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Earth and Environmental ScienceQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every Virginia Earth and Environmental Science syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Reporting Category: Oceanography, the Atmosphere, Meteorology and Astronomy
- Explain that Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of its axis (about 23.5 degrees) as it revolves around the Sun, which changes the directness of sunlight and the length of daylight (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.11).2Q&A pairs
- Explain that stars produce energy by nuclear fusion, describe the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and the relationship between a star's color, temperature and luminosity, and outline the life cycle of a star (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.12).2Q&A pairs
- Explain how Earth's rotation causes day and night, how the Moon's orbit causes its phases, and how the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon causes solar and lunar eclipses (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.11).2Q&A pairs
- Describe the structure of the solar system (the Sun, terrestrial and gas-giant planets, and small bodies), explain that orbits are elliptical (Kepler), and explain how gravity and inertia keep planets in orbit (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.2 and ES.11).2Q&A pairs
- Describe galaxies and the scale of the universe, explain the Big Bang theory and its evidence (redshift and the cosmic microwave background), and outline how the electromagnetic spectrum and telescopes are used to study space (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.12).2Q&A pairs
Reporting Category: Earth's History and Surface Processes
- Explain how fossils form and how index fossils correlate rock layers, and describe the divisions and major events of the geologic time scale, including in Virginia (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).2Q&A pairs
- Explain radioactive decay and half-life, and calculate the age of a sample or the fraction of parent remaining using the number of half-lives that have passed (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).2Q&A pairs
- Read a topographic map: interpret contour lines and the contour interval, find elevation and relief, judge slope steepness from contour spacing, and use the rule of Vs to find stream direction (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1 and ES.6).2Q&A pairs
- Apply the principles of relative dating (superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting relationships, inclusions and unconformities) to sequence events in a geologic cross section (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).2Q&A pairs
- Describe the components of soil and the soil horizons, explain the factors that control soil formation, and evaluate soil as a resource that can be conserved or lost to erosion (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.6 surface processes).2Q&A pairs
- Distinguish mechanical and chemical weathering, identify the agents of erosion and deposition, and explain how particle size, sorting and water velocity control where sediment is deposited (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.6 surface processes).2Q&A pairs
Reporting Category: Earth's Materials, Resources and Plate Tectonics
- Explain how earthquakes and volcanoes form at plate boundaries, locate an earthquake epicenter using P-wave and S-wave arrival times, and relate volcano type to magma composition (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.7).2Q&A pairs
- Describe the compositional and physical layers of Earth's interior (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core; lithosphere and asthenosphere) and explain how seismic waves provide the evidence (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.7).2Q&A pairs
- Distinguish renewable and non-renewable resources, describe the major energy sources and Virginia's mineral and energy resources, and evaluate the environmental impacts and conservation of resource use (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.3 and ES.4).2Q&A pairs
- Define a mineral and identify common rock-forming and ore minerals from their physical properties, including hardness, luster, streak, cleavage, color and density (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.4).2Q&A pairs
- Explain plate tectonic theory: the evidence for moving plates, mantle convection as the driving force, the features and motions at divergent, convergent and transform boundaries, and Virginia's geologic provinces (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.7).2Q&A pairs
- Classify igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks by how they form and explain the rock cycle, including how cooling rate, lithification, and heat and pressure transform rock (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.5).2Q&A pairs
Reporting Category: Oceanography, the Atmosphere, Meteorology and Astronomy
- Explain surface currents (driven by wind and deflected by the Coriolis effect into gyres), deep density-driven circulation, and upwelling, and describe how currents transfer heat and affect climate (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.10).2Q&A pairs
- Describe estuaries and the Chesapeake Bay, including brackish water and its role as a nursery, and explain how watershed land use, runoff and sea-level rise affect coastal Virginia (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.10 and human impact).2Q&A pairs
- Describe the features of the ocean floor (continental shelf, slope, abyssal plain, mid-ocean ridge, trench) and explain how temperature and salinity control seawater density (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.10).2Q&A pairs
- Explain the processes of the water cycle (evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, infiltration) and describe watersheds, groundwater and the water table (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9 and ES.10).2Q&A pairs
- Describe how wind generates ocean waves and the parts of a wave, and explain that tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun, including spring and neap tides (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.10 and ES.11).2Q&A pairs
Reporting Category: Scientific Investigation and the Nature of Science
- Organize, analyze and interpret data using tables and graphs (line, bar, scatter), identify trends and the relationship between variables, and calculate the rate of change and percent (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).2Q&A pairs
- Plan and carry out investigations: identify the independent, dependent and controlled variables, use a control, and explain why repeated trials and a large sample make results more reliable (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).2Q&A pairs
- Use appropriate tools and SI units to make and record measurements in Earth science, including length, mass, volume, temperature, time, air pressure, wind speed and rainfall (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).2Q&A pairs
- Construct, use and evaluate models, distinguish a fact, hypothesis, theory and law, and explain how scientific knowledge is built from evidence and changes over time (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).2Q&A pairs
Reporting Category: Oceanography, the Atmosphere, Meteorology and Astronomy
- Describe air masses and the weather at cold, warm, stationary and occluded fronts, and explain how thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes form (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).2Q&A pairs
- Explain how temperature affects air pressure and density, how wind blows from high to low pressure, the Coriolis effect, and local winds such as land and sea breezes (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8).2Q&A pairs
- Distinguish weather from climate, explain the factors that control climate (latitude, elevation, water, ocean currents, prevailing winds), and describe the evidence for climate change and the enhanced greenhouse effect (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).2Q&A pairs
- Explain humidity, relative humidity and dew point, describe how clouds form when air cools to saturation, and identify the main cloud types and forms of precipitation (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8 and ES.9).2Q&A pairs
- Interpret weather maps, including isobars, front symbols, and the station model (temperature, dewpoint, pressure, wind, sky cover), and use them to forecast (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1 and ES.9).2Q&A pairs
- Describe the composition and layers of the atmosphere and explain how energy is transferred by radiation, conduction and convection, including the greenhouse effect (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8).2Q&A pairs