Name: _____________________
Date: _______________
Period: ______
Ch. 15-16 Atmosphere and Weather Study Guide
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. ____ is the transfer of energy (heat) without the objects touching.
a. Conduction
c. Radiation
b. Convection
d. Condensation
2. Sea and land breezes are caused because ____.
a. the land heats and cools more slowly than the water
b. the land heats and cools more quickly than the water
c. air moves more easily over water than over land
d. air moves more easily over land than over water
3. In general, atmospheric pressure is greatest near Earth's surface and ____ as you move upward away from sea
level.
a. decreases
c. stays the same
b. increases
d. doubles
4. The ____ is the source of all energy in our atmosphere.
a. Sun
c. Moon
b. water cycle
d. Coriolis effect
5. There is little wind in the doldrums because the air ____.
a. is moving down
b. heats up and rises
c. moves westward
d. is motionless
6. The ____ blends into outer space.
a. troposphere
c. mesosphere
b. stratosphere
d. exosphere
7. The ____causes winds to curve.
a. jet stream
c. sea breeze
b. Coriolis effect
d. land breeze
8. Temperatures in the thermosphere and exosphere are ____.
a. hot and cold
c. very cold
b. constantly changing
d. very warm
9. There are ____ molecules of air at high elevations, so air pressure is less.
a. fewer
c. more
b. the same number of
d. no
10. The transfer of energy (heat) that occurs when objects touch is called ____.
a. radiation
c. convection
b. conduction
d. condensation
11. The ____ is the layer of the atmosphere nearest to Earth's surface.
a. exosphere
c. stratosphere
b. troposphere
d. ionosphere
12. The ____ are responsible for the movement of much of the weather across the United States and Canada.
a. prevailing westerlies
c. trade winds
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b. polar easterlies
d. doldrums
The air above the ____ rises because it has low density and low pressure.
a. north pole
c. equator
b. south pole
d. arctic circle
When Earth receives energy from the Sun, ____.
a. some energy is reflected back into space
b. some is absorbed by the atmosphere
c. some is absorbed by land and water on Earth's surface
d. all of the above
The ____ contains the highest concentration of ozone.
a. troposphere
c. stratosphere
b. mesosphere
d. exosphere
Not all areas on Earth's surface receive the same amount of radiation because Earth's surface ____.
a. is flat
c. has continents on it
b. is curved
d. is mostly water
The process of water vapor changing to a liquid is called ____.
a. evaporation
c. condensation
b. precipitation
d. convection
Chlorofluorocarbons may be harming the ozone layer by ____.
a. adding more ozone molecules
c. destroying ozone molecules
b. blocking ultraviolet radiation
d. destroying oxygen molecules
When water droplets in a cloud combine, become too heavy, and fall to the ground as rain, snow, sleet, or
hail, we are experiencing ____.
a. evaporation
c. precipitation
b. condensation
d. transpiration
High, thin, white, feathery clouds containing ice crystals are usually associated with fair weather, but they can
also indicate approaching storms. These clouds are called ____ clouds.
a. cumulus
c. cirrus
b. stratus
d. nimbus
A ____ studies and forecasts the weather using data gathered from many sources.
a. meteorologist
c. station model
b. geologist
d. biologist
Masses of puffy, white clouds, often with flat bases, that form when air currents rise are called ____ clouds.
a. stratus
c. nimbus
b. cumulus
d. cirrus
____ forms when raindrops pass through a layer of freezing air near Earth's surface, forming ice pellets.
a. Fog
c. Hail
b. Sleet
d. Rain
____ forms when the air temperature is below freezing and water vapor changes directly to solid.
a. Rain
c. Sleet
b. Snow
d. Hail
Fog is a ____ cloud that forms near the ground.
a. cumulus
c. stratus
b. cirrus
d. cirrocumulus
Areas of low-pressure usually have ____.
a. cloudy weather
c. sinking air
b. good weather
d. none of the above
High pressure means good weather because ____.
a. the air masses rise
b. the air masses sink, making it difficult for clouds to form
c. clouds are blown away by wind
d. none of the above
____ 28. The most powerful severe storm is the ____.
a. thunderstorm
c. hurricane
b. tornado
d. front
____ 29. ___ is a current that flows between regions with opposing electrical charges.
a. Lightning
c. Tornado
b. Thunder
d. Hurricane
____ 30. Thunderstorms are associated with _____.
a. warm air and low pressure
c. warm air and high pressure
b. cold air and low pressure
d. cold air and high pressure
Short Answer
31. Identify A-D of the water cycle in Figure 15-2. Use the terms precipitation, evaporation, runoff, and
condensation.
ABCD-
Figure 15-2
32.
________________ makes up 21 percent of the gases in Earth's atmosphere?
Figure 16-2
33. What type of front does Figure 16-2A show?
34. Label the air masses in Figure 16-2A correctly with warm and cold.
35. What type of front does Figure 16-2B show?
36. Label the air masses in Figure 16-2B correctly with warm and cold.
37. What kind of weather can be expected to occur in Figure 16-2B?
38. When the handle of a hot pot gets warm this is an example of __________________.
39. Draw a diagram with a description of how hail is formed.
40. Explain why hurricanes don’t form in polar regions.
41. Describe a convection current in the air and how it is related to wind.