Chapter 7: Circulation of the Atmosphere
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1) The prevailing winds that blow from the horse latitudes toward the doldrums are called:
A) westerlies
B) polar easterlies
C) trade winds
D) subtropical northerlies
E) none of these
2) Jet streams are associated with fronts because of the
A) higher pressure behind the front
B) large temperature gradient
C) clouds forming there
D) reduced friction above the front
E) both b) and d)
3) The areas of abundant rainfall on the Earth tend to be
A) in polar regions
B) near the equator
C) in midlatitudes
D) over oceans
E) both b) and c)
4) In areas that experience monsoons
A) subsiding dry air dominates in summer
B) low pressure dominates in winter
C) winters are fairly dry
D) a and c
E) none of these

8) The C in ITCZ stands for convergence. What does the convergence refer to?
A) surface winds along the equator B) surface winds in a monsoon
C) surface winds in the mid latitudes D) winds aloft near the poles
9) A primary factor causing monsoon circulations is
A) waves in the westerlies
B) mountain ranges
C) ocean currents
D) Coriolis effect
E) greater temperature changes over continents compared to oceans
12) A Santa Ana (or Chinook or Foehn) wind is a:
A) cold, damp wind blowing off snow fields
B) wind that is peculiar to the China mainland
C) wind associated with a blizzard
D) very dry, warm wind coming down a mountain slope
E) none of these
13) The Sahara and Australian deserts (among others) are associated with which pressure belt?
A) subtropical high B) subpolar low
C) polar high D) equatorial low
14) Large scale wind circulation systems that reverse with the seasons are called
A) meridional cells
B) tropical cyclones
C) monsoons
D) tropical anticyclones
E) typhoons
20) Concerning rainfall patterns, areas of persistent high pressure tend to cause
A) severe flooding
B) pronounced wet and dry seasons
C) moderate rainfall
D) desert regions
E) none of these

25) Surface high pressure zones are usually associated with
A) clear or nearly clear weather
B) descending air
C) diverging winds
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
26) What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a station located along the equator?
A) dry all year around
B) adequate precipitation all year around
C) winter dry season
D) summer dry season
29) What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a nondesert station located immediately to the north of the Sahara desert?
A) winter dry season
B) dry all year around
C) summer dry season
D) adequate precipitation all year around
Answer: C
30) When are upper air winds fastest?
A) anytime surface temperature gradients are weak
B) these winds maintain about the same speed throughout the year
C) in winter
D) in summer
E) both a and c
33) Most of the United States is situated in which zone of prevailing winds?
A) doldrums
B) westerlies
C) subpolar easterlies
D) trade winds
E) none of these

34) The major features of precipitation distribution patterns are determined by
A) general circulation and pressure patterns
B) annual temperature range
C) solar radiation available
D) ocean water temperature
E) temperature lapse rates
36) Which of these winds is not influenced very much by the Coriolis effect?
A) Northeast trades B) sea breeze
C) jet stream D) mid latitude westerlies
37) What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a station located on an island in the Arctic Ocean at about 80degreeN latitude?
A) dry all year around
B) adequate precipitation all year around
C) summer dry season
D) winter dry season
38) The divergence near the ground that is associated with the subtropical high pressure zone can be cited as the origin of
A) trade winds
B) cyclogenesis
C) jet streams
D) sea breeze
E) polar easterlies
39) Most of the Earth's deserts are located in the
A) subsidence areas of subtropical highs
B) boundary between liquid and frozen oceans
C) areas along the polar front
D) doldrum belt
E) tradewind belt
40) The primary force causing ocean currents is
A) the Coriolis effect
B) the Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun
C) the major winds
D) temperature differences between cold water below and warm water above
E) the Earth's rotation about its axis

42) The subpolar low (polar front) is:
A) a zone where the polar easterlies and the westerlies converge
B) the forward edge of the antarctic ice cap
C) a zone where the trade winds of the two hemispheres meet
D) the boundary between frozen and liquid ocean