Mid Term Study Guide

The mid term exam will be based on lecture material and readings covered in the first half of the term.  It will be based on Chapters 1, 12-15 in 4CE (Chapters 1, 11-14 in 3CE ) of Geosystems and online notes covering those chapters

The exam is a Quiz on Canvas.   I will supervise it using Zoom.  Please use the following access code and keep your video on throughout the exam.

The exam will be 1 hour and include up to 100 multiple choice questions.

You may not be able to answer them all in the allotted time. That’s OK. I will scale up the grades as necessary.

The Exam is NOT open book.  ANY cheating, use of notes, text, or communication during the exam will result in a “0” on the exam and an “F” in the course.

In order to prevent cheating, but in order to provide supervision,  I will set up a Zoom call and send you a link.  During the exam, please have your camera turned on, so I can make sure you are not using other study materials.  Make sure you take the exam on a computer that has a working webcam.

You MUST sign in with this Zoom link by 4 p.m. and have your video and sound ON for the entire exam:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82611559644?pwd=VlRMVkd3bkFtQVVxbThaZm1TOTIzZz09

Passcode:  01234

  1. Know some things including (this is NOT an exhaustive list!) …
  • weathering
  • volcanoes
  • rivers and erosion (meanders and all that)
  • faults
  • rock stress strain and surfaces (Figure 12.7)
  • the 3 main different classes of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic)
  • the basic structure of the earth
  • latitude and longitude
  • basic map projections
  • slopes and mass movement
  • types of equilibrium in systems
  • how to read an NTS map (grid references, scales, etc – NOT all the individual symbols for churches, schools, etc)
  1. How to Study …
  • Read over the online notes (you may wish to print them off.  I’ve deliberately NOT put graphics in the the text so they’ll print easier).  I like the “onion method” of studying as opposed to cramming.  The onion method means I read over the notes tonight … and absorb some (one layer of knowledge).  I read over the notes tomorrow (another layer of knowledge).  And so on, and so on, gradually adding layers of knowledge.  The challenge is, you can’t be an onion by starting to study on the day before, at 11:59 p.m.!  You need to start today!
  • As you read the notes, do use the figures in the text (an online resources) as references. The figures/pictures really help you visualize what you’re studying!
  • I will NOT ask you anything that is only in the text, but not in your notes!
  • Check out the resources at www.masteringgeography.com.  There are review questions and practice quizzes on the site (if you don’t have access it’s not essential, but it may be useful).
  1. On the day of …
  • Make sure you are in a quiet, private place.
  • Make sure you have a working webcam
  • Do NOT bring your text or notes (sorry, this exam is not open book!)
  • You do NOT need a calculator
  • You do NOT need your phone or other electronic device other than the computer you are using for the exam.

You’ll do fine!  Study hard!  I know there is lots to know and lots to memorize (the plague of introductory science courses!), but go at it!  Try to remember that this is God’s creation we are studying (it’s one of the symptoms of the Fall that studying divine artistry seems like drudgery!).   As you study the Earth as God’s creation, and its natural systems, you are studying God’s handiwork!  You are doing theology (learning about God)!  Hard though it is, try to keep that perspective going …

God bless,

Bruce