The Nature of Storms
Practice Test
1.
What causes lightning?
a.
falling precipitation
b.
condensation of updrafts
c.
the expansion and contraction of the air heated by lightning
d.
friction between updrafts and downdrafts in a cumulonimbus cloud
2.
The graph shows the discharge of a river flowing through two cities. A discharge of 3.5 thousand cubic meters per second or more will cause the river to flood. Which city saw more flooding in March 1999?
a.
Frankston
b.
neither one flooded
c.
Wet Gulch
d.
They both saw the same amount.
3.
What wind system occurs at 30 degrees north and south of the equator?
a.
the jet stream
b.
the prevailing westerlies
c.
the polar easterlies
d.
the trade winds
4.
What is the broad, flat area that extends from the banks of a stream?
a.
a cut bank
b.
a channel
c.
a meander
d.
a floodplain
5.
The ratio of water vapor in a volume of air, relative to how much water vapor that volume of air is capable of holding, is called __________.
a.
relative convection
b.
the dew point
c.
relative humidity
d.
humidity
6.
How are clouds formed?
a.
all of these answers are correct
b.
when warm moist air is forced to rise over a mountain
c.
when warm air is forced up in a convection current
d.
when two air masses of different temperatures meet
7.
Large, rotating, low-pressure storms are called __________.
a.
hail storms
b.
storm surge
c.
tropical cyclones
d.
tornadoes
8.
Wind can be thought of as air moving from an area of __________ to an area of __________.
a.
low density, high density
b.
low pressure, high pressure
c.
high pressure, low temperature
d.
high pressure, low pressure
9.
What are tropical cyclones that form in the Pacific Ocean called?
a.
funnel clouds
b.
typhoons
c.
downdrafts
d.
tornadoes
10.
What type of clouds produce thunderstorms?
a.
stratus
b.
cirrus
c.
cumulonimbus
d.
cumulus
11.
The table shows the water level of the Green River during a thunderstorm. If the flood plain is 3.8 meters, when would this river have flooded?
Time
10:00 A.M.
11:00 A.M.
NOON
1:00 P.M.
2:00 P.M.
3:00 P.M.
Water Level (m)
3
3.1
3.4
4.0
5.0
5.2
a.
just after 10:00 a.m.
b.
just after noon
c.
just after 1:00 p.m.
d.
just after 11:00 a.m.
12.
Long-term variations in weather for a particular area make up the __________ of an area.
a.
weather
b.
climate
c.
stability
d.
meteorology
13.
The exchange of heat or moisture between an air mass and the underlying surface is called __________.
a.
air mass modification
b.
climate
c.
air mass weather
d.
air mass convection
14.
In __________, warm air is squeezed upward between two cold air masses.
a.
a stationary front
b.
a warm front
c.
a cold front
d.
an occluded front
15.
What is an increase in temperature with height in an atmospheric layer called?
a.
a temperature inversion
b.
a temperature gradient
c.
conduction
d.
normal temperature
16.
Clouds are classified by __________.
a.
the altitude of the cloud formation and its shape
b.
the altitude at which they form at
c.
their shape and density
d.
their shape only
17.
What happens in the developing or cumulus stage of a thunderstorm?
a.
Air rises vertically.
b.
Updraft slows.
c.
Downdrafts occur.
d.
Air sinks with precipitation.
18.
What is the wind-chill factor?
a.
the length of a cold wave
b.
the phenomenon of heat loss from human skin due to wind and temperature
c.
the freezing point of water
d.
the point at which human skin will become frostbitten
19.
In what layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer?
a.
mesosphere
b.
thermosphere
c.
troposphere
d.
stratosphere
20.
What causes thunder?
a.
falling precipitation
b.
the expansion and contraction of the air heated by lightning
c.
condensation of updrafts
d.
friction between updrafts and downdrafts in a cumulonimbus cloud
