The Nature of Storms
Practice Test
1.
What type of weather potentially is created by the phenomenon shown in the figure?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
a hurricane
b.
a tornado
c.
a typhoon
d.
a thunderstorm
2.
What type of clouds produce thunderstorms?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
cirrus
b.
stratus
c.
cumulonimbus
d.
cumulus
3.
What is the wind-chill factor?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
the length of a cold wave
b.
the phenomenon of heat loss from human skin due to wind and temperature
c.
the point at which human skin will become frostbitten
d.
the freezing point of water
4.
What causes lightning?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
the expansion and contraction of the air heated by lightning
b.
friction between updrafts and downdrafts in a cumulonimbus cloud
c.
falling precipitation
d.
condensation of updrafts
5.
What sparks the development of a tornado?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
weak upper-atmospheric currents
b.
strong downbursts
c.
large contrast in the temperature of polar and tropical air
d.
condensation of updrafts
6.
"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?
SC.D.1.4.1
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 11:00 a.m.
b.
just after 10:00 a.m.
c.
just after noon
d.
just after 1:00 p.m.
7.
As the instability of the air __________, the strength of the thunderstorms' updrafts and downdrafts __________.
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
increased, decrease
b.
decreases, increase
c.
increases, increase
d.
decreases, decrease
8.
Where do the disturbances that cause tropical storms originate?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
the Pacific Ocean only
b.
near the Gulf Stream
c.
tornado alley
d.
the ITCZ or from tropical waves
9.
How hot is the air heated by lightning?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
100 000 000 [superscript degrees] C
b.
300[superscript degrees] C
c.
1 000[superscript degrees] C
d.
30 000[superscript degrees] C
10.
What is the calm center of a hurricane called?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
eye
b.
downburst
c.
funnel cloud
d.
eyewall
11.
Large, rotating, low-pressure storms are called __________.
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
tropical cyclones
b.
storm surge
c.
hail storms
d.
tornadoes
12.
What causes the air of a tropical storm to rotate?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
supercells
b.
the Coriolis effect
c.
strong downbursts
d.
funnel clouds
13.
How are thunderstorms classified?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
by the diameter of the storm
b.
by the mechanism that caused the air to rise
c.
by the duration of the storm
d.
by the height that the cumulonimbus clouds reach
14.
Violent downdrafts from a thunderstorm that are concentrated in a local area are called __________.
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
lightning
b.
hurricanes
c.
tornadoes
d.
downbursts
15.
What is the first step of thunderstorm formation?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
an abundant source of moisture in the lower atmosphere
b.
release of latent heat
c.
Air must be lifted.
d.
The atmosphere where the cloud grows must be unstable.
16.
What causes thunder?
SC.D.1.4.1
a.
condensation of updrafts
b.
the expansion and contraction of the air heated by lightning
c.
friction between updrafts and downdrafts in a cumulonimbus cloud
d.
falling precipitation
17.
"What atmospheric condition increases the likeliness of a flood? SC.D.1.4.1
a.
friction between updrafts and downdrafts
b.
condensation of updrafts
c.
weak, upper-atmospheric current that moves storms slowly
d.
stronger downbursts
