CHAPTER 1
MONITORING WEATHER
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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Depending on local topography, the maximum range of broadcasts of the NOAA weather
radar is about ____________ kilometers.
a. 10
b. 100
c. 20
d. 65
*d. 65
2. High pressure systems are usually accompanied by __________ weather and low pressure
systems are usually accompanied by __________ weather.
a. fair……………stormy
b. stormy……………fair
*a. fair……………stormy
3. Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds blow ___________ about the
center of a low pressure system.
a. clockwise and outward
b. clockwise and inward
c. counterclockwise and outward
d. counterclockwise and inward
*d. counterclockwise and inward
4. Air temperatures tend to be relatively low to the ___________ of a low pressure system.
a. east and south
b. north and west
*b. north and west
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Weather systems usually cross the United States in
one day.
several days.
twenty or so days.
one month.
*b. several days.
6. Weather systems in the middle latitudes of the Earth generally move in the direction towards
the
a. east.
b. south.
c. west.
d. north.
*a. east.
7.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Air pressure can be thought of as
air temperature.
wind speed.
weight of the overlying air.
weight of the underlying air.
*c. weight of the overlying air
8.
a.
b.
c.
A front is a narrow zone of transition between air masses that contrast in
temperature.
humidity.
Either or both of the above are correct.
*c. Either or both of the above are correct.
9.
a.
b.
c.
Tornadoes are most common
on the U.S. East Coast.
on the U.S. Pacific Coast.
in the central United States.
*c. in the central United States.
10. The National Weather Service issues a weather __________ when hazardous weather is
imminent or actually taking place.
a. watch
b. warning
*b. warning
11. Scattered cumulus clouds usually indicate ___________ weather.
a. stormy
b. fair
*b. fair
12. Weather radar monitors the movement of
a. cloud particles.
b. precipitation.
*b. precipitation.
13. A(n) __________ satellite image is especially useful at night.
a. visible
b. infrared
*b. infrared
14. A horizontal wind is named for the direction ___________ the wind blows.
a. toward which
b. from which
*b. from which
15. A cloud that is in contact with Earth’s surface is known as ____________.
a. a cumuliform cloud
b. a stratiform cloud
c. fog
*c. fog
16. Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds in a high pressure system
blow
a. clockwise and inward.
b. clockwise and outward.
c. counterclockwise and inward.
d. counterclockwise and outward.
*b. clockwise and outward.
17. An air mass is a huge volume of air that is relatively uniform horizontally in
a. temperature.
b. humidity.
c. Both of the above are correct.
*c. Both of the above are correct.
18. As a general rule, lows that track from west to east across southern Canada produce
___________ precipitation compared to lows that track along the Gulf of Mexico coast.
a. more
b. less
c. about the same amount of
*b. less
19. Usually, the day’s minimum temperature occurs
a. around midnight.
b. around sunrise.
c. near sunset.
*b. around sunrise.
20. A geostationary satellite orbits Earth at a _________ altitude than a polar-orbiting satellite.
a. lower
b. higher
*b. higher
21. Meteorologists use water vapor satellite imagery to
a. determine the humidity in the air next to Earth’s surface.
b. monitor the temperature of the tops of clouds.
c. track the movement of water vapor at higher altitudes of the atmosphere.
d. measure the surface wind speed in a hurricane.
*c. track the movement of water vapor at higher altitudes of the atmosphere.
22. A cloud in contact with the Earth’s surface is known as
a. a cumuliform cloud.
b. fog.
c. a cirrus cloud.
d. a thunderstorm.
*b. fog.
23. Wispy-appearing clouds that occur at high altitudes are composed of mostly
a. tiny liquid water droplets.
b. tiny ice crystals.
c. methane.
d. solid carbon dioxide.
*b. tiny ice crystals.
24. Cumulus clouds that exhibit essentially no vertical growth are ___________ to produce
precipitation.
a. likely
b. unlikely
*b. unlikely
25. A thunderstorm cloud:
a. cumulus
b. cirrus
c. cumulonimbus
d. stratiform
*c. cumulonimbus