Science Individual Subject Test Study Guide

What was revealed in an ice core from Antarctica?

• ash showing volcanic activity 21,000 years ago

• fossil plankton which shows that Antarctica was under warmer seas millions of years ago

• beetle fossils showing that the summers were about the same temperature as present day, but that the winters were much colder

• preserved rain craters from 16,000 years ago showing atmospheric air pressure and density

• oxygen isotopes from stalactites and stalagmites in caves 1.5 million years ago

What type of storm is forming when radar imaging captures a hook shape in a supercell?

• hurricane

• tornado

• bomb cyclone

• thunderstorm

• blizzard

Orographic clouds __________.

• 1. form in the High Sierras of California

• 1. are created when air pushes up a mountain slope and cools to its dew point

• 1. form when moist air meets high ground such as a mountain range

• 1.  create precipitation

• 1.  All of the above

Which of the following statements is NOT true about monsoons?

• The weather is generally warm and the downpour is welcomed.

• The wet season lasts until the ITCZ heads back south in the southern hemisphere.

• Rice, tea, and dairy farming in India rely on the summer monsoon for their water.

• The winter drought occurs in the northern hemisphere.

• In 2018, the monsoons brought in 91% of India’s rainfall.

A shadow cast on a cloud that looks like a person seen dimly through the mist is called ________.

• parhelia

• Brocken spectre

• mirage

• circumhorizontal arc

• transient luminous event

What unique migration pattern do golden jellyfish participate in?

• They will track the sun daily to ensure the algae living in their tissue receives enough sunlight.

• They will track the sun seasonally to ensure the algae living in their tissue receives enough sunlight.

• They will track the sun monthly to ensure the algae living in their tissue receives enough sunlight.

• They will migrate thousands of miles each year to find algae for food and warm water for breeding.

• They will migrate hundreds of miles each month to harvest energy and nutrients from the algae in the water.

Which type of cloud does NOT fit into the mid-level cloud category?

• altostratus

• altocumulus

• nimbostratus

• cumulonimbus

• altocumulus floccus

What does the Enhanced Fujita scale base its rating on?

• wind speed

• damage to vegetation and structures

• speed of the vortex

• width of vortex

• All of the above

During a sun halo, on either side of the Sun there can be two bright spots called _______.

• sun spots

• parhelia

• sun dogs

• glory

• Both (B) and (C)

What direction do scientists predict Tornado Alley is moving?

• 1. southwest

• 1. east

• 1. north

• 1. south pacific

• 1. north pacific