UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Explain the concept of a One World Ocean. - CORRECT ANSWER - all of Earth's oceans
are interconnected
Explain how the Earth's Inner core, outer core, mantle and crust were formed. - CORRECT
ANSWER - use explanation. Formea by acreation, particies clump together to form larger
heavier masses; Earth formed in layers
Explain density stratification - CORRECT ANSWER - pulis heavier elements (iron &
nickel) toward the center of an object, lighter elements (magnesium, alluminum, silicon) to the
outside
Compare the amount of water on Europa to the amount of water found on Earth's ocean. -
CORRECT ANSWER - Europa has much more
Explain how Earth's ocean was formed. - CORRECT ANSWER - water existed in the
atmosphere and eventually cooled and became rain ; water remained as a gas until Earth cooled
below 212
As the young Earth was forming by accretion, a slush of lighter materials silicon, magnesium,
aluminum, and oxygen-bonded compounds rose toward the surface to form what layer of the
Earth? - CORRECT ANSWER - Crust
What process allows water vapor to escape Earth's outer layers to help form the ocean? -
CORRECT ANSWER - outgassing
Explain how Earth's moon is formed. - CORRECT ANSWER - formed from collision with
another planetary body, vapors came from inside the planet by outgassing
, What evidence do we have that suggests that life on Earth almost certainly evolved in the ocean?
- CORRECT ANSWER - blosynthesis
As green plants evolved into multicellular organisms, what major contribution did they make to
Earths changing environment? - CORRECT ANSWER - photosynthesis which created
oxygen which allowed life
What is the average depth of the ocean? - CORRECT ANSWER - 12,081 ft
What is the average temperature of the ocean? - CORRECT ANSWER - 62.9 degrees
What is the average salinity of the ocean? - CORRECT ANSWER - 35%
Describe relative dating and how it works - CORRECT ANSWER - Tells us how old the
Earth/ocean is; determines the age of rocks and fossils
What is a half-life? - CORRECT ANSWER - rate at which an element decays into a new
element
If 50% of the parent-isotope remains, how many half-lives has the sample gone through? -
CORRECT ANSWER -1
If 25% of the parent-isotope remains, how many half-lives has the sample gone through? -
CORRECT ANSWER -2
Explain the satellite image technology of the TOPEX/Posiedon - CORRECT ANSWER -
joint satellite mission to map ocean topography