7th Grade Science Assessment
Name __________________
RIO Unit 03 – Weather Patterns
1. What is a weather front? (Knowing)
A. The boundary between air masses
B. A large body of warm air
C. The top of a cloud
D. A tool used to predict weather
2. Which weather technology has
dramatically improved the way
meteorologists predict weather in the last
40 years? (Evaluating)
A. Fiber Optic cables
5. How do weather balloons help
meteorologists predict weather?
(Applying)
A. By controlling the movement of
weather fronts.
B. By photographing the movement of
weather systems.
C. By taking temperature and
humidity measurements inside air
masses.
D. By carrying messages from one
weather station to another.
B. Satellite images
C. Thermometers
D. Weather Balloons
3. What kind of air masses form over the
Northern Atlantic Ocean? (Analyzing)
A. Continental polar
The map below shows the major air
masses that affect North America. Use
this diagram to answer questions 6 and
7.
B. Continental tropical
C. Maritime tropical
D. Maritime polar
4. Which kind of air mass is most likely
found far away from the ocean?
(Applying)
A. Continental
B. Maritime
C. Polar
D. Tropical
6. What are the temperature and humidity of
air mass B? (Organizing)
A. Cold and dry
B. Warm and moist
C. Temperature will stay the same.
C. Cold and moist
D. Warm and dry
7. Which name would be given to air mass
E? (Applying)
A. Continental Polar
B. Continental Tropical
D. Temperature will be about 50°F.
10. What would probably happen to the
weather conditions if a maritime tropical
air mass is cooled by a colder ground
surface? (Integrating)
A. Becomes foggy or rainy because
cool air holds less water vapor.
B. Becomes sunny because the cool
surface dries the warm air.
C. Maritime Polar
C. Stays nearly the same but the
surface temperature rises.
D. Maritime Tropical
Use the weather map below to answer
questions 8 and 9.
D. Stays the same but the surface
temperature drops.
11. Which weather conditions are typically
found along a weather front? (Applying)
A. Clear, cool weather
Great
Lakes
B. Clouds and precipitation
C. Violent storms
D. Sunny, warm weather
8. What does A represent, and in what
direction is it moving? (Analyzing)
A. An unmoving stationary front
B. A cold front moving north
C. A warm front moving south
D. A cold front moving south
9. As D moves east, what will happen to the
temperature over the Great Lakes?
(Generating)
12. What type of front is formed when a
warm air mass and a cold air mass meet
and neither one can move the other?
(Analyzing)
A. Cold Front
B. Occluded Front
C. Stationary Front
D. Warm Front
13. What is the major difference between
cyclones and anticyclones? (Knowing)
A. The direction of their winds
A. Temperature will fall.
B. How often they occur
B. Temperature will rise.
C. Their size
D. Where they occur
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? (Generating)
A. The two air masses will mix
together and become the same
temperature.
B. Warm air will slide under the cold
air. The cold air will rise and get
warmer.
C. The less dense warm air will sink
and cool. Clouds will form.
D. Cold air will slide under the warm
air. Warm air will rise and cool.
Clouds will form.
A. The warm air at the center sinks,
causing the air pressure to
increase. Cool air blows toward
this area.
B. The cool air at the center sinks,
causing the air pressure to
increase. Cool air blows away
from this area.
C. The cool air at the center rises,
causing the air pressure to
decrease. Warm blows toward this
area.
D. The warm air at the center rises,
causing the air pressure to
decrease. Cool air blows toward
this area.
16. What type of weather conditions are
usually associated with a “cyclone”?
(Integrating)
A. Dry, clear weather
The map below shows a swirling center
of low pressure (L) called a “cyclone”.
Use this map to answer questions 15, 16
and 17.
L
15. Which statement best describes what
happens to the air in a cyclone?
(Evaluating)
B. Clouds, wind and precipitation
C. Sunny, windy conditions
D. Cool conditions with no wind
17. The opposite of a cyclone is an
“anticyclone” – a high pressure center of
dry air. How would an anticyclone be
shown on a weather map? (Applying)
A. With an “A” for “anticyclone”
B. With a “D” for “dry air”
C. With an “H” for “high”
D. With a line of blue triangles
19. What weather would you forecast for
Monday and Tuesday based on this
computer model? (Generating)
A. An approaching low-pressure area
could bring precipitation.
B. An approaching high-pressure
area could bring clear skies.
Meteorologists use computer models to
forecast weather. The graph below
shows the predicted air pressure from a
computer model. Use the graph to
answer questions 18 and 19.
Model Prediction
18. Based on the graph, what does the
computer model predict will happen to air
pressure during Monday and Tuesday?
(Analyzing)
A. The pressure will decrease.
B. The pressure will increase.
C. The pressure will stay the same.
D. The pressure will drop suddenly
on Tuesday afternoon.
C. The temperature will probably
drop and bring snow.
D. The temperature will probably rise
and bring hot, sunny weather.
20. Which statement about weather
forecasting is most accurate?
(Evaluating)
A. Computers, radar, and satellites
have improved forecasting making
even month-long forecasts very
reliable.
B. Computers, radar, and satellites
have improved forecasting making
short-term forecasts accurate, but
it is still difficult to make longterm predictions.
C. Weather forecasting will never be
very reliable because weather can
change suddenly and computers
can’t predict the future.
D. Computers, radars and satellites
help meteorologists control the
weather, making weather
forecasts more and more accurate.
The diagram below shows two colliding air
masses. Use the diagram to answer question
21 & 22.
D. West to East
24. Which statement best explains why
weather forecasting has improved
recently? (Evaluating)
A. There is better data collection and
more advanced computer
technology.
B. There are fewer weather changes
year to year.
21. What type of front is shown in the
diagram above? (Analyzing)
A. Cold Front
B. Occluded Front
C. Stationary Front
D. Warm Front
22. Why do clouds form along this weather
front? (Integrating)
A. There are particles along the
front, around which water can
condense.
B. Warm air cools as it rises, causing
water vapor in the air to condense.
C. The cold air rises causing water
vapor in the air to condense.
D. The warm air mass pushes the
water vapor out of the cold air
mass.
23. The prevailing westerlies and the jet
stream are major wind belts over the
continental U.S. Which direction do they
generally move air masses? (Analyzing)
A. East to West
B. North to South
C. South to North
C. Weather forecasters are more
experienced.
D. There is widespread weather
reporting on TV and the internet.