FORTEACHERS ONLY
The University of the State of New York
REGENTS HIGH SCHOOL EXAMINATION
PS–ES PHYSICAL SETTING/EARTH SCIENCE
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., only
SCORING KEY AND RATING GUIDE
Directions to the Teacher:
Refer to the directions on page 3 before rating student papers.
Updated information regarding the rating of this examination may be posted on the New York State
Education Department’s web site during the rating period. Visit the site http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/
and select the link “Latest Information” for any recently posted information regarding this examina-
tion. This site should be checked before the rating process for this examination begins and at least one
more time before the final scores for the examination are recorded.
Part A and Part B–1
Allow 1 credit for each correct response.
Part A
Part B–1
1 . . . . . 1. . . . . .
13 . . . . 4. . . . . . .
25 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
36 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
44 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
2 . . . . . 3. . . . . .
14 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
26 . . . . . 1. . . . . .
37 . . . . 4. . . . . . .
45 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
3 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
15 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
27 . . . . . 3. . . . . .
38 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
46 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
4 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
16 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
28 . . . . . 4. . . . . .
39 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
47 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
5 . . . . . 3. . . . . .
17 . . . . 3. . . . . . .
29 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
40 . . . . 3. . . . . . .
48 . . . . 4. . . . . . .
6 . . . . . 1. . . . . .
18 . . . . 3. . . . . . .
30 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
41 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
49 . . . . 2. . . . . . .
7 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
19 . . . . 3. . . . . . .
31 . . . . . 3. . . . . .
42 . . . . 3. . . . . . .
50 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
8 . . . . . 3. . . . . .
20 . . . . 4. . . . . . .
32 . . . . . 1. . . . . .
43 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
9 . . . . . 3. . . . . .
21 . . . . 4. . . . . . .
33 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
10 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
22 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
34 . . . . . 2. . . . . .
11 . . . . . 1. . . . . .
23 . . . . 4. . . . . . .
35 . . . . . 4. . . . . .
12 . . . . . 3. . . . . .
24 . . . . 1. . . . . . .
[1]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
Directions to the Teacher
Follow the procedures below for scoring student answer papers for the Physical
Setting/Earth Science examination. Additional information about scoring is provided in the
publication Information Booklet for Administering and Scoring Regents Examinations in the
Sciences .
Use only red ink or red pencil in rating Regents papers. Do not correct the student’s
work by making insertions or changes of any kind.
On the detachable answer sheet for Part A and Part B–1, indicate by means of a check-
mark each incorrect or omitted answer. In the box provided at the end of each part, record
the number of questions the student answered correctly for that part.
At least two science teachers must participate in the scoring of each student’s responses
to the Part B–2 and Part C open-ended questions. Each of these teachers should be respon-
sible for scoring a selected number of the open-ended questions on each answer paper. No
one teacher is to score all the open-ended questions on a student’s answer paper.
Students’ responses must be scored strictly according to the Scoring Key and Rating
Guide. For open-ended questions, credit may be allowed for responses other than those
given in the rating guide if the response is a scientifically accurate answer to the question
and demonstrates adequate knowledge as indicated by the examples in the rating guide. In
the student’s answer booklet, record the number of credits earned for each answer in the
box printed to the right of the answer lines or spaces for that question.
Fractional credit is not allowed. Only whole-number credit may be given to a response.
Units need not be given when the wording of the questions allows such omissions.
Raters should enter the scores earned for Part A, Part B–1, Part B–2, and Part C on the
appropriate lines in the box printed on the answer booklet and then should add these four
scores and enter the total in the box labeled “Total Written Test Score.” The student’s
score for the Earth Science Performance Test should be entered in the space provided.
Then, the student’s raw scores on the performance test and written test should be
converted to a scaled score by using the conversion chart that will be posted on the
Department’s web site http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/ on Wednesday, January 25, 2006.
The student’s scaled score should be entered in the labeled box on the student’s answer
booklet. The scaled score is the student’s final examination score.
All student answer papers that receive a scaled score of 60 through 64 must be scored
a second time. For the second scoring, a different committee of teachers may score the stu-
dent’s paper or the original committee may score the paper, except that no teacher may
score the same open-ended questions that he/she scored in the first rating of the paper. The
school principal is responsible for assuring that the student’s final examination score is based
on a fair, accurate, and reliable scoring of the student’s answer paper.
Because scaled scores corresponding to raw scores in the conversion chart may change
from one examination to another, it is crucial that for each administration, the conversion
chart provided for that administration be used to determine the student’s final score.
[3]
[OVER]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
Part B–2
Allow a total of 15 credits for this part. The student must answer all questions in this part.
51
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— Cosmic background radiation remains.
— There is a redshift in the light from stars in distant galaxies.
— the apparent expansion of the universe
— More-distant stars are moving away from Earth at a greater rate than nearby stars.
52
[1] Allow 1 credit for 1300 (±200) million years.
53
[1] Allow 1 credit if the center of the student-drawn X is located somewhere on the Nazca Plate shaded
below.
A
X
Key
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
[4]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
54
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— Most major earthquakes occur at tectonic plate boundaries.
— Most earthquakes occur at the location of major fault zones.
— Crustal movement at plate boundaries causes frequent earthquake activity.
55
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— a hot spot
— a magma plume
— the mantle
56
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— divergent
— diverging lithospheric plates
— seafloor spreading
— rifting
57
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— revolution
— The Moon orbits Earth.
— The Moon travels around Earth.
58
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— The Moon’s shadow misses Earth.
— The Moon orbits in a different plane than Earth.
— The Moon’s orbit is tilted.
— The Moon’s shadow does not reach Earth.
59
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— spring
— fall
— autumn
[5]
[OVER]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
60
[1] Allow 1 credit for Silurian Period.
61
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— existed for a short geologic time
— widespread geographically
62
[1] Allow 1 credit if all three fossil groups are correctly identified as shown below.
Fossil Classification
Index Fossil
Eospirifer
Manticoceras
Phacops
General Fossil
Group
Brachiopod
Ammonoid
Trilobite
63
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— quartz
— feldspar
— amphibole
— mica
64
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— The fragment shows light and dark banding.
— banded foliation
— layering of minerals
65
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— Rocks and minerals are nonrenewable resources.
— Mining can result in pollution of the land, water, and air in the region.
— Mining can result in the removal of topsoil.
— danger to miners
— destruction of natural habitats
— landscape destruction
[6]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
Part C
Allow a total of 20 credits for this part. The student must answer all questions in this part.
66
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— Cold air holds very little water vapor.
— Very little evaporation takes place in Antarctica.
— Antarctica is in a region where air is sinking, therefore, clouds seldom form.
— Very little precipitation occurs in a high-pressure area.
67
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— fossils
— volcanic dust
— pollen
— trapped gases
— microbes
68
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— Sea level would most likely rise.
— The shape of Long Island would change.
— submergence
— Long Island would become smaller.
— Buildings would be flooded.
69
[1] Allow 1 credit if the student’s cross section shows that the water is deeper near point A .
Example of a 1-credit response:
A
Water surface
B
[7]
[OVER]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
70
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— a direct relationship
— As the stream velocity increases, the stream can carry bigger sediment.
71
[1] Allow 1 credit if both the size and shape changes are correctly described. Acceptable responses
include, but are not limited to:
— Size:
The pebbles become smaller.
The size of the pebbles decreases.
— Shape: The pebbles become rounder.
The pebbles become more spherical.
72
[1] Allow 1 credit for pebbles or sand.
73
[1] Allow 1 credit for a straight or curved line that shows a direct relationship.
Example of a 1-credit response:
Particle Density
[8]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
74
[1] Allow 1 credit if the center of the student-drawn X is within the circle shown below.
Whale Watchers’ Map
71 ° 00'
70 ° 45'
70 ° 30'
70 ° 15'
70 ° 00'
160
42 ° 30'
42 ° 30'
80
80
X S
t e
l l w
a
60
200
g
e
n
A
B
42 ° 15'
180 200
42 ° 15'
120
60
40
C
160
140
60
80
100
40
42 ° 00'
42 ° 00'
B
20
Massachusetts
40
20
41 ° 45'
Cod
41 ° 45'
Cape
71 ° 00'
70 ° 45'
70 ° 30'
70 ° 15'
70 ° 00'
N
Isoline interval = 20 meters
0
10
20 km
75
[1] Allow 1 credit for Labrador Current.
76
[1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— Isolines are close together.
77
[2] Allow 1 credit for the value 0.5 (±0.02) or .5 (±0.02).
and
Allow 1 credit for the correct units. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— meters/kilometer
— m/km
[9]
[OVER]
P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE continued
78
[2] Allow a maximum of 2 credits, allocated as follows:
  • Allow 2 credits if the center of all ten X s are within the circles shown on the graph below, and the
  • X s are correctly connected with a line.
  • Allow 1 credit if only seven to nine centers of the X s are within the circles shown on the graph
  • below, and the X s are correctly connected with a line.
    or
  • Allow 1 credit if the center of all ten X s are within the circles shown on the graph below, but the
  • X s are not correctly connected with a line.
    Iridium Abundance at Various Depths Below Earth’s Surface
    Earth’s
    0
    Surface
    5
    10
    15
    20
    25
    30
    35
    40
    45
    50
    55
    60
    65
    70
    75
    80
    85
    90
    95
    100
    105
    110
    115
    120
    125
    130
    135
    140
    145
    150
    0.5
    1.5
    2.5
    3.5
    4.5
    5.5
    6.5
    7.5
    8.5
    9.5
    10.5
    11.5
    12.5
    13.5
    14.5
    0
    1.0
    2.0
    3.0
    4.0
    5.0
    6.0
    7.0
    8.0
    9.0
    10.0
    11.0
    12.0
    13.0
    14.0
    15.0
    Iridium Abundance (ppb)
    [10]
    P HYSICAL SETTING/ E ARTH S CIENCE concluded
    79
    [1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
    — Cretaceous Period and Tertiary Period
    — Paleogene Period and Cretaceous Period
    80
    [1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
    — crater
    — large ocean waves
    — impact crater
    — large hole
    81
    [1] Allow 1 credit for the correct response shown below.
    2
    1
    4
    3
    82
    [1] Allow 1 credit. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
    — contact metamorphism
    — Contact metamorphism is shown in both the sandstone and shale layers.
    — An igneous intrusion is younger than the bedrock it intrudes.
    83
    [1] Allow 1 credit for a response that includes any two of the processes involved in forming an
    unconformity. Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
    — uplift
    — weathering
    — erosion
    — submergence
    — deposition
    — burial
    [11]
    [OVER]
    The Chart for Determining the Final Examination Score for the January 2006
    Regents Examination in Physical Setting/Earth Science will be posted on the
    Department’s web site http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/ on Wednesday,
    January 25, 2006. Conversion charts provided for previous administrations
    of the Regents Examination in Physical Setting/Earth Science must NOT be
    used to determine students’ final scores for this administration.
    [12]
    Map to Core Curriculum
    January 2006 Physical Setting/Earth Science
    Question Numbers
    Key Ideas/Performance Indicators
    Part A
    Part B
    Part C
    Standard 1
    Math Key Idea 1
    44
    73,77,78
    Math Key Idea 2
    5,8,25,33
    52
    Math Key Idea 3
    14
    76
    Science Inquiry Key Idea 1
    36,40,41,46,61
    66,68,71,80,83
    Science Inquiry Key Idea 2
    Science Inquiry Key Idea 3
    1,6,8,15,21,22
    36,49,50,62,64
    67,70,72,75,79
    Engineering Design Key Idea 1
    Standard 2
    Key Idea 1
    Key Idea 2
    Key Idea 3
    Standard 6
    Key Idea 1
    Key Idea 2
    4,17,18,24,26,
    36,37,38,39,40,
    69,74,76,81,82
    30,32
    41,47,48,50,53,
    54,55,56,57,58,
    59,60,63
    Key Idea 3
    43,51
    Key Idea 4
    Key Idea 5
    5
    54
    81
    Key Idea 6
    Standard 7
    Key Idea 1
    65
    Key Idea 2
    Standard 4
    Key Idea 1
    1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,
    39,40,41,49,51,
    67,74,78,79,80,
    10,11,12,13,14,
    52,57,58,59,60,
    81,82,83
    15
    61,62
    Key Idea 2
    9,16,17,18,19,20, 36,37,38,47,48,
    66,68,69,70,71,
    21,22,23,24,25,
    50,53,54,55,56
    72,73,75,76,77
    26,27,28,29,30,
    31,32,33
    Key Idea 3
    34,35
    42,43,44,45,46,
    63,64,65
    Reference Tables
    ESRT 2001 Edition
    1,6,8,12,14,15,
    44,47,49,50,52,
    70,72,75,77,79
    18,21,22,23,25,
    53,54,55,56,60,
    26,27,32,33,34,
    62,63,64
    35
    [13]