This challenging worksheet has students answer multiple-choice questions, and fill in blanks to practice earth's layers skills.
It includes 9 questions across 2 sections for focused practice.
Style:
Earth's Layers
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Scientists find identical fossils on continents separated by wide oceans. What does this evidence most strongly support?
A) The fossils were carried across the ocean by strong currents.
B) The continents were once joined together and later moved apart on tectonic plates.
C) Animals swam between the continents long ago.
D) Volcanic eruptions launched the fossils to distant continents.
2. At a divergent plate boundary on the ocean floor, scientists find that rocks closest to the ridge are the youngest. Why?
A) Older rocks sink into the mantle because they are heavier.
B) Ocean currents push the older rocks farther from the ridge.
C) New crust is constantly being created at the ridge as magma rises and cools.
D) Younger rocks float on top of older rocks during underwater eruptions.
3. Why is the lithosphere described as rigid while the asthenosphere beneath it is described as flowing?
A) The lithosphere is made of metal while the asthenosphere is made of gas.
B) The lithosphere is cooler and more brittle, while the asthenosphere is hot enough that rock moves like thick plastic.
C) The lithosphere has no pressure on it, so it stays hard and stiff.
D) The asthenosphere contains water that keeps the rock soft and wet.
4. The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean. Which process most likely formed it?
A) A transform boundary caused the seafloor to crack open.
B) An earthquake split the crust into a deep canyon.
C) An oceanic plate subducted beneath another plate, pulling the seafloor down.
D) Volcanic lava built walls on either side, leaving a gap in between.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Alfred Wegener proposed that all continents were once joined in a supercontinent called Pangaea.
2. Matching rock formations and fossils on different continents provide evidence that they were once connected.
3. The theory of plate tectonics explains how large pieces of Earth's crust move over the mantle.
4. Seafloor spreading occurs at mid-ocean ridges where new crust pushes older crust outward.
5. The coastlines of South America and Africa fit together like puzzle pieces, supporting continental drift.
Earth's Layers
★ Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Scientists find identical fossils on continents separated by wide oceans. What does this evidence most strongly support?
A) The fossils were carried across the ocean by strong currents.
B) The continents were once joined together and later moved apart on tectonic plates.
C) Animals swam between the continents long ago.
D) Volcanic eruptions launched the fossils to distant continents.
2. At a divergent plate boundary on the ocean floor, scientists find that rocks closest to the ridge are the youngest. Why?
A) Older rocks sink into the mantle because they are heavier.
B) Ocean currents push the older rocks farther from the ridge.
C) New crust is constantly being created at the ridge as magma rises and cools.
D) Younger rocks float on top of older rocks during underwater eruptions.
3. Why is the lithosphere described as rigid while the asthenosphere beneath it is described as flowing?
A) The lithosphere is made of metal while the asthenosphere is made of gas.
B) The lithosphere is cooler and more brittle, while the asthenosphere is hot enough that rock moves like thick plastic.
C) The lithosphere has no pressure on it, so it stays hard and stiff.
D) The asthenosphere contains water that keeps the rock soft and wet.
4. The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean. Which process most likely formed it?
A) A transform boundary caused the seafloor to crack open.
B) An earthquake split the crust into a deep canyon.
C) An oceanic plate subducted beneath another plate, pulling the seafloor down.
D) Volcanic lava built walls on either side, leaving a gap in between.
★ Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1) Alfred Wegener proposed that all continents were once joined in a supercontinent called Pangaea.
2) Matching rock formations and fossils on different continents provide evidence that they were once connected.
3) The theory of plate tectonics explains how large pieces of Earth's crust move over the mantle.
4) Seafloor spreading occurs at mid-ocean ridges where new crust pushes older crust outward.
5) The coastlines of South America and Africa fit together like puzzle pieces, supporting continental drift.
Ready to Practice?
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9 Questions
12-18 minutes
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