Chapter 3: Test Review
Please complete in your compbook. This will be due on Wednesday, January 13th. The test will be on
Wednesday, January 13th as well.
1. An air mass that forms over the ocean?
a. Maritime
2. How are air masses classified?
a. Temperature and Humidity
3. A rapidly moving cold air mass meets a slowly moving warm air mass and forms a front. What
will most likely occur at this front?
a. The cold air will take over the warm air. The warm air will rise over the more dense cold
air, creating abrupt, potentially severe weather.
4. Cool, clear weather usually follows which type of front?
a. Cold front
5. Lines joining places that have the same temperatures.
a. Isotherms
6. Summers in the Southwest are hot and dry because of maritime tropical air masses. (True or
False; change underlined word if the statement is false.)
a. FALSE; continental tropical
7. On a weather map, isotherms join places on the map with the same air pressure. (True or False;
change the underlined word if the statement is false.
a. FALSE; isobars
8. How does a cold front form?
a. When a rapidly moving cold air mass overtakes a slower moving warm air mass
9. What are some of the sources of information that meteorologists use to predict the weather?
a. Balloons, satellites, and weather stations
10. How do the differences in air density influence the movement of air along cold and warm
fronts?
a. Cold air is denser than warm air. The two air masses DO NOT MIX. The warm air rises
over the more dense cold air.
11. If you observe that air pressure is decreasing, what kind of weather do you think is coming?
a. Bad weather (storms)
12. At a warm front, warm air
cold air.
a. overtakes
13. How are air masses classified?
a. REPEAT
14. A rapidly moving cold air mass meets a slowly moving warm air mass and forms a front. What
will most likely occur at this front?
a. REPEAT
15. The boundary where unlike air masses meet but do not easily mix is called a(n)
a. Front
16. Name the four different types of fronts. Explain how they are formed (temperature and speed
of adjacent air masses) and how they affect weather in a region.
a. Cold front- fast moving cold air overtakes slow moving warm air. Severe weather at the
front; clear skies/cold temps after the front
b. Warm- fast moving warm air overtakes slower moving cold air. Clouds and some
precipitation may occur.
c. Stationary- when a warm front and a cold front meet and one is not stronger than the
other. Many days of clouds and rain.
d. Occluded- warm air mass gets caught between two cold air masses. Temperature cools
at the ground; precipitation is produced.
17. Draw symbols for all four fronts (with color). How do you know which direction they move?
18. Explain the difference between maritime and continental. Explain the difference between polar
and tropical. Give examples as well.
a. Maritime: water (maritime tropical/maritime polar)
b. Continental: land (continental tropical/continental polar)
19. What type of front would most likely be responsible for several days of rain and clouds? Please
explain.
a. Stationary front. Neither air mass is stronger than the other, therefore they have a
standoff
20-24 ARE NOT REPRESENTED ON THE TEST!
20. Symbols Draw the symbols for the following:
a. Drizzle
b. Fog
c. Hail
d. Haze
e. Precipitation area
f. Hurricane
g. 70-80% cloud cover
h. 10% cloud cover
i. 44-49 mph wind speed
j. 15-20 mph wind speed
k. Draw a complete weather station using the following data:
i. Temperature= 68° F
ii. Air pressure= 1020 mb
iii. 50% cloud coverage
iv. Wind direction from the northwest
v. Wind speed of 32-37 mph
vi. Snow
21. Look at Figure 22 on page 98 of your text book. What is the weather like in Chicago? How
might this change in a few hours?
22. Look at Figure 22 on page 98 of your text book. What is the weather like in Miami? How might
this change in a few hours?
23. On Figure 22, how many fronts do you see? Please list them.
24. Use the graph below to answer the following questions:
a. What two variables are being graphed?
b. How is air pressure predicted to change according to each model in the top graph?
c. Which computer model most closely matches the actual air pressure date?
d. What weather would you forecast for Monday and Tuesday? Explain. (Hint: Remember
that falling air pressure usually means an approaching low-pressure area and possible
precipitation.)