Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) Review:

Test Questions in Professional Education

(Earth Science)
Multiple Choice:

Directions: Choose the idea that makes the given information correct. Encircle the letter that
corresponds to your
answer.

1. Which of the following is an example of a

mineral?
A. Coal
C. Quartz
B. Concrete
D. Steel
2. The minerals Gold and Copper are
examples of?
A. Silicate Minerals
B. Organic Minerals
C. Native Minerals
D. Radioactive Minerals
3. The two most abundant element in
minerals are?
A. Calcium and Manganese
B. Silicon and Oxygen
C. Iron and Magnesium
D. Carbon and Potassium
4. You are given two minerals samples.
Sample A has a
mass of 50g and displaces 25 ml of
water. Sample B
has a mass of 114g had displaces 54 ml
of water.
Which sample has a greater density?
A. Sample A
C. Both of
them
B. Sample B
D. Cannot be
determined
5. Suppose you have three rings each with
a different
gem. One has a diamond, one has an
amethyst
(purple quartz), and one has a topaz. You
mail the
ring in a small box to your friend lives
five islands
away. When the box arrives at its
destination, two
gems are damaged. One gem, however is
damaged
much worse than the other. What
scientific reason
can you give for the difference in
damage?
A. Careless in flight and handling
B. Not well sealed and packed
C. Natural property of gems
D. Factory defectiveness
6. The process of oxidation, hydration and
biological
activity act to break down rocks at the
Earths
surface. Together, these phenomena
constitute:
A. Acid Rain
C. Soil Erosion
B. Weathering
D. Mass
Wasting

7. The dissolved salt in the Earths oceans

are
principally derived from?
A. Marine biological activity
B. Atmospheric deposition
C. The weathering of continental
rocks
D. The eruptions undersea volcanoes
8. A rock formed by the processes melting,
cooling and
crystallization is called:
A. Igneous
C. Hydrothermal
B. Metamorphic
D. Sedimentary
9. The Mohs scale ranges from one for talc
to ten for
diamond. It is a measure of a minerals:
A. Luster
C. Hardness
B. Density
D. Reflectivity
10. What is a geological specialist who
studies the
composition and origin of rocks?
A. Palaeontologist
B. Petrologist
C. Geophysicist
D. Stratigrapher
11. Which of the following is the correct
chronological
order of the processes that a rock must
go through
to become a sedimentary rock?
A. Weathering deposition erosion
compaction and cementation
B. Weathering compaction and
cementation
deposition erosion
C. Weathering cementation
erosion
compaction deposition
D. Weathering erosion deposition
compaction and cementation
12. What soil horizon is composed mostly of
organic
matter?
A. A horizon
C. E horizon
B. C horizon
D. O horizon
13. Two streams begin at the same elevation
and have
equal elevation and have equal volumes.
Which
statement best explains why one stream
cloud be
flowing faster than the other stream?
A. The faster stream contains more
dissolved

minerals.
B. The faster stream has a much
steeper
gradient.
C. The streams are flowing in different
directions.
D. The faster stream has a
temperature of
10C, and the slower stream has
a
temperature of 20C.
14. What texture of soil is the sample having
a mixture
of 60% silt, 15% sand and 25% clay?
A. Sandy clay loam
C. Loam
B. Clay loam
D. Silty clay
loam
15. Sandy loam is mostly made up of?
A. 70% sand, 20% silt and 10% clay
B. 80% sand, 10% silt
and 10% clay
C. 60% sand, 30% clay and 10% silt
D. 50% sand, 40% clay and 10% silt
16. The diagram below shows a cylinder
filled with
clean water. At the left of the cylinder is
a light
source, and at the right of the cylinder is
a meter
that measures the intensity (brightness)
of light as
it passes through the water. One minute
after the
light is turned on, a mixture of sand, silt,
and clay is
poured into the cylinder.
Which graph shows the probable change
in light
intensity (brightness) recorded during the
6-minute
period after the light is turned on?

A.

B.

D.

17. Clay soil forms a fairly effective barrier

against the
movements of water. It also swells and
shrinks
significantly as its water content
changes. Sandy
soil, in contrast, allows water to move
freely and
does not change shape as the water
content varies.
In which statement is the appropriate
soil selected
for its intended site?
A. Clay soil would work well in a drain
field.
B. Clay soil would be a good
foundation for a
large building.
C. Sandy soil would make a good
lining for a
toxic waste site.
D. Clay soil would form a good liner if
a person
built a pond.
18. Which can most likely be concluded
about the top
layer of rock seen in an undisturbed cliff
wall?
A. The top layer is older than layers
located
farther down the cliff.
B. The top layer is younger than
layers located
farther down the cliff.
C. The top layer contains more fossils
than
layers located farther down the
cliff.
D. The top layer contains fewer fossils
than
layers located farther down the
cliff.
19. The root hair of a plant, shown in the
diagram
below, is the most efficient way for
the plant to
absorb water from surrounding soil.
At what
point is the flow of water the
GREATEST?

C.

A. C to B
B. D to B

C. C to A
D. A to B

20. Viscosity is a measure of the internal

resistance of
a fluid to flow. For example, motor oil is
more
viscous than water. The viscosity of a
fluid will
change with temperature. The graph
below
illustrates how the viscosity of oil
changes with
temperature. Under which situation will
the
viscosity of the oil increase?
A. as temperature decreases
B. when mixed with water
C. as temperature increases
D. as its resistance stabilizes
21. A cook decides to recover some table
salt that
has been completely dissolved in water.
Which
of the following processes would be the
most
effective method of extracting salt from
the
solution?
A. dripping the solution through a
filter
B. pouring the solution through a
cloth
C. boiling away the water
D. spinning the solution in a mixer
22. About what percentage of Earth's
surface is
covered by water?
A. 71%
C. 66%
B. 90%
D. 82%
23. Which of the following statements best
describes
the conservative constituents of
seawater?
A. Conservative constituents, which
include
salinity, change very slowly.
B. Conservative constituents are
elements
involved in chemical and biological
processes that change rapidly.
C. Conservative constituents must be
conserved for future
generations.
D. Conservative constituents of
seawater
include gold and other valuable
elements
dissolved in seawater.
24. The term "salinity" refers to
A. the total amount of dissolved solids
in the
ocean.
B. the total amount of chlorine in the
water.
C. the total amount of chloride ion in
the
water.
D. the total amount of sodium in the
water.

25. A large fibre glass tank was placed in a

pit, as shown
below. Before pipes could be attached
and the tank
filled with gasoline, however, the
workers were
asked to move the heavy tank to
another location.
A. Fill the tank with gasoline.
B. Fill the tank with water.
C. Fill the pit with water.
D. Fill both the pit and the tank with
water.
26. Which describes the hydrosphere?
A. Most of it contains salt.
B. It is made of only freshwater.
C. All of it is located above ground.
D It is formed by a climate change.
27. Which tool is used to determine
precipitation
amounts?
A. balance scale
B. hygrometer
C. rain gauge
D. thermometer
28 Which condition in the ocean is most
responsible for
an increase in the fish population near the
surface?
A. Buoyancy
C. Salinity
B. Density
D. Upwelling
29. What conclusion can Rafael make from
his
observation?

Rafael lives
lives near
near
Rafael
road at
at the
the
aa road
bottom of
of aa hill.
hill. His
His
bottom
parents
parents
areconcerned that
that
areconcerned
A. The will
grass helped
to hold the soil
in
soil
wash
off
soil
will
wash
off
place.
B. The grass helped to move the
the
hill
and rocks
rocks
the
waterhill
through and
the soil.
will
fall
onto
the
C.
The
soil without
grass was sticky,
willso morefall
onto
the
road.
Rafael
water stayed in the soil.
road.
Rafael
D. The soil without grass was loose,
so more
conducts
conducts
water stayed in the soil.
aninvestigation
to
aninvestigation
30.
Where does the energy that powersto
the
water
cycle
find
out ifif grass
grass
find
out
come from?
A. plants
C. Electrical
growing
on
outlets
growing
on
aa
B. animals
D. The sun
hillside
will
help
hillside
will
help
31. What is the correct term for plants
stopwatersoil
soil erosion.
erosion.
releasing
stop
He
collects
He
collects

from their leaves, which then

evaporates?
A. Evaporation
C.
Transpiration
B. Precipitation
D.
Condensation
32. Where does some water from the water
cycle
collect underground?
A. Aquariums
C.
Aqueducts
B. Aquifers
D. Aquatic parks
33. In which layer do virtually all weather
phenomena
take place?
A. Exosphere
C.
Stratosphere
B. Mesosphere
D.
Troposphere
34. The most abundant gases in the Earth's
atmosphere
by volume are:
A. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen
B. Oxygen and water vapour
C. Nitrogen and oxygen
D. Oxygen and helium
35. Which layer of the atmosphere contains
the ozone
layer?
A. Exosphere
C.
Stratosphere
B. Mesosphere
D.
Thermosphere
36. What is the correct order of earth's
atmospheric
layers from bottom to top?
A. Stratosphere, Troposphere,
Mesosphere,
Thermosphere, Exosphere.
B. Stratosphere, Troposphere,
Thermosphere,
Mesosphere, Exosphere
C. Troposphere, Mesosphere,
Stratosphere,
Thermosphere, Exosphere.
D. Troposphere, Stratosphere,
Mesosphere,
Thermosphere, Exosphere.
37. The word "weather" is defined as:
A. The average of the weather
elements
B. Any type of falling precipitation
C. The climate of a region in a
particular
time and place
D. The condition of the atmosphere at
a
particular time and place
38. Which of the following human activities
reduces
the level of ozone in the atmosphere?
A. Using artificial lighting in scientific
polar
stations
B. Using large banks of solar cells for
energy

same size
size andtype
andtype
same
of soil.
soil.
Onesample
production
of
Onesample
C. Releasing chlorofluorocarbons from
ofaerosol
soil has
has grass
grass
of
soil
cans
D. Destroying large
growing
onareas
and
growing
ititof the
and
equatorial rain on
forests
the
other
does
not.
the
not.
39
Whichother
equipment isdoes
most useful
when
measuring
He
places
the two He
environmental changes
places
mentioned in the
eachsample
of soil
soil
sample below?
eachsample
of
in aa small
small tray.
tray.
in
After pouring
pouring the
the
After
water onto
onto both
both
water
pieces
of
soil,
pieces
of
soil,
Rafael
makes
an
Rafael
an
A. Barometermakes
and voltmeter
B. Light meter and barometer The
observation.
observation.
The
C. Voltmeter and thermometer
D. Thermometer and light meter
water
collected
in
40
The information
above could be usedin
water
collected
most effectively in arguing against which of
the
tray under
under the
the
these
proposals?
the
tray
soilwithgrass
soilwithgrass
looks clearer
clearer than
than
looks
the water
water collected
collected
the
in the
the tray
tray under
under
in
the
the
A. Adding chemicals to a local water
supply
soilwithoutgrass.
soilwithoutgrass.
B. Permitting water well to be drilled
in a state

Park
C. Limiting the use of waterways for
recreation
D. Paving a meadow to create a
parking area
41. How many seismograph stations are
needed to locate the epicentre of an
earthquake?
A. 1
B. 2

C. 3
D. 4 or more

42. The quantity of energy released by an

earthquake is
a measurement referred to as
__________.
A. Intensity
C. Magnitude
B. Displacement D. Stress

43. What is the feature labelled "C" in the

diagram?

A. The epicentre
B. The fault scrap
C. The focus
D. The dip
44. Mt. Mayon, Mt. Taal and Mt. Pinatubo
are
volcanoes which are __________.
A.
B.
C.
D.

Active and extinct

Active and dormant
Extinct and dormant
All active

45. Which fact is not correct?

A. Volcanoes are found on other
planets and
their moons as well.
B. Volcanoes are unique to the Earth
only.
C. Most volcanoes form a conical
mountain
structure after eruption.
D. Volcanoes spew lava, steam,
poisonous
gases, and ash from the top of
the mountain.
46. Which of the following parts of the Sun is
easily
visible only during a total solar eclipse?
A. Core
C. Sunspots
B. Photosphere
D. Corona
47. Because Venus has greater atmospheric
carbon
dioxide (CO2) content than Earth has,
the surface
temperature of Venus is
A. Warmer, due to absorption of longwave
(infrared) radiation by a
greenhouse gas
B. Warmer, due to absorption of shortwave
(ultraviolet) radiation by a
greenhouse gas
C. Cooler, due to absorption of longwave
(infrared) radiation by a
greenhouse gas
D. Cooler, due to absorption of shortwave
(ultraviolet) radiation by a
greenhouse gas
48. In which list are celestial features
correctly shown
in order of increasing size?

A. galaxy solar system universe

planet
B. solar system galaxy planet
universe
C. planet solar system galaxy
universe
D. universe galaxy solar system
planet
49. In the Northern Hemisphere, the nights
are shorter
than the daylight hours during?
A. Summer.
B. Summer and spring.
C. Summer and autumn.
D. Summer and winter.
50. The seasons on earth are caused
primarily by
A. The variation in the earth's
distance from the
sun.
B. The tilt of the earth's rotational
axis with
respect to the ecliptic.
C. The inclination of the moon's orbit
with
respect to the ecliptic.
D. The phases of the moon.
51. In the northern hemisphere, the Winter
Solstice
marks the
A. Beginning of summer.
B. End of winter.
C. Beginning of spring.
D. End of autumn.
52. A total solar eclipse
A. Occurs every few years.
B. Can last up to two hours at one
point on
earth.
C. Is always followed by a total lunar
eclipse
about four weeks later.
D. Can only occur when the moon is
near
apogee.
53. During a solar eclipse, the ____ is in the
____
shadow.
A. Sun; earth's
C. Earth;
moon's
B. Sun; moon's
D. Earth;
sun's
54. The HR diagram is a plot of
A. Parallax vs. radius.
B. Absolute magnitude vs.
composition.
C. Luminosity vs. temperature.
D. Apparent magnitude vs. distance.
55. Stars spend most of their lifetimes as
A. Giant stars.
C.
Supergiant stars.
B. Protostars.
D. Main
sequence stars.
56. Future evolution of the sun will most
likely produce
A?

A. Supernova.

C. Black

hole.
B. Neutron star.
D. White dwarf.
57. The second planet from the sun
A. Mercury
C. Jupiter
B. Mars
D. Neptune
58. Now a dwarf planet
A. Pluto
C. Earth

B. Mercury
D. Venus
59. Orbits between Uranus and Jupiter
A. Mars
C. Venus
B. Uranus
D. Saturn
60. The largest Jovian planet
A. Earth
C. Neptune
B. Saturn
D. Mercury