Earth Science I SOL Practice Test — Set 4 of 6
Set 4 of 6 — 50 more free Earth Science I SOL practice questions from official VDOE released tests.
1. Which substance is a mixture of organic matter and weathered rock?
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Answer: C — Soil
2. A map of major surface ocean currents shows circular movement patterns in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans driven by temperature and density differences in seawater. Which natural process is the main cause of these ocean currents?
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Answer: A — Convection
3. Determining how the sea floor changes over time has given scientists information about the —
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Answer: C — formation rate of the ocean crust
4. Why do regions of the world near the equator (0° latitude) have a more consistent climate than regions at middle latitudes?
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Answer: C — They receive about the same amount of radiant energy year-round.
5. To protect aquifers near landfills, material is placed under the soil to prevent pollution. Which property must the protective material possess?
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Answer: B — Low permeability
6. Which is a characteristic of all nonfoliated metamorphic rocks?
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Answer: C — Lack of banding
7. Students made a hydrometer that barely floated in fresh water. When placed in estuary water, it floated higher, and in ocean water, it floated highest. All samples were at the same temperature. Which explanation best fits these observations?
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Answer: C — Salt water is denser than fresh water.
8. The cleavage properties of mica result from the —
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Answer: B — weak bonds between flat layers
9. A star begins its formation as gravitational forces cause instability within a —
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Answer: D — nebula
10. Fossils are found at different depths below Earth’s surface. The deepest layer contains fossil C, above it fossil B, above that fossil A, and the shallowest layer fossil D. Which fossil is most likely the oldest?
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Answer: C — C
11. Which structure is most similar to an alluvial fan in formation and composition?
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Answer: A — Delta
12. Scientists study air trapped in glacier ice to understand which aspect of Earth’s climate history?
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Answer: B — Changes in atmospheric gas composition
13. A sinkhole forms when the ground surface collapses into an underground cavity. Which most likely caused the sinkhole?
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Answer: A — Collapse of the roof of a limestone cave
14. A map of Virginia watersheds shows that the James River watershed covers the largest area within the state. Which Virginia watershed has the greatest impact due to its size?
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Answer: B — James River Watershed
15. Which mineral is most likely used in baby powder?
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Answer: D — Talc
16. Pollution from coal burning most frequently affects lakes by —
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Answer: B — increasing acidity
17. Ponds designed to increase groundwater recharge will fail to work properly in —
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Answer: C — soils with low permeability
18. Which action would most likely reduce environmental damage from strip mining?
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Answer: B — Reclaim the ecosystem after mining
19. Crushed stone is an important economic resource in Virginia. How is it mainly used?
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Answer: D — Construction material
20. A student hypothesizes that a rock formed from ocean sediments. Which evidence best supports this hypothesis?
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Answer: D — Clam shells within the rock
21. About 2.0 billion years ago, complex organisms began to inhabit Earth primarily because of —
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Answer: A — changes in atmospheric gases
22. To identify minerals by streak, students should bring —
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Answer: B — a rough white ceramic tile
23. A low-pressure system moves from the equator northward over water. When it reaches 60°N latitude, it will most likely be at a point where —
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Answer: D — most of its energy is lost
24. Which characteristic do all planets in our solar system have in common?
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Answer: B — Direction of revolution
25. A scientist studying energy transfer in oceans, atmosphere, and Earth’s interior is most likely studying —
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Answer: D — convection
26. Igneous rocks are formed by —
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Answer: C — cooling and hardening of molten rock
27. What is the main advantage of using dams to produce electrical energy?
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Answer: G — They do not produce much pollution.
28. A student set up an experiment to test the effects of soil compaction on plant growth. The student put equal weights of moist soil into 10 containers, planted a bean seed one inch deep in each container, and then firmly compacted the soil in 5 of the containers. After the seeds sprouted, the student measured the height of each plant every day and kept a record of the results. What else must the student do over time to ensure a valid experiment?
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Answer: B — Water all of the containers the same amount and at the same time
29. Which planet is often called “Earth’s twin” because it is similar in mass and diameter to Earth?
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Answer: H — Venus
30. Earth has a solid inner core surrounded by a liquid outer core. Even though the inner core is hotter than the outer core, it remains solid because —
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Answer: D — pressure from Earth’s overlying layers keeps the inner core solid
31. A light-year measures —
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Answer: G — distance
32. Land breezes and sea breezes are created by differences in —
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Answer: H — heat capacity of land and water
33. Which mineral found in the northern Piedmont province is known as “fool’s gold”?
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Answer: A — Pyrite
34. On weather maps, a line with triangles on one side represents —
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Answer: F — cold air moving in the direction the triangles point
35. During droughts, lack of rain can cause wells to dry up because the drought lowers the —
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Answer: A — water table
36. A shoebox has rows of holes in the top. By inserting straws vertically through the holes until they touch an unseen object inside the box, students determine the object’s shape based on straw depth differences. This activity simulates the technology used to map the seafloor. What is that technology called?
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Answer: C — Sonar
37. Which of these is the best evidence that Earth’s crust has undergone major changes?
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Answer: H — Presence of marine fossils in mountain rock
38. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,700 years. A sample with one-eighth of its original carbon-14 remains. About how long ago did the organism die?
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Answer: C — 17,100 years
39. Stars form through a sequence: stellar nebula → protostar → main-sequence star. What is the first stage in the life cycle of a star?
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Answer: J — Stellar nebula
40. At which location are metamorphic rocks most likely to be found?
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Answer: C — At regions of high heat and pressure within Earth’s crust
41. Of the following, the largest division of the geologic time scale is —
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Answer: C — an era
42. Saturn’s volume is much larger than Earth’s, but its mass is proportionally smaller. This is because Saturn has —
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Answer: F — low density
43. A graph shows average relative humidity versus latitude. Humidity is highest near the equator and decreases moving toward 40° latitude north and south, then increases slightly beyond that. The hypothesis states that average relative humidity decreases north and south of the equator. According to the data, the hypothesis is only correct for latitudes —
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Answer: F — up to 40° from the equator
44. When placed in water, ice floats because —
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Answer: B — it is less dense than water
45. Rock formations at locations X and Y show layers compressed together, folded, and shortened. These formations were created by —
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Answer: H — compression
46. A diagram shows sinkholes connecting surface runoff directly into underground groundwater. One major pollution problem associated with sinkholes is that —
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Answer: D — they can connect directly to the water table
47. Orbital velocity is the average speed of a planet in its orbit around the Sun. Which planet has the fastest orbital velocity?
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Answer: A — Mercury
48. A turbidity current is shown as muddy, sediment-laden water flowing downslope along the ocean floor beneath clearer seawater. What does this illustrate about turbidity currents?
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Answer: F — They move along the bottom.
49. In karst regions, caves form in limestone bedrock. How do stalactites and stalagmites develop?
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Answer: A — Carbonate deposits form from dripping water in air-filled cavities.
50. Mohs’ scale ranks minerals by hardness from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond). Gypsum is harder than talc; calcite is harder than gypsum; feldspar is harder than apatite; quartz scratches a knife blade. Which conclusion is supported?
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Answer: J — Gypsum is harder than talc.
Earth Science I SOL practice test — FAQ
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How many Earth Science I SOL practice questions are there?
Across all sets, there are 306 Earth Science I practice questions drawn from official Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests. This set has 50.
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The questions are adapted from official VDOE released SOL tests for Earth Science I. SOL Prep is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education.
Practice items adapted from Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests. Practice items are provided for study purposes and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education.