Past Test Questions: SS

Question 1

Which of the following events is considered a marker for the beginning of the Holocene?

Answer 1

the end of the last ice age

Question 2

According to scholars, around what year did the Anthropocene era begin?

Answer 2

1950

Question 3

What did Eunice Newton Foote claim about the interaction between atmospheric gases and solar rays in the mid-19th century?

Answer 3

Atmospheric gases like carbon dioxide and water vapor could raise Earth’s temperature by trapping solar heat

Question 4

Why is the Late Holocene referred to as the Meghalayan Stage/Age?

Answer 4

It refers to a mineral deposit found in a cave in northeast India.

Question 5

Which city in Iraq became a focal point for oil extraction due to a discovery in 1927?

Answer 5

Kirkuk

Question 6

What is the primary purpose of ice core sampling?

Answer 6

to study historical atmospheric conditions

Question 7

Who does the book Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway identify as responsible for
spreading doubt about climate change?

Answer 7

a small group of influential individuals

Question 8

What significant contribution did Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring make?

Answer 8

It demonstrated that pesticide use could rapidly transform ecosystems and disrupt natural processes.

Question 9

What was the primary goal of the Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997?

Answer 9

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Question 10

What percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions is contributed by fossil fuels, according to the United Nations?

Answer 10

75%

Question 11

What term is used to describe the stage in climate change where the effects become irreversible due to
positive feedbacks?

Answer 11

tipping point

Question 12

What was the key claim made by NASA scientist James E. Hansen during his testimony before the U.S.
Senate in 1988?

Answer 12

He testified that human-induced greenhouse effects were responsible for climate change.

Question 13

By approximately how much did the global human population increase between 1930 and the present?

Answer 13

4 times, it quadrupled

Question 14

What did scholars conclude about warming periods in China’s history?

Answer 14

Warming periods aligned with population growth and societal development.

Question 15

In what year did the U.S. Chamber of Commerce first acknowledge that humans contribute to climate
change?

Answer 15

2019

Question 16

What does coral sampling in the ocean help to determine?

Answer 16

past temperatures of oceans

Question 17

How did the Little Ice Age (LIA) impact parts of Africa?

Answer 17

it decreased rainfall and brought more frequent droughts

Question 18

In the summer of 2023, what heat index was recorded in Iran?

Answer 18

158º Faranheit

Question 19

Which president signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law on August 16, 2022, providing the
largest source of government funding for climate-related issues in U.S. history?

Answer 19

President Joe Biden

Question 20

What were the primary causes of the Little Ice Age (LIA)?

Answer 20

volcanic eruptions and periods of reduced solar activity

Question 21

What type of investments are targeted by the Justice40 Initiative?

Answer 21

investments in underserved communities focused on clean energy, housing, and infrastructure

Question 22

According to NOAA, how much more frequent is high-tide flooding now compared to 50 years ago?

Answer 22

300% to 900% more frequent

Question 23

What are the layers of the atmosphere listed from lowest to highest altitude?

Answer 23

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

Question 24

How many times did the U.S. Chamber of Commerce advocate against climate action out of 39 policies in 2022?

Answer 24

25 times

Question 25

What are the three components of the triple planetary crisis?

Answer 25

climate change, air pollution, and biodiversity loss

Question 26

What was the decision of the International Union of Geological Sciences regarding the Anthropocene in March of 2024?

Answer 26

They rejected the proposal to name it as a new epoch.

Question 27

In the United States in 2020, methane and nitrous oxide accounted for less than __% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 27

20%

Question 28

What intervals define the Milankovitch cycles related to Earth’s climate changes?

Answer 28

100,000 years, 41,000 years, and 26,000 years

Question 29

What major natural disaster in 2022 caused 156 fatalities and resulted in $112 billion in damages?

Answer 29

Hurricane Ian

Question 30

Which statement BEST explains the global significance of the Little Ice Age (LIA) in shaping world history?

Answer 30

The LIA contributed to colder temperatures in some regions, which coincided with European
expansion and the rise of colonialism.

Question 31

How did British colonial influence impact the development of cities in oil-rich regions like Iraq?

Answer 31

It strained relationships through geopolitical control

Question 32

What tactic did British Petroleum (BP) and its marketing company develop to shift focus from collective
climate action?

Answer 32

the carbon-footprint concept

Question 33

Which rivers provided the main water supply for early Mesopotamian societies?

Answer 33

the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Question 34

Which scientist began regularly measuring carbon dioxide levels in the air from Mauna Loa, Hawaii?

Answer 34

Charles David Keeling

Question 35

Which three countries were the largest producers of oil in 2022?

Answer 35

the US, Saudi Arabia, and Russia

Question 36

What is a “proxy” in the context of studying past climate conditions?

Answer 36

a natural feature that shows evidence of past climate impacts

Question 37

Who served as the first chair of the IPCC from 1988 to 1998?

Answer 37

Bert Bolin

Question 38

What year did historian Michael McCormick assert as the worst year to be alive?

Answer 38

536 CE

Question 39

Which two organizations collaborated in 1967 to create the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP)?

Answer 39

ICSU and WMO

Question 40

What was the reason Phoenix, Arizona, received news attention in the summer of 2023?

Answer 40

for record-breaking heat

Question 41

What event was created based on Lloyd Berkner’s suggestion to study global geophysical activities?

Answer 41

The International GeoPhysical Year

Question 42

What is another name for the Middle Holocene Subseries/Subepoch?

Answer 42

Northgrippian Stage/Age

Question 43

Which organization voted in favor of treating the Anthropocene as a formal geological epoch in 2019?

Answer 43

the Anthropocene Working Group

Question 44

What are the four basic subsystems identified in Earth System Science (ESS)?

Answer 44

geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere