 |
1 | |
An airplane flying at 35,000 feet is above what percent of the earth's atmosphere? |
| | A) | 50% |
| | B) | 75% |
| | C) | 90% |
| | D) | 99% |
|
|
2 | |
Normal atmospheric pressure is enough to support a column of mercury approximately |
| | A) | 29.9 cm high. |
| | B) | 76.0 cm high. |
| | C) | 101 cm high. |
| | D) | 760 cm high. |
|
|
3 | |
Your ears "pop" when an unpressurized plane climbs higher because |
| | A) | air is moving from the outside into your eardrum. |
| | B) | air is moving from your eardrum to the outside. |
| | C) | the air pressure in the plane decreases. |
| | D) | the fluid in your Eustachian tubes exerts pressure on your eardrums. |
|
|
4 | |
Nearly 1400 watts/meter2 of solar energy reaches the outermost atmosphere of the earth. What fraction of this energy on average actually reaches the surface? |
| | A) | 20% |
| | B) | 33% |
| | C) | 50% |
| | D) | 67% |
|
|
5 | |
The majority of the sun's radiation output occurs as |
| | A) | yellow light. |
| | B) | ultraviolet light. |
| | C) | infrared radiation. |
| | D) | gamma radiation. |
|
|
6 | |
The greenhouse effect results in warmer temperatures near the surface because |
| | A) | clouds trap infrared radiation near the surface. |
| | B) | some of the energy that would ordinarily escape is re-radiated toward the surface. |
| | C) | carbon dioxide and water vapor trap infrared radiation. |
| | D) | carbon dioxide molecules do not permit radiation to escape. |
|
|
7 | |
The interaction between ultraviolet light and ozone that protects life on the surface takes place in the |
| | A) | troposphere. |
| | B) | stratosphere. |
| | C) | exosphere. |
| | D) | ozonosphere. |
|
|
8 | |
On a clear, calm night, you would expect the air in the bottom of a valley to be |
| | A) | cooler than that on a hillside. |
| | B) | warmer than the air on a hillside. |
| | C) | less dense than that in surrounding areas. |
| | D) | the same temperature as that in surrounding areas. |
|
|
9 | |
Hot air rising from the equatorial regions eventually cools and descends to form |
| | A) | a belt of moist, low-pressure air. |
| | B) | a belt of dry, high-pressure air. |
| | C) | the jet stream. |
| | D) | a Chinook. |
|
|
10 | |
How does the average amount of water that returns to the oceans by precipitation compare to the water that leaves by evaporation? |
| | A) | Evaporation is greater than precipitation. |
| | B) | Precipitation and evaporation are equal. |
| | C) | Precipitation is greater than evaporation. |
| | D) | There is no pattern that can be generalized. |
|
|
11 | |
Which of the following is not considered to be a form of precipitation? |
| | A) | rain |
| | B) | dew |
| | C) | snow |
| | D) | hail |
|
|
12 | |
When water vapor in the atmosphere condenses to liquid water, |
| | A) | dew falls to the ground. |
| | B) | it rains or snows |
| | C) | a cloud forms. |
| | D) | all of these are correct. |
|
|
13 | |
Which cloud type is usually associated with the arrival of a cold front? |
| | A) | high, thin cirrus |
| | B) | towering cumulus |
| | C) | low stratus |
| | D) | any of these |
|
|
14 | |
A warm front forms when |
| | A) | a cold air mass displaces warmer air. |
| | B) | masses of cold air and warm air move past one another in opposite directions. |
| | C) | the suns warms a stationary cold air mass. |
| | D) | a warm air mass advances over a mass of cooler air. |
|
|
15 | |
A cyclone is centered about a |
| | A) | region of low pressure. |
| | B) | region of high pressure. |
| | C) | cold front. |
| | D) | occluded front. |
|
|
16 | |
Longer periods of drizzle, rain or snow are usually associated with which cloud type? |
| | A) | stratus |
| | B) | cumulus |
| | C) | cirrus |
| | D) | None of these are correct. |
|
|
17 | |
A condition that lifts a parcel of air to form cumulus clouds is |
| | A) | differential heating. |
| | B) | mountain barriers. |
| | C) | a cold front. |
| | D) | any of these. |
|
|
18 | |
Brief periods of showers are usually associated with which cloud type? |
| | A) | stratus |
| | B) | cumulus |
| | C) | cirrus |
| | D) | None of these. |
|
|
19 | |
Most of the great deserts in the world are located |
| | A) | near the equator. |
| | B) | 30° north or south latitude. |
| | C) | 60° north or south latitude. |
| | D) | deserts can be found at any latitude. |
|
|
20 | |
Of the total water supply, the amount that is available for human consumption and agriculture is |
| | A) | less than 1%. |
| | B) | about 3%. |
| | C) | about 50%. |
| | D) | over 97%. |
|
|
21 | |
Compared to the amount of surface water the amount of water stored in groundwater is |
| | A) | 1/10 as great. |
| | B) | roughly equal. |
| | C) | about 5 times as great. |
| | D) | roughly 30 times as great. |
|
|
22 | |
The average daily water use in the United States amounts to about how many liters per day? |
| | A) | 150 |
| | B) | 570 |
| | C) | 1,500 |
| | D) | 5,700 |
|
|
23 | |
A watershed is |
| | A) | a layer of permeable material capable of storing groundwater. |
| | B) | the land area drained by a stream. |
| | C) | the amount of precipitation released by a rainstorm. |
| | D) | the amount of water stored in the ground and in reservoirs. |
|
|
24 | |
A layer of heavy clay after a rain would be |
| | A) | highly porous and permeable. |
| | B) | quite porous, but not very permeable. |
| | C) | not very porous, but quite permeable. |
| | D) | neither porous nor permeable. |
|
|
25 | |
The Gulf of Mexico is a shallow sea of the |
| | A) | Atlantic Ocean. |
| | B) | Indian Ocean. |
| | C) | Pacific Ocean. |
| | D) | South American Ocean. |
|
|
26 | |
The two most common ions in seawater are sodium and |
| | A) | calcium. |
| | B) | carbonate. |
| | C) | magnesium. |
| | D) | chlorine. |
|
|
27 | |
The average salinity of the earth's oceans is about |
| | A) | 0.35%. |
| | B) | 3.5%. |
| | C) | 35%. |
| | D) | none of these |
|
|
28 | |
The characteristics of ocean waves are influenced by |
| | A) | wind speed. |
| | B) | length of time the wind blows. |
| | C) | the fetch. |
| | D) | all of these. |
|
|
29 | |
A current that moves parallel to the shore in the surf zone is called a |
| | A) | rip current. |
| | B) | longshore current. |
| | C) | undertow. |
| | D) | turbidity current. |
|