CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
What is a tsunami?
A. A volcanic gas only
B. A series of long ocean waves often generated by undersea displacement such as an earthquake
C. Any wind wave
D. A type of drought
Correct Answer: B
Sudden displacement of large volumes of water can create tsunamis.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
What is intensity in earthquake science?
A. A measure of ocean depth
B. A measure of observed shaking and effects at a particular location
C. The earthquake's unique global size only
D. A chemical property
Correct Answer: B
Intensity varies from place to place depending on distance, geology and structures.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
What is magnitude in earthquake science?
A. Only the number of aftershocks
B. A daily weather index
C. A measure of local building color
D. A measure of earthquake size or released seismic energy
Correct Answer: D
Magnitude quantifies earthquake size based on seismic measurements.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
Most large earthquakes are associated with what geological feature?
A. Cloud boundaries
B. Magnetic north only
C. Tectonic plate boundaries and faults
D. Ocean salinity fronts
Correct Answer: C
Stress accumulates and is released along faults, especially at plate boundaries.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
Which seismic waves cannot travel through liquids?
A. Sound waves in air
B. P waves
C. S waves
D. Electromagnetic waves
Correct Answer: C
Shear S waves require a medium with shear rigidity and therefore do not propagate through liquids.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
Which seismic waves usually arrive first at a station?
A. Tidal waves
B. Surface waves
C. P waves
D. S waves
Correct Answer: C
Compressional P waves travel fastest through Earth.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
Which instrument records ground motion from earthquakes?
A. Calorimeter
B. Hygrometer
C. Seismograph or seismometer
D. Barometer
Correct Answer: C
Seismometers detect and record seismic waves.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
What is the epicenter?
A. The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus
B. The deepest point in Earth
C. A fault that never moves
D. The center of a tectonic plate always
Correct Answer: A
The epicenter is the surface projection of the hypocenter.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
What is the focus or hypocenter of an earthquake?
A. The center of the ocean
B. Any seismic station
C. The point inside Earth where rupture begins
D. The point on the surface directly above it
Correct Answer: C
The focus is the subsurface origin of seismic rupture.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - General Science
Earthquakes
What is an earthquake?
A. A type of cloud
B. Sudden ground shaking caused by rapid release of energy in Earth's crust
C. A daily ocean tide
D. Slow soil formation only
Correct Answer: B
Earthquakes generate seismic waves when stored elastic strain is released.