Earth Science I SOL Practice Test — Set 5 of 6
Set 5 of 6 — 50 more free Earth Science I SOL practice questions from official VDOE released tests.
1. The edges of moving crustal plates are often defined by —
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Answer: B — frequent seismic activity
2. Ocean → evaporation → condensation →?. Which comes next in the water cycle?
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Answer: J — Precipitation
3. A cross-section shows limestone, shale, granite, and marble. Which rock represents an igneous intrusion?
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Answer: A — Granite
4. Which layer of the Sun is the most dense?
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Answer: H — Core
5. An earthquake occurred in San Diego. The distance from Seattle to the epicenter is about 1,600 km. A graph of P-wave and S-wave travel times shows that at this distance, the S–P arrival time difference is approximately —
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Answer: G — 3 minutes
6. The ozone layer protects life on Earth from —
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Answer: A — ultraviolet radiation
7. Which of these causes day and night on Earth?
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Answer: J — Earth’s rotation on its axis
8. All of the following ocean features indicate tectonic activity except —
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Answer: A — abyssal plains
9. A map scale shows the Red Sea extending roughly seven segments of 300 km each. About how long is the Red Sea?
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Answer: J — 2,100 km
10. A soil profile shows four layers labeled 1 (topsoil), 2 (subsoil), 3 (weathered rock), and 4 (bedrock). Which layer is most affected by weathering and erosion?
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Answer: A — 1
11. An earthquake diagram shows a focus below ground and an epicenter directly above it on Earth’s surface. The point from which the earthquake originates is the —
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Answer: F — focus
12. Which fact best supports the theory that the universe is expanding?
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Answer: B — Galaxies are moving away from each other.
13. Jellyfish are rarely fossilized because they —
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Answer: D — have soft bodies
14. When two continental plates collide, which landform is most likely to form?
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Answer: F — large folded mountain ranges
15. Why is surface ocean temperature more variable than water near the ocean floor?
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Answer: A — Most energy exchange occurs at the surface.
16. A faulted rock diagram shows more of the upper block missing than the lower block. This is mainly due to —
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Answer: G — erosion of the upper layers
17. Compared to igneous and metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks more often contain —
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Answer: C — fossils
18. Virginia has large sand and gravel deposits. These are usually found in areas where —
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Answer: F — water once flowed
19. Which energy source is nonrenewable?
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Answer: C — Fossil fuel
20. What does Pangaea mean?
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Answer: H — ancient supercontinent
21. All of the following are sources of energy derived from the ocean except —
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Answer: A — Coal
22. A star might be much brighter than it appears to be. This is called the star’s absolute magnitude. The difference between apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude is due primarily to the star’s —
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Answer: D — distance from the Earth
23. Water vapor is lighter than many atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Why then doesn’t water vapor rise above these other gases to a higher level of the atmosphere?
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Answer: B — The cool atmosphere condenses the rising water vapor and causes it to fall back to Earth.
24. The following countries have high per-capita carbon dioxide release values compared with the world average: United States (5.9 tons/year), Canada (5.2), Germany (3.1), United Kingdom (2.9), Japan (2.3), France (2.0), Italy (2.0), with a world average of 1.2 tons/year. These countries released much more CO₂ than the rest of the world because these countries have the largest —
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Answer: C — number of heavy industries
25. The presence of many metamorphic rocks in Virginia is an indication that the area has been subjected to —
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Answer: A — intense heat and pressure
26. About how long does it take the Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis?
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Answer: A — One day
27. Which of these energy sources produces the least harmful environmental effects?
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Answer: C — Solar
28. All of the following support the theory of continental drift except that —
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Answer: D — the North Pole and Antarctica are covered with ice
29. The Southern Hemisphere is warmer in January than in July because —
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Answer: A — it is experiencing summer
30. Only 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh water. Of this fresh water, most is locked in glaciers and ice caps. Where is the remaining 5% of the world’s permanent supply of ice and snow found?
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Answer: A — High mountain peaks
31. Oil spills can be cleaned using bioremediation, which uses bacteria. How does this technique work?
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Answer: C — The bacteria chemically change the oil into less harmful substances.
32. A student sees a very bright star in the sky and thinks it might be the planet Venus. Which observation would support this conclusion?
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Answer: D — After a month, its position relative to surrounding stars has changed.
33. Sinkholes associated with natural processes are characteristic of what type of bedrock?
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Answer: A — Limestone
34. Most hurricanes occur where —
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Answer: A — the oceans are warmest
35. Evidence that parts of the Appalachian Mountains formed from layered sediments in shallow water includes the fact that —
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Answer: C — the mountains exhibit folded layers of rocks containing fossils from shallow water
36. A Mercator projection causes Canada and Alaska to appear larger than they really are because —
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Answer: D — a round Earth is projected onto a flat surface
37. Which of the following is an example of chemical weathering?
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Answer: D — Dissolving of limestone by acid rain
38. When viewed from the Equator, the pole star Polaris —
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Answer: A — is nearly stationary and on the horizon
39. Moist air rises over mountains, cools, then descends and warms on the opposite side. What is the result?
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Answer: B — Heavy rain on the west side and desert on the east
40. Because granite cools below Earth’s surface, it is —
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Answer: B — an igneous intrusive rock
41. Fish are abundant in areas of ocean upwelling because it —
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Answer: B — brings nutrients to the surface
42. Parallax can be used to measure a star’s —
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Answer: D — distance from Earth
43. What industry uses the most crushed stone produced by quarries?
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Answer: B — Construction
44. All of the following are characteristics of metamorphic rocks except —
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Answer: D — holes from trapped gases
45. The angle between a star and the horizon is measured as 35 degrees. What is the position of the star above the horizon?
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Answer: A — 35°
46. Ancient mammoths in Siberia were preserved because of —
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Answer: B — ice
47. In a sequence of rock layers (from bottom to top): breccia, limestone, sandstone, shale. Which layer is the youngest?
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Answer: A — Shale
48. What is the fewest number of seismographic stations needed to locate an earthquake epicenter?
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Answer: B — 3
49. On a map with a scale of 1:24,000, what distance does 1 inch represent?
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Answer: C — 24,000 inches
50. The power generated by a hydroelectric dam depends most on —
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Answer: B — volume of water and height of fall
Earth Science I SOL practice test — FAQ
Are these Earth Science I SOL practice questions free?
Yes — this Earth Science I SOL practice test is completely free with no signup. Answer each question to check it instantly, or open "Show answer" to review.
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.
Are these real Virginia SOL questions?
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.