ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE
Unit Quiz
Name________________________________________ Date_____________
Directions: Read each question and choose the best answer.
1.How does Earth’s atmosphere
make life on this planet
possible?
needed for living things
to survive.
b It provides air and
protects us from oxygen
and sunlight.
c It provides air and
protects us from the
Sun’s harmful rays.
d It provides precipitation
in the form of rain, snow,
sleet, or hail.
© iStockphoto.com/Kris Hanke
a It provides everything
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
2.What is the atmosphere
made of?
a mostly oxygen and carbon
b mostly nitrogen and
c an equal mix of different
d argon, carbon dioxide,
dioxide, with smaller
amounts of other gases
oxygen, with smaller
amounts of other gases
types of gases
and helium
3.Read this sentence: Gravity
pulls a blanket of gas molecules
down toward Earth, creating
high _____________________
near the surface. Which term
belongs in the blank?
a ozone
b the greenhouse effect
c solar radiation
d air pressure
Unit Quiz continued on following page
www.sciencea-z.com
ASSESSMENT
Atmosphere and Climate—Unit Quiz
continued
Name________________________________________ Date_____________
Learning A-Z
FIVE LAYERS OF EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE
4.Which statement about layers
of the atmosphere is not true?
a The troposphere is higher
b The stratosphere is higher
above Earth’s surface than
the exosphere.
above Earth’s surface than
the troposphere.
6.What would most likely happen
if Earth’s atmosphere did not
act like a greenhouse?
a The heat Earth receives from
b The heat Earth receives from
c Some places on Earth would
d Nothing would be different
the Sun would be lost into
space, and Earth would get
much colder.
the Sun would be trapped
near the surface, and Earth
would get much hotter.
get colder, and other places
would get hotter.
than it is now.
c Weather happens in the
7.If Spain almost always has clear,
hot summers and cloudy, cold
winters, which statement is
most likely true?
d The stratosphere protects
a Spain is in a tropical
b Spain is in a temperate
c Spain has a tropical climate
d Spain’s weather includes hot
troposphere.
Earth from ultraviolet rays.
5.Which of the following items
involve molecules that get
warmer and cooler?
a wind
b the water cycle
c both a and b
d neither a nor b
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
climate zone.
climate zone.
in summer and a polar
climate in winter.
and cold climates.
Unit Quiz continued on following page
www.sciencea-z.com
ASSESSMENT
Atmosphere and Climate—Unit Quiz
continued
Name________________________________________ Date_____________
a precipitation
b atmosphere
c climate
d the water cycle
10.Choose the correct terms
to best fill in the blanks.
9.Which of these climate types
is identified by its small amount
of precipitation?
rainforest
temperate forest
c
d
humid subtropical
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
arid desert
© iStockphoto.com/William Walsh
© iStockphoto.com/Leonsbox
b
© iStockphoto.com/AVTG
© iStockphoto.com/Ray Roper
a
Burning fuels such as coal and
1
oil gives off _________________
and increases the amount
2
of _________________
that
the atmosphere traps. These
changes may help explain what
3
is causing _________________.
© iStockphoto.com/MBPHOTO, INC.
8.
Today’s lunch is related to your
overall diet in the same way
that today’s weather is related
to _________.
a 1: molecules; 2: light;
b 1: gases; 2: heat; 3: global
c 1: heat; 2: temperature;
d 1: carbon dioxide; 2:
3: weather
warming
3: the greenhouse effect
climate; 3: climate change
11.What are some events observed
by scientists that seem to be
related to global warming?
a Many glaciers have partly
b Some areas that used to
c More strong storms have
d All of the above
or completely melted.
have good soil for farming
no longer do.
occurred in recent years.
Unit Quiz continued on following page
www.sciencea-z.com
ASSESSMENT
Atmosphere and Climate—Unit Quiz
continued
Name________________________________________ Date_____________
Directions: Use the diagram below to answer questions 12 and13.
© iStockphoto.com/Pavel Khorenyan
Not drawn to scale
12.What is the purpose of this
diagram?
a to explain the difference
between the five layers of
Earth’s atmosphere
13.Why does one pair of arrows
point back toward Earth and
another pair of arrows point
out into space?
a Some heat is trapped
b Two types of gases
c The Sun heats Earth,
d All of the above
b to demonstrate how solar
radiation gets trapped in
the atmosphere as part of
the greenhouse effect
c to compare the atmosphere
d to show that air pressure
of Earth with the
atmosphere of the Sun
is stronger near Earth’s
surface and weaker high
in the atmosphere
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
in Earth’s atmosphere,
and some heat escapes
into space.
return to Earth’s surface,
and two types of gases
escape into space.
and Earth heats the Sun.
Unit Quiz continued on following page
www.sciencea-z.com
ASSESSMENT
Atmosphere and Climate—Unit Quiz
continued
Name________________________________________ Date_____________
58.0°
360
57.5°
340
57.0°
320
Temperature
56.5°
300
56.0°
280
CO2
CO2 Concentration in PPM (parts per million)
Temperature in °F
Directions: Use the graph below to answer question 14.
15.Extended Response: Do you
feel it is important for people
to change their actions to
reduce their impact on climate
change? If so, explain some
changes people should make.
If not, explain why not.
260
55.5°
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
Year (AD)
14.If scientists studied this graph,
why might they draw the
conclusion that changes in
greenhouse gases are causing
global warming?
a As CO2 levels have
b As CO2 levels have
c As CO2 levels have
d As CO2 levels have
increased, global
temperatures have
decreased.
decreased, global
temperatures have
increased.
increased, global
temperatures have also
increased.
decreased, global
temperatures have also
decreased.
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
www.sciencea-z.com
ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE
Unit Quiz Answer Sheet
I=inferential
V=vocabulary
L=literal/recall
D=data analysis
1. c L
2. b L
3. d V
4. a L
5. c I
6. a I
7. b I
8. c V
9. d L
10. b I
11. d L
12. b D
13. a D
14. c D
15. Extended Response: Students may
answer yes or no, or some combination
of the two, depending on their opinions.
If students answer yes, they should
support it with actions that could
potentially reduce people’s impact on
climate change. Examples might include:
wasting less electricity, using reusable
shopping bags, driving less, or recycling.
If students answer no, they should explain
why they feel people do not need to
change their actions with respect to
climate change. Students might specify
certain actions that people should change
and other actions that people do not
need to change.
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
www.sciencea-z.com