Question 1

Because of the Coriolis effect,air that is spread northward from the equator is deflected ________.

Accepted Answer

A) directly back to the equator 
B) to the east 
C) to the west 
D) upward,to the tropopause 
A) directly back to the equator 
B) to the east 
C) to the west 
D) upward,to the tropopause B

Question 2

Most atmospheric ozone occurs in which layer of Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) the mesosphere 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the thermosphere 
D) the troposphere 
A) the mesosphere 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the thermosphere 
D) the troposphere B

Question 3

Which of these factors is NOT important in controlling the climate of a region?

Accepted Answer

A) latitude 
B) longitude 
C) altitude 
D) proximity to water 
A) latitude 
B) longitude 
C) altitude 
D) proximity to water B

Question 4

In the figure below,the area known as tornado alley forms because polar air masses frequently collide with ________.

Accepted Answer

A) tropical air masses from the Gulf of Mexico 
B) dry air masses from the desert southwest 
C) moist Pacific air masses 
D) dry air masses descending from the Rocky Mountains 
A) tropical air masses from the Gulf of Mexico 
B) dry air masses from the desert southwest 
C) moist Pacific air masses 
D) dry air masses descending from the Rocky Mountains

Question 5

Which layer of the atmosphere has the lowest density?

Accepted Answer

A) the mesosphere 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the thermosphere 
D) the troposphere 
A) the mesosphere 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the thermosphere 
D) the troposphere

Question 6

As air rises,why do clouds form?

Accepted Answer

A) raindrops converge in the lower troposphere 
B) water vapor heats up and creates steam 
C) the air cools to its dew-point temperature and condenses into liquid water 
D) snow forms in the upper troposphere and becomes visible as clouds 
A) raindrops converge in the lower troposphere 
B) water vapor heats up and creates steam 
C) the air cools to its dew-point temperature and condenses into liquid water 
D) snow forms in the upper troposphere and becomes visible as clouds

Question 7

According to geological evidence and computer models based on that evidence,which statement about the concentration of oxygen in our atmosphere is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) No oxygen was present prior to the Cambrian Era;oxygen levels have uniformly risen since,and today's atmosphere is more oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history. 
B) Oxygen levels were greatest during the Cambrian Era but have been steadily declining ever since;today's atmosphere is less oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history. 
C) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic Era but peaked during the Mesozoic Era (Age of Dinosaurs)and declined sharply in the Early Cenozoic Era. 
D) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic Era but peaked during the Late Paleozoic Era (the time of coal swamp forests)and declined sharply in the Early Mesozoic Era. 
A) No oxygen was present prior to the Cambrian Era;oxygen levels have uniformly risen since,and today's atmosphere is more oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history. 
B) Oxygen levels were greatest during the Cambrian Era but have been steadily declining ever since;today's atmosphere is less oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history. 
C) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic Era but peaked during the Mesozoic Era (Age of Dinosaurs)and declined sharply in the Early Cenozoic Era. 
D) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic Era but peaked during the Late Paleozoic Era (the time of coal swamp forests)and declined sharply in the Early Mesozoic Era.

Question 8

When moisture-laden wind is forced over a mountain range,clouds will form because of ________ lifting.

Accepted Answer

A) frontal 
B) convergence 
C) convective 
D) orographic 
A) frontal 
B) convergence 
C) convective 
D) orographic

Question 9

Which two gases are most abundantly emitted in volcanic outgassing?

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide 
A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide

Question 10

After precipitation begins,a thunderstorm has reached the ________ stage.

Accepted Answer

A) cumulus 
B) mature 
C) supercell 
D) dissipating 
A) cumulus 
B) mature 
C) supercell 
D) dissipating

Question 11

In the figure below,the intertropical surface convergence became known as the doldrums because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) many horses died of heat exhaustion while being transported 
B) the wind moves in the wrong direction for trade ships 
C) the winds along the equator are very slow 
D) the airflow is mainly downward 
A) many horses died of heat exhaustion while being transported 
B) the wind moves in the wrong direction for trade ships 
C) the winds along the equator are very slow 
D) the airflow is mainly downward

Question 12

Winds form where ________.

Accepted Answer

A) gravity pulls air masses downhill 
B) pressure gradients exist 
C) convective lifting occurs 
D) the Coriolis effect is greatest 
A) gravity pulls air masses downhill 
B) pressure gradients exist 
C) convective lifting occurs 
D) the Coriolis effect is greatest

Question 13

Lines connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure on a map are termed ________.

Accepted Answer

A) contour lines 
B) isobars 
C) isograds 
D) isotherms 
A) contour lines 
B) isobars 
C) isograds 
D) isotherms

Question 14

To an observer traveling outward from Earth's surface into outer space,the temperature of the atmosphere ________.

Accepted Answer

A) uniformly decreases because of atmospheric thinning 
B) uniformly increases because of increasing proximity to the Sun 
C) remains relatively constant until the very edge of the atmosphere,where the observer would experience the very cold vacuum that is interplanetary space 
D) decreases,stabilizes,increases,stabilizes,decreases,stabilizes,and,finally,increases until the edge of the atmosphere is reached 
A) uniformly decreases because of atmospheric thinning 
B) uniformly increases because of increasing proximity to the Sun 
C) remains relatively constant until the very edge of the atmosphere,where the observer would experience the very cold vacuum that is interplanetary space 
D) decreases,stabilizes,increases,stabilizes,decreases,stabilizes,and,finally,increases until the edge of the atmosphere is reached

Question 15

Clouds generally form when air ________.

Accepted Answer

A) is heated 
B) rises 
C) sinks 
D) is devoid of aerosols 
A) is heated 
B) rises 
C) sinks 
D) is devoid of aerosols

Question 16

As an air mass rises,it generally experiences ________.

Accepted Answer

A) an increase in pressure 
B) a decrease in pressure 
C) no change in pressure 
D) either an increase or a decrease in pressure,depending on temperature 
A) an increase in pressure 
B) a decrease in pressure 
C) no change in pressure 
D) either an increase or a decrease in pressure,depending on temperature

Question 17

Which two gases are most abundant within Earth's modern atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide 
A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide

Question 18

Consult the figure below.During which period of Earth's history was the oxygen saturation in the atmosphere highest?

Accepted Answer

A) Hadean Era 
B) Cambrian Era 
C) Carboniferous Era and Permian Era 
D) Cenozoic Era 
A) Hadean Era 
B) Cambrian Era 
C) Carboniferous Era and Permian Era 
D) Cenozoic Era

Question 19

Which two gases are most important in producing the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) nitrogen and sulfur dioxide 
A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) nitrogen and sulfur dioxide

Question 20

Where air sinks,as in the subtropical horse latitudes,the air usually ________.

Accepted Answer

A) cools as it sinks 
B) creates high pressure locally 
C) creates low pressure locally 
D) increases in relative humidity as it sinks 
A) cools as it sinks 
B) creates high pressure locally 
C) creates low pressure locally 
D) increases in relative humidity as it sinks

Exam 20: An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Because of the Coriolis effect,air that is spread northward from the equator is deflected ________.

Most atmospheric ozone occurs in which layer of Earth's atmosphere?

Which of these factors is NOT important in controlling the climate of a region?

In the figure below,the area known as tornado alley forms because polar air masses frequently collide with ________.

Which layer of the atmosphere has the lowest density?

As air rises,why do clouds form?

According to geological evidence and computer models based on that evidence,which statement about the concentration of oxygen in our atmosphere is correct?

When moisture-laden wind is forced over a mountain range,clouds will form because of ________ lifting.

Which two gases are most abundantly emitted in volcanic outgassing?

After precipitation begins,a thunderstorm has reached the ________ stage.

In the figure below,the intertropical surface convergence became known as the doldrums because ________.

Winds form where ________.

Lines connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure on a map are termed ________.

To an observer traveling outward from Earth's surface into outer space,the temperature of the atmosphere ________.

Clouds generally form when air ________.

As an air mass rises,it generally experiences ________.

Which two gases are most abundant within Earth's modern atmosphere?

Consult the figure below.During which period of Earth's history was the oxygen saturation in the atmosphere highest?

Which two gases are most important in producing the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Where air sinks,as in the subtropical horse latitudes,the air usually ________.

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, revisited: Seismic Layering, gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

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