The Exam

My exams are designed to test more than just your ability to memorize the definitions of new terms and concepts (though, of course, that is important as well). Often I try to ask questions that test your ability to critically think about the relation between topics that we have discussed or to synthesize facts into a more complete whole. In short, I'm trying to get at not just your knowledge of geology, but more importantly your understanding of geology. This is not always easy to do on a multiple choice exam. My multiple choice questions are intended to have one best answer, but often a number of plausible wrong answers. I am not trying to be tricky - rather I'm trying to get an idea of how fully you understand the material. The ability to think critically and synthesize ideas is the essence of good education. Keep this in mind as you study the material.

Also, please understand that this study guide is not intended to be exhaustive (read as: there will be material on the exam that is not specifically covered in this study guide). To best prepare for the exam I recommend that you:

• Read the assigned chapters in Essentials of Geology, 10th ed.. Make sure you understand the material (especially the concepts and terminology). Some students find it helpful to outline the material in the chapters.
• Review your lecture notes. Compare them with the lecture outlines on the class website. It may be useful to discuss the lecture material with a classmate and compare notes.
• Work through the entire Exam Study Guide. Look up things that you're not sure of. Break down the style of my exam questions and try to anticipate how I might vary these questions to cover different material.
• If there's anything that you don't fully understand then seek assistance. I'm happy to help during office hours or any other time you can find me to ask a question. E-mail me your questions if you like. There may also be a free tutor available for the class. Contact the Kelly Center to schedule an appointment.

Some sample multiple choice questions: (there will be 40 on the test)

1. Which of the following is not an agent of metamorphism?
   1. temperature
   2. pressure
   3. climate
   4. fluids
   5. All of the above are agents of metamorphism.

2. Which of the following sequences of rocks represent the progressive metamorphism of a shale protolith?
   1. slate - marble - quartzite - gneiss
   2. phyllite - gneiss - marble - shale
   3. slate - limestone - marble - coal
   4. slate - phyllite - schist - gneiss
   5. gneiss - phyllite - slate - shale

3. _________ metamorphism occurs when a magma intrudes a limestone and metamorphoses it to a marble, without significant deformation.
   1. Contact
   2. Dynamothermal
   3. Regional
   4. Shock
   5. Burial

4. High pressure, low temperature metamorphism produces __________ facies metamorphism and occurs mainly at _____________.
   1. hornfels; hot spots
   2. greenschist; spreading centers
   3. blueschist; subduction zones
   4. eclogite; spreading centers
   5. floodplain; night

5. Foliation in metamorphic rocks is the result of alignment of minerals due to:
   1. confining pressure
   2. high temperature
   3. melting
   4. directed pressure
   5. royal decree

6. Which sequence of terms reflects increasing clastic sediment size?
   1. clay, silt, boulder, pebble
   2. sand, silt, clay, boulder
   3. boulder, pebble, sand, silt
   4. silt, sand, pebble, clay
   5. silt, sand, pebble, boulder

7. Which of the following is a form of mechanical weathering?
   1. abrasion
   2. dissolution
   3. oxidation
   4. hydrolysis
   5. A and C only

8. The process of chemical weathering is most intense in which of the following environments?
   1. hot, arid desert
   2. hot, wet jungle
   3. cold, dry tundra
   4. temperate, dry prairie
   5. the Moon

9. ________ is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock.
   1. Granite
   2. Coal
   3. Breccia
   4. Shale
   5. Limestone

10. Clastic (detrital) sediments are generally ___________ near their source than after long transport distances.
    1. better sorted
    2. smaller
    3. more angular
    4. rounder
    5. All except C

11. The process of lithification of clastic (detrital) sedimentary rocks involves ___________.
    1. melting and crystallization
    2. weathering and erosion
    3. compaction and cementation
    4. deformation and melting
    5. transport and deposition

12. Which of the following pairs of minerals are commonly found in chemical sedimentary rocks?
    1. quartz and feldspar
    2. muscovite and biotite
    3. olivine and pyroxene
    4. halite and calcite
    5. none of the above

13. A sedimentary breccia is most likely to be deposited ________________________.
    1. at the foot of a mountain
    2. in the deep ocean
    3. in the floodplain of a meandering river (like the Mississippi)
    4. in a lake
    5. in a delta
    

14. Identify the sedimentary structure illustrated to the right.
    1. mudcracks
    2. crossbedding
    3. graded bedding
    4. columnar jointing
    5. fossils

15. Which of the following events is likely to trigger a landslide?
    1. heavy rainfall
    2. an earthquake
    3. a hot, dry summer
    4. all of the above
    5. A & B only

16. In the hydrologic cycle, how is water transferred from the oceans to the atmosphere?
    1. transpiration
    2. evaporation
    3. condensation
    4. precipitation
    5. atomization

17. The majority of the Earth's fresh water is located in ________________.
    1. the oceans
    2. the ice caps
    3. groundwater
    4. rivers and streams
    5. Lake Superior

18. When a dam is built across a river, the area upstream experiences a(n) ______________ in base level and consequently it begins to _______________.
    1. decrease; erode more deeply
    2. decrease; deposit sediment
    3. increase; erode more deeply
    4. increase; deposit sediment
    5. no change; reverse its flow direction

19. Which of the following is not enhanced (increased) during flooding:
    1. a river's erosive power
    2. the amount of sediment a river can carry
    3. the size of sediment a river can carry
    4. the velocity of a river
    5. the value of houses in the floodplain

20. Narrowing the channel of a river without varying its discharge or depth will cause the water to have _________ velocity and __________ erosive power.
    1. higher; more
    2. higher; less
    3. lower; more
    4. lower; less
    5. I don't even want to guess.

21. Which type of drainage pattern is most likely to develop in unfractured, flat-lying sedimentary rocks?
    1. dendritic
    2. radial
    3. rectilinear
    4. trellis
    5. none of the above

In addition, here is a list of some topics that you should understand:

• Metamorphism - What is it and what conditions are necessary to cause it? (Hint: SOLID STATE!)
• Agents (causes) of metamorphism - Confining vs. directed pressure - Role of Temperature, Pressure, Fluids, Parent Rock (Protolith) composition
• Types of metamorphic change - textural, mineralogical, chemical, etc. - examples (slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss, etc.; porphyroblasts; )
• Kinds of metamorphism (regional, contact, etc.) - characteristics of each and tectonic setting?
• Grades of Metamorphism - Pressure vs. Temperature diagram - geotherm - metamorphic facies - metamorphic isograds, index minerals
• What is the difference between weathering and erosion? What are the different processes by which weathering occurs? How is the effectiveness of weathering related to climate (temperature and precipitation)?
• What are the different types of sediment formed by weathering? How does sediment change during the weathering, erosion, and transport process? What are some means of transporting sediments? What factors determine weather sediment is susceptible to erosion, transport, or deposition?
• How do sediments change as they are weathered and eroded? (Particle size? Roundness/angularity? Sorting?) What are the classes of clastic sediment size?
• In terms of the rock cycle, what processes do rocks undergo in order to transform from an igneous or metamorphic rock into a sedimentary rock?
• How are clastic and chemical sediments formed? How do they become clastic and chemical sedimentary rocks?
• Identify transporting agents for sediments. Under what conditions are sediments eroded, transported, and deposited?
• Clastic vs. Chemical vs. Biochemical/Organic Sedimentary Rocks - What are the types of sedimentary rocks and what minerals and textures characterize them? In which depositional environments are each type of sedimentary rock formed?
• Recognize sedimentary structures and be familiar with the conditions that are necessary to form each.
• Diagenesis - What is it and how does it work?
• What conditions are necessary for mass wasting to occur? What is the angle of repose? What factors affect the stability of slopes? Identify three types of mass movement and three triggering mechanisms.
• liquefaction vs. solifluction
• talus, debris
• creep vs. slides vs. slumps vs. flows vs. avalanches - see Figure 12.6
• Hydrologic Cycle: Reservoirs and Processes
• Orographic Precipitation: How does it work? What are the conditions of humidity, temperature, and precipitation on the windward vs. the leeward side of the mountain range? What is a rain shadow?
• How and why do precipitation and runoff vary throughout the USA? What are the major uses of water in the USA?
• Illustrate and label the major features of a meandering river system (meander bends, point bars, cutbanks, levees, floodplains, oxbow lakes. How does this system differ from a braided river system? How are gradient and discharge defined (for river systems)? How is sediment carried by river systems? What is the relation between velocity and sediment size for erosion and deposition?
• tributaries vs. distributaries, flooding, base level, longitudinal profile, graded streams, deltas, alluvial fans, terraces, drainage basins, drainage patterns