Question 1

The swath of destruction left by a tornado is called a

Accepted Answer

A) squall line. 
B) mesocyclone. 
C) tornado track. 
D) supercell path. 
A) squall line. 
B) mesocyclone. 
C) tornado track. 
D) supercell path. C

Question 2

Which of the following best describes what is implied when a tornado watch is issued?

Accepted Answer

A) Weather conditions favor tornado formation. 
B) A tornado has been visually spotted by an observer. 
C) A tornado has been detected on the radar. 
D) A tornado is actively posing a local hazard. 
A) Weather conditions favor tornado formation. 
B) A tornado has been visually spotted by an observer. 
C) A tornado has been detected on the radar. 
D) A tornado is actively posing a local hazard. A

Question 3

A person stuck outside during a thunderstorm should

Accepted Answer

A) lay flat on the ground, making their entire body as close to the ground as possible. 
B) crouch down, balancing on their toes with their feet together. 
C) take shelter under tall trees. 
D) use an umbrella to protect themself from the rain. 
A) lay flat on the ground, making their entire body as close to the ground as possible. 
B) crouch down, balancing on their toes with their feet together. 
C) take shelter under tall trees. 
D) use an umbrella to protect themself from the rain. B

Question 4

Spherical or irregularly shaped lumps of solid ice that form in nearly all thunderstorms are called

Accepted Answer

A) snow. 
B) hail. 
C) sleet. 
D) cool pool. 
A) snow. 
B) hail. 
C) sleet. 
D) cool pool.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a local weather system?

Accepted Answer

A) tornado 
B) hurricane 
C) mid-latitude cyclone 
D) typhoon 
A) tornado 
B) hurricane 
C) mid-latitude cyclone 
D) typhoon

Question 6

What should a person do when a tornado warning has been issued?

Accepted Answer

A) Check outside to see if the tornado is visible nearby. 
B) Go inside and look out a window to see if a tornado is nearby. 
C) Go into an interior room indoors, avoiding windows. 
D) Wait to see if the warning is upgraded to a watch. 
A) Check outside to see if the tornado is visible nearby. 
B) Go inside and look out a window to see if a tornado is nearby. 
C) Go into an interior room indoors, avoiding windows. 
D) Wait to see if the warning is upgraded to a watch.

Question 7

Using the figure below, where are thunderstorms most likely to occur in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A) Idaho 
B) Pennsylvania 
C) Nebraska 
D) Florida 
A) Idaho 
B) Pennsylvania 
C) Nebraska 
D) Florida

Question 8

The best place to be during a tornado is

Accepted Answer

A) outside, away from any buildings that could fall. 
B) indoors, near a window so that you can monitor the storm. 
C) indoors, in a basement. 
D) indoors, in a bathroom. 
A) outside, away from any buildings that could fall. 
B) indoors, near a window so that you can monitor the storm. 
C) indoors, in a basement. 
D) indoors, in a bathroom.

Question 9

The Enhanced Fujita scale is used to classify

Accepted Answer

A) thunderstorms based on their size and intensity. 
B) thunderstorms based on their magnitude and the type of lifting mechanism involved in their formation. 
C) the strength of lightning strikes based on the amount of energy transferred. 
D) tornado intensities based on the damage caused and estimates of how this correlates to wind velocity. 
A) thunderstorms based on their size and intensity. 
B) thunderstorms based on their magnitude and the type of lifting mechanism involved in their formation. 
C) the strength of lightning strikes based on the amount of energy transferred. 
D) tornado intensities based on the damage caused and estimates of how this correlates to wind velocity.

Question 10

Compare and contrast an ordinary thunderstorm and a supercell thunderstorm.

Accepted Answer

An ordinary thunderstorm does not rotate

Question 11

An anvil cloud is most likely to form when

Accepted Answer

A) a parcel of warm air begins to cool and loses buoyancy. 
B) rising air reaches the tropopause and loses buoyancy. 
C) water vapor is converted to a liquid and rain starts to fall. 
D) a thunderstorm invades a package of stable air and spreads out. 
A) a parcel of warm air begins to cool and loses buoyancy. 
B) rising air reaches the tropopause and loses buoyancy. 
C) water vapor is converted to a liquid and rain starts to fall. 
D) a thunderstorm invades a package of stable air and spreads out.

Question 12

Which of the following best explains why we hear thunder?

Accepted Answer

A) Heat within the lightning channel causes air to expand and then contract violently. The resulting shockwave is heard as thunder. 
B) When lightning hits the ground it rapidly heats the ground surface, which expands producing a clap of thunder. 
C) Lightning and thunder are produced simultaneously during a thunderstorm. 
D) During a thunderstorm, downdrafts move rapidly toward the earth in pulses. These pulses are heard as thunder. 
A) Heat within the lightning channel causes air to expand and then contract violently. The resulting shockwave is heard as thunder. 
B) When lightning hits the ground it rapidly heats the ground surface, which expands producing a clap of thunder. 
C) Lightning and thunder are produced simultaneously during a thunderstorm. 
D) During a thunderstorm, downdrafts move rapidly toward the earth in pulses. These pulses are heard as thunder.

Question 13

What is a squall-line thunderstorm? What type(s) of wind are associated with squall-line thunderstorms? Are they associated with tornado formation?

Accepted Answer

A squall-line thunderstorm forms along a

Question 14

A severe thunderstorm is one that produces

Accepted Answer

A) tornadoes. 
B) hurricanes. 
C) hail up to 1 cm. 
D) mid-latitude cyclones. 
A) tornadoes. 
B) hurricanes. 
C) hail up to 1 cm. 
D) mid-latitude cyclones.

Question 15

A huge electrostatic discharge, caused when negatively and positively charged particles become separated in the clouds of a thunderstorm, is called

Accepted Answer

A) lightning. 
B) thunder. 
C) hail. 
D) mesocyclone. 
A) lightning. 
B) thunder. 
C) hail. 
D) mesocyclone.

Question 16

A supercell thunderstorm

Accepted Answer

A) is fueled by multiple rotating updrafts. 
B) is accompanied by a tornado. 
C) covers a large geographic area. 
D) contains a strong, long-lasting rotating updraft. 
A) is fueled by multiple rotating updrafts. 
B) is accompanied by a tornado. 
C) covers a large geographic area. 
D) contains a strong, long-lasting rotating updraft.

Question 17

What is implied by a tornado watch? How is this different from a warning?

Accepted Answer

A tornado watch is issued when

Question 18

Most lightning travels from ________ to________.

Accepted Answer

A) the ground; clouds 
B) clouds; the ground 
C) cloud; cloud 
D) cloud; clear sky 
A) the ground; clouds 
B) clouds; the ground 
C) cloud; cloud 
D) cloud; clear sky

Question 19

The leeward side of a mountain range tends to be

Accepted Answer

A) wet and humid. 
B) rainy but not humid. 
C) humid but not rainy. 
D) dry. 
A) wet and humid. 
B) rainy but not humid. 
C) humid but not rainy. 
D) dry.

Question 20

In order for a thunderstorm to form, the air in the lower atmosphere must

Accepted Answer

A) contain a lot of water vapor. 
B) have a low relative humidity. 
C) be very windy. 
D) be stagnant. 
A) contain a lot of water vapor. 
B) have a low relative humidity. 
C) be very windy. 
D) be stagnant.

Exam 19: Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

The swath of destruction left by a tornado is called a

Which of the following best describes what is implied when a tornado watch is issued?

A person stuck outside during a thunderstorm should

Spherical or irregularly shaped lumps of solid ice that form in nearly all thunderstorms are called

Which of the following is an example of a local weather system?

What should a person do when a tornado warning has been issued?

Using the figure below, where are thunderstorms most likely to occur in the United States?

The best place to be during a tornado is

The Enhanced Fujita scale is used to classify

Compare and contrast an ordinary thunderstorm and a supercell thunderstorm.

An anvil cloud is most likely to form when

Which of the following best explains why we hear thunder?

What is a squall-line thunderstorm? What type(s) of wind are associated with squall-line thunderstorms? Are they associated with tornado formation?

A severe thunderstorm is one that produces

A huge electrostatic discharge, caused when negatively and positively charged particles become separated in the clouds of a thunderstorm, is called

A supercell thunderstorm

What is implied by a tornado watch? How is this different from a warning?

Most lightning travels from ________ to________.

The leeward side of a mountain range tends to be

In order for a thunderstorm to form, the air in the lower atmosphere must

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

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

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

Filters

Most lightning travels from to.