Plate Tectonics Quizzes: Test Your Knowledge of Earth's Crustal Movement

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a type of plate boundary?

Accepted Answer

Convergent-Divergent Boundary

Answer

Convergent Boundary

Answer

Divergent Boundary

Question 2

The process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges is called:

Accepted Answer

Seafloor Spreading

Answer

Subduction

Answer

Faulting

Answer

Erosion

Question 3

What is the primary driving force behind plate tectonics?

Accepted Answer

Convection currents in the mantle

Answer

Solar radiation

Answer

Earth's rotation

Answer

Gravity

Question 4

Which of the following landforms is NOT typically associated with convergent plate boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Mid-ocean ridge

Answer

Deep ocean trenches

Answer

Mountain ranges

Answer

Volcanoes

Question 5

The San Andreas Fault in California is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

Transform boundary

Answer

Convergent boundary

Answer

Divergent boundary

Question 6

When an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate, which plate typically subducts?

Accepted Answer

Oceanic plate

Answer

Continental plate

Answer

Both plates subduct equally

Answer

Neither plate subducts

Question 7

The process of magma rising to the surface and erupting as lava is called:

Accepted Answer

Volcanism

Answer

Weathering

Answer

Faulting

Answer

Erosion

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a major tectonic plate?

Accepted Answer

Atlantic Plate

Answer

Pacific Plate

Answer

North American Plate

Answer

Eurasian Plate

Question 9

The Himalayan Mountains were formed by the collision of which two tectonic plates?

Accepted Answer

Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate

Answer

South American Plate and African Plate

Answer

African Plate and Eurasian Plate

Answer

Pacific Plate and North American Plate

Question 10

Which of the following is a piece of evidence supporting the theory of plate tectonics?

Accepted Answer

Matching rock formations on different continents

Answer

The shape of the continents

Answer

The distribution of plant and animal life

Answer

The existence of the Great Wall of China

Question 11

Which of the following is the theory that explains the Earth's surface being made up of large plates that move over time?

Accepted Answer

Plate tectonics

Answer

Seafloor spreading

Answer

Continental drift

Answer

Transform fault theory

Question 12

What drives the movement of tectonic plates?

Accepted Answer

Convection currents in the mantle

Answer

Rotation of the Earth's core

Answer

Solar wind

Answer

Gravitational forces from the moon

Question 13

Which type of plate boundary occurs when two plates move towards each other?

Accepted Answer

Convergent boundary

Answer

Conservative boundary

Answer

Transform boundary

Answer

Divergent boundary

Question 14

What is the process called when new oceanic crust forms at divergent boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Seafloor spreading

Answer

Faulting

Answer

Subduction

Answer

Mountain building

Question 15

Which of the following is a geological feature that results from convergent plate boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Mountain ranges

Answer

Ocean trenches

Answer

Volcanic islands

Answer

Mid-ocean ridges

Question 16

What is the process called when one plate slides past another horizontally?

Accepted Answer

Transform fault

Answer

Divergent boundary

Answer

Subduction

Answer

Convergent boundary

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a type of plate movement?

Accepted Answer

Vertical movement

Answer

Convergence

Answer

Divergence

Answer

Transform

Question 18

What is the name of the supercontinent that existed approximately 300 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

Pangea

Answer

Gondwana

Answer

Rodinia

Answer

Laurasia

Question 19

Which of the following is a major tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean?

Accepted Answer

Pacific Plate

Answer

African Plate

Answer

North American Plate

Answer

Eurasian Plate

Question 20

What is the significance of the San Andreas Fault in California, USA?

Accepted Answer

It is a transform boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

Answer

It is a convergent boundary between the Pacific Plate and the South American Plate.

Answer

It is a divergent boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Juan de Fuca Plate.