3rd Grade Earth Science Test

Question 1

continent

Answer 1

one of the seven large land masses on earth

Question 2

fault

Answer 2

crack in Earth’s crust

Question 3

focus

Answer 3

place in Earth where the energy of an earthquake is first released

Question 4

fossil

Answer 4

remains or imprints of an organism that lived long ago, preserved in rock

Question 5

magma

Answer 5

hot, flowing rock below Earth’s surface

Question 6

Pangaea

Answer 6

huge land mass that existed about 200 million years ago

Question 7

plate

Answer 7

one of the sheets of crust and upper mantle that covers Earth’s surface

Question 8

seismograph

Answer 8

instrument for measuring the strength of an earthquake

Question 9

vibration

Answer 9

rapid back-and-forth movement

Question 10

volcano

Answer 10

opening in Earth’s crust through which melted rock reaches the surface

Question 11

Name the Layers of the Earth in order

Answer 11

core
mantle
crust

Question 12

ocean floor spreading

Answer 12

the term used to describe the area where magma rises and new crust forms

Question 13

Name the types of landforms

Answer 13

plateaus
mountains
valleys
plains
forests

Question 14

Locations where earthquakes are most likely to occur

Answer 14

faults
where plates meet
mid-ocean ridges

Question 15

Where does subduction occur?

Answer 15

between two oceanic plates
between two continental plates
between one continental and one oceanic plate

Question 16

When does subduction occur?

Answer 16

when two plates collide

Question 17

What does the term Ring of Fire refer to?

Answer 17

the area of volcanic earthquake activity around the Pacific Rim

Question 18

What causes weathering

Answer 18

wind
water
waves
temperature
plants

Question 19

Which forces change the Earth’s surface quickly?

Answer 19

earthquakes
volcanoes
landslides

Question 20

Which forces change the Earth’s surface slowly?

Answer 20

erosion

glaciers

Question 21

convection currents

Answer 21

the circular path of a gas or liquid as it heats and rises, spreads out, and then cools and sinks. (these are why the Earth’s plates are always moving).

Question 22

weathering

Answer 22

the breaking down of rocks into smaller particles by wind, waves, water, temperature changes and plants

Question 23

What is the Rock Cycle?

Answer 23

a model that shows how rocks form and change