Geological History of the Earth MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Geological History of the Earth - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Alfred Wegener.

The hypothesis of continental drift was given by Alfred Wegener in 1912  to explain the arrangement and origin of continents and ocean basins.

• According to him, continents formed a single continental mass called ‘Pangaea’ which was surrounded by a mega ocean called ‘Panthalassa’.
• In the Jurassic period (200 million years ago) Pangaea begins to split and broke into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.
• Further Laurasia and Gondwanaland further continued to break into various smaller continents that exist today.
• He gave the evidence of radiometric dating, matching of continents paleoclimatic evidence, etc.
   

The correct answer is Earth.

Key Points

• Earth is referred to as the "Water Planet" due to the presence of vast amounts of water, which covers approximately 71% of its surface.
• About 97% of Earth's water is found in oceans, while the remaining 3% is freshwater, located in glaciers, ice caps, groundwater, and rivers/lakes.
• Earth is the only known planet in the solar system that supports liquid water, which is essential for sustaining life.
• The hydrosphere of Earth includes all water bodies, such as oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and groundwater systems.
• The presence of water in all three states—solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (water vapor)—makes Earth's water cycle unique and vital for ecological balance.

Additional Information

• Hydrosphere: It is the combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of Earth, playing a crucial role in regulating climate and supporting life.
• Water Cycle: Earth's water cycle involves evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff, ensuring the continuous movement of water across the planet.
• Oceans: Oceans are the largest reservoirs of water on Earth, influencing weather patterns, climate, and biodiversity. They also serve as carbon sinks, absorbing atmospheric CO2.
• Freshwater Resources: Freshwater is critical for human consumption, agriculture, and industrial use, with major sources including glaciers, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
• Habitability: Earth's ability to sustain life is largely attributed to its liquid water, making it a unique planet compared to others like Venus, Mars, and Mercury, which lack similar water systems.

The correct answer is Alfred Wegener.

The hypothesis of continental drift was given by Alfred Wegener in 1912  to explain the arrangement and origin of continents and ocean basins.

• According to him, continents formed a single continental mass called ‘Pangaea’ which was surrounded by a mega ocean called ‘Panthalassa’.
• In the Jurassic period (200 million years ago) Pangaea begins to split and broke into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.
• Further Laurasia and Gondwanaland further continued to break into various smaller continents that exist today.
• He gave the evidence of radiometric dating, matching of continents paleoclimatic evidence, etc.
   

The correct answer is Oxygen.

Key Points

• Before the formation of living cells, the Earth's atmosphere lacked free oxygen (O2).
• This early atmosphere was primarily composed of methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), water vapor (H2O), and hydrogen (H2).
• The absence of oxygen created a reducing atmosphere, which was crucial for the synthesis of organic molecules.
• Oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere around 2.4 billion years ago, during the Great Oxidation Event, due to the photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria.

Additional Information

• Reducing Atmosphere
  • An atmosphere with low oxygen and high levels of reducing gases such as hydrogen, methane, and ammonia.
  • Such conditions are thought to be favorable for the formation of organic molecules, essential for the origin of life.
• Great Oxidation Event (GOE)
  • Occurred around 2.4 billion years ago.
  • Marked the transition from a reducing to an oxidizing atmosphere due to the biological activity of photosynthetic organisms.
  • Led to the accumulation of free oxygen in the atmosphere.
• Cyanobacteria
  • Photosynthetic microorganisms that played a significant role in oxygenating the early atmosphere.
  • Often referred to as blue-green algae, they were among the first organisms to perform oxygenic photosynthesis.
• Early Earth's Atmosphere
  • Comprised primarily of volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and ammonia.
  • Lacked free oxygen until the advent of photosynthetic life forms.

• Block mountains are the type of mountains in which the middle part of the mountain is lower and the parts on both sides are higher. 
• The middle part is known as the rift valley. 
• Black Forest (Germany), Salt Range (Pakistan), Vindhya and Satpura (India) are examples of block mountains. 
• The Ural is a fold mountain. Fold mountains are formed because of folds in the rocks due to the internal movements of the earth. 
• Block mountains - 

The correct answer is Alfred Wegener.

The hypothesis of continental drift was given by Alfred Wegener in 1912  to explain the arrangement and origin of continents and ocean basins.

• According to him, continents formed a single continental mass called ‘Pangaea’ which was surrounded by a mega ocean called ‘Panthalassa’.
• In the Jurassic period (200 million years ago) Pangaea begins to split and broke into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.
• Further Laurasia and Gondwanaland further continued to break into various smaller continents that exist today.
• He gave the evidence of radiometric dating, matching of continents paleoclimatic evidence, etc.
   

• The huge storm known as the Great red spot is associated with Jupiter. 
• This spot is twice as wide as the Earth and it circles the Southern Hemisphere of Jupiter. 
• The speed of wind on the edges 270-425 mph. However, winds are calm in the center of the storm.
• It was first observed in 1831 by amateur astronomer Samuel Heinrich Schwabe.
• Please note that Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system.
• The increasing order of distance of planets from the Sun:-Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto comes after Neptune but it is considered a dwarf planet.

• Block mountains are the type of mountains in which the middle part of the mountain is lower and the parts on both sides are higher. 
• The middle part is known as the rift valley. 
• Black Forest (Germany), Salt Range (Pakistan), Vindhya and Satpura (India) are examples of block mountains. 
• The Ural is a fold mountain. Fold mountains are formed because of folds in the rocks due to the internal movements of the earth. 

The correct answer is Silicon.

• Oxygen is the most abundant element in the earth's crust while silicon is second.
• The compound of silicon and oxygen, which is silica, makes up about 60% of this crust.

Important Points

The abundance of elements in Earth's (continental) crust:

The Correct Answer is Panthalassa.

 Key Points

• According to Wegener, all the continents formed a single continental mass and mega ocean surrounded the same.
• The supercontinent was named PANGAEA, which meant all earth.
• The mega-ocean was called PANTHALASSA, meaning all water.

 Additional Information

• Continental drift theory deals with the distribution of the oceans and the continents.
• It was first suggested by a German meteorologist, Alfred Wegener in 1912.
• Around 200 million years ago Pangaea started splitting and broke down into two large continental masses as Laurasia and Gondwanaland forming the northern and southern components respectively.
• Subsequently, Laurasia and Gondwanaland continued to break into various smaller continents that exist today.

The correct answer is Oxygen.

• Oxygen is placed second in respect of abundance in the Earth's atmosphere.

Key Points

• Oxygen with 20.95% of the earth’s atmosphere, is placed as the second most abundant gas in the atmosphere.
• Nitrogen is placed at the top with 78.09% of the earth’s atmosphere.
• Third place is Argon with 0.93% of the earth’s atmosphere.
• Then comes Carbon Dioxide with 0.04% of the earth’s atmosphere.
• Also, a small amount of Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Hydrogen and water vapour.

The correct answer is The gravitational force between moon and earth.

Key Points

• The force behind the tidal energy is coming from the gravitational force between the moon and earth.
• The moon's gravity creates a tidal bulge on the earth's surface as it orbits around the earth.
• This bulge creates a high tide where the ocean is pulled towards the moon and a low tide where the ocean is pulled away from the moon.
• As the earth rotates, different parts of the planet experience high and low tides at different times, creating a cyclical pattern of tidal energy.

Additional Information

• Tidal energy is a form of renewable energy that is generated by the rise and fall of ocean tides.
• These tides are caused by the gravitational forces between the earth, the moon, and the sun.
• The moon is the primary driver of tidal energy because it is much closer to the earth than the sun. The gravitational force between the moon and the earth causes a tidal bulge on the earth's surface, which results in two high tides and two low tides each day.
• Tidal energy is typically harnessed using turbines that are placed in the path of the tidal flow.
• When the tide comes in, water flows through the turbines, turning them and generating electricity.
• When the tide goes out, the turbines turn in the opposite direction, generating electricity again.
• This cyclical motion allows for continuous power generation as long as the tides continue to flow.

The Correct Answer is Big Bang 

Key Points

• The theory of the Big Bang was proposed by Georges Lemaitre in 1927. Georges didn't call it the Big Bang theory, he called it the hypothesis of the primeval atom
• Georges Lemaître
• According to the Big Bang theory, the expansion of the observable universe began with the explosion of a single particle at a definite point in time. 
• Georges Lemaître, (1894-1966), Belgian cosmologist, Catholic priest, and father of the Big Bang theory.

Additional Information

• The three main theories put forward to explain the origin and evolution of the universe are:
  • The Big Bang Theory
  • The Steady-State Theory
  • The Pulsating Theory​​​
• Steady State Theory:
  • According to this theory, the number of galaxies in the observable universe is constant and new galaxies are continuously being created out of empty  space, which fill up the gaps caused by those galaxies, which have crossed the boundary of the observable universe.
• Pulsating Theory: 
  • According to this theory, the universe is supposed to be expanding and contracting alternately i.e. pulsating. At present, the universe is expanding.
  • According to pulsating theory, it is possible that at a certain time, the expansion of the universe may be stopped by the gravitational pull and they may contract again.

The correct answer is Mesozoic Era.

Key Points

• The Mesozoic Era is known as the 'Age Of Reptiles' because dinosaurs ruled the Earth's food chains during that era
• This era began 251 million years ago and lasted for 186 million years