Questionnaire on Geologic Time and Earth History

Thank you for your interest in the CHRONOS questionnaire on geologic time and Earth history.

This questionnaire is designed for both teachers and students in grades 6-12. Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. All information you provide will be kept completely confidential and will be used in summary form only.

Participation in the questionnaire is voluntary and anonymous. You can discontinue it at any time. It should take you about 20 minutes to complete.

The questionnaire will consist of two sections:

Demographic information
Science content questions

Scroll through each section to answer the questions. Click on the 'Continue' button at the end of each section to proceed, and click on the Final Submit button at the end of the questionnaire to submit your final responses.

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If you have any questions about the study or have any difficulties with the online form, please contact Cinzia Cervato at cinzia at iastate.edu or by phone at 515-294-7583

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Demographic Information

Please answer the following questions about your background.

Gender:

Male

Female

Please record the year you were born:

Which state do you live in:

Please record your race or ethnic group (choose all that apply):

White, Caucasian

Hispanic, Latino

Black, African-American

Asian, Pacific Islander

American Indian, Alaska Native

Other:

Are you a teacher or a student?

Teacher

Student

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If you are a teacher, please complete the following items:

Which grade(s) do you teach? (choose all that apply)

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Which subjects do you teach? (choose all that apply)

Biology

Chemistry

Earth Science

Physics

Other - please describe:

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What was your undergraduate major or science emphasis? (choose all that apply)

Biology

Chemistry

Earth Science

Physics

Elementary Education (or equivalent)

Secondary Education (or equivalent)

Other - please describe:

Do you have a graduate degree? (choose all that apply)

No graduate credits or degree

Post graduate credentials

Graduate credits but degree not completed

Yes, a Master's degree

Yes, a PhD

If you have a graduate degree, in what subject area was it? (choose all that apply)

Biology

Chemistry

Earth Science

Physics

Science Education

Education

Other - please describe:

How many Earth Science classes did you take in college?

Progress:

If you are a student, please complete the following items.

Please select your grade in school

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Please record the grade in which you took or will take the following classes:

Biology:

Chemistry:

Earth Science:

Physics:

Please answer the following questions about your parents

Which is the highest level of education that your Mother completed?

Some high school

High school diploma

Some college/vocational

Bachelor's Degree

Graduate Degree (Master's, PhD, MD, etc.)

Don't know

Which is the highest level of education that your Father completed?

Some high school

High school diploma

Some college/vocational

Bachelor's Degree

Graduate Degree (Master's, PhD, MD, etc.)

Don't know

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Science Content Questions

Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

1. In your opinion, how old is the Earth?

4 thousand years

400 thousand years

4 million years

4 billion years

4 trillion years

2. How big was the Earth when it first formed?

Smaller than it is today

Larger than it is today

Same size as it is today

There is no way of knowing

3. What technique(s) do scientists use today to estimate when events occured on Earth? (choose all that apply)

Comparison of fossils found in rocks

Comparison of different layers of rocks

Analysis of uranium and lead in rock

Analysis of carbon in rock

None of the above; scientists cannot calculate the age of the Earth

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4. Which scientific technique for determining when the Earth first formed is currently believed to be the most accurate?

Comparison of fossils found in rocks

Comparison of different layers of rocks

Analysis of uranium and lead in rock

Analysis of carbon in rock

None of the above; scientists cannot calculate the age of the Earth

5. According to current scientific estimates, approximately how many years ago did the Earth form?

4 thousand years

400 thousand years

4 million years

4 billion years

4 trillion years

6. What type(s) of life probably existed on the Earth when it was first formed?

There was no life on Earth

Simple one-celled organisms

Animal and plan life in the water, but none on land

All types of life in water and on land, except people

All types of life in water and on land, including people

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7. Scientists have produced evidence that there was once a single continent on Earth. Which of the following statements best describes what happened to this continent?

Meteors hit the Earth causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

The Earth lost heat over time and cracked, causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

Material beneath the continent moved, causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

The Earth gained heat over time and cracked, causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

Only a small number of people believe there was once a single continent, and it is more likely that the continents have always been in roughly the same place as they are today

8. Assuming that the single continent in Question 7 did exist, how could scientists estimate the time needed for the single continent to break apart and form the arrangement of continents we see today?

Through comparison of fossils found in rocks

Through analysis of carbon in rock

Through analysis of uranium and lead in rock

Through comparison of different layers found in rocks

Scientists do not yet have a valid method for estimating the time needed to break continents apart

9. If the single continent in Question 7 did exist, how long did it probably take for the single continent to break apart and form the arrangements of continents we see today?

Hundreds of years

Thousands of years

Millions of years

Billions of years

It is impossible to tell how long the break up would have taken

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10. Scientists have found fossils of creatures called dinosaurs. How much time probably passed between the appearance and extinction of these creatures?

Hundreds of years

Thousands of years

Millions of years

Billions of years

Some of these creatures still exist

11. How big was the Earth when dinosaurs first appeared?

Smaller than it is today

Larger than it is today

Same size as it is today

There is no way of knowing

12. Which of the following statements do you think best describes the relationship between people and dinosaurs?

People and dinosaurs co-existed for about five thousand years

People and dinosaurs co-existed for about five hundred thousand years

Dinosaurs died out about five thousand years before people appeared on Earth

Dinosaurs died out about five hundred thousand years before people appeared on Earth

Dinosaurs died out about 50 million years before people appeared on Earth

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13. Which of the figures below most closely represents these changes in life on Earth over time?

A

B

C

D

E

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14. Fossils are studied by scientists interested in learning about the past. Which of the following can become fossils? (choose all that apply)

Bones

Plants

Burrows

Animal tracks

Shells

15. Which of the following statements about the age of rocks is most accurate?

Rocks found in the ocean are about the same age as rocks found on continents

Rocks found in the ocean are generally older than rocks found on the continents

Rocks found in the ocean are generally younger than rocks found on the continents

None of the above; we cannot estimate the age of rocks precisely enough to know which rocks are older

16. Which of the following statements about radioactivity are most likely true? (choose all that apply)

Radioactivity only occurs if carbon is present

Radioactivity cannot occur at the Earth's surface, although it can occur in the atmosphere

Radioactivity can only be created by people, such as in nuclear power plants

Half-life is a measure of how quickly radioactivity decreases

Half-life decays away and eventually disappears

17. Which of the following can greatly affect erosion rates of rocks? (choose all that apply)

Rock types

Earthquakes

Time

Climate

Progress:

Science Content Questions

Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

1. In your opinion, how old is the Earth?

4 thousand years

400 thousand years

4 million years

4 billion years

4 trillion years

2. What types(s) of life probably existed on the Earth when it was first formed?

There was no life on Earth

Simple one-celled organisms

Animal and plant life in the water, but none on land

All types of life in water and on land, except people

All types of life in water and on land, including people

3. Scientists have found fossils of creatures called dinosaurs. How much time probably passed between the appearance and extinction of these creatures?

Hundreds of years

Thousands of years

Millions of years

Billions of years

Some of these creatures still exist

Progress:

4. Approximately how many years ago did the Earth form, according to scientists?

4 thousand years

400 thousand years

4 million years

4 billion years

4 trillion years

5. Which of the following statements do you think best describes the relationship between people and dinosaurs?

People and dinosaurs co-existed for about five thousand years

People and dinosaurs co-existed for about five hundred thousand years

Dinosaurs died out about five thousand years before people appeared on Earth

Dinosaurs died out about five hundred thousand years before people appeared on Earth

Dinosaurs died out about 50 million years before people appeared on Earth

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6. Which of the figures below most closely represents the changes in life on Earth over time?

A

B

C

D

E

Progress:

7. Fossils are studied by scientists interested in learning about the past. Which of the following can become fossils? (choose all that apply)

Bones

Plants

Burrows

Animal tracks

Shells

8. Scientists have produced evidence that there was once a single continent on Earth. Which of the of following statements best describes what happened to this continent?

Meteors hit the Earth causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

The Earth lost heat over time and cracked, causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

Material beneath the continent moved, causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

The Earth gained heat over time and cracked, causing the continent to break into smaller pieces

None of the above; the continents have probably always been in about the same place as they are today

9. In an area where a river has cut through layers of various rocks, the oldest layer is most likely to be the layer that is:

below the other layers

the thickest layer

the most rich in fossils

igneous intrusive rock

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10. Which of the following best explains that Earth's continents have moved?

Penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere

Fossils of tropical plants are found in Antarctica

Volcanoes encircle the Pacific Ocean

Major rivers form deltas from continental erosion

11. How big was the Earth when dinosaurs first appeared?

Smaller than it is today

Larger than it is today

Same size as it is today

There is no way of knowing

12. Which of the following can greatly affect erosion rates of rocks? (choose all that apply)

Rock types

Earthquakes

Time

Climate