Question

select the correct answer.
which statement represents a fact about the rock cycle?
a. all the processes involved in the rock cycle occur beneath the surface of earth.
b. fossils, skeletal remains, and living organisms do not play a role in the rock cycle.
c. the rock cycle is driven by energy from the sun as well as from the interior of earth.
d. every transformation between states happens as a result of heat from magma.
e. nearly all rocks transition from one form to another on a human timescale.

Explanation:

• Option A: Processes like weathering and erosion (part of rock cycle) occur at Earth’s surface, so A is wrong.
• Option B: Organisms can affect rock cycle (e.g., shells form sedimentary rocks), so B is wrong.
• Option C: The rock cycle is driven by solar energy (for surface processes like weathering) and Earth’s internal energy (for processes like plate tectonics, magma movement), so C is correct.
• Option D: Transformations can happen due to pressure, weathering, etc., not just magma heat (e.g., sedimentary rocks form from sedimentation), so D is wrong.
• Option E: Rock cycle transformations (e.g., metamorphism, mountain building) take millions of years, not human timescale, so E is wrong.

Answer:

C. The rock cycle is driven by energy from the Sun as well as from the interior of Earth.