EXAM 1
DUE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6
General Guidance:
- The exam questions below cover the material we will discuss in class. Your answers should reflect what we cover in class, the posted notes, and the text book.
- It is best to work on the questions as we cover the material; you should feel free to bring the questions up in class for discussion.
- Be thorough, it may take one or two paragraphs to completely answer the question.
- Put the answer into your own words. Short quotes are OK, but your answer should not be a single, long quote from a source.
- Please answer the questions using complete sentences, and be sure to use proper spelling and grammar (worth 10%).
- The answers must be typed.
- Informal citations are required.
- If you are using information from the textbook; indicate the page number
- If you are using information from your class notes; indicate so
- If you are using other sources, you should indicate the source
- Format examples: "According to [source], [followed by the information]" OR "[information] [followed by source in parentheses]"
- Answers that are copied from the book, notes, another student, or any other source (verbatim or superficially rephrased) will not be accepted. While you should use all the resources available and you can and should work with other students, the work you submit must be your own work in your own words.
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- Explain why it is important to study and understand the ocean. (5 pts.)
- Describe one of the characteristics of scientific investigation and explain its importance. (5 pts.)
- Describe one field of study within oceanography. (5 pts.)
- Describe the origin of the ocean’s water. (5 pts.)
- Explain why earth has oceans of water when the other planets in our solar system do not. (5 pts.)
- Describe what the early ocean charts depicted well and what they depicted poorly or not at all. (5 pts.)
- Note: You can use figures from Chapter 2 (2.4, 2.7, 2.13, 2.20) or old charts you might find on-line. Consider what any of those show and don't show and how that aligns with modern maps and charts.
- Explain how a clock can be used to determine longitude. (5 pts.)
- Describe one difficulty oceanographers encounter when studying some aspect of the ocean. Explain how that difficulty is dealt with. (10 pts.)
- Describe three pieces of evidence in favor of plate tectonics. Explain how each supports plate tectonics. (Be specific, describe what the evidence is and explain what it shows and how that supports the concept of plate tectonics.) (10 pts. each)
- Describe how an ocean basin forms. Include the type of plate boundary, describe several stages in the process, and describe significant features that form. (10 pts.)
- Describe several of the significant differences between ocean crust and continental crust. (5 pts.)
- Compare the Pacific Ocean basin to the Atlantic Ocean basin. Describe several features that are similar and several features that are different. (10 pts.)
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last updated: 2026-09-08