Earth Systems (Water Cycle and Weather/Climate)

If Walter puts a bucket of water out in the Sun on a hot, windy day, what will happen to the water level in the bucket?

• The water level will go down as the water evaporates from the bucket.

• The water level will rise as water condenses from the air above the bucket.

• The water level will stay the same since the water is protected from the wind. 

• The water level will only go down if the wind makes water splash out of the bucket. 

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

Water runs down creeks and rivers until it flows into the ocean. At what stage in the water cycle does the water return to the creeks and rivers?

• condensation

• evaporation 

• precipitation 

• vapor formation 

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Which answer best explains why clouds usually form high in the sky?

• It is cold enough there for the water vapor to begin condensing.

• It is warm enough there for evaporated water to expand into clouds.

• It is dry enough there for precipitation to form from condensed water vapor.

• It is windy enough there for water droplets to get pushed together into clouds. 

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

On a cold day in winter, Jasmine breathed on the cold car window. The window fogged up enough so that she could write her name on the glass with her finger. Why did the fog form on the window?

• Her warm breath caused precipitation when it hit the cold air.

• The moisture in her breath condensed when it hit the cold glass. 

• The warmth of her breath melted the clear layer of ice on the window. 

• Her breath contained moisture droplets that evaporated against the window

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Hurricanes generally produce a great deal of precipitation. Where do these storms collect the moisture needed to produce so much precipitation?

• from water evaporating quickly off the warm ocean surface

• from the energy of ocean currents moving water into the air

• from cold ocean water meeting warm land and producing clouds

• from rain condensing as the hurricane passes over high mountains

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which answer correctly explains the difference between sleet and hail?

• Sleet is usually part of a thunderstorm, and hail comes from thin layers of rain clouds.

• Sleet is smaller than hail and usually falls in the winter, while hail usually falls in the summer.

• Sleet and hail are the same except that sleet usually falls in summer and hail usually falls in winter.

• Sleet is snow that forms as it falls through cold air, and hail is rain that freezes when it hits the ground. 

Deserts in the temperate zones can be extremely hot in the afternoon and below freezing at night. Which answer best explains why this happens?

• Temperate deserts are found at high elevations, where the Sun and the wind are much stronger. This creates more extreme temperature changes.

• Temperate deserts lack trees and grass. With no trees, the Sun shines directly down and causes it to get hot in the day, and with no grass, the heat escapes at night.

• Temperate deserts have very little cloud cover and no humidity. This means that more energy from the Sun reaches the desert in the day, but that heat can escape quickly at night.

• Temperate deserts have higher rainfall than other kinds of deserts. Warm rain during the day produces warm breezes in the desert. Cooler rains at night draw warm air away from the desert. 

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Many rainforests are found in the tropics, but only a few are found in cooler temperate zones. What makes a forest a rainforest?

• They always contain very large rivers or lakes.

• They produce more oxygen than normal forests.

• They have a canopy of trees and a great deal of precipitation.

• They have a large variety of animals that are not found elsewhere.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

 The Sun shining on the surface of a lake can heat up the air just above the water. What happens if this air gets warmer than the air above it?

• The amount of waves on the surface of the lake will increase.

• The warm air will evaporate and condense into rain above the lake. 

• The movement of air will decrease above the lake as the warm air rises.

• The warmer air will rise and increase the movement of air across the lake.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which type of cloud is associated with thunderstorms?

• cirrus

• cumulonimbus 

• cumulus

• stratus