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Atmosphere Unit Review

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which weather tool measures air pressure?

a)

Anemometer

b)

Barometer

c)

Hygrometer

d)

Doppler Radar

2.

How does the atmosphere heating up cause air pressure to happen?

a)

cool air rises to create high pressure, and warm air sinks to create low pressure

b)

warm air rises to create low pressure, and cool air sinks to create high pressure

c)

cool air is pushed away from the equator and back into space, so there is less air pressure

d)

electromagnetic solar energy is converted to mass, and gravity pulls this down to create pressure

3.

Which of these statements best describes the properties of high pressure air?

a)

cool, dry, sinking

b)

cool, wet, rising

c)

warm, wet, sinking

d)

warm, dry, rising

4.

Weather Systems in the United States generally move from west to east. What is the best explanation for this?

a)

the Trade Wind Belt we live under blows from the east

b)

the Westerlies Wind Belt we live under blows from the west

c)

the Horse Latitude we live under has no wind, so weather systems move randomly

d)

the Coriolis Effect makes everything move from west to east

5.

How do winds in a low pressure system that forms in the Northern Hemisphere move when viewed from space?

a)

clockwise

b)

counterclockwise

c)

up

d)

down

6.

How does ozone in the stratosphere affect life on Earth?

a)

it absorbs UV radiation that would harm life on Earth’s surface

b)

it makes the air we breathe smell good

c)

ozone makes the sky appear blue

d)

it causes breathing problems in people

7.

How does ozone in the troposphere affect life on Earth?

a)

it absorbs UV radiation that would harm life on Earth’s surface

b)

it makes the air we breathe smell good

c)

ozone makes the sky appear blue

d)

it causes breathing problems in people

8.

What data suggests that heat energy does not travel across space to warm Earth’s surface?

a)

the Sun is very hot, but space is very cold

b)

the surface of the Earth is warmer than the surface of the Sun

c)

heat flows onto Earth’s surface where the core touches the ocean floors

d)

the planets get colder as they get farther from the Sun

9.

What data suggests that it isn’t the Sun that heats the atmosphere, but the Earth’s surface?

a)

the atmosphere is hotter than the Sun

b)

the Earth appears to cool down on cloudy days

c)

the bottom of the troposphere is warmer than the top

d)

the top of the atmosphere is warmer because it is closer to the Sun

10.

What is the role of electromagnetic radiation in heating Earth’s atmosphere?

a)

infrared (IR) heat travels across space to hit the Earth’s surface and heat it up

b)

infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation combine to produce blue light, which makes the sky blue

c)

incoming microwave radiation makes water in the Earth boil, which escapes as steam to heat the air

d)

incoming solar radiation hitting the Earth is converted to heat, making Earth’s surface heat up

11.

As the atmosphere heats more at the equator and less at the poles, how will this influence air pressure?

a)

rising hot air creates high pressure; sinking cold air creates low pressure

b)

rising hot air creates low pressure; sinking cold air creates high pressure

c)

sinking hot air creates high pressure; rising cold air creates low pressure

d)

sinking hot air creates low pressure; rising hot air created high pressure

12.

Which of these statements best describes the result of uneven heating of Earth’s surface and air pressure?

a)

wind forms to balance out areas of high and low pressure in the atmosphere

b)

the poles warm up and the equator cools down to balance the atmosphere

c)

local winds expand to carry cold air up to the tops of the mountains

d)

there is no connection between heat and air pressure in the atmosphere

13.

Newton’s 1st Law of Motion states that objects will move in straight paths but a map of Earth’s wind belts shows them moving in curved paths. How is this best explained?

a)

As the Earth rotates beneath the winds, the Coriolis Effect makes the winds appear to curve

b)

the atmosphere rotating above the Earth twists the wind into curved paths

c)

sunlight reflects off of water molecules in the air, and this makes the winds look curved

d)

Newton’s Laws have been proven wrong, and the winds really do curve

14.

What is the main difference between a local wind and a global wind?

a)

local winds cover entire continents

b)

global winds blow over small areas, like lakes or mountains

c)

local winds change every day, global winds do not change directions

d)

there is no difference- all winds are alike

15.

Why are all of Earth’s great tropical jungles found at the equator?

a)

the cool air at the equator helps plants to grow

b)

warm, wet air at the equator makes a jungle climate possible there

c)

a convection cell is sinking there, and this makes rain clouds form over the equator

d)

the jet stream over the equator pushes storms to that region

16.

Why are all of Earth’s great deserts found at 30° North and South?

a)

cold, dry air is always sinking at the Horse Latitude

b)

as warm air rises at 30°, it expands and cools, so clouds cannot form there

c)

Plate Tectonics has moved dry rocks to 30°, so nothing can grow there

d)

actually, 30° is a very wet part of the planet, and great forests grow at the Horse Latitude

17.

Why does cold air exert a higher pressure on the Earth’s surface than warm air?

a)

cold air contracts and becomes more dense

b)

cold air expands and becomes less dense

c)

cold air holds more heavy water than warm air

d)

cold air is affected more by the Coriolis Effect than warm air

18.

What creates an El Nino condition?

a)

the ocean currents change causing warmer than normal ocean temperatures

b)

the shape of the coast changes and fish populations decline

c)

storms and other weather events in the atlantic ocean create it

d)

the prevailing winds get stronger

19.

How do winds get their names?

a)

they are drawn out of a hat

b)

they come from an alphabetical list of names

c)

they are named for the direction they are going

d)

they are named for the direction they are coming from

20.

What is the role of conduction in heating Earth’s atmosphere?

a)

the hot mantle heats the crust, which heats the air touching it

b)

the hot Earth’s surface transfers heat energy to the air molecules touching it

c)

heat molecules from the Sun heat the air molecules they hit at the top of the atmosphere

d)

electromagnetic heat energy converts to conduction heat energy when ozone is formed