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Name: ____________________________________________

1) Which graph best illustrates the temperature changes on 4) According to the data table below, what is the exact shape
adjacent land and water surfaces as they are heated by the of the Earth?
Sun from sunrise to noon on the same day?
Actual Dimensions of the Earth
Equatorial Radius 6,378 km
Polar Radius 6,357 km
Equatorial Circumference 40,076 km
A) Polar Circumference 40,008 km

A) slightly bulging at both the Equator and the Poles

B) slightly flattened at both the Equator and the Poles
C) slightly flattened at the Equator and slightly bulging at
the Poles
D) slightly flattened at the Poles and slightly bulging at
the Equator
B)
5) Which diagram below best represents the illumination of the
Earth on the first day of summer in the Northern
Hemisphere?

A)

C)

B)

D) C)

D)
2) During which month does the minimum duration of
insolation occur in New York State?
A) July C) February
6) During a period of one year, what would be the greatest
B) December D) September
altitude of the Sun at the North Pole?
3) Which condition exists when the rates of water flowing into
A) 90D C) 23\D
and out of a lake are balanced so that the lake's depth
appears to be constant? B) 0D D) 66\D
A) equilibrium C) saturation 7) How many calories of heat energy are required to raise the
B) transpiration D) hydration temperature of 6 grams of water from 10DC to 15DC?
A) 30 C) 5
B) 3240 D) 480
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8) Which statement is the best example of heat energy transfer 13) According to the diagram below which represents a contour
by conduction? map of a hill, on which side of the hill does the land have the
A) Heat energy is transferred from the surface soil to the steepest slope?
rocks below.
B) Heat energy is transferred from the Earth's surface to
the upper atmosphere.
C) Heat energy is transferred from the Sun to the Earth.
D) Heat energy is transferred from the bottom to the top of
the lake.
9) On March 21, two observers, one at 45D north latitude and
the other at 45D south latitude, watch the "rising" Sun. In
which direction(s) must they look?
A) The observer at 45D S. must look westward while the
other must look eastward.
B) Both observers must look eastward. A) north C) west
C) The observer at 45D N. must look westward while the B) south D) east
other must look eastward.
14) An object that is a good radiator of electromagnetic waves
D) Both observers must look westward.
is also a good
10) A mineral expands when heated. Which graph best
A) reflector of heat
represents the relationship between change in density and
B) insulator from heat
change in temperature when that mineral is heated?
C) retractor of electromagnetic energy
D) absorber of electromagnetic energy
15) According to data in the Earth Science Reference Tables,
A) C)
which circle graph best represents the volumes of gases in
the troposphere?

A)
B) D)

11) The polar circumference of the Earth is 40,008 kilometers.

What is the equatorial circumference? B)
A) 12,740 km C) 25,000 km
B) 40,076 km D) 40,008 km
12) As water cools from 4DC to 0DC, its density
A) decreases
B) increases
C)
C) remains the same

D)
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16) The diagram below represents eight positions of the Moon 20) According to the diagram below which represents a contour
as it revolves around the Earth. map of a hill, what is the approximate gradient of the hill
between points X and Y?

A) 3 m/km C) 10 m/km
When viewed from the Earth, which phase of the Moon will B) 30 m/km D) 1 m/km
be seen when the Moon is at point E?
21) Planet A has a greater mean distance from the Sun than
A) first quarter C) new moon
planet B. On the basis of this fact, which further comparison
B) full moon D) last quarter can be correctly made between the two planets?
17) Which two factors determine the number of hours of A) Planet A's revolution period is longer.
daylight at a particular location? B) Planet A is larger.
A) latitude and the Earth's average diameter C) Planet A's day is longer.
B) latitude and season D) Planet A's speed of rotation is greater.
C) longitude and season
22) In the diagram below, the thermometer held 2 meters above
D) longitude and the Earth's average diameter
the floor shows a temperature of 30DC. The thermometer on
18) Which planetary model allows a scientist to predict the the floor shows a temperature of 24DC.
exact positions of the planets in the night sky over many
years?
A) The planets' orbits are ellipses in a heliocentric model.
B) The planets' orbits are circles in a geocentric model.
C) The planets' orbits are circles in a heliocentric model.
D) The planets' orbits are ellipses in a geocentric model.
19) A student measures the length of a room to be 6.9 meters.
The actual length of the room is 7.5 meters. Determine the
student's percent deviation (percent of error).
A) 14% C) 20%
B) 8% D) 6%

What is the temperature gradient between the two

thermometers?
A) 2 CD/m C) 4 CD/m
B) 3 CD/m D) 6 CD/m
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23) The latitude of a point in the Northern Hemisphere may be 30) The diagram below represents a portion of a map of the
determined by measuring the Earth's grid system. What is the approximate latitude and
A) apparent diameter of Polaris longitude of point A?
B) apparent diameter of the Sun
C) altitude of Polaris
D) distance of the Sun
24) Based on the diagram below, what is the circumference of
planet X?

A) 15DS. 30DW. C) 15DS. 30DE.

A) 36,000 km C) 9,000 km B) 15DN. 30DE. D) 15DN. 30DW.
B) 18,000 km D) 24,000 km 31) As viewed from Earth, the Sun's apparent diameter has
25) An observer in New York State measures the altitude of shown which type of change over a period of 10 years?
Polaris to be 44D. According to the Earth Science Reference A) noncyclic and unpredictable
Tables, the location of the observer is nearest to B) cyclic and unpredictable
A) Buffalo C) Kingston C) cyclic and predictable
B) Watertown D) Elmira D) noncyclic and predictable
26) The diagrams below represent flat horizontal surfaces at 32) Winds appear to curve toward the right in the Northern
four different locations on the Earth. The arrows represent Hemisphere. This curving to the right is caused by the
the Sun's rays striking each location at noon on March 21. Earth's
Which location is farthest from the Equator? A) revolution C) size
B) shape D) rotation

A) C) 33) Some constellations (star patterns) observed in the summer

skies in New York State are different from those observed in
the winter skies. The best explanation for this observation is
that
A) the Earth revolves around the Sun
B) D) B) constellations revolve around the Earth
C) constellations are moving away from the Earth
D) the Earth rotates on its axis
27) The Coriolis effect provides evidence that the Earth
34) In which phase (state) do most Earth materials have their
A) has a magnetic field greatest density?
B) has an elliptical orbit
A) gaseous
C) rotates on its axis
B) solid
D) revolves around the Sun
C) liquid
28) According to the Earth Science Reference Tables, which of
35) Which process is primarily responsible for the transfer of
the following takes the longest time to make one complete
energy by air currents within the Earth's atmosphere?
spin on its axis?
A) absorption C) convection
A) Jupiter C) Uranus
B) radiation D) conduction
B) Mercury D) Earth
29) The length of time that daylight is received at a location
during one day is called the location's
A) eccentricity of insolation
B) angle of insolation
C) intensity of insolation
D) duration of insolation
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36) Which graph best represents the typical relationship 39) Which graph best approximates the gravitational force
between population density near a lake and pollution of the between the star and planet Q at positions A through D?
lake?

A)
A) C)

B) D)
B)

Questions 37 through 40 refer to the following:

The diagram below is a model of the orbit of an imaginary planet Q

around a star. Points A, B, C, and D indicate four orbital positions
of the planet Q. C)

D)

40) At which position in its orbit does planet Q have the

greatest velocity?
A) A B) D C) B D) C
41) The diagram below is a contour map. Between which two
points is the slope of the hill steepest?

37) How would a scale drawing of the Earth's orbit around the
Sun compare to the scale drawing shown of planet Q's
orbit?
A) Earth's orbit would appear to be the same shape as
planet Q's.
B) Earth's orbit would appear to have a more eccentric
shape than planet Q's. A) A and D C) A and B
C) Earth's orbit would appear to have a more circular shape B) C and D D) B and C
than planet Q's.
38) What is the approximate eccentricity of planet Q's orbit?
A) 0.06 C) 1.50
B) 0.15 D) 0.67
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42) Which statement about a cumulus cloud seen over 48) The diagrams below represent true scale models for the
Syracuse, N.Y., is an inference? solid Earth. Which diagram would best show the ocean
A) The cloud formed over Lake Ontario. depth also drawn to the same scale?
B) The cloud has an irregular shape.
C) The base of the cloud is determined to be 2.6 km above
ground. A) C)
D) The cloud appears white.
43) How many calories of latent heat does one gram of water
lose when it freezes?
A) 32 cal C) 1 cal
B) 80 cal D) 540 cal B) D)
Questions 44 through 46 refer to the following:

The diagram below represents a plastic hemisphere upon which 49) What color and texture of a material would absorb the least
lines have been drawn to show the apparent paths of the Sun on solar radiation?
four days at one location in the Northern Hemisphere. Two of the
A) white and rough C) white and smooth
paths are dated. The protractor is placed over the north-south
B) black and smooth D) black and rough
line. X represents the position of a vertical post.
50) The diagram below represents a rectangular object with a
mass of 450 grams. According to the Earth Science
Reference Tables, what is the density of the object?

A) 1 gram per cubic centimeter

B) 4 grams per cubic centimeter
C) 2 grams per cubic centimeter
44) Which path of the Sun would result in the longest shadow D) 3 grams per cubic centimeter
of the vertical post at solar noon? 51) The tilt of the Earth on its axis is a cause of the Earth's
A) C-C1 C) B-B1 A) 365[-day year
B) A-A1 D) D-D1 B) 24-hour day
45) What is the latitude of this location? C) changing length of day and night
A) 66\D N C) 23\D N D) uniform daylight hours
B) 0D D) 90D N 52) A measurement is best defined as

46) How many degrees does the altitude of the Sun change from A) a direct comparison with a known standard
December 21 to June 21? B) an inference made by using the human senses
C) a group of inferred properties
A) 66\D C) 43D
D) an interpretation based on theory
B) 74D D) 47D
53) How many calories of latent heat would have to be
47) According to the Earth Science Reference Tables, which absorbed by 100 grams of liquid water at 100DC in order to
material would require the most heat energy to increase the
change all of the liquid water into water vapor at 100DC?
temperature of 1 gram of the material one Celsius degree?
A) 100 cal C) 1,000 cal
A) granite C) ice
B) 8,000 cal D) 54,000 cal
B) water D) basalt
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54) A student calculates the densities of five different pieces of 55) At which temperature would an object radiate the least
aluminum, each having a different volume. Which graph amount of electromagnetic energy?
best represents this relationship? A) the temperature at the stratopause (0DC)
B) the temperature of the North Pole on December 21 (-
60DF)
A) C) C) room temperature (293 K)
D) the boiling point of water (100DC)
56) According to the Earth Science Reference Tables, which
part of the atmosphere has the smallest distance from the
bottom to the top of its zone?
A) mesosphere C) stratosphere
B) troposphere D) thermosphere
B) D)

57) The diagram below shows part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Which form of electromagnetic energy shown on the diagram has the lowest frequency and longest wavelength?
A) AM radio B) red light C) infrared rays D) gamma rays
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58) The graph below shows the temperatures recorded when a sample of water was heated at a constant rate from -50DC to 100DC
during a 20-minute period.

How many calories of heat would be used to change the temperature of 20 grams of the water from the temperature at point C to
the temperature at point D?
A) 800 calories B) 540 calories C) 2,000 calories D) 200 calories
59) The diagram below shows four positions of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. The diagram indicates relative positions of the
Earth to the Sun, but the diagram has not been drawn to scale.

In which position would New York State receive the maximum insolation?
A) C B) A C) B D) D
60) What is the approximate eccentricity of the ellipse shown below?

A) 1.4 B) 0.40 C) 0.73 D) 0.15

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61) Diagrams A through D below, represent phases of a planet as seen by an observer on Earth using a telescope. The diagram is
drawn to scale.

What is the most logical conclusion about this planet?

A) The apparent diameter of the planet varies throughout the year.
B) The planet has a slower orbital velocity than the Earth.
C) The planet does not rotate on its axis.
D) The planet is closest to the Earth at position C.
Questions 62 through 64 refer to the following:

The diagram below represents the Earth at a specific position in its orbit. Arrows indicate radiation from the Sun. Points A through D
are locations on the Earth's surface.
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62) Which diagram below best represents the path of the Sun 63) As an observer travels from position B to position D, the
on this date as seen by an observer at location C? altitude of Polaris in the nighttime sky will
A) decrease, only
B) increase, then decrease
C) remain the same
A) D) increase, only
64) Which location would have the greatest number of daylight
hours when the Earth is in this position?
A) A B) D C) B D) C

B)

C)

D)
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65) The diagrams below represent observers at four different locations A, B, C, and D on the Earth's surface and the altitude of
Polaris at each location.

The observations of the altitude of Polaris made by the four observers provide information about the
A) time at the observers' locations C) longitude of the observers' locations
B) density of the earth D) shape of the Earth