7th Grade Science
Midterm Exam Studyguide
2015-2016
Essential questions:
Composition of Air
What substances are found naturally in air?
How has the composition of air been changed by human activity?
Energy Transfer and the Water Cycle
How is the sun’s energy transferred around the globe?
What is the water cycle and why is it important?
How does the water cycle influence weather patterns?
How do winds form?
Studying the structure and composition of our atmosphere
What are some of the properties of the atmosphere?
What is the composition of air?
How do temperature, pressure, density, and composition of the atmosphere vary with altitude?
How do the different layers of the atmosphere compare?
How is the greenhouse effect important to life on Earth?
How has Earth’s atmosphere changed throughout Earth’s history and how does it continue to
change?
Meteorology
How do meteorologists study and predict weather?
How does the movement of air masses affect weather?
How do clouds and rain form?
Erosion by Gravity
How does gravity contribute to erosion?
What causes landslides, mudslides, and sinkholes?
What landforms are produced by the action of gravity & erosion?
Study vocab (key words) from each section
1. scientific method
2. layers of the atmosphere (order and composition)
3. acid rain and impact
4. acid rain and source
5. gases of the atmosphere (composition and quantities)
6. effects of change of air pressure
7. convection currents (cycle)
8. effects of energy from the sun
9. all greenhouse gases
10. “runaway greenhouse effect”
11. volcanism and greenhouse gases
12. Earth’s early planet environment
13. temperature vs. altitude
14. density vs. altitude
15. pressure vs. altitude
16. properties of the atmosphere
17. parts of the water cycle
18. global warming
19. air pressure
20. identifying cloud types and weather association (be sure to have cloud circle key for exam)
21. air masses
22. Coriolis effect
23. land vs. marine air mass formation
24. humidity
25. moon’s weather and climate
26. early gases of the atmosphere
27. meteorologists and how they predict the weather
28. jet streams vs. Coriolis effect
29. solar radiation and effects on convection currents
30. technologies used for forecasting weather
31. types of fronts and weather associated
32. weathering vs. erosion
33. agents of erosion
34. types of landforms created by erosion
35. types of erosion due to gravity
36. lahars
37. mass wasting
38. Article & questions – “Working Against Gravity”