Regents Earth Science
John Dewey High School
Mr. Klimetz
Average Chemical Composition of Earth's Crust,
Hydrosphere, and Troposphere

Reading the Earth Science Reference Tables IX
Answer the following questions based on your interpretation of the Average Chemical Composition of Earth's Crust, Hydrosphere, and Troposphere chart of the Earth Science Reference Tables (page 11) as well as your class notes.


1.    Oxygen is an element that is found in the Earth's crust, hydrosphere, and troposphere. The region
of the Earth where it is most common in terms volume is the
a.  troposphere   b. hydrosphere   c.  atmosphere   d.  crust

2.    A 100-gram sample of granite collected from upstate New York is brought to a laboratory for
analysis of its chemical composition. Which of the following should be the approximate amount of
silicon in the granite?
a.  1 gram   b.  45 grams   c.  30 grams   d.  95 grams

3.   Which elements comprise water?
a.  O and N  b.  Si and O   c.  H and N   d.  O and H

4.   A 100 cubic centimeter (cc) box is filled with a sample of air from the schoolyard. Approximately
80 cubic centimeters (cc) of the space in the box is occupied by
a.  hydrogen   b.  water vapor   c.  nitrogen   d.  oxygen

5.   Which elements are correctly shown in order of increasing mass in the Earth's crust?
a.  Mg-Al-Fe-Ca   b.  K-Na-Fe-O   c.  O-Si-Al-Fe   d.  Mg-Ca-Na-Si

6.   Which element occupies the least amount of space in the Earth's crust?
a.  potassium   b.  aluminum   c.  magnesium   d.  iron

7.   Silicate minerals are comprised principally Si and O. Approximately how many grams of a 200-gram
sample of a rock collected in New York City consists of these two elements?
a.  150 grams   b.  190 grams   c.  95 grams   d.  28 grams

8.   The ratio of oxygen to nitrogen in the troposphere on the basis of volume is approximately
a.  2:1   b.  1:2   c.  1:4   d.  9:1

9.   Which element would you not expect to find in a sample of gabbro?
a.  H   b.  Ca   c.  O   d.  Na

10.  Oxygen and silicon are nonmetallic elements. Which of the following is comparatively the least
abundant metallic element in the crust in terms of volume?
a.  aluminum   b.  sodium   b.  potassium   d.  iron