Textbook: Chapter 1 - An Evolving Earth 2

Question 1

How did photosynthetic bacteria impact Earth’s atmosphere?

Answer 1

They released oxygen as a byproduct, gradually increasing atmospheric oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide.

Question 2

What are the “Icehouse” and “Greenhouse” phases?

Answer 2

Geological periods of cooling (Icehouse) and warming (Greenhouse) driven by changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Question 3

What are tectonic plates?

Answer 3

Sections of Earth’s crust that move due to internal heat and create earthquakes, mountains, and oceanic trenches.

Question 4

What supercontinent existed before the continents drifted apart?

Answer 4

Pangaea.

Question 5

How did the Antarctic Circumpolar Current contribute to global cooling?

Answer 5

It isolated Antarctica with cold waters, creating a permanent ice cap and promoting the Icehouse phase.

Question 6

What role did the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau play in climate change?

Answer 6

They altered wind patterns, created monsoons in Asia, and contributed to global cooling.

Question 7

How did the formation of the Isthmus of Panama impact global climate?

Answer 7

It separated the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, changing ocean currents and contributing to global cooling.

Question 8

Fill-in-the-Blank

The theory that Earth was once fully covered in ice is known as ________________.

Answer 8

Snowball Earth

Question 9

Fill-in-the-Blank

Early photosynthetic bacteria released ________________ into the atmosphere, which supported more complex life forms.

Answer 9

oxygen

Question 10

Match the geological event with its outcome:

a. Formation of Isthmus of Panama
b. Antarctic Circumpolar Current
c. Himalayan Mountain Formation
d. Breakup of Pangaea

OUTCOME:
1. Created seasonal monsoons in Asia

2. Caused colder global temperatures by isolating Antarctica
3. Divided the Atlantic and Pacific, altering global ocean currents
4. Led to the continents drifting into their current positions

Answer 10

a - 3
b - 2
c - 1
d - 4