Name _________________________________________ Date ______________ Class section _______
Chapter 19: The History of the Continents
Earth Science
10 pts
Multiple choice: Choose the one best response. Write the letter of that choice in the space provided.
Short answer:
1. The landmass of Pangaea was surrounded by what super ocean? _____________________________
2. After Pangaea’s break-up, 135 million years ago, what two landmasses were formed?
a. _________________________________________
b. _________________________________________
Section 19.1: Movements of the Continents
______ 1. Crustal plates move a few ___ in a year.
a. millimeters
b. centimeters
c. meters
d. kilometers
______ 2. The continents existing today contain large areas of deformed Precambrian rocks called __.
a. cratons
b. Cambrians
c. shields
d. lithites
______3. During which time period or era were the Appalachian Mountains formed?
a. Precambrian
b. Paleozoic
c. Mesozoic
d. Cenozoic
______4. Fossils found in the Precambrian rocks of North America are approximately ___ years old.
a. 2 million
b. 200 million
c. 1 billion
d. 2 billion
Section 19.2: Growth of a Continent: North America
______5. During the Paleozoic Era, much of what is now the United States was covered by ___.
a. a shallow sea
b. a desert
c. an ice sheet
d. grasslands
______6. Archaeological evidence indicates that the first human inhabitants arrived in North America
approximately how many years ago?
a. 10,000 years ago
b. 20,000 years ago c. 30,000 years ago d. 40,000 years ago
______7. There is a gap in Illinois’ geologic record from the Mesozoic to the Pleistocene, due to ___.
a. glacial movement
c. human mining activity
(see notes)
b. the formation of an inland sea
d. tectonic activity