GED Practice Quiz

Directions:

Choose the one best answer to each question. When you have finished the quiz, click on Submit Answers to receive feedback and results. You may also choose to e-mail your results to your instructor.

Below are four statements about diamonds from a jewelry store advertisement.

I.	Diamond is the hardest mineral known.
II.	Many diamonds are yellow, blue, or pink because they contain impurities.
III.	Only about 20 percent of the diamonds mined each year are used in jewelry.
IV.	Light reflecting from the cut surfaces of a diamond is what makes the stone beautiful.

Which of the statements represents an opinion rather than a fact?

I only

II only

III only

IV only

II and III

Questions 2 and 3 refer to the following information.

The powerful Gulf Stream and other currents encircle much of the North Atlantic Ocean. Within this area, away from prevailing winds, lies the nearly motionless Sargasso Sea. Large masses of sargassum seaweed accumulate on the surface and float on remarkably clear blue water. Because there is almost no current here, no water enters the area. The whole area remains warm under the sun’s light. No upwelling currents occur in the motionless mass of water, so no nutrients are brought up from the depths below. Other than the floating seaweed and the eels that spend part of their life cycle there, the Sargasso is a "dead sea."


2	What makes the Sargasso a "dead sea?
		A)	No ships can sail through the mass of seaweed.
		B)	As in a desert, no rain falls on the Sargasso.
		C)	Its blue, warm water cannot support life.
		D)	Surface winds stir up violent storms.
		E)	It supports relatively little life because of the lack of nutrients.


3	Given the information in the passage, at what location on the map would you expect to find the calmest waters?
		A)	A
		B)	B
		C)	C
		D)	D
		E)	E

Questions 4 and 5 refer to the following information.

The water cycle is a process that describes how water moves from Earth to the atmosphere and back again. The Sun provides energy for the water cycle. In evaporation, heat from the Sun changes water to a gas, water vapor. Water evaporates from oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. As it evaporates, it moves upward into Earth’s atmosphere.

As the water vapor rises in the atmosphere, it is cooled. As the water vapor cools, it condenses, or changes back to liquid form. Droplets of condensed water vapor form clouds.

When the clouds can hold no more condensed water vapor, the droplets fall to Earth as precipitation such as rain. The rain soaks into the ground, moves along the ground in streams and rivers, or evaporates. Once the water evaporates, the water cycle repeats.


4	Which of the following statements best summarizes the passage and diagram?
		A)	Precipitation such as rain is part of the water cycle.
		B)	The Sun is responsible for adding energy to the water cycle.
		C)	Water moves from the ground upward to the clouds.
		D)	Water on Earth is recycled through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
		E)	Rainwater runoff is the source of the water for the water cycle.


5	Which step in the water cycle is most effective in removing pollutants from the air?
		A)	precipitation
		B)	condensation
		C)	evaporation
		D)	runoff
		E)	overland flow

Questions 6 and 7 refer to the following diagram and information.

When damp air blows against a mountain, the air rises. As it moves higher, it gets colder. For every 1,000 feet the air rises, its temperature drops 3 degrees. Clouds also form because moisture condenses as air becomes colder. When the air has reached the top of the mountain, it is quite dry. As the dry, cold air moves down the other side of the mountain, it heats up about 5 ¹/₂ degrees for every 1,000 feet of descent. It heats up more because the moisture is gone.


6	The diagram shows that moist air arriving at a mountain has a temperature of 40°F at an altitude of 5,000 feet. The air rises to 12,000 feet to cross the mountain. Which of the following best describes the condition of this air when it arrives back down at 5,000 feet on the other side of the mountain?
		A)	40°F; dry
		B)	colder than 19°F; moist
		C)	warmer than 40°F; dry
		D)	warmer than 40°F; moist
		E)	between 19° and 40° F; dry


7	What kind of land would most likely occur on the right side of the mountain?
		A)	marshland
		B)	an ocean
		C)	a forest
		D)	a desert
		E)	bare rock

Questions 8 and 9 refer to the following information.

Many physical and chemical processes change Earth’s surface. These processes involve the action of wind, water, ice, heat, and gravity. Five of these processes are defined below.
abrasion—wearing away of rock by the grinding of ice, soil, or other materials against it
creep—very slow movement of soil downhill
deposition—accumulation of substances that are no longer dissolved in water
exfoliation—peeling or flaking of thin layers from the surface of rock
leaching—the removal of minerals from the soil as water moves through it


8	A woman decided to replant her African violet because it was no longer growing well. When she removed the plant from its container, she found that the bottom and sides of the pot were covered with a thick layer of white salts. The layer of salts formed as a result of which process?
		A)	abrasion
		B)	creep
		C)	deposition
		D)	exfoliation
		E)	leaching


9	A rancher noticed that the fences he put in some years ago across the side of a hill now tip downward rather than point upward. The fence posts now point downhill because of which process?
		A)	abrasion
		B)	creep
		C)	deposition
		D)	exfoliation
		E)	leaching


10	A man discovers seashells embedded in rocks on the top of a mountain and concludes that at one time an inland sea covered the mountain. Which of the following statements suggests that another explanation might be possible?
		A)	Over a long period of time, mud that covered the seashells hardened into rock.
		B)	The uplifting of Earth’s crust that was once part of the ocean floor formed the mountains.
		C)	A huge undersea mountain range runs the entire length of the Atlantic Ocean.
		D)	Over time mountains are worn down by weather and water and new surfaces are exposed.
		E)	Many islands are actually the tops of undersea volcanoes that stick up above the surface of the water.

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