WEATHER FRONTS & STORMS –Practice Questions
1. What two things define an air mass?
a. temperature and altitude
b. altitude and air pressure
c. temperature and moisture
d. air pressure and precipitation
2. A continental tropical air mass is dry and warm
because it forms over
a. land near the pole
b. land near the equator
c. water near the pole
d. water near the equator
3. What type of front forms when a warm air mass
pushes a cold air mass?
a. warm front
b. cold front
c. polar front
d. stationary front
4. What type of weather does a low-pressure
system bring?
a. stormy weather
b. clear weather
c. cold weather
d. warm weather
5. Where does a hurricane form?
a. over cold land
b. over warm land
c. over cold water
d. over warm water
8. How does a thunderstorm begin to form?
a. Moist air rises.
b. Dry air sinks.
c. Moist air sinks.
d. Dry air rises.
9. Which of these is usually a source of danger in
both thunderstorms and winter storms?
a. ice
b. precipitation
c. lightning
d. tornadoes
10. Which of these would be most useful for
studying cloud cover?
a. surface weather map with isobars
b. satellite images from infrared radiation
c. data charts of air temperatures
d. an informational map that shows pollution
11. When an air mass reaches a new location, it
brings its
a. temperature and altitude to the location
b. altitude and air pressure to the location
c. temperature and moisture to the location
d. moisture and precipitation to the location
12. A continental tropical air mass forms over land
near the equator and is
a. dry and cold
b. dry and warm
c. moist and cold
d. moist and warm
6. Which of the following is an effect of a storm
surge?
a. strong wind
b. heavy rain
c. flooding
d. dense clouds
13. What type of weather front forms when two
air masses push against each other without
moving?
a. warm front
b. cold front
c. polar front
d. stationary front
7. Which of the following would happen often in a
southern state on the ocean such as Florida?
a. ice storm
b. lake effect snow
c. thunderstorm
d. blizzard
14. What type of weather is associated with a
low-pressure system?
a. gentle breezes and clear skies
b. strong wind and precipitation
c. cold temperatures and clear skies
d. strong winds and clear skies
15. What conditions can lead to the formation of a
hurricane?
a. a high-pressure system over the ocean far from
the equator
b. a low-pressure system over the ocean near the
equator
c. a high-pressure system over hot, dry land
d. a low-pressure system over snow-covered land
16. Which two effects of hurricanes can cause
flooding?
a. dense clouds and a storm surge
b. strong wind and dense clouds
c. strong wind and heavy rain
d. heavy rain and a storm surge
17. Which of the following would be usual in a
southern coastal state such as Florida?
a. ice storm
b. lake effect snow
c. thunderstorm
d. blizzard
18. How does a thunderstorm form?
a. Humid air rises rapidly and forms cumulonimbus
clouds.
b. Dry air sinks rapidly and forms cirrus clouds.
c. Humid air sinks rapidly and forms cumulonimbus
clouds.
d. Dry air rises rapidly and forms cirrus clouds.
19. Which of these is often a source of danger in
both thunderstorms and winter storms?
a. ice
b. strong wind
c. lightning
d. tornadoes
20. Which of these would be most useful for
studying cloud cover?
a. surface weather map with isobars
b. satellite images from infrared radiation
c. data charts of air temperatures
d. an informational map that shows pollution
21. An air mass is classified by the
a. air pressure and moisture of the area where it
formed
b. temperature and altitude of the area where it
formed
c. moisture and temperature of the area where it
formed
d. altitude and air pressure of the area where it
formed
22. What will happen when a warm, moist air
mass moves into an area that is cold and dry?
a. The air mass will become colder and drier.
b. The air mass will become colder and wetter.
c. The air mass will become warmer and drier.
d. The air mass will become warmer and wetter.
23. Which of these describes the weather often
associated with a high-pressure system?
a. cloudy with constant rain
b. cloudy with heavy wind
c. clear with gentle breezes
d. clear with low clouds
24. What type of weather is often associated with
a low-pressure system?
a. clear skies and gentle breezes
b. precipitation and strong winds
c. clear skies and low temperatures
d. low temperatures and strong winds
25. Which of the following conditions would most
likely lead to the formation of a hurricane?
a. a high-pressure system over the ocean near the
equator in late summer
b. a low-pressure system over the ocean near the
equator in late summer
c. a high-pressure system over the ocean near the
equator in early spring
d. a low-pressure system over the ocean near the
equator in early spring
26. Which danger of hurricanes is more likely to
affect people living along a coast than people
living a little way inland?
a. strong wind
b. heavy rain
c. tornados
d. storm surge
27. Which two conditions produce thunderstorms?
a. cold fronts and convection
b. warm fronts and convection
c. cold fronts and high-pressure systems
d. warm fronts and high-pressure systems
28. Which type of precipitation is associated with
a type of summer weather?
a. snow
b. hail
c. sleet
d. freezing rain
29. When warm, humid air masses from the Gulf
of Mexico meet cold, dense air masses in the
central plains of the United States, what kind of
weather might result?
a. Severe thunderstorms that produce tornadoes
can form.
b. Sudden and severe winter storms that produce
hail can form.
c. Low-pressure systems that produce tropical
storms can form.
d. High-pressure systems that produce
thunderstorms can form.
30. Which would be most useful in tracking the
movement of a tropical storm?
a. a series of surface weather maps that show
station symbols
b. daily satellite images of infrared and visible
radiation
c. weather data charts for the past month
d. informational maps with current temperatures
and UV radiation