directly on top of each
other. The geologist labels the top layer as #1 and the bottom layer as #4. Which
layer is the oldest?
#3
#4
#1
#2 Ans✓✓✓-#4 The rock layer at the bottom is older than the rock layers on the
top by the principle of superposition.
A hydroelectric power plant converts the energy from flowing water in rivers into
electric power. Water exists on Earth in all three states of matter as it makes its
way through the water cycle. What is the main driving force for the water cycle?
The sun by causing evaporation
Fossil fuels in the generating plant
Gravity in changing potential energy of the water into kinetic energy
Earth's interior by heating water Ans✓✓✓-The sun by causing evaporation.
Energy from the sun is what changes water into water vapor and powers the
hydrologic cycle.
At which location are volcanoes and strong earthquakes likely?
At boundaries between converging tectonic plates
At deep sea trenches
At the elevated areas surrounding divergent boundaries
, At boundaries between diverging tectonic plates Ans✓✓✓-At boundaries
between converging tectonic plates. Volcanoes and earthquakes often occur at
convergent boundaries.
In which layer of Earth's atmosphere do storms and other weather phenomena
occur?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Exosphere
Mesosphere Ans✓✓✓-troposphere. This is the lowest layer and the layer in
which weather phenomena occur.
In winter, the prevailing winds from west to east pass over the relatively warm
waters of the Great Lakes. At Watertown, New York, on the eastern edge of Lake
Ontario, the land rises, and the winds force warm, moist air upward. Which kind
of winter weather would this make more likely in Watertown when the wind from
the west is strong and the air is cold?
Snowstorms
Clear skies
Hurricanes
Thunderstorms Ans✓✓✓-snowstorms. This is the mechanism that produces lake-
effect storms. Cooling the moisture-laden air decreases the amount of water
vapor it can hold and causes precipitation.
Many cycles of water getting into a rock and expanding by freezing have produced
large cracks. What is this is an example of?
Erosion
Chemical weathering
