Take a quick DANTES sample test with our FREE DANTES practice sample questions! These are a quick preview of what kind of information you'll be studying in our DSST Study Guide for this subject. You can also use these DANTES sample test questions to gauge how ready you are to take your DANTES test. How do you know when you are ready? A good way to tell is when you can flip open our DANTES study guide, put your finger on a page, any page, and be able to define and explain what it is you're pointing out. That takes effort. Studying for a DSST test does take effort, but based on your previous and current experience, there may be DANTES tests that you can take with little or no study. Taking a practice DANTES test can tell you if you are ready, it can give you an idea of the content of the DANTES test, it can tell you how difficult or easy your DANTES test will be.
Still learning about DANTES tests or you need more information than just a DANTES sample test? Visit our New Student Center to get a great overview of where to start.
Introduction to Geology DANTES Practice Test
1) The ability of a mineral to resist scratching is called
A) luster
B) Durability
C) Hardness
D) Streak
2) The breaking of a mineral along definite planes is called
A) Cleavage
B) Fracture
C) Crystalline lattice
D) Crystal faces
3) The two most abundant elements in the earth’s crust are
A) Oxygen and silicon
B) Oxygen and aluminum
C) Silicon and aluminum
D) Oxygen and carbon
4) Obsidian, also known as volcanic glass, was formed
A) By magma that cooled under varying conditions
B) By very slow cooling magma
C) By magma that cooled in contact with other rock
D) By very fast cooling magma
5) The principal means of transporting sediments is
A) Wind
B) Water
C) Gravity
D) Storms
6) If granite were exposed to intense heat and pressure, it would likely become
A) Granite
B) Gneiss
C) Conglomerate
D) Marble
7) According to the rock cycle, continental crust can be created by the process of
A) Melting
B) Uplift
C) Metamorphism
D) Erosion
8) Chemical weathering is slowed by
A) Tropical climates
B) High temperatures
C) Decaying vegetation
D) Lack of moisture
9) Mass wasting is due to all the following EXCEPT
A) Water
B) Peer pressure
C) Gravity
D) One or more triggers
10) The particles in a sand dune deposit are small and very well-sorted. They have surface pits that give them a frosted appearance. This deposit was most likely carried by
A) Ocean currents
B) Glacial ice
C) Wind
D) Gravity
DSST Practice Test Answer Key:
- C:) Hardness. The Mohs Scale of hardness identifies which minerals can scratch which other minerals and which ones resist scratching based on their degree of hardness.
- A:) Cleavage. Cleavage occurs when a mineral breaks along definite planes while fracture occurs when a mineral breaks along an irregular (rough or jagged) surface.
- A:) Oxygen and silicon. Oxygen makes up 46.6% and silicon makes up 27.7% of the earth’s crust.
- D:) By very fast cooling magma. Glassy texture means the magma cooled very fast and did not form crystals.
- B:) Water. Water – in streams and glaciers, underground, and in ocean currents – is the principal means of transporting material from one place to another.
- B:) Gneiss. Granite metamorphoses into gneiss.
- B:) Uplift. Because magma is deep inside the earth, it must be uplifted in order to ooze or spew onto the surface of the earth where it solidifies (crystallizes) to become igneous rock which forms continental crust.
- D:) Lack of moisture. Decomposition is rapid when moisture and warmth are present but minimal in regions of low temperatures or low moisture.
- B:) Peer pressure. Mass wasting is the gravitational force influencing downslope movement of rock and soil. Water is important in the process. Water can cause pore pressure. Mass wasting usually needs one or more triggers.
- C:) Wind. Deposits that have surface pits that give a frosted appearance have been carried by the wind.