SCIENCE 20: UNIT C
CHAPTER 3 REVIEW
(45 marks)
Chapter 3: Changing Climates
(1 mark) 1. The sedimentary rock in the Cypress Hills provides a geological history record of
what era?
A. Cenozoic B. Mesozoic C. Paleozoic D. Precambrian
(1 mark) 2. Which factor is an indicator that Alberta spent much of its ancient past under a
tropical sea?
A. existence of the Columbia Icefields B. existence of the Rocky Mountains C. presence of dinosaur bones
D. presence of ammonite fossils
(1 mark) 3. A factor that likely led to the Cretaceous Extinction was a
A. long-term drought
B. sudden reduction in oxygen levels C. drastic cooling of the global climate D. sudden increase in global temperatures
(1 mark) 4. Data from measurements of the oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 ratio of Foraminifera
fossils indicates that average deep-ocean temperatures over the past 50 million years have been
A. increasing B. decreasing
C. staying about the same D. varying
(1 mark) 5. Big Rock near Okotoks is evidence of
A. glaciation B. wind erosion C. volcanic action
(1 mark) 6. The Blackfoot explanation of Big Rock’s origin is similar to the scientific
explanation because both state that the rock
A. moved to its present location under its own power B. originated near Jasper
C. did not originate locally
D. was moved to its present location by advancing glaciers
(2 marks) 7. Decide whether each statement is true (T) or false (F). Place your answer in the
blank space given.
a. The Bearspaw Sea had retreated by the beginning of the Cenozoic Era.
b. The presence of calcium carbonate in Alberta soils is an indication that Alberta was once submerged by a marine environment.
c. Large-brained primates originated during the Cretaceous Period. d. North America may have cooled during the Tertiary Period because
the North American land mass moved north during this time.
(3 marks) 8. One theory suggests that the dominance of grasses came about in Alberta in the late
Tertiary Period because of the ability of hoofed animals to digest cellulose. Explain this theory.
(1 mark) 9. The Pleistocene Epoch, from 1.7 million years ago to 10 000 years ago, was
marked by
A. a lack of oxygen
B. the presence of warm, tropical seas
C. the southern movement of the North American continent
D. the formation of glaciers that covered parts of the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere
(1 mark) 10. Continental ice sheets are present today in
A. the Rocky Mountains B. northern Europe
(1 mark) 11. The period during which polar ice sheets advanced to cover large regions of
North America and northern Europe is known as
A. an ice age B. glaciation C. an epoch D. a glacier
(1 mark) 12. An analysis of ice-core samples shows that over the past 160 000 years, the average
temperature in Vostok has
A. stayed the same B. steadily increased C. steadily decreased D. fluctuated
(1 mark) 13. Which of the following is not an advantage of using a spreadsheet?
A. Using a spreadsheet takes less time to create a graph than one drawn by hand.
B. The speed of creating a spreadsheet allows you to include many more data points in your analysis, which leads to more detailed results.
C. A spreadsheet produces more accurate graphs. This allows you to make subtle distinctions when interpreting the graph.
D. A spreadsheet removes you from the rigorous nature of calculating data points and doing the graph yourself.
(1 mark) 14. Based on the graph you completed for Vostok’s average temperature, the
temperature over the next 10 000 years will most likely
A. stay the same B. increase steadily C. decrease steadily D. fluctuate
(1 mark) 15. Small, donut-shaped hills between Slave Lake and Fort Vermilion are believed to be
formed by
A. wind erosion B. water erosion
C. a glacier that gouged out the earth as it moved
(3
marks) 16. Match each description with the appropriate term listed. Place your answer in the blank space given.
i. continental ice sheet ii. glacier iii. mountain glacier iv. calving v. Wisconsin Glaciation vi. ice-core data
a. a large river of ice that forms on land and moves under the influence of gravity
b. a process in which a portion of an iceberg breaks away from the main ice sheet
c. a very large glacier, often more than 1 km in depth, that forms in polar regions
d. a glacier that forms in mountainous regions at high elevations e. information gathered from ice samples extracted from drilling into
an ice sheet
f. the last glaciation period
(3 marks) 17. Describe three different kinds of evidence of glacial action in Alberta.
(3 marks) 18. Describe how a chronological record of Earth’s atmosphere for the past 420 000 years
can be constructed from ice-core samples.
(1 mark) 19. How old are the earliest signs of human existence in North America?
A. 5000 a B. 10 000 a C. 12 000 a D. 16 000 a
(1 mark) 20. When clouds form in an area you can expect
A. rain and a temperature decrease B. rain and a temperature increase C. rain and no change in temperature D. no rain and no change in temperature
(1 mark) 21. Evidence in rock strata from around the world indicates that the average current
global temperature compared to the average global temperature during most of Earth’s history is
A. somewhat warmer B. cooler
(1 mark) 22. Some European countries are warmer than Canada even though they are just as far
north as Canada. This is because these European countries have
A. more hours of sunshine
B. winds that blow from the south
C. ocean currents that transfer heat from the tropics D. larger amounts of rainfall
(1 mark) 23. Variations in Earth’s orbit, the tilt of the axis of rotation, and the wobble of the axis
of rotation over Earth’s geological history are believed to
A. cause warm periods B. cause cold periods
C. control the timing of glaciation periods D. be the sole cause of glaciation periods
(1 mark) 24. Which statement about CO2 levels and average global temperatures over Earth’s
history corresponds to the geological evidence?
A. The CO2 level increases and the average global temperature increases.
B. The CO2 level increases and the average global temperature decreases.
C. The CO2 level decreases and the average global temperature increases.
D. The CO2 level and the average global temperature both stay the same.
(4
marks) 25. Match each description with the appropriate term listed. Place your answer in the blank space given.
i. climate ii. hydrosphere iii. correlation iv. weather v. cause vi. probability vii. global conveyer viii. Little Ice Age
a. one phenomenon that accompanies another
b. the system of ocean currents that circulates warm water near the ocean’s surface away from the tropics
c. the average of daily and seasonal weather events that occur in a region over a long time period
d. all the water at or near Earth’s surface
e. a phenomenon that brings about an effect or a result
(3 marks) 26. Decide whether each statement is true (T) or false (F). Place your answer in the
blank space given.
a. The cold periods that have occurred over Earth’s history are believed to be caused by the wobble of Earth’s axis.
b. The Sun always shines with the same intensity. c. Global warming can cause global cooling.
d. Over Earth’s 4.5 billion-year history, the average temperature has remained constant.
e. Climate in a given region can be considered an average of that region’s daily weather.
f. Scientists who use computer models to make predictions about global climate are skeptical about people having an influence on climate.
(3 marks) 27. Explain how global warming can melt the Greenland Ice Sheet but cause a cooling
effect on Europe’s climate.
(2 marks) 28. Explain why supercomputers like the Earth Simulator are required to study climate
