Deck 9: Atmosphere and Severe Weather

Question 1

What is humidity?

A) A measure of how warm it is outside
B) A measure of how much water vapor there is in the air
C) A measure of how much molecules are moving in the air
D) A measure of how many clouds there are in the area
E) A measure of how much rain there is in the upper atmosphere

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which energy transfer process describes how the Earth gets energy from the Sun?

A) Conduction
B) Convection
C) Radiation
D) Thermal
E) Earth does not get any energy from the Sun.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What happens to air as it rises in the troposphere?

A) It warms, condenses and forms clouds.
B) It warms, loses density and falls downward.
C) It cools, condenses and forms clouds.
D) It cools, loses density and falls downward.
E) It more or less stays the same.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What are clouds made of?

A) Water vapor
B) Tiny water droplets and ice crystals
C) Exhaust from power plants
D) Hydrogen gas
E) Smoke and other particles

Question 5

Which energy transfer process describes the primary way that heat is transferred in the mantle layer of the Earth?

A) Conduction
B) Convection
C) Radiation
D) Thermal
E) Potential

Question 6

In which part of the atmosphere are the clouds found?

A) Troposphere
B) Stratosphere
C) Mesosphere
D) Thermosphere
E) Asthenosphere

Question 7

How does atmospheric pressure change within the troposphere?

A) It increases with increasing altitude.
B) It stays the same with increasing altitude.
C) It decreases with increasing altitude.
D) It increases and then decreases with increasing altitude.
E) It decreases and then increases with increasing altitude.

Question 8

Why do clouds form?

A) Tiny raindrops collide with each other due to winds blowing in the upper atmosphere.
B) The relative humidity of air gets high enough so that water vapor condenses to tiny water droplets.
C) Water vapor heats up making steam.
D) Snowflakes descend from very high in the atmosphere and are visible as clouds.

Question 9

What is latent heat?

A) Energy that causes a change in temperature of an object
B) Energy that only good conductors have
C) Energy associated with water or atmospheric gases
D) Energy absorbed or released when a substance undergoes a change in state such as liquid to solid
E) Energy given off by the Sun

Question 10

What is the weather that is generally associated with high pressure systems?

A) Cool and clear
B) Warm and cloudy
C) Warm and rainy
D) Cool and stormy
E) Cool and snowing

Question 11

Which of the following has a low albedo?

A) Woodlands
B) Grasslands
C) Beaches
D) Snow
E) Clouds

Question 12

People can get sunburned while they have been out snow skiing. This is an example of

A) absorption of the Sun's radiation by something with a high albedo.
B) absorption of the Sun's radiation by something with a low albedo.
C) transmission of the Sun's radiation by something with a high albedo.
D) reflection of the Sun's radiation by something with a low albedo.
E) reflection of the Sun's radiation by something with a high albedo.

Question 13

Which energy transfer process describes energy transferred from a hot pot to its handle?

A) Conduction
B) Convection
C) Radiation
D) Thermal
E) Kinetic

Question 14

The Earth absorbs only part of the Sun's radiation. Which of the following does NOT happen to the rest of the Sun's radiation?

A) Absorbed by the clouds
B) Reflected by the clouds
C) Reflected by the land
D) Reflected by the ocean
E) Converted to gamma radiation by the atmosphere

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a good description of heat energy?

A) Energy attributed to the motion of atoms and molecules that make up a material
B) Energy transferred between objects at different temperatures
C) Energy that can be monitored by a thermometer
D) Energy that can cause a change in state as from a liquid to a gas
E) Energy that is stored such as in water held at a higher level behind a dam

Question 16

What part of the day usually has the highest relative humidity?

A) Just before sunrise
B) At sunset
C) At noon
D) At midnight
E) Relative humidity stays the same all day

Question 17

Which gas makes up most of the Earth's atmosphere?

A) Carbon dioxide
B) Argon
C) Water vapor
D) Nitrogen
E) Hydrogen

Question 18

What does the Coriolis Effect do?

A) It causes winds to move increasingly faster due to the Earth's rotation.
B) It causes winds to slow down due to the Earth's magnetic field.
C) It causes an apparent change in wind direction due to the Earth's rotation.
D) It causes winds to move from warm to cold areas.
E) It causes winds to slow down due to the Earth's topography.

Question 19

What drives the movement of wind?

A) Coriolis force
B) Pressure differences
C) Friction
D) Earth's internal heat
E) Reactions of ozone molecules

Question 20

Nearly all of the Earth's energy comes from the Sun. Where does most of the rest of the Earth's energy come from?

A) Magnetic energy from the Earth's outer core
B) Thermal energy from the Earth's core
C) Thermal energy from ocean currents
D) Electric energy from thunderstorms
E) Wind energy from atmospheric circulation

Question 21

What is wind shear?

A) When wind is moving extremely fast in one direction
B) When wind is moving with a circular motion
C) When wind direction or wind speed changes with altitude
D) When two winds are moving very quickly upwards
E) When wind is entering a tornado

Question 22

Which of the following is a TRUE statement?

A) It is clear at the equator because of high atmospheric pressure.
B) It is clear at the equator because of low atmospheric pressure.
C) It is cloudy at the equator because of low atmospheric pressure.
D) It is cloudy at the equator because of high atmospheric pressure.
E) It is clear at the equator because of the heat.

Question 23

What type of front involves fast moving thunderstorms and severe weather?

A) Cold front
B) Warm front
C) Stationary Front
D) Occluded Front

Question 24

In what part of the U.S. are tornados NOT commonly found?

A) Oklahoma
B) Florida
C) Illinois
D) Nevada
E) Texas

Question 25

Which of the following actions in a rotating storm will define it as a tornado?

A) A mesocyclone forms.
B) A wall cloud descends.
C) A funnel cloud forms.
D) A funnel cloud touches the ground.
E) Vertical wind shear occurs.

Question 26

In which thunderstorm stage would you be most likely to see lightning?

A) Cumulus stage
B) Mature stage
C) Dissipative stage
D) Lightning stage
E) Cloud stage

Question 27

What are waterspouts?

A) Tornadoes that form over water bodies
B) Downbursts over water sources
C) Upbursts from water sources
D) Microbursts from water sources
E) Severe thunderstorms

Question 28

Where does hail come from?

A) Snow mixes with ice in the clouds make hail.
B) Rain freezes when updrafts force it back up into the cloud.
C) Rain freezes as it hits cold air on the surface.
D) Snowflakes fuse together in the warmer lower atmosphere.
E) Ice forms high in the atmosphere and falls out of the cloud with the rain.

Question 29

Which type of severe thunderstorm generally spawn the largest tornadoes?

A) Mesoscale convection systems
B) Squall lines
C) Supercell storms
D) Derechos
E) Microbursts

Question 30

Which is the most common type of severe thunderstorm?

A) Mesoscale convection systems
B) Squall lines
C) Supercell storms
D) Derechos
E) Microbursts

Question 31

Which of the following is TRUE about lightning?

A) Lightning only travels from the cloud to the ground.
B) Lightning can cause significant injury but it rarely kills people.
C) Once there is a difference in electrical charge between a cloud and ground, lightning occurs because air conducts the flow of electrons very easily.
D) Lightning is probably due to updrafts and downdrafts in the cloud.

Question 32

Which type of severe thunderstorm is caused by cold fronts?

A) Mesoscale convection systems
B) Squall lines
C) Supercell storms
D) Derechos
E) Microbursts

Question 33

Which thunderstorm stage is dominated by updrafts?

A) Cumulus stage
B) Mature stage
C) Dissipative stage
D) Lightning stage
E) Cloud stage

Question 34

If you watched the clouds get lower in the sky and then experienced light to moderate rain for several hours, what would you expect the temperature in your area to do after the rain stopped?

A) Increase
B) Decrease
C) Stay the same
D) Change back and forth rapidly
E) Change back and forth slowly

Question 35

What type of front has cold air moving into warm air?

A) Cold front
B) Warm front
C) Stationary front
D) Occluded front

Question 36

Which of the following would NOT qualify a thunderstorm to be termed as severe?

A) Winds exceeding 58 mph
B) Hailstones in excess of 0.75 inches in diameter
C) Formation of a F0 tornado
D) Formation of a F5 tornado
E) Less than 14 psi of atmospheric pressure

Question 37

What does the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale use to classify tornadoes?

A) Wind speed
B) Funnel diameter
C) Temperature of the core
D) Hail size
E) Amount of damage

Question 38

The majority of gas molecules are near the Earth's surface. Why does this mean that the atmospheric pressure will be greater there?

A) There are more gas molecules in the overlying air to press on objects.
B) The gas molecules are moving faster there.
C) The gas molecules are bigger there.
D) The gas molecules are heavier there.
E) The gas molecules are smaller there.

Question 39

Which of the following is FALSE about thunderstorms?

A) Thunderstorms are storms associated with lightning.
B) Thunderstorms are usually associated with warm fronts.
C) Thunderstorms are frequent in Florida and the Midwest United States.
D) Thunderstorms are common in the late afternoon during summer.

Question 40

In which stage of development are the winds in a tornado moving the fastest?

A) Organizational stage
B) Shrinking stage
C) Mature stage
D) Dissipative stage
E) Storm stage

Question 41

Air pressure increases as you move up in the atmosphere.

Question 42

What should you do when a tornado watch is issued for your area?

A) Go outside and watch for the tornado to come
B) Run quickly down to your basement because a tornado is coming
C) Keep informed and be ready to take cover if a tornado is spotted
D) Open all doors and windows so that the tornado doesn't damage your home

Question 43

In which situation will you see freezing rain, as opposed to snow or sleet?

A) Snow falls into warm air on the ground.
B) Snow falls through warm air and then into a small slice of below freezing air on the ground.
C) Snow falls through warm air and then into a large area of below freezing air on the ground.
D) Snow falls through only cold air.
E) Rain falls through only warm air.

Question 44

Which of the following hazards is NOT influenced by the weather?

A) Landslides
B) Earthquakes
C) Flooding
D) Wildfires
E) Hurricanes

Question 45

Heat is needed to make water change from liquid to gas.

Question 46

Heat energy can always be measured using a thermometer.

Question 47

The Earth gets its energy from the Sun mostly through conduction.

Question 48

The Earth intersects most of the Sun's radiation.

Question 49

Cumulus clouds are puffy clouds that form during the mature stage of a thunderstorm.

Question 50

Which natural hazard affects more people than any other?

A) Lightning
B) Tornadoes
C) Dust storms
D) Drought
E) Blizzards

Question 51

Clouds can absorb and reflect sunlight.

Question 52

Energy is the ability to do work.

Question 53

The light that we are able to see is only a small portion of the radiation that we get from the sun.

Question 54

No mountains on Earth extend above the troposphere.

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT a way in which humans can affect the weather?

A) Humans create cities that trap heat.
B) Humans contribute to global warming, which can cause an increase in drought.
C) Farming by humans can cause soil to dry out causing dust storms.
D) Humans contribute to global warming, which can cause an increase in hurricane strength.
E) The abundance of swimming pools is causing a large increase in fog.

Question 56

What is the difference between a Nor'Easter and an Alberta Clipper?

A) A Clipper is a stronger storm than a Nor'Easter.
B) A Clipper produces higher winds than a Nor'Easter.
C) A Nor'Easter usually has more snow than a Clipper.
D) A Clipper is warmer than a Nor'Easter.
E) There is no difference between a Nor'Easter and a Clipper.

Question 57

Relative humidity describes how close the air is to being saturated.

Question 58

Which of the following is TRUE about tornado prediction?

A) It is not possible to know when or where a tornado will occur.
B) Doppler Radar can show exactly when a tornado will form up to 6 hours prior to touchdown.
C) Doppler Radar can show when a tornado will form, but it can't show where it will touchdown.
D) Tornado prediction is very good, but most people don't follow warnings.
E) Conditions for tornadoes can be spotted on radar and tornadoes can be detected once they develop.

Question 59

How is a blizzard defined?

A) In terms of wind speed and visibility
B) In terms of wind speed and amounts of snow
C) In terms of amounts of snow and freezing rain
D) In terms of temperature and atmospheric pressure
E) In terms of amounts of snow and temperature

Question 60

High atmospheric pressure is associated with clear skies and dry conditions.

Question 61

Fog is often found near bodies of water that are at different temperatures than the air around them.

Question 62

An EF0 tornado is the most damaging on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Question 63

Blizzards can be caused by storms that move across land or from storms that move up the coast over water.

Question 64

Air moves from low pressure to high pressure, creating wind.

Question 65

Winds in the Northern Hemisphere spin in the opposite direction from winds in the Southern Hemisphere due to the Coriolis Effect.

Question 66

Supercells are the longest lasting severe thunderstorm type.

Question 67

The Coriolis Effect has no effect on winds at the equator.

Question 68

Hail is usually associated with winter storms that produce sleet and freezing rain.

Question 69

A dryline is an area of low humidity where thunderstorms cannot form.

Question 70

Heatwaves are always associated with low humidity and extreme dry conditions.

Question 71

Low atmospheric pressure is associated with clouds and rainy conditions.

Question 72

An ice storm is defined by small chunks of ice falling from the sky.

Question 73

Thunderstorm development stages are defined by the presence of updrafts and downdrafts in the storm.

Question 74

In large urban areas, the temperatures can be much warmer than in the surrounding areas.

Question 75

Predicting severe weather is relatively easy due to advancements in Doppler radar.

Question 76

Dust storms can involve large amounts of dust that can travel large distances from their origination.

Question 77

In the shrinking stage of tornado development the tornado gets smaller in diameter and actually increases its wind speed.

Question 78

Freezing rain is most likely to occur in the early fall because the ground is still too warm for snow to form.

Question 79

Thunderstorms are least common at the equator because winds don't spin there.

Question 80

Drought is very uncommon and only affects the few people who live in the drought area.