Sunday, 5 February 2012

INTERNATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE OLYMPIAD -Entrance Test

                                                   Geological Society of India
                       INTERNATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE OLYMPIAD -Entrance Test
                                 Date : January 22, 2012; Time 11.30 am to 1.00 pm


1.    What is the basic difference between terrestrial planets and giant planets ?
    (A) Terrestrial planets have an atmosphere whereas giant planets do not have one.
    (B) Terrestrial planets have a core which is not present in giant planets.
    (C) Terrestrial planets are made up of rocks whereas giant planets are made up of gases.
    (D) Terrestrial planets have a larger number of moons when compared to giant planets.

2.    What is the molten rock material that occurs beneath the earth’s crust called ?
    (A) Magma     (B) Lava     (C) Melt     (D) Mantle

3.    When did the earth’s atmosphere become oxygen rich like the present day atmosphere ?
    (A) With the first appearance of land plants     (B) With the first appearance of dinosaurs
    (C) With the first appearance of marine algae     (D) It was always oxygen rich

4.    Which of the following best defines a mineral and rock ?
    (A) A rock has an orderly, repetitive, geometrical, internal arrangement of minerals; a mineral is a lithified or consolidated aggregate of rocks.
    (B) A mineral consists of its constituent atoms arranged in a geometrically repetitive structure; in a rock, the atoms are randomly bonded without any geometric pattern.
    (C) In a mineral the constituent atoms are bonded in a regular, repetitive, internal structure; a rock is a lithified or consolidated aggregate of different mineral grains.
    (d) A rock consists of atoms bonded in a regular, geometrically predictable arrangement; a mineral is a consolidated aggregate of different rock particles.

5.    Why is basalt finer grained than gabbro ?
    (A) Gabbro formed at greater depths.     (B) Basalt formed from quick cooling of lava.
    (C) Basalt has a mafic composition.         (D) Gabbro has a felsic composition

6.    Visible quartz and potassium feldspar grains are the main constituents in a ___________ .
    (A) Gabbro     (B) Basalt     (C) Rhyolite     (D) Granite

7.    When did land plants first appear on earth ?
    (A) 600 million years ago     (B) 400 million years ago
    (C) 2500 million years ago    (D) 20 million years ago

8.    Which of the following rocks is porous but not permeable ?
    (A) Sandstone     (B) Siltstone     (C) Shale     (D) Marble

9.    The Andaman Island is a good example of _____________ .
    (A) Atolls     (B) Fringing reefs     (C) Coral island     (D) Shingle beach

10.    Which of the following statements about oceanic and continental rocks is true?
    (A) Oceanic rocks are older than continental rocks
    (B) Continental rocks are younger.than oceanic rocks
    (C) Continental rocks are older than oceanic rocks
    (D) Continental and oceanic rocks are of the same age.

11.    Among the following, the softest mineral is __________
    (A) Mica     (B) Talc     (C) Gypsum     (D) Halite

12.     In the ,correct order from the center outward, the Earth has _________.
    (A) Core, inner mantle, outer mantle, crust     (B) Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
    (C) Inner core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere     (D) Core, crust, mantle, hydrosphere

13.    What is the rate at which tectonic (crustal) plates of the earth move?
    (A) A few kilometers a year        (B) A few centimeters a year
    (C) A few micrometers a year     (D) That the earth's plates move is a fallacy

14.    What type of volcanoes form by eruptions dominated by basaltic lava flows?
    (A) composite     (B) stratosphenc     (C) cinder cone     (D) shield

15.     What is the main difference between a conglomerate and a sedimentary breccias?
    (A) Breccia clasts are angular; conglonerate clasts are rounded.
    (B) A breccia is well stratified; a conglomerate is poorly stratified.
    (C) Breccia clasts are the size of baseballs; conglomerate clasts are larger.
    (D) Breccia has a compacted, clay-rich matrix; conglomerate has no matrix.

16.    Which of the following is the most common type of chemical sedimentary rock ?
    (A) Limestone    (B) Chert     (C) Phosphate rock    (D) Quartz sandstone

17.    What is the name of a rock that is composed largely of abundant mica flakes arranged in a parallel manner?
    (A) Gneiss     (B) Schist    (C) Shale     (D) Silt 

18.    Which of the geological era is the youngest in the geologic time scale?
    (A) Precambrian. "     (B) Mesozoic.     (C) Paleozoic.     (D) Quaternary.

19.    ______ is a residue left behind after the weathering of rocks ? 
    (A) Coal     (B) Pyrite     (C) Bauxite     (D) Gypsum

20.    Which one of the following metallic elements is contained in monazite sands?
    (A) Calcium      (B) Uranium      (C) Thorium     (D) Platinum .

21.    Which of the following statements about the equator is incorrect ?
    (A) The sun is always directly overhead at noon on the Equator.
    (B) Equator is a great' circle
    (C) No cyclones form at the equator
    (D) Snow cover is present on the Equator

22.        Desert sand dunes are commonly asymmetrical. The steeper leeward side ________
              (A) faces the downwind direction           (B) faces the upwind direction        
              (C) Is oriented parallel to wind direction           (D) Is not oriented in any direction.    

23.         Which of the following surface ocean currents transports warm water from low to high latitudes?
            (A) The Peru and Canary Currents                        (B) The Labrador and Benguela Currents  
              (C) The Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Currents       (D) The Falkland and Brazil Currents    

24.         Relative humidity is "relative" to ____________ .                        
              (A) Moisture       (B) Temperature       (C) Water vapour pressure   (D) Altitude    

25.    One of the following statements is NOT true of a wave approaching the shore.
           (A) The wavelength increases because of frictional drag.              
           (B) The orbital motion of water in a wave decreases with depth.            
           (C) The wave height increases.                        
           (D) The wave becomes asymmetrical.                        

26.         Circular,   concentric   contours that   show   decreasing   values   towards   the   center represent a ___________ .                            
            (A) Elevation       (B) Depression       (C) River valley       (D) Scarp    

27.        __________ is charatterized by sink-holes, disappearing streams and. caves, and shaped by the dissolution of layers of soluble bedrock such as limestone or dolomite.    
    (A) Yardang      (B) Hummock     (C) Karst     (D) Barchan    

28.         It is known that the Himalaya is rising, though at a very slow rate. Which of the following statements is true ?                        
            (A) The rate at which it grows is compensated equally by erosion.            
            (B) It started growing about 40 to 50 million years ago              
            (C) It is not eroded because there are no rivers at that height.            
            (D) It has stopped growing because the Tethys Sea is closed.            

29.    The region between 35° - 35° north and 30°- 35° south latitudes is characterized by weak winds. This region is called ___________ .                      
            (A) The tropics                                                (B) The doldrums            
            (C) The Inter-tropical Convergence Zone         (D) The horse latitudes        

30.    ______________ is the scale used to measure the intensity of earthquakes.    
            (A) Richter Scale       (B) Modified Mercalli Scale       (C) Fujita Scale     (D) Beaufort Scale    

31.        A point directly below the focus of an earthquake is also known as ___________ .       
       (A) Hypocenter    (B) Epicenter       (C) Antipode       (D) Seismicentric    

32.         Which type of earthquake waves causes the maximum damage and destruction ?    
            (A) P waves               (B) S waves                  
            (C) R-S waves           (D) Raleigh and Love waves        

33.     This rock is made of crystals of quartz, feldspar and mica and is used as a common building stone.
    (A) Pegmatite     (B) Granite     (C) Diorite     (D) Gabbro

34.     __________ are crystals with the same composition but with a different crystal structure .
    (A) Isomorphs     (B) Polymorphs     (C) Polymers     (D)  Amorphous

35.    Which of the following pairs of elements is the most abundant in the Earth?
    (A) Fe and Mg     (B) Fe and O2     (C) Fe and Ni     (D) Si and O2

36.     On a Survey of India toposheet number 570/11, a distance of four centimeters  represents an actual ground distance of _________
    (A) 1Km     (B) 2Km     (C) 8 Km     (D) 16 Km

37.     What is the rigid outer layer (about 75-150 km thick) of the earth called ?
    (A) Asthenosphere     (B) Mesosphere     (C) Crust .     (D) Lithosphere.

38.     Identify the fossil in this picture.
    (A) Gastropod     (B) Brachiopod    (C) Ammonite     (D) Tetrapod 

39.    ______________ is a process by which empty spaces within a dead organism (spaces were filled with liquid or gas during life) get filled with mineral-rich groundwater from which minerals precipitate and occupy the empty spaces.
    (A) Permineralization     (B) Cast     (C) Mold     (D) Impression

40.     What is paleoichnology ?
    (A) Study of fish    (B) Study of trace fossils    (C) Study of ferns     (D) Study of tree rings.

41.     Lahar is a type of _____________________ .
    (A) sea wave     (B) wind     (C) debris flow     (D) lava flow

42.     I lived in the last Ice Age. I am a herbivore. I am a Siberian. Who am I?
    (A) Saber tooth tiger     (B) woolly mammoth     (C) mastodon     (D) giant sloth

43.     Former floodplains along a river are represented by ___________ .
    (A) River terraces     (B) Meanders     (C) River valleys     (D) Canyons

44.    ______________ refers to the material deposited by a stream.
    (A) Alluvium      (B) Lacustrine sediment     (C) Aeolian sediment     (D) Submarine sediment

45.    The Great East Japan Earthquake was because of a ____________
    (A) Normal fault         (B) Strike slip fault    
    (C) Mega thrust fault         (D) Submarine volcanic eruption.

46.    The average depth of the oceans is about ____________ .              
              (A) 1000 m         (B) 2000 m       (C) 3000 m           (D) 4000 m      

47.         WhIch is the most abundant dissolved gas in the ocean surface water ?        
    (A) Carbon dioxide     (B) Nitrogen     (C) Argon       (D) Oxygen    

48.         Which of the following clouds is likely to give rain?              
              (A) Cirrus,         (B) Stratus       (C) Altostratus       (D) Cumulonimbus      

49.         The direction of winds in western India during the main rainy season is from the      
    (A) East         (B) North       (C) South-west       (D) North-east      

50.         How-are fresh water resources distributed on the earth's surface?          
              (A) Evenly.         (B) Unevenly       (C) Abundantly       (D) Scarcely      

51.    What is the ratio between land and ocean in the Northern Hemisphere ?        
              (A) Almost equal         (B) Not equal       (C) 1:2           (D) 1:3        

52.         Groundwater constitutes __________ of the total water present in the earth?        
              (A) 33%    (B) 29%       (C) 0.29%       (D) 0.76%        

53.         The amount of fresh water trapped in polar ice and glaciers is roughly ___________ percent of the total fresh water available on ealth.              
            (A) 14           (B) 75       (C) 0.3       (D) 11        

54.    The average annual precipitation is the highest in    
              (A) Temperate regions       (B) Tundra regions        (C) Polar regions              (D) Tropical regiolls          

55.        Precipitation is normally enhanced in the vicinity of ___________ .              
              (A) Oceans     (B) Forests     (C) Mountains       (D) Cities        

56.         In the water cycle, evaporated water ____________ .                
    (A) Precipitates as rain or snow       (B) Becomes groundwater          
    (C) Runs into lakes, streams, and oceans       (D) Condenses into clouds          

57.    The general term for the transfer of moisture from   the earth's surface to the atmosphere is _________ .    
              (A) Evapo-transpiration     (B) Vaporization               (C) Evaporation         (D) Evaporative cooling          

58.    "Hydrosphere" is one of Earth's major spheres. It includes __________ .
         (A) All of the water above and below the continents                             (B) All of the fresh water on the planet                
              (C) All oftheliquid water onlthe earth                     (D) All fon'ns of the water onlthe planet                

59.    __________ is the process of water loss from plants through stomata. 
    (A) Humidity         (B) Transpiration       (C) Evaporation       (D) Evapo-transpiration  

60.    What percent of the lotal freshwater on earth is present in Lake Baikal, Russia ?    
    (A) 25%             (B) 20%           (C)15%         (D) 10%      

61.         Oceans,   seas,   lakes,   and   rivers   provide   nearly _______ of the   moisture   In   our atmosphere due to evaporation.                  
          (A) 40%             (B) 50 %           (C) 80%         (D) 90%      

62.         Only __________ of the moisture in the atmosphere is contributed due to transpiration by plants.                        
          (A) 10%             (B) 20%             (C) 30%         (D) 40%  

63.         The total water resources of the world are about __________ .                    
    (A) 1.6 billion km3             (B) 1.4 billion km3     (C) 1.2 billion km3             (D) 1.1 billion km3            

64.         Water table drop in India is due to __________ .                
          (A) Overexploitation       (B) Less rainfall       (C) Drought         (D) Floods    

65.    _________ is the highest rainfall receiving state in India. 
       (A) Kerala           (B) Karnataka         (C) Goa         (D) Assam    

66.         The average annual rainfalI over India is  __________   cm.          
          (A) 125     (B) 50           (C) 400         (D) 500      

67.         The Hubble's law states ~hat                  
          (A)  the Universe is accelerating                  
    (B)  the farther the galaxy is, the grater is the velocity of recession        
          (C)  Galaxies are expanding                  
    (D) the Sun will be thrown out of the Milky Way            

68.         The rotation of the earth on its axis causes __________ .              
          (A)   a small drift of the pole star in 25000 years              
    (B)   the summer and winter                  
     (C)   the revolution of the moon around the earth              
          (D)   the rising and setting of stars every day              

69.        We hiwe seasons because ___________.                
          (A) the earth's orbit is elliptical and the sun is one of the foci          
          (B) the Arctic and Antarctic regions get sunshine on Iy for six months        
          (C) circulation of air is very slow                  
          (D) the earth's rotation axis is inclined to its orbital plane          

70.    If we beat a drum on the earth and an astronaut who is doing a spacewalk beats an identical drum, what will be/the difference in the effects?
    (A) there will be no vibration in the drum in space
    (B) the drum on the earth will vibrate for a longer time.
    (C) there will be vibration in space but no sound.
    (D) there will be no difference in terms of sound.

71.    Star A has a temperature of 4000 K and star B 40,000 K. If the two stars have the same radii, which of the following is NOT true ?
    (A) Star B is more luminous than A.
    (B) Star A emits more in infrared than in UV.
    (C) Star B emits more in UV titan in infrared.
    (D) Star A emits more in infrared than B.

72.     Consider the following two statements :
    P. One can see absorption lines in the solar spectrum.
    Q. The core of the Sun has a temperature of more than 1 million  degree Celsius and the solar surface has a temperature of about 6000 degree Celsius, Which of the following is correct ?
    (A) Statement 'P' is correct but 'Q' is incorrect.
    (B) Statement 'P' is incorrect but 'Q' is correct.
    (C) Both the statements are correct and 'Q' is the correct reason of ‘P'.
    (D) Both the statements are correct and 'Q' is not the reason of 'P'.

73.    Which of the following statement(s) is true of the outer core of the earth
    i. It is in a molten state
    ii. It does not transmit 'S' (seismic waves)
    iii. Is nlostly made of silicates of iran and magnesium
    iv. Is mostly made of sulphide of iron and nickel
    (A) i arid ii     (B) i, ii and iii      (C) i, ii and iv     (D) ii, iii and iv

74.    All stars become red giands ______________ .
    (A) After I billion years
    (B) When hydrogen is completely exhausted
    (C) When helium is completely exhausted
    (D) When 10% of the hydrogen at the core is exhausted

75.    The sun is called a yellow star because ____________ .
    (A) It looks red at rise and set     (B) It emits white light
    (C) It emits the maximum energy in yellow light     (D) Its color changes from white to red

76.    The energy produced in the core of the sun is by _____________ .
    (A) Nuclear fusion of protons p-p reactions     (B) Nuclear fusion C-N-O cycle
    (C) Triple alpha reactions     (D) Nuclear fission reactions

77.     The distance to farther galaxies is estimated by ______________ .
    (A) The method of parallax     (B) measuring luminosities
    (C) Cepheid variables         (D) Supernovae

78.     Astronomers prefer larger telescopes because ___________ .
    (A) of a larget field of view     (B) of a brighter image
    (C) of a larger image         (D) they are more sensitive to visible wavelengths.

79.     All locations in the Northern Hemisphere have the most daylight on ____________ .
    (A) March 21     (B) July 21     (C) September 21     (D) June 21

80.     Increasing the size of the telescope mirror __________.
    (A) Improves the clarity         (B) Increases the magnification of the image
    (C) lncreases the brightness of the image     (D) Makes the stars look bigger

81.    On open water, evaporation increases when the saturation deficit ___________ .
    (A) increases and the wind speed increases       (B) increases and the wind speed decreases
    (C) decreases and the wind speed increases     (D) decreases and the wind speed decreases

82. .     Given below is the geologic map of an area with little relief. Rock units A through D represent the oldest to the youngest. What structure is shown on the map ?

    (A) Dome     (B) Basin     (C) Anticline    (D) Syncline

83.     
84.     Water molecules absorb energy during ____________ .
    (A) the formation of ice from water     (B) the formation of clouds from vapor
    (C) Runoff on land surface     (D) Evaporation from sea surface

85.     Any of the various small, mostly tailless, extinct flying reptiles is called _________ .
    (A) Pterodactyls     (B) Archaeopteryx     (C) Flying squirrel    (D) Flying fox

86.     In general, the probability of flooding decreases when there is an increase in the amount of _________ .
    (A) Precipitation      (B) Infiltration     (C) Runoff     (D) Snowmelt

87.     Liquid water can store more heat energy than an equal amount of any other  naturally occurring substance because liquid water _________ .
    (A) covers 71% on the Earth's surface     (B) has a higher specific heat 
    (C) has a greater density at 4°C.              (D) changes into its gaseous phase quickly

88.    Which reference line passes through both the geographic North Pole and the geographic South Pole ?
    (A) 0° latitude                               (B) 0° longitude    
    (C) Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N)     (D) Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S)

89.    Which of these is not a green-house gas ?
    (A) water vapour     (B) methane     (C) ozone    (D) nitrogen

90.    

91.    There are absorption lines in the spectrum of stars that help us in identifying the chemical elements present in these stars. What are these lines called?
    (A) Fraunhofer lines     (B) Redshift     (C) Blue shift     (D) Doppler lines

92.     To measure the distance to an object, astronomers use "parallax" - the distance an object seems to make when viewed from opposite sides of the Earth's orbit. What is this unit called?
    (A) Light year     (B) Parsec     (C) Pardegree     (D) Arcsine

93.    A layer of ozone in the ______________ absorbs ultraviolet light from the sun.
    (A) Troposphere     (B) Stratosphere     (C) Mesosphere     (D) Exosphere

94.     A hypothetical supercontinent that included all the landmasses of the earth is called ___________ .
    (A) Laurasia     (B) Gondwanaland     (C) Pangea     (D) Tethysia

95.     We see the same race of the Moon always, because
    (A) The Moon does not rotate on its axis
    (B) The phases of the Moon make it appear so.
    (C) The rotation period of the Moon is the same as the period of revolution of Moon around the Earth
    (D) Magnetic forces due to material on Earth and Moon keep them locked in the same orientation

96.     A cyclone is a system of wind in which the wind blows spirally _________ .
    (A) Towards the center of low pressure
    (B) Towards the central high pressure region
    (C) Toward a region of low pressure
    (D) Outward from a region or high pressure

97.    For a time difference of one hour, the longitudinal distance is equal to __________ .
    (A) 15°    (B) 30°    (C) 45°    (D) 60°

98.     Which of the following types of coal is smokeless and contains 90% carbon?
    (A) Anthracite     (B) Lignite     (C) Peat     (D) Bituminous coal

99.    _____________ is the largest salt water lake in the world.
    (A) Caspian Sea    (B) Dead Sea     (C) Red Sea     (D) Sargasso Sea

100.     Temperature decreases with increasing altitude because of a _____________ .
    (A) decrease in air pressure     (B) increase in distance from center of the earth
    (C) decrease in CO2               (D) decrease in O2.

ANSWER KEY




Q. NO.
ANS.
Q. NO.
ANS.
1
C
51
B
2
A
52
C
3
A
53
B
4
C
54
D
5
B
55
C
6
D
56
D
7
B
57
A
8
C
58
A
9
A
59
B
10
C
60
B
11
B
61
D
12
B
62
A
13
B
63
B
14
D
64
A
15
A
65
A
16
A
66
A
17
B
67
B
18
D
68
D
19
C
69
D
20
C
70
C
21
D
71
D
22
B
72
C
23
C
73
C
24
A
74
B
25
A
75
B
26
B
76
A
27
C
77
C
28
C
78
B
29
D
79
D
30
A
80
A
31
A
81
C
32
A
82
D
33
B
83
B
34
B
84
D
35
D
85
A
36
B
86
B
37
C
87
B
38
C
88
B
39
A
89
D
40
B
90
?
41
C
91
B
42
B
92
B
43
A
93
B
44
A
94
C
45
B
95
C
46
D
96
A
47
B
97
A
48
D
98
A
49
C
99
A
50
B
100
A

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