From

Atmosphere

Weather Factors

Weather Patterns

And Climate

Write the answer to each of the following questions on your paper. This

is a practice test, not quizbowl.

Remember: Don’t talk and give the answer away to another person!!

The warmest layer of the atmosphere is the

a. Troposphere

b. Stratosphere

c. Mesosphere

d. Thermosphere 1

d. thermosphere

True or False

Cyclones are low-pressure centers with

winds that spiral inward. 2

True

The sky looks blue because of

a. Ozone

b. Infrared radiation

c. Scattering

d. The greenhouse effect 3

C.

scattering

The percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere is:

a. Less than 1 percent

b. 21 percent

c. 78 percent

d. 99 percent 4

B.

21 percent

True or False

A thunderstorm begins as a tropical

disturbance.5

False

The direct transfer of electromagnetic waves is called?

a. Conduction

b. Heat

c. Convection

d. Radiation 6

D.

radiation

True or False

Air pressure decreases as altitude

decreases.7

False

A gas in the atmosphere that varies between zero and five percent in different places is:

a. Nitrogen

b. oxygen

c. Methane

d. Water vapor 8

D.

Water vapor

All winds are caused by differences in ________.

9

Air pressure

True or False

A wind blowing towards the north is called a north

wind. 10

False,

south wind

When two cool air masses cut a warm air mass off from the ground, which kind of front forms?

a. Cold

b. Occluded

c. Stationary

d. warm 11

B.

occluded

12

Compared with weather patterns, climate patterns are more

A.Severe

B. long term

C. local

D. unusual

B. Long term

Photochemical smog is caused by the action on chemicals of

a. Lightning

b. Ozone

c. Sunlight

d. rain 13

C.

Sunlight

A tropical storm with winds of 119 km per hour or higher is called a(n) _________.

14

Hurricane

On the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is

a. 0°

b. 32°

c. 100°

d. 30 ° 15

B.

32º F

The less mass in a given volume of air, the

A. more the air weighs.B. less dense the air is.C. more dense the air is.

D. greater the air pressure.

16

B. less dense the air is.

The sudden discharge of energy in a storm is referred to as

a. A storm surge

b. Thunder

c. Lightning

d. A tropical disturbance 17

c. Lightning

_________ are high-pressure centers of dry air with winds that spiral outward.

18

Anticyclones

19

Which carries warmth from the tropics toward the polar regions?

A. Urban heat islands

B. warm-water currents

C. Cold-water currents

D. Trade winds

B. warm-water currents

The most common kind of precipitation is _________.

20

rain

Harmful substances in air, water, or soil are called

a. Particles

b. Pollutants

c. Soot

d. Dust 21

b. Pollutants

Which type of air mass brings cool, humid weather to the West Coast of the United States?

a. Maritime tropical

b. Continental tropical

c. Maritime polar

d. Continental polar22

c. Maritime polar

The amount of mass in a given volume of a substance is its

a. Density

b. Weight

c. Altitude

d. pressure 23

a. Density

In which type of clouds do tornadoes form?

a. Cumulus

b. Cumulonimbus

c. Cirrus

d. Nimbostratus 24

b. Cumulonimbus

The storms that produce the highest winds are

a. Hurricanes

b. Tornadoes

c. Thunderstorms

d. Snowstorms 25

b. Tornadoes

In the Northern Hemisphere, global winds that blow from the south-west to the northeast are called

a. Polar easterlies

b. Trade winds

c. Prevailing easterlies

d. Prevailing westerlies 26

d. Prevailing westerlies

As density of air decreases, its pressure

a. Increases

b. Stays the same

c. Decreases

d. Doubles 27

c. Decreases

You compare the readings of wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers to measure

a. Humidity

b. Temperature

c. Wind chill

d. Relative humidity 28

d. Relative humidity

Air pressure is measured in

a. Grams

b. Millibars

c. Liters

d. Square miles29

b. Millibars

Hurricanes that strike the East Coast of the United States are most common in the months of

a. March, April, and May

b. June, July, and August

c. May, June, and July

d. August, September, and October

30

d. August, September, and October

True or False

When you walk barefoot on hot sand, heat is transferred to your feet from the sand by radiation.

31

False,

conduction

Clouds form when air is cooled to

a. 0º C

b. The dew point

c. 30 º C

d. The condensation point32

b. The dew point

True or False

Isobars are used to show temperature.

33

False,

Isotherms

Hailstones form only in the type of clouds called

a. Nimbostratus

b. Altocumulus

c. Cumulonimbus

d. Cirrocumulus34

c. Cumulonimbus

True or False

Over the past 30 years, air quality in the United

States has improved.

35

True

The layer of the atmosphere that reflects radio waves is the

a. Troposphere

b. Stratosphere

c. Mesosphere

d. Thermosphere36

d. Thermosphere

___________ radiation can cause skin cancer?

37

Ultravioletradiation

True or False

Fires need nitrogen to burn.

38

False, oxygen

Lines on a weather map joining places with the same air pressure are called

a. Fronts

b. Air masses

c. Isotherms

d. Isobars 39

d. Isobars

True or False

Stratus clouds are made mostly of

ice crystals.40

False,

Cirrus

The stratosphere helps protect Earth from too much ultraviolet radiation because this layer of the atmosphere contains

a. Ozone

b. Ions

c. Carbon dioxide

d. Water vapor41

a. Ozone

True or False

The part of sunlight with the longest wavelength

is visible light.

42

False,

is infrared light

El Nino occurs once every

a. 10-20 years

b. Month

c. Two to seven years

d. century43

c. Two to seven years

__________ is the most abundant gas in

the atmosphere.

44

Nitrogen

Wind direction is measured with a

a. Wind vane

b. Psychrometer

c. Anemometer

d. thermometer45

a. Wind vane

True or False

Altitude is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place.

46

False,

Weather

A(n) __________ front forms when a rapidly moving cold air mass runs into a slowly moving warm air mass and pushes the warm air up.

47

cold

A form of precipitation in which rain freezes as it falls through the air is called

a. Snow

b. Freezing rain

c. Sleet

d. Hail 48

c. Sleet

True or False

Maritime air masses form over land.

49

False,

Continental air

__________ is the average amount of

energy of motion of each molecule.

50

Temperature Or Thermal Energy

Violent thunderstorms and other abrupt

weather changes usually are caused by

_________ fronts.

51

Cold

One cause of acid rain is burning of

coal that contains a lot of ________.

52

Sulfur

The three main types of clouds are cumulus, cirrus and _________.

53

Stratus

The most dangerous weather-related events in the United States are

a. Floods

b. Hurricanes

c. Lightning strikes

d. tornadoes54

a. Floods

True or False

Monsoons are caused by unequal heating of sea and

land.55

True

_________ is the force per unit area.

56

Pressure

In the Northern Hemisphere, in which direction do the winds of a cyclone always spin?

a. Counterclockwise

b. Up and down

c. Clockwise

d. Away from the center57

a. Counterclockwise

True or False

The aurora borealis occurs in the ionosphere.

58

True

Which of the following is the most accurate representation of the

Coriolis Effect?

C

B

A

D59

C

The four main layers of the atmosphere are classified according to changes in _________.

60

Temperature

The upward movement of warm air and the downward movement of cool air is called a

a. Conduction path

b. Sea breeze

c. Convection current

d. Monsoon 61

c. Convection current

Looking at the diagram pictured, the layer numbered 1 is the A. stratosphere. B. thermosphere. C. troposphere. D. mesosphere.

62

C. troposphere.

The National Weather Service measures air pressure in units

called

A. millibars.B. barometers.

C. aneroids.D. pressure bars.

63

A. millibars.

Winds are caused by differences in

A. precipitation.B. humidity.

C. air pressure.D. turbulence.

64

C. air pressure.

Local winds differ from global winds because they

A. are caused by unequal heating within a small area.

B. are caused by differences in cloud cover.

C. are due to unequal rainfall.D. are not influenced by air masses.

65

A. are caused by unequal heating within a small area.

Betty wants to find out the amount of water vapor in the air. Which

instrument should she use?

A. Wind vane

D. barometer

C. hydrometer

B. psychrometer

66

C. Hydrometer

Look at the picture. Which letter represents areas of equal

temperature?

A. AB. BC. ED. F

67

B. B

Air in the atmosphere has pressure because

A. the stratosphere is thick.B. air has mass.

C. wind moves the air.D. temperature warms the air.

68

B. air has mass.

Convection takes place because

A. warm air is less dense than light air.B. warm and cold air have the same

density.C. cold air is less dense than warm air.

D. cold air is more dense than warm air.

69

D. cold air is more dense than warm air.

Look at the picture below. Which air masses shown are likely to bring moist weather to the

United States?

A. A, B, C, D, E, FB. A, FC. E, B

D. A, F, D, C 70

D. A, F, D, C

Measurements from a barometer help predict changes in weather.

What does a barometer measure?

A. humidityB. air pressureC. wind speedD. temperature

71

B. air pressure

The graph below compares the amount of rainfall in a city during the first six months of the year 2000 and

during the first six months of the year 2001.

About how much more rain fell in this city in June 2001 than in June 2000?

A. 3 centimetersB. 5 centimetersC. 15 centimeters D. 20 centimeters

72

C. 15 centimeters

Using the information in the table, which statement is the most accurate?

A. Summer days are cooler the farther the city is from the ocean.B. Dallas, Texas receives less precipitation than New Orleans, Louisiana.C. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma receives more precipitation than New Orleans,Louisiana.D. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is cooler in the summer than Dallas, Texas.

73

B. Dallas, Texas receives less precipitation than New Orleans, Louisiana.

Four different objects are placed in this graduated cylinder, one at a time, to measure the volume of water each object displaces.

Which object displaces the most water?

74

Mrs. Stevens asked her class to identify the clouds they saw outside. The class observed that the clouds were low in the sky and were light gray. The students could not see any blue sky through the clouds. Which is the most likely identification of the clouds observed by the class?

A. stratus B. nimbostratus C. cumulus D. cumulonimbus

75

A. stratus

What type of climate is usually found on the leeward side of a mountain range?

A. arid B. arctic C. tropical D. temperate

76

A. arid

Which of these statements is true?

A. Air density is the same at all altitudes.

B. Air is more dense at high altitudes.C. Air is less dense at high altitudes.D. Air is less dense at low altitudes.

78

C. Air is less dense at high altitudes.

What are the two most common gases in air?

A. nitrogen and oxygenB. oxygen and hydrogen

C. argon and carbon dioxideD. oxygen and water vapor

79

A. nitrogen and oxygen

How does heat energy get from Earth's surface to air?

A. emissionB. radiation

C. convectionD. conduction

80

D. conduction

How does the atmosphere keep Earth's surface warm?

A. Certain gases absorb and emit infrared radiation.

B. Certain gases absorb and emit ultraviolet radiation.

C. Ozone absorbs and emits infrared radiation.

D. Clouds absorb and emit ultraviolet radiation.

81

A. Certain gases absorb and emit infrared radiation.

Air pressure is caused by

A. the constant motion of air molecules

B. the change of water from a liquid to a gas

C. the change of water from a gas to a liquid

D. the precipitation of water from clouds

82

A.the constant motion of air molecules

How does a thunderstorm begin to form?

A. Moist air rises.B. Dry air sinks.

C. Moist air sinks.D. Dry air rises.

83

A. Moist air rises

What causes wind?

A. Winds form because Earth is heated evenly.

B. Winds form because Earth rotates on its axis.

C. Winds form because air pressure varies from place to place.

D. Winds form because air pressure is the same everywhere.

84

C. Winds form because air pressure varies from place to place.

What causes a sea breeze?

A. even heating and cooling of land and sea

B. uneven heating and cooling of land and sea

C. rain falling over land and seaD. snow falling over land and sea

85

B. uneven heating and cooling of land

and sea

Clouds form when

A. air cools to its dew pointB. air becomes unsaturated

C. warm air sinks and evaporates in the air

D. cool air rises and condenses in warm air

86

A. air cools to its dew

point

What two things define an air mass?

A. temperature and altitudeB. altitude and air pressure

C. temperature and moistureD. air pressure and precipitation

87

C. temperature and moisture

Scientists group climates by

A. evaporation and condensationB. condensation and precipitationC. evaporation and temperatureD. precipitation and temperature

88

D. precipitation and temperature

Which of these affects only a local climate?

A. global warmingB. movement of continents

C. a sea breezeD. ice ages

89

C. a sea breeze

At a low pressure area over water, warm, moist air forms clouds. As more air is drawn in, winds spiral

inward creating a

A. tornado.B. hurricane.

C. tropical air mass.D. maritime air mass.

90

B. hurricane

Most of the subarctic and ice subclimates fall into which climate zone?

A. Tropical Zones

B. Subtropical Zones

C. Polar Zones

D. Temperate Zones 91

C. Polar Zones