Introduction to Oceanography
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Introduction to Oceanography provides a comprehensive overview of the physical, chemical, biological, and geological aspects of the worlds oceans. Students will explore the processes that shape ocean basins, the properties and movements of seawater, ocean-atmosphere interactions, marine ecosystems, and the impact of human activities on marine environments. This course also examines current issues such as climate change, ocean pollution, and resource management, equipping students with a foundational understanding of the pivotal role oceans play in Earth's system.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Oceanography 6th Edition by Tom S. Garrison
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Chapter 1: The Origin of the Ocean
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Q1) Life on Earth probably evolved in the ocean. All of the following evidence supports this statement EXCEPT:
A) the cellular makeup of all living organisms depends on a saline solution to dissolve and transport chemicals.
B) biosynthesis cannot occur without high concentrations of free oxygen, similar to the condition of Earth's early atmosphere and ocean.
C) the basic molecules of life (simple sugars and amino acids) form spontaneously in a solution similar to that of Earth's early ocean.
D) the thermal and chemical characteristics of water allow intricate biochemical reactions to occur, such as those required for biosynthesis.
Answer: B
Q2) The death of a star is characterized by a massive release of energy called a ____.
A) nebula
B) protostar
C) supernova
D) comet
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: A History of Marine Science
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Q1) Contributions by early Chinese scientists and philosophers include all of these EXCEPT:
A) developing seagoing methods that allowed them to stay at sea for nearly four months.
B) retrofitting their ships with multi-masts to sail more efficiently with changing winds.
C) development of the chronometer.
D) designing and developing rudders and watertight compartments.
Answer: C
Q2) Why did the Chinese abandon ocean exploration in 1433?
A) They were too slow in developing ships that would allow them to stay at sea for long periods of time.
B) They were distracted by the Dark Ages.
C) They were not interested in showing the wealth or power of the Ming Dynasty to other peoples of the world.
D) Political winds changed, and the cost of the exercise was deemed too great.
Answer: D
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4
Chapter 3: Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics
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Q1) All of the following statements are true concerning subduction zones EXCEPT:
A) they are belts of deep-focus earthquakes.
B) they are sites where lithospheric plates are diverging or pulling apart.
C) they are marked by the presence of deep-sea trenches.
D) they are zones where old seafloor descends into the crust and mantle.
Answer: B
Q2) Which of these is most abundant on or in the Earth?
A) mantle material
B) granite rock
C) liquid water
D) basalt
Answer: A
Q3) About how many kilometers (miles) is it from the Earth's center to the outer edge of the outer core?
A) 12,523 kilometers (7,827 miles)
B) 6,370 kilometers (3,980 miles)
C) 1,264 kilometers (790 miles)
D) 2,880 kilometers (1,800 miles)
Answer: B
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Ocean Basins
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Q1) The deep-ocean basin includes all of the following features EXCEPT:
A) continental shelf.
B) abyssal hills.
C) abyssal plains.
D) mid-ocean ridges.
Q2) What is a submarine canyon and how are they formed?
Q3) Trenches and island arcs are found at spreading centers.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Submarine canyons occur:
A) at the part of an ocean basin nearest the poles.
B) at the part of an ocean basin nearest the equator.
C) at the junction between continental shelf and continental slope.
D) at the center of an ocean basin, at the edges of the mid-ocean ridge.
Q5) The average elevation of the continents is:
A) 8,848 meters (16,000 feet)
B) 840 meters (2,760 feet)
C) 3,800 meters (12,000 feet)
D) 5,000 meters (15,000 feet)
Q6) What methods do scientists use to determine the bathymetry of the ocean floor?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Ocean Sediments
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Q1) Which of the following arrive in the ocean from continents via rivers?
A) terrigenous sediments
B) biogenous sediments
C) hydrogenous (or authigenic) sediments
D) cosmogenous sediments
Q2) Carbonate sediments are rare in deep sea sediments because:
A) the organisms providing shells do not live in the deep sea.
B) the abundance of muds and clays cover the carbonate shells.
C) the carbonate shells are dissolved in deep water.
D) the organisms do not live beyond the edge of the continental shelf.
Q3) What is the origin of manganese nodules?
Q4) Most of the floor of the North Pacific Ocean is covered with:
A) manganese nodules.
B) biogenous oozes.
C) red and brown clays.
D) evaporites.
Q5) Sediment refers to the inorganic materials that accumulate on the ocean floor.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are the main sources of terrigenous sediments?
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Water
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Q1) What is meant by the mixing time of the ocean?
Q2) Heat and temperature both measure random vibrations of an atom or a molecule. A)True
B)False
Q3) 80 calories of heat are required to change 1 gram of ice to liquid water. This represents water's:
A) latent heat of evaporation
B) latent heat of fusion
C) sensible heat
D) temperature
Q4) The components of ocean water whose proportions are NOT accounted for by the weathering of surface rocks are:
A) residue surface constituents.
B) trace elements.
C) conservative constituents.
D) excess volatiles.
Q5) The density of seawater is affected by both temperature and salinity. A)True
B)False
Q6) Describe how carbon dioxide acts as a buffer in seawater.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Atmospheric Circulation
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Q1) The uneven heating of the surface of Earth results in atmospheric convection currents.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The boundary between two air masses is called a(n):
A) Hadley line.
B) ITCZ.
C) Hadley cell.
D) front.
Q3) When viewed from above, tropical cyclones rotate ____ in the southern hemisphere.
A) clockwise
B) counterclockwise
C) in either direction depending on the storm
D) poleward
Q4) Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding solar heating of Earth?
A) Heating of Earth varies with latitude.
B) Ice absorbs much of the solar energy that reaches the poles.
C) Greenhouse gases are disrupting Earth's heat balance.
D) Much of the solar radiation at the equator is absorbed.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Ocean Circulation
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Q1) Geostrophic currents are primarily wind driven.
A)True
B)False
Q2) El Niño results due to an interruption of flow of the ____ Current in the Pacific.
A) Kuroshio
B) Equatorial
C) Canary
D) Antarctic Circumpolar
Q3) England's weather is ____ than would be expected at that latitude because of the influence of surface currents.
A) colder
B) drier
C) less humid
D) warmer and wetter
Q4) Describe how ocean currents affect the global distribution of heat and give an example of how they moderate climate.
Q5) The Kuroshio Current is an example of an eastern boundary current.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Waves
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Q1) Swell is the result of wave separation or dispersion.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The energy that causes ocean waves to form is called a disturbing force.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The uninterrupted distance over which the wind blows without change in direction is the:
A) fetch.
B) wavelength.
C) wind length.
D) wind cell.
Q4) The ultimate height of a wind wave will depend on:
A) the fetch.
B) the length of time the wind blows.
C) the velocity of the wind.
D) all of these
Q5) Celerity is a measure of wavelength and the units are meters.
A)True
B)False
11
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Chapter 10: Tides
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Q1) A low tide corresponds to the trough of the wave.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A tidal or lunar day is every 24 hours.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following statements is FALSE concerning tides?
A) Because tides travel across the ocean, the crests and troughs that cause high and low tides are very large.
B) Tidal bulges are gravitational bulges that stay aligned with the moon or inertial bulges due to centrifugal force.
C) The combined forces of gravity and inertia result in tides.
D) The sun and the moon influence tides.
Q4) Tides caused by the inertia and the gravitational force of the sun and moon are called:
A) neap tides.
B) astronomical tides.
C) tidal surge.
D) meteorological tides.
Q5) How can tidal energy be used by humans?
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Coasts
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Q1) Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the Florida Keys?
A) They were formed during a time between glaciations.
B) They are an example of a coral reef coast.
C) They are an example of a coast formed by biological activity.
D) They are relatively low and extend below sea level.
Q2) What is an erosional coast and how are they different from other types of coasts?
Q3) A sand spit forms when:
A) a long-shore current speeds up.
B) a long-shore current slows.
C) a turbidity currents flows near a coast.
D) a gyre approaches coasts.
Q4) A long-term effect of wave refraction is:
A) to smooth and straighten a coast.
B) to build out points of land.
C) to erode and deepen bays.
D) to remove sand from the beach.
Q5) Both land erosion and sea-level changes can shape a coastline.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Life in the Ocean
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Q1) The aphotic zone is the upper layer of the ocean where there is enough light for photosynthesis and vision.
A)True
B)False
Q2) When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, the water becomes slightly more:
A) acidic; its pH is higher.
B) acidic; its pH is lower.
C) alkaline; its pH is higher.
D) alkaline; its pH is lower.
Q3) An important part of Darwinian natural selection is that traits must be inheritable.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The organisms that cannot produce their own food are called:
A) primary producers.
B) heterotrophs.
C) secondary producers.
D) autotrophs.
Q5) What is a limiting factor and how do they affect the distribution of primary producers?
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Chapter 13: Pelagic Communities
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Q1) Which of the following is NOT an Order of marine mammals?
A) Cetacea
B) Pinnipedia
C) Sirenia
D) Ecinodermata
Q2) Drag is determined by all of the following EXCEPT:
A) frontal area.
B) body shape.
C) surface texture.
D) depth.
Q3) What is produced in primary productivity?
A) carbon dioxide
B) light
C) carbohydrates
D) gametes (egg cells and sperm cells)
Q4) Pelagic organisms live in the open ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is a pelagic community? Compare and contrast the types of plankton and nekton that comprise surface and deep-sea pelagic communities.
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Chapter 14: Benthic Communities
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Q1) One might expect to encounter all of the following organisms in an estuary EXCEPT:
A) sea grasses
B) hermatypic corals
C) phytoplankton
D) juvenile fish
Q2) Hydrothermal vents that support biological communities exist because of primary productivity in the form of chemosynthesis.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Life in productive tropical reefs is characterized by:
A) extreme competition for food, territory, and reproductive opportunities.
B) very few species, but large numbers of each species.
C) large adults in each species that reproduce late in life.
D) organisms with extremely long lifespans.
Q4) Hermatypic corals are corals that build reefs in tropical areas.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Compare and contrast the stability of habitats found in the deep-sea.
Q6) What is an atoll? Describe the steps that occur in the formation of an atoll.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Uses and Abuses of the Ocean
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Q1) Greenhouse gases include all of the following EXCEPT:
A) chlorofluorocarbons.
B) methane.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) oxygen.
Q2) The farming specifically of marine organisms for human use is called:
A) nonextractive resource harvesting.
B) fish farming.
C) aquaculture.
D) mariculture.
Q3) Non-renewable physical resources that are extracted from the ocean and prized by humans include:
A) a variety of seafood.
B) petroleum and natural gas.
C) energy from currents.
D) pharmaceutical compounds.
Q4) Sometimes, the best thing to do in the event of a crude oil spill is to do nothing.
A)True
B)False
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