Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1.
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Why do earthquakes often cause damaging fires?
a. | Lightning strikes are common during earthquakes. | b. | Earthquake
vibrations can break gas lines, water lines, and electrical lines. | c. | Tsunamis from
earthquakes generate enough heat to start fires. | d. | Magma from deep underground escapes through
faults. |
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2.
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The scale most widely used by scientists for
measuring earthquakes is the ____. a. | seismic scale | c. | moment magnitude scale | b. | Richter
scale | d. | epicenter magnitude
scale |
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3.
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According to Figure 8-1, what is the distance between the seismic station and an
earthquake epicenter, if the first S wave arrives 4.0 minutes after the first P wave?
a. | 1500 kilometers | c. | 3000 kilometers | b. | 2500 kilometers | d. | 2000 kilometers |
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4.
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Which seismic waves compress and expand rocks in the direction the waves
travel?
a. | P waves | c. | surface waves | b. | S waves | d. | transverse
waves |
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5.
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What instrument records earthquake waves?
a. | seismogram | c. | Richter scale | b. | seismograph | d. | barometer |
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6.
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of S
waves? a. | They travel more slowly than P waves. | b. | They temporarily change the volume of material
by compression and expansion. | c. | They shake particles at right angles to the
direction the waves travel. | d. | They cannot be transmitted through water or
air. |
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7.
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The Richter magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the ____.
a. | duration of an earthquake | b. | intensity of an earthquake | c. | arrival times of P
waves and S waves | d. | measurement of the amplitude of the largest
seismic waves |
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8.
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Which one of the following statements is true about P waves?
a. | They travel only through solids. | b. | They travel faster than S
waves. | c. | They are the most destructive type of seismic wave. | d. | They cannot be
recorded on a seismograph. |
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9.
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Earthquakes are usually associated with ____.
a. | violent weather | c. | large cities | b. | faults | d. | the east coast of North
America |
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10.
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An earthquake’s magnitude is a measure of
the ____. a. | size of seismic waves it produces | b. | amount of shaking it
produces | c. | number of surface waves it produces | d. | damage it
causes |
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