Earth Science Unit 1 Weather and Climate

______ is the most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere.

Which term best completes the sentence?

• oxygen

• nitrogen

• carbon dioxide

• methane

Nitrogen makes up how much of Earth’s atmosphere?

• 100%

• 78%

• 22%

• 0%

Which layer of the atmosphere is the least dense?

• exosphere

• stratosphere

• troposphere

• mesosphere

Which layer of the atmosphere has the most air pressure?

• exosphere

• stratosphere

• troposphere

• mesosphere

Which statement best describes heating by radiation?

• Air molecules touch the warm ground, heating them up.

• Warm air rises and takes heat with it; eventually it cools and sinks.

• Sunlight travels through space without the aid of fluids or solids.

• Air at the equator rises and sinks at the poles.

Which statement best describes heating by conduction?

• Air molecules touch the warm ground, heating them up.

• Warm air rises and takes heat with it; eventually it cools and sinks.

• Sunlight travels through space without the aid of fluids or solids.

• Air at the equator rises and sinks at the poles.

Which statement best explains heating by convection?

• Air molecules touch the warm ground, heating them up.

• Warm air rises and takes heat with it; eventually it cools and sinks.

• Sunlight travels through space without the aid of fluids or solids.

• Land and ocean absorb and re-emit heat from the sun.

In which direction does the moving force of air flow?

• from warm temperatures to cold temperatures

• from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure

• from east to west

• from high elevations to low elevations

Which statement best describes how temperature, humidity, and pressure vary within an air mass?

• Temperature and humidity vary, but pressure does not.

• Temperature, humidity, and pressure are basically the same all through an air mass.

• Temperature at the border of an air mass is always higher than in the middle.

• Humidity makes the pressure in an air mass increase.

Which conditions are usually the effect of a low air pressure system?

• clear, dry weather

• cloudy, wet weather

• cold, dry weather

• hot, dry weather