NOVA: Making North America: Origins Name: _________________________
Video Questions [Key]
Date: __________ Class: __________
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/making-north-america-origins/
How did North America form? To answer this question, Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
History takes the viewer on an odyssey of time and space, from earth’s origin to the episodes of geologic history that pieced together
the North American landmass. Answer the following questions while watching NOVA: Making North America: Origins. Select the correct
multiple-choice or True & False response for each question. After the video, write the letter of each answer in the blank at the
beginning of each question. The questions follow the same order as the information shown in the video.
1. __A_. According to the video, which place is a “paradise for geologists”?
A) Grand Canyon B) Gooseberry Park C) Central Park
2. __B_. Which type of rock forms “layer after layer…”?
A) Igneous B) Sedimentary C) Metamorphic
3. __A_. How old is the Esplanade Layer?
A) 300 million years B) 340 million years C) 1.7 billion years
4. __B_. Which type of environment was the Esplanade Layer, 300 million years ago?
A) Warm, shallow sea B) Desert landscape C) Polar tundra
5. __B_. When did a warm, shallow sea cover the American southwest?
A) 300 million years ago B) 340 million years ago C) C) 1.7 billion years
6. __A_. What did “trillions of microscopic marine organisms” become compressed into?
A) Limestone B) Shale C) Sandstone
7. __C_. What is the granddaddy of Grand Canyon Rocks? A) Sandstone B) Limestone C) Granodiorite
8. __C_. How old are the rocks at the bottom of the Canyon?
A) 300 million years B) 340 million years C) 1.7 billion years
9. __A_. What was the earth like 4 billion years ago?
A) A lump of molten rock B) A living planet of continents and oceans C) A hellish scene
10. __B_. According to the video, where is a place that resembles earth’s earliest land?
A) Arizona B) Hawaii C) Lake Superior
11. __A_. According to the video, what is one of the most active volcanoes on earth?
A) Mt. Kilauea B) Mt. Vesuvius C) Mt. Erebus
12. __B_. Which rock forms the “stuff of our continents”? A) Granite B) Magma C) Lava
13. __A_. How do the plates move?
A) Like a giant conveyor belt B) Like a flowing stream C) Like a slow-motion car crash
14. __C_. Where is the Lac des Iles open-pit mine located?
A) Kilauea, Hawaii B) Northwestern Arizona C) Thunder Bay, Ontario
15. __A_. What is mined at Lac des Iles? A) Palladium B) Gold C) Amethyst
16. __B_. According to Kirk, what was “mind-blowing” about Lac des Iles rock?
A) The metal content B) The age (3 billion years) C) The depth, about ½ mile
17. __B_. What is the name of the “very first version of our continent?” A) Pangaea B) Laurentia C) Rodinia
18. __A_. What was Kirk “beachcombing” for? A) Lake Superior agate B) Native gold C) Geodes
19. __C_. What type of rock is found at Gooseberry Falls, Minnesota? A) Granite B) Plutonic C) Volcanic basalt
20. __A_. What equipment does Emily use for research?
A) An array of seismic sensors B) Geologic compass C) Remote sensing satellite imagery
This study source was downloaded by 100000899606070 from CourseHero.com on 02-22-2026 22:27:50 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/89210262/NOVA-Making-North-America-Keydocx/
Video Questions [Key]
Date: __________ Class: __________
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/making-north-america-origins/
How did North America form? To answer this question, Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
History takes the viewer on an odyssey of time and space, from earth’s origin to the episodes of geologic history that pieced together
the North American landmass. Answer the following questions while watching NOVA: Making North America: Origins. Select the correct
multiple-choice or True & False response for each question. After the video, write the letter of each answer in the blank at the
beginning of each question. The questions follow the same order as the information shown in the video.
1. __A_. According to the video, which place is a “paradise for geologists”?
A) Grand Canyon B) Gooseberry Park C) Central Park
2. __B_. Which type of rock forms “layer after layer…”?
A) Igneous B) Sedimentary C) Metamorphic
3. __A_. How old is the Esplanade Layer?
A) 300 million years B) 340 million years C) 1.7 billion years
4. __B_. Which type of environment was the Esplanade Layer, 300 million years ago?
A) Warm, shallow sea B) Desert landscape C) Polar tundra
5. __B_. When did a warm, shallow sea cover the American southwest?
A) 300 million years ago B) 340 million years ago C) C) 1.7 billion years
6. __A_. What did “trillions of microscopic marine organisms” become compressed into?
A) Limestone B) Shale C) Sandstone
7. __C_. What is the granddaddy of Grand Canyon Rocks? A) Sandstone B) Limestone C) Granodiorite
8. __C_. How old are the rocks at the bottom of the Canyon?
A) 300 million years B) 340 million years C) 1.7 billion years
9. __A_. What was the earth like 4 billion years ago?
A) A lump of molten rock B) A living planet of continents and oceans C) A hellish scene
10. __B_. According to the video, where is a place that resembles earth’s earliest land?
A) Arizona B) Hawaii C) Lake Superior
11. __A_. According to the video, what is one of the most active volcanoes on earth?
A) Mt. Kilauea B) Mt. Vesuvius C) Mt. Erebus
12. __B_. Which rock forms the “stuff of our continents”? A) Granite B) Magma C) Lava
13. __A_. How do the plates move?
A) Like a giant conveyor belt B) Like a flowing stream C) Like a slow-motion car crash
14. __C_. Where is the Lac des Iles open-pit mine located?
A) Kilauea, Hawaii B) Northwestern Arizona C) Thunder Bay, Ontario
15. __A_. What is mined at Lac des Iles? A) Palladium B) Gold C) Amethyst
16. __B_. According to Kirk, what was “mind-blowing” about Lac des Iles rock?
A) The metal content B) The age (3 billion years) C) The depth, about ½ mile
17. __B_. What is the name of the “very first version of our continent?” A) Pangaea B) Laurentia C) Rodinia
18. __A_. What was Kirk “beachcombing” for? A) Lake Superior agate B) Native gold C) Geodes
19. __C_. What type of rock is found at Gooseberry Falls, Minnesota? A) Granite B) Plutonic C) Volcanic basalt
20. __A_. What equipment does Emily use for research?
A) An array of seismic sensors B) Geologic compass C) Remote sensing satellite imagery
This study source was downloaded by 100000899606070 from CourseHero.com on 02-22-2026 22:27:50 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/89210262/NOVA-Making-North-America-Keydocx/
