Year 9 Science Semester 2 Practice Exam questions

What layer of the Earth is made up of tectonic plates?

C. Crust

What type of boundary occurs where two tectonic plates move toward each other?

D. Convergent boundary

What is the primary cause of tectonic plate movement?

B. Convection currents in the mantle

Which of the following is NOT a result of tectonic plate movement?

D. Weather patterns

What name did Alfred Wegener give to his early theory regarding plate tectonics?

B. Continental drift

In which direction is the Australian plate moving with a divergent boundary to its south and a convergent boundary to its north?

B. East

What does the Richter Scale measure during an earthquake?

A. The magnitude of the earthquake

Which tectonic setting does NOT result in the formation of volcanoes?

C. Convergent boundary where two continental plates collide

What type of plate movement is shown at site A according to the diagram in the lecture?

A. Converging

What provides evidence that continents were once connected?

A. Fossils of identical plant species found on continents separated by oceans

The process of seafloor spreading results in the formation of what?

D. Mid-oceanic ridges

How much closer will the Juan Fernandez Islands be to the coast after 1.5 million years?

B. 80km

In magnetic striping, what does the term 'reversal' mean?

B. A change in magnetic orientation of newly formed oceanic rock

What is the primary cause of most earthquakes?

C. Movement of tectonic plates

What other natural disaster is common in the Ring of Fire besides earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?

B. Tsunamis

What is the primary driver of volcanic activity at hotspots?

D. Upward movement of magma from hot mantle plumes

What term is used for the point on Earth's surface directly above the earthquake’s focus?

C. Epicenter

Why was Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift initially rejected by scientists?

C. There was no known mechanism that could move continents.

What is the rigid outer layer of Earth called?

A. Crust

What features are commonly found at transform boundaries where two plates slide past each other?

D. Large faults and shallow, destructive earthquakes

What best describes the process of subduction?

B. Sinking of old oceanic crust into the mantle where it melts.

Which type of crust is older, and why?

C. Continental crust, because oceanic crust is destroyed at convergent boundaries.

Which layer of the Earth is responsible for generating the magnetic field?

D. Outer Core

Which evidence supports the theory of seafloor spreading?

C. Matching patterns of magnetic stripes on either side of mid-ocean ridges.

Why do oceanic plates subduct beneath continental plates?

B. Oceanic plates are thinner but denser than continental plates.

What happens to a ray of light when it moves from air into water?

A. It slows down.

Which of the following substances slows down the speed of light the most?

B. Diamond

Visible light is part of which spectrum?

C. Electromagnetic spectrum.

What happens when light exits the water and enters the air?

C. It bends away from the normal.

Total internal reflection is best described as:

A. Light being refracted so far away from the normal that it reaches the boundary between two transparent substances.

Which statement is true about a blue pencil and a blue filter?

B. A blue pencil reflects blue light, and a blue filter transmits blue light.

When parallel rays of light hit a convex lens, what happens?

B. The rays bend towards each other.

What happens when light refracts?

B. Moves from one transparent object into another transparent object.

What type of image does regular reflection produce?

B. Clear, sharp images.

The reversal of your image in a plane mirror is called:

C. Lateral inversion.

Which of the following is a non-luminous object?

C. The Moon.

Why does a red object appear red?

A. It reflects red light and absorbs orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet light.

When light enters a glass block from the air, what happens?

B. It slows down and bends towards the normal.

What three colours of light mix to make white light?

C. Green, blue, red.

What colour will an object appear when white light passes through a blue filter and then a green filter?

C. Cyan.

How long does it take for light from the Sun to reach Earth?

B. Eight minutes.

Which colour absorbs the most wavelengths of visible light?

D. Black.

Which of the following objects is translucent?

A. A frosted glass bottle.

Which statement best describes the law of reflection?

C. The angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection.

Why are converging boundaries known as destructive boundaries?

Because they destroy parts of the Earth's crust when two tectonic plates move toward each other.

Why does South America experience large numbers of destructive earthquakes and volcanoes?

Because it lies along a convergent plate boundary where the Nazca Plate collides with the South American Plate.

Describe the movement at a transform boundary and its associated natural disaster.

At a transform boundary, plates slide past each other, causing earthquakes.

What happens at a convergent boundary where an oceanic plate meets a continental plate?

The denser oceanic plate subducts under the continental plate, creating trenches and volcanoes.

What is dispersion of light?

The process where white light separates into different colors when passing through a medium.

What happens to light rays in a thick convex lens compared to a thin lens?

Light rays in a thick lens converge sharply at a closer focal point, while in thin lenses they converge gradually at a farther focal point.

What happens when green light is projected onto the Italian flag?

Green and white sections appear green, and the red section appears black.

Explain why a tsunami is more likely at a subduction zone than at a transform fault.

At subduction zones, one plate subducts, displacing water and creating tsunamis; transform faults do not cause vertical shifts of the ocean floor.

How does the speed of light affect refraction in different media?

Light slows down in denser media causing it to bend towards the normal, affecting the amount of refraction.

Painting buildings white keeps them cooler in the hot Mexican summer than they would be otherwise. Explain why painting buildings white helps keep to them cool in hot climates?

White paint reflects sunlight and heat, reducing energy absorption.

How do beams of sunlight passing through raindrops create a rainbow?

Sunlight refracts and disperses into colors as it passes through raindrops, bending by different amounts to form a rainbow.
1. Refraction: Light refracts or bends as it enters the raindrop because it slows down in water.
2. Dispersion: Different colours of light bend by different amounts. Red light bends the least, while violet light bends the most.
3. Reflection: After refracting inside the raindrop, light reflects off the back and exits, spreading out into a rainbow.

What are the three primary colors in science?

Red, blue, and green, as they cannot be produced by mixing other colors.

What supports Plate Tectonic Theory regarding the Ring of Fire?

1. Magnetic Reversals: As molten rock rises at mid-ocean ridges and cools, magnetic minerals within it align with Earth’s magnetic field. Over time, Earth’s magnetic field reverses, so new rock records the opposite magnetic alignment. This creates a pattern of magnetic stripes on either side of the ridge.

2. Symmetry: The magnetic stripes are symmetrical on both sides of mid-ocean ridges, showing that new crust is continuously formed at the ridge and pushed outward as plates move apart.

3. Age of the Crust: The age of the ocean floor increases with distance from the ridge, supporting the idea of seafloor spreading, where plates move away from each other. These magnetic patterns confirm that plates are moving and creating new crust, as predicted by Plate Tectonic Theory.

What does magnetic striping provide evidence for?

1. Magnetic Reversals: As molten rock rises at mid-ocean ridges and cools, magnetic minerals within it align with Earth’s magnetic field. Over time, Earth’s magnetic field reverses, so new rock records the opposite magnetic alignment. This creates a pattern of magnetic stripes on either side of the ridge.

2. Symmetry: The magnetic stripes are symmetrical on both sides of mid-ocean ridges, showing that new crust is continuously formed at the ridge and pushed outward as plates move apart.

3. Age of the Crust: The age of the ocean floor increases with distance from the ridge, supporting the idea of seafloor spreading, where plates move away from each other. These magnetic patterns confirm that plates are moving and creating new crust, as predicted by Plate Tectonic Theory.