Regents Prep: Earth Science: Exam Overview:
Extended CRQ

 
Part C Overview

This section consists of 12-15 content and application questions designed to assess your ability to apply your knowledge of science concepts and skills to address real-world situations.

The items from Part C may be either short constructed response questions (CRQ) or extended CRQs. CRQs are a new item type for this exam, and require that students write out the answer to a question. The answer to each CRQ question may come from a document provided on the exam, or may require that you incorporate outside information that you learned while studying this subject.

It should also be noted that consulting the Earth Science Reference Tables may be required to answer some or all of the questions in Part C. A sample Part C CRQ follows:

Exam Sections
A.

Multiple-Choice

B. Multiple-Choice &
Short CRQ
C. Extended CRQ
D. Laboratory Performance

Part C Sample CRQ

Earth’s climate is in a delicate state of balance. Many factors affect climate. Any small change in the factors may lead to long-term cooling or warming of Earth's atmosphere. For example, during the past 100 years, measurements have shown a gradual increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. This change has been linked to an increase in Earth's average atmospheric temperature. Variations in the tilt of the Earth's axis have been similarly linked to the occurrence of ice ages.

  • State what would happen to average summer and winter temperatures in NYS if the tilt of Earth’s axis were to decrease from 23.5° to 20
 

Answer: If the Earth’'s tilt were to change from 23.5° to 20° there would be a smaller range in average monthly temperatures throughout the year. In NYS the summer would be cooler and the winter warmer.

Explanation: There reason for a smaller temperature range is due to a smaller tilt of the Earth's axis. The single most important factor that causes seasonal temperatures at higher latitudes is tilt of the Earth. Consider this, if there were no tilt to the earth (0°) we in NYS would experience similar temperatures throughout the year. If the tilt were 40° we would experience much larger differences in seasonal temperatures. This is all due to latitudinal location and the angle to which the sun strikes the Earth at that point.


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