This Chemistry quiz is called 'Chemistry - Earth's Atmosphere' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at high school. Playing educational quizzes is a user-friendly way to learn if you are in the 9th or 10th grade - aged 14 to 16.
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One topic looked at in high school Science is the changes which have and do occur on the Earth and in its atmosphere. This quiz focusses specifically on the Earth's atmosphere and the gasses found there.
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Something that you probably take for granted is the atmosphere around us and the gasses that we breathe. But the atmosphere doesn't only supply the oxygen that our bodies need for respiration, it also protects us from space. High level ozone protects us from the effects of the most harmful ultra-violet rays from the Sun and carbon dioxide ensures that the Earth's temperature stays within the limits needed for life. The atmosphere also protects us from most fragments of space debris by causing them to burn up well before they hit the Earth's surface and it allows water and carbon to be recycled through food chains.
But how did the atmosphere get here and how has it ended up as being perfect to sustain life? These are questions that can't be answered with certainty as it all happened long ago in the distant past. It seems that our atmosphere has been pretty much the same mixture of gasses for about 200 million years!
Scientists have many theories as to how the atmosphere was formed and how changes have occurred over time. The most widely accepted is the one that suggests it came from volcanic activity. Molten magma contains a lot of gas dissolved in it which is released when it erupts at the surface. The early atmosphere was probably mostly carbon dioxide with little or no oxygen. There were smaller proportions of water vapor, ammonia and methane. As the Earth cooled down, most of the water vapor condensed and formed the oceans. The atmospheres of Venus and Mars are thought to be like the Earth's early atmosphere but the changes which happened on Earth never took place on those planets.
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1.
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About how much oxygen is there in the atmosphere? |
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| [ ] |
78% |
| [ ] |
62% |
| [ ] |
43% |
| [ ] |
21% |
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2.
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About how much of the atmosphere is nitrogen? |
|
| [ ] |
78% |
| [ ] |
62% |
| [ ] |
43% |
| [ ] |
21% |
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3.
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As well as the main gasses, which of the following are found in the atmosphere in small proportions? |
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| [ ] |
Argon |
| [ ] |
Carbon dioxide |
| [ ] |
Water vapor |
| [ ] |
All of the above |
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4.
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Argon is a noble gas and is inert (does not react with other substances). For that reason it is used in light bulbs but how is it obtained from the air? |
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| [ ] |
The air is solidified and argon is collected as the solid air sublimes |
| [ ] |
The air is liquified and argon can be collected by fractional distillation |
| [ ] |
It can be filtered out from the air by using a special filter |
| [ ] |
It is made from other chemicals |
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5.
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Why is nitrogen used in food packaging? |
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| [ ] |
It makes the food lighter and easier to transport |
| [ ] |
It is cheaper than using all of the air |
| [ ] |
It makes food taste a lot better |
| [ ] |
It is unreactive and helps to keep the food fresher |
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6.
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What natural process is thought to have created the early atmosphere and which was the main gas? |
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| [ ] |
Volcanic action created the early atmosphere and carbon dioxide was the main gas |
| [ ] |
Photosynthesis created the early atmosphere and oxygen was the main gas |
| [ ] |
Cosmic rays created the early atmosphere and nitrogen was the main gas |
| [ ] |
Global warming created the early atmosphere and carbon dioxide was the main gas |
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7.
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The first green algae-like plants evolved about 2,000 million years ago. How would this have affected the early atmosphere? |
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| [ ] |
It reduced the carbon dioxide levels and increased the amount of oxygen |
| [ ] |
It started to fix nitrogen into the soil |
| [ ] |
It converted methane into ammonia which was then converted to oxygen by animals |
| [ ] |
It would not have caused any changes to the early atmosphere |
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8.
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What may have happened to the rest of the carbon dioxide from the early atmosphere? |
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| [ ] |
It has been lost into space |
| [ ] |
It has been changed into other gasses by radiation from the Sun |
| [ ] |
It was absorbed by the oceans and then has been locked into rocks like limestone |
| [ ] |
It has been absorbed by lava from volcanoes |
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9.
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The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has remained almost the same for 200 million years. Since the start of the twentieth century it has increased dramatically. What is thought to have caused this? |
|
| [ ] |
The increase in population |
| [ ] |
The development of the motor car |
| [ ] |
Nuclear power stations |
| [ ] |
The steel making industry |
|
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10.
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One theory is that life on Earth started from chemicals in the early atmosphere. According to that theory, which chemicals are thought to have been involved? |
|
| [ ] |
Methane and carbon dioxide |
| [ ] |
Ammonia and oxygen |
| [ ] |
Ammonia and hydrocarbons |
| [ ] |
Hydrocarbons and oxygen |
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|
1.
|
About how much oxygen is there in the atmosphere? |
|
| [ ] |
78% |
| [ ] |
62% |
| [ ] |
43% |
| [x] |
21% |
|
|
|
2.
|
About how much of the atmosphere is nitrogen? |
|
| [x] |
78% |
| [ ] |
62% |
| [ ] |
43% |
| [ ] |
21% |
|
|
|
3.
|
As well as the main gasses, which of the following are found in the atmosphere in small proportions? |
|
| [ ] |
Argon |
| [ ] |
Carbon dioxide |
| [ ] |
Water vapor |
| [x] |
All of the above |
|
|
|
4.
|
Argon is a noble gas and is inert (does not react with other substances). For that reason it is used in light bulbs but how is it obtained from the air? |
|
| [ ] |
The air is solidified and argon is collected as the solid air sublimes |
| [x] |
The air is liquified and argon can be collected by fractional distillation |
| [ ] |
It can be filtered out from the air by using a special filter |
| [ ] |
It is made from other chemicals |
|
|
|
5.
|
Why is nitrogen used in food packaging? |
|
| [ ] |
It makes the food lighter and easier to transport |
| [ ] |
It is cheaper than using all of the air |
| [ ] |
It makes food taste a lot better |
| [x] |
It is unreactive and helps to keep the food fresher |
|
|
|
6.
|
What natural process is thought to have created the early atmosphere and which was the main gas? |
|
| [x] |
Volcanic action created the early atmosphere and carbon dioxide was the main gas |
| [ ] |
Photosynthesis created the early atmosphere and oxygen was the main gas |
| [ ] |
Cosmic rays created the early atmosphere and nitrogen was the main gas |
| [ ] |
Global warming created the early atmosphere and carbon dioxide was the main gas |
|
|
|
7.
|
The first green algae-like plants evolved about 2,000 million years ago. How would this have affected the early atmosphere? |
|
| [x] |
It reduced the carbon dioxide levels and increased the amount of oxygen |
| [ ] |
It started to fix nitrogen into the soil |
| [ ] |
It converted methane into ammonia which was then converted to oxygen by animals |
| [ ] |
It would not have caused any changes to the early atmosphere |
|
|
|
8.
|
What may have happened to the rest of the carbon dioxide from the early atmosphere? |
|
| [ ] |
It has been lost into space |
| [ ] |
It has been changed into other gasses by radiation from the Sun |
| [x] |
It was absorbed by the oceans and then has been locked into rocks like limestone |
| [ ] |
It has been absorbed by lava from volcanoes |
|
|
|
9.
|
The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has remained almost the same for 200 million years. Since the start of the twentieth century it has increased dramatically. What is thought to have caused this? |
|
| [ ] |
The increase in population |
| [x] |
The development of the motor car |
| [ ] |
Nuclear power stations |
| [ ] |
The steel making industry |
|
|
|
10.
|
One theory is that life on Earth started from chemicals in the early atmosphere. According to that theory, which chemicals are thought to have been involved? |
|
| [ ] |
Methane and carbon dioxide |
| [ ] |
Ammonia and oxygen |
| [x] |
Ammonia and hydrocarbons |
| [ ] |
Hydrocarbons and oxygen |
|
|
