A) structureB) colorC) crystal sizeD) mineral composition

1. Which characteristic of nonsedimentary rocks wouldprovide the least evidence about the environment inwhich the rocks were formed?

A) Magma must be weathered before it can changeto metamorphic rock.

B) Sediment must be compacted and cementedbefore it can change to sedimentary rock.

C) Sedimentary rock must melt before it can changeto metamorphic rock.

D) Metamorphic rock must melt before it canchange to sedimentary rock.

2. Which statement about the formation of a rock is bestsupported by the rock cycle?

A) igneous and metamorphic rocks, onlyB) metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, onlyC) sedimentary rocks, onlyD) igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks

3. Which type(s) of rock can be the source of depositedsediments?

A) B)

C) D)

4. Which diagram best represents a sample of themetamorphic rock gneiss? [Diagrams show actualsize.]

A) hard igneous rock B) sedimentary rockC) coarse sediments D) silt and mud

5. The diagram below represents the intensity of the shaking that occurs on different Earth surfacesduring the same earthquake.

The greatest earthquake hazard to homes exists when they are built on

6. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below. Rock units are labeled 1through 8. The line between A and A' indicates an unconformity.

A) very hard B) coarse textureC) light color D) felsic composition

Which characteristic of the granite intrusion provides the most evidence that it solidified deepunderground?

A) The pebbles are younger than the rock.B) The pebbles are older than the rock.C) The pebbles are the same age as the rock.D) The relative age of the pebbles cannot be

determined.

7. The diagram below represents a rock consisting ofgranite pebbles and sand grains cemented together.

How does the age of the granite pebbles compare tothe age of the rock itself?

A) The cracks and pebbles are both younger thanthe sedimentary rock.

B) The cracks and pebbles are both older than thesedimentary rock.

C) The cracks are younger and the pebbles areolder than the sedimentary rock.

D) The cracks are older and the pebbles are youngerthan the sedimentary rock.

8. The diagram below represents a sedimentary rockcomposed of pebbles and sand.

Which statement most accurately compares the agesof the cracks and pebbles to the age of thesedimentary rock in which they are found?

Base your answers to questions 9 and 10 on the flowchart below and on your knowledge of Earthscience. The boxes labeled A through G represent rocks and rock materials. Arrows represent theprocesses of the rock cycle.

A) A B) B C) E D) F

9. The arrows in the block diagram below represent forces forming mountains in a region of Earth'slithosphere.

Metamorphic rocks that formed from these forces are represented by which lettered box in theflowchart?

A) E B) G C) C D) D

10. Which lettered box could represent the rock conglomerate?

A) color B) densityC) origin D) age

11. Rocks can be classified as sedimentary, igneous, ormetamorphic based primarily upon differences intheir

A) has a different arrangement of atoms B) forms larger crystalsC) has a different composition D) is older in geologic age

12. The table below lists some information about the minerals graphite and diamond.

Some properties of diamond are different from those of graphite because diamond

A) more aligned B) more angularC) harder D) land derived

13. One difference between a breccia rock and aconglomerate rock is that the particles in a brecciarock are

A) conglomerate rock sampleB) calcite cementC) limestone particlesD) mineral vein

14. The diagram below shows a sample of conglomeraterock.

The oldest part of this sample is the

A) sediments that were deposited on the oceanfloor

B) heat and pressure that changed a preexistingrock

C) volcanic lava that cooled on Earth's surfaceD) a meteor impact on Earth's surface

15. The diagram below shows a rock with deformedstructure and intergrown crystals.

The rock was probably formed by

16. The graph below shows the depth and temperature conditions in Earth's interior under which carbonbecomes either the mineral graphite or the mineral diamond.

Compared to the depth and temperature conditions under which graphite forms, describe thedifference in the relative depth and relative temperature conditions under which most diamonds form.

A) color B) textureC) hardness D) streak

17. Which characteristic of an igneous rock wouldprovide the most information about the environmentin which the rock solidified?

A) means by which they are locatedB) conditions under which they are formedC) minerals of which they are composedD) locations in which they are found

18. The main difference between sedimentary andnonsedimentary rocks is the

A) the calcite veinB) the crack labeled XYC) the sandstone layerD) the individual sand grains in the rock

19. The diagram below represents a layer of sandstonecontaining a vein of calcite and a crack labeled XY.

Which is oldest?

Base your answers to questions 20 and 21 on thepictures of four rocks shown below. Magnified viewsof the rocks are shown in the circles.

A) They show cleavage.B) They contain minerals.C) They are organically formed.D) They formed on Earth’s surface.

20. What do all four rock samples have in common?

A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4

21. Which rock is metamorphic and shows evidence offoliation?

22. Base your answer to the following question on the cross sections of three rock outcrops, A, B, and C. Line XY represents a fault. Overturning has not occurred in the rock outcrops.

A) melting and solidification B) heating and compressionC) compaction and cementation D) weathering and erosion

Which processes were primarily responsible for the formation of most of the rock in outcrop A?

A) textureB) crystal or grain sizeC) method of formationD) mineral composition

23. Rocks are classified as igneous, sedimentary, ormetamorphic based primarily on their

A) B)

C) D)

24. The diagram below represents geological processesthat act continuously on Earth to form different rocktypes.

Which table correctly classifies each rock type?

25. Base your answer to the following question on the geologic cross section of bedrock shown below. A through G identify rock layers and Q represents a fault. Lines W, X, Y, and Z are locations ofunconformities. The rocks have not been overturned.

A) rock A B) rock GC) fault Q D) unconformity Z

Which rock or feature is oldest?

26. Base your answer to the following question on the block diagrams of four rock outcrops, A, B, C, andD, located within 15 kilometers of each other. The rock layers have not been overturned.

A) deposition of clastic sediment B) precipitation from seawaterC) metamorphism of sandstone D) cementation of shells

By which process was the quartzite formed?

A)

B)

C)

D)

27. Which diagram below shows an area in whichfine-grained igneous rocks are most likely to befound?

A) younger than the rockB) older than the rockC) the same age as the rock

28. A sedimentary rock consists of grains of sandcemented together. What is the relative age of thesand grains?

A) pumice B) basaltC) granite D) scoria

29. Which igneous rock has a vesicular texture and afelsic composition?

30. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below showing the underlyingbedrock of New York and New Jersey along the Hudson River.

Identify the oldest bedrock shown in the diagram.

31. Base your answer to the following question on the chart below, which shows the changing climatic conditions that led to alternating glacial andinterglacial periods.

A) The interglacial stages were most likely caused byB) an increase in average worldwide temperatureC) crustal plate movementD) a large increase in the amount of snowfall

The interglacial stages were most likely caused by

A) The sandstone fragments are younger than theconglomerate rock.

B) The sandstone fragments are older than theconglomerate rock.

C) The sandstone fragments and the conglomeraterock are the same age.

D) The sandstone fragments may be either youngeror older than the conglomerate rock.

32. How would the age of sandstone fragments found ina conglomerate rock compare with the age of theconglomerate rock?

33. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below which shows the structure of a student-developed chart for identifying some rocksamples. The circles labeled choice 1 through choice 4 represent decision-making steps leading eitherto path (a) or path (b). Choice 5 has not been completed.

A) a random arrangement of mineral crystalsB) distorted structure and crystal alignmentC) bands of mineral crystalsD) layers of same-sized crystals

At choice 2, the student should generally select path (a) if the student observes

34. Base your answer to the following question on the photograph and cross section below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The sequence ofrock types found in the walls of the Grand Canyon are shown. The names of rock formations areshown and the upper and lower boundaries of each formation are indicated by dashed lines. The rocklayers have not been overturned.

A) gneiss B) marble C) quartzite D) phyllite

If the Vishnu schist had been exposed to greater heat and pressure during metamorphism, it couldhave formed

A) distorted bandingB) an organic compositionC) a mixture of mineralsD) crystals from precipitation

35. The diagram below represents a sample of a rock.

This rock would be classified as metamorphicbecause it shows

A)

B)

C)

D)

36. Which diagram represents a landscape wherefine-grained igneous bedrock is most likely to befound?

A) tilted B) horizontalC) faulted D) folded

37. Most of the sand that makes up the sandstone foundin New York State was originally deposited in whichtype of layers?

A) the color of the rockB) the size of the rockC) the texture of the rockD) the thickness of the rock

38. Which characteristic provides the best evidenceabout the environment in which a rock was formed?