Earth Science 11: Atmosphere Unit Test Review
Chapter 11: Heating the Atmosphere
1) Which one of the following is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
A) carbon dioxide
B) ozone
C) oxygen
D) nitrogen
Answer: D
2) Dust in the atmosphere is responsible for which of the following?
A) reflection of solar energy
B) acting as a nucleus for condensation and cloud formation
C) optical phenomena such as a red sky at sunset
D) Atmospheric dust does all of these.
Answer: D
3) Even though ground-level ozone is a health hazard, the "ozone layer" in the stratosphere is a
health benefit because ________.
A) it stops global warming
B) it reduces thunderstorms
C) it screens out some harmful solar radiation
D) it absorbs certain wavelengths of infrared radiation that are emitted by Earth's surface
Answer: C
4) Imagine you are in a flying aircraft. You note the presence of clouds and storms at your same
altitude. What layer of the atmosphere must the aircraft be traveling through?
A) troposphere
B) stratosphere
C) ionosphere
D) mesosphere
Answer: A
5) Which of the following locations would have the lowest average air pressure?
A) Summit of Mount Everest, tallest mountain on Earth
B) Dead Sea, Israel, lowest point on Earth's land surface
C) Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench, lowest point in the ocean
D) Sea level, anywhere on the planet
Answer: A
6) Weather is ultimately driven by ________.
A) geothermal heat
B) energy input from the Sun
C) radioactive decay
D) environmental lapse rate
Answer: B
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7) Examine the figure. Which of the four lettered
positions depicts the Northern Hemisphere winter
solstice?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Answer: D
8) Solar radiation is ________, as compared to the ________ emitted by Earth.
A) long-wave radiation; short-wave radiation
B) short-wave radiation; long-wave radiation
C) infrared radiation; visible light
D) heat; electromagnetic radiation
Answer: B
9) A city located along a windward coast will probably have ________.
A) warmer summer temperatures than an inland location at the same latitude
B) summer temperatures that are very similar to an inland location at the same latitude
C) cooler summer temperatures than an inland location at the same latitude
D) the season of summer, while inland locations don't experience summer
Answer: B
10) The annual temperature range at most latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere is much smaller
than that in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason for this is that ________.
A) Earth is closest to the Sun during the Southern Hemisphere summer
B) rainfall and cloudiness are greater in the Southern Hemisphere
C) there is a greater percentage of water surface in the Southern Hemisphere
D) a greater proportion of the land surface is mountainous in the Southern Hemisphere
Answer: C
11) Examine the figure. What exact day of the year is depicted?
Explain.
Answer: The Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice is
depicted, since the circle of illumination intersects the Arctic
Circle, the southernmost latitude that experiences complete
sunlight for at least one day per year. The date is therefore June
21-22.
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Chapter 12: Moisture, Clouds and Precipitation
1) ________ is an indication of how near the air is
to saturation rather than the actual quantity of water
vapor in the air.
A) Mixing ratio
B) Relative humidity
C) Dew-point temperature
D) Adiabatic cooling
Answer: B
2) A 1-kilogram parcel of air is at 35°C and contains
7 grams of water vapor. What is the relative
humidity?
A) 20%
B) 40%
C) 50%
D) 70%
Answer: A
3) Examine the figure. This flask contains 1 kilogram of dry air mixed with
20 grams of water vapor. It is at 25°C temperature. What would happen if its
temperature was increased to 35°C?
A) The relative humidity would decrease, triggering evaporation from the
pool of liquid water at the bottom of the flask.
B) The relative humidity would decrease, triggering condensation, and raising
the level of the pool of liquid water at the bottom of the flask.
C) The relative humidity would increase, triggering condensation, and raising
the level of the pool of liquid water at the bottom of the flask.
D) The relative humidity would increase, triggering evaporation from the
pool of liquid water at the bottom of the flask.
Answer: A
4) How can condensation be triggered to form clouds or fog?
A) Add sufficient water vapor to the air so that it reaches saturation.
B) Cool the air to its dew point.
C) Either of the above will work.
D) Neither of the above will work.
Answer: C
5) Adiabatic temperature changes occur ________.
A) when heat is added
B) when heat is subtracted
C) when heat is neither added nor subtracted
D) when water vapor is added
Answer: C
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6) A fire extinguisher containing compressed CO2 is used to put out a fire. In spite of being close
to the flames, the firefighter notices a white layer of "frost" forming on the exterior of the fire
extinguisher can. What's going on?
A) The gas in the extinguisher is expanding when released, cooling adiabatically.
B) The gas in the extinguisher is cooling under higher pressure.
C) The exterior temperature must be dropping.
D) The fire is pulling heat from the surrounding air.
Answer: A
7) Examine the figure. Which process is
illustrated?
A) orographic lifting
B) frontal wedging
C) adiabatic cooling
D) convergence
Answer: B
Chapter 13: The Atmosphere in Motion
1) Which of the four lettered locations on this barometer would correspond to a
hurricane (tropical cyclone)?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Answer: D
2) Because unequal heating of Earth's surface generates these pressure differences,
________ is/are the ultimate energy source for most wind.
A) caves
B) hot springs
C) solar radiation
D) the greenhouse effect
Answer: C
3) Which of the four lettered locations on the map would have the highest pressure
gradient (and thus, the highest potential for winds)?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Answer: D
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4) You are getting ready to go for a hike on a summer day. You check the barograph and
discover that the pressure tendency has been rising for several hours. Based on this information,
what gear should you be sure to pack for your hike?
A) snowshoes
B) sunscreen
C) a rain jacket
D) a helmet
Answer: B
5) The zone of subsiding dry air which encircles the globe near 30° latitude, north and south, is
known as the ________.
A) Hadley cell
B) subtropical high
C) trade winds
D) polar front
Answer: B
6) In Eurasia, the land becomes cold in the winter and develops a seasonal high-pressure system
from which surface flow is directed off the land. In the summer, in contrast, the opposite occurs:
The landmasses are heated and develop a low-pressure cell, which permits air to flow onto the
land. This "switch" in directions of airflow into or off of the continent gives rise to ________.
A) the monsoon
B) cyclones
C) the polar high
D) easterlies and westerlies
Answer: A
7) Which of these factors influence the magnitude of the Coriolis force?
A) wind speed
B) latitude
C) wind direction
D) both wind speed and latitude
Answer: D
8) This pressure zone is associated with abundant precipitation and warm temperatures.
A) subtropical high
B) equatorial low
C) subpolar low
D) anticyclone
Answer: B
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9) Examine the figure. Which of the four lettered latitudes would
be the most likely site for clear skies?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Answer: B
10) On the basis of vegetation patterns, cloud cover, and sea
surface patterns (choppy or calm), identify the directions that the prevailing trade winds blow
over the Hawaiian islands. Draw an arrow on this image to express your answer.
NASA image
Answer:
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11) Examine the map showing air pressure in
millibars. Compare and contrast what sorts of
weather situations would you expect at sites "B"
and "D" on the map.
Answer: Site D is a center of low pressure,
which means it's at the center of a midlatitude
cyclone. Surrounding this site will be bands of
clouds and wind that are flowing in toward
Maine, spiraling in a counter-clockwise direction
(because it is in the northern hemisphere). The
close spacing of the isobars suggests high winds,
too. All that air rising will likely be accompanied by precipitation. In contrast, site B, near New
Orleans, is a center of high pressure. This means descending air, relatively clear skies, and no
precipitation. It is likely surrounded by moderate winds spiraling outwards in a clockwise
divergent pattern.
Diff: 3
Chapter 14: Weather Patterns
1) An air mass originating in the Gulf of Mexico should be labeled ________.
A) cP
B) mP
C) cT
D) mT
Answer: D
2) Examine the figure. What weather
phenomenon is illustrated here?
A) a warm front
B) a cold front
C) an occluded front
D) a stationary front
Answer: A
Diff: 1
3) You are driving west in your car on a clear, warm day. Up ahead, you see a dark band of
ominous clouds. Soon, you drive beneath the towering bank of clouds, and things get very dark.
For twenty minutes, you are pelted with rain and even some hail. You keep driving west, even
though it seems a little sketchy at times. On the radio, you hear that the next county to the north
is under a tornado warning. Then the sky lightens, and there is only a little rain. You notice that
the temperature outside has dropped by 15°F (8°C). What have you just driven across?
A) a warm front
B) a cold front
C) a mid-latitude cyclone
D) the jet stream
Answer: B
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4) Examine the figure. Which of the symbols shown is used to illustrate a
stationary front?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Answer: C
5) Identify and label each of the color-coded air masses in these two figures. Label figure A and
B to state which season they depict.
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Answer:
Diff: 1
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