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Climate and Climate Change: Mastery Test

Total questions: 32

Worksheet time: 33mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

How much solar radiation is reflected back by clouds?

a)

5 percent

b)

10 percent

c)

19 percent

d)

30 percent

2.

Kevin recently learned that he had an ancestral house in an Asian country. He also learned that this nation has a history of El Niño and La Niña weather episodes. Kevin plans to develop this house, but wants to find out more about these weather episodes. What would he find out about how long El Niño and La Niña weather episodes typically last?

a)

3 to 6 months

b)

6 to 9 months

c)

9 to 12 months

d)

2 to 3 years

3.

What is the correct name for the warmer phase of the ENSO cycle?

a)

La Niña

b)

tropical storm

c)

El Niño

d)

hurricane

4.

Catherine was conducting a simulation for an experiment. She added carbon dioxide to the simulation atmosphere, increasing the rate of IR absorption from terrestrial radiation. What effect is Catherine likely to create in her simulation?

a)

the haze effect

b)

the ozone effect

c)

the greenhouse effect

d)

the solar effect

5.

How long is the Earth’s precession estimated to last?

a)

6,000 years

b)

13,000 years

c)

23,000 years

d)

100,000 years

6.

Tina is a climate scientist. She wants to investigate weather patterns from further back than the last 150 years. What sources can Tina use in her research?

Tina can examine fossilized amber _______________

and computer models _________________

to investigate weather patterns from further back than 150 years.

a)

tree rings

b)

water samples

c)

ice cores

d)

leaves

7.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


Valerie was researching environmental effects with respect to reflected radiation. Which term would Valerie use when describing how to measure the reflectivity of a surface?


Valerie would use the term (a)   to describe the radiation being reflected from a surface.

8.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


Richard was studying a computer simulation of the Earth’s rotational motion. He observed that Earth’s axis was inclined at an angle in relation to its plane of orbit around the Sun. How would Richard ideally define this inclination of the Earth’s axis?


Richard would define the inclination of the Earth’s axis in relation to its plane of orbit around the Sun as the planet’s (a)   .

9.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


What is the correct term for changes in the elliptical shape of Earth’s orbit every 100,000 years?


The correct term for changes in the elliptical shape of Earth’s orbit every 100,000 years is (a)   .

10.

Type the correct answer in the box. Spell all words correctly.


What is the correct term for the impact that distance from the ocean can have on climate?


The way in which relative distance from the ocean can produce significant differences in climate is termed as (a)   .

11.
Which of the following gases DOES NOT trap heat?
a)
carbon dioxide
b)
nitrogen
c)
water vapor
d)
methane
12.
Where have some of the strongest and earliest impacts of global warming occurred?  
a)
in the tropics
b)
in the northern latitudes
c)
impacts of global warming are distributed equally all over the planet
13.
If you took away the atmosphere’s natural greenhouse effect, and everything else stayed the same, Earth’s temperature would be   
a)
10-20°F warmer
b)
30-40°F warmer
c)
10-20°F cooler
d)
50-60°F cooler
14.
How do scientists collect evidence about climate?  
a)
using remote sensing from space with satellites
b)
by ground-based measurements of surface temperatures, carbon dioxide concentration and sea level
c)
by collecting “proxy data” from tree rings, ice cores, and historical records
d)
all of the above
15.
Compared to other greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is very effective in trapping heat near the surface of the Earth.
a)
true
b)
false
16.
Which of the following have been linked to climate change?  
a)
droughts
b)
flooding
c)
melting of polar ice caps
d)
all of the above
17.
The El Nino will cause what kind of weather in the southern US?
a)
cold and dry
b)
cold and wet
c)
warm and wet
d)
warm and dry
18.
What causes La Nina?
a)
cooling of water in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South America
b)
cooling water off the Atlantic coast of the US
c)
cooling water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America
d)
warm water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America
19.
The El Nino is caused by
a)
cold water off the Atlantic coast of South America
b)
warm water in the Pacific off the coast of South America
c)
warm water in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico
d)
cold water in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico
20.
La Nina will cause the weather in Texas to be
a)
warm and wet
b)
cold and wet
c)
cold and dry
d)
warm and dry
21.
What time of year do these two events occur?
a)
during the summer when the ocean water is warming up
b)
in the summer for El Nino and winter for La Nina
c)
during the winter around December and January
d)
During the fall when global temperatures are changing
22.

During a(n) ____ event, trade winds are much stronger than usual.

a)

El Nino

b)

La Nina

c)

Normal

d)

Partly sunny

23.

Both El Nino and La Nina have this in common

a)

Influence birds that migrate over the ocean

b)

Influence rainy / dry weather world wide

c)

The weather at the polar regions

d)

The directions that ships travel in the oceans

24.

During an El Nino, trade winds are typically...

a)

about average

b)

stronger

c)

weaker

25.

The globe on the left shows warmer water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. This represents a(n)

a)

El Niño

b)

La Niña

c)

Hurricane

d)

None of the above

26.

The globe on the right shows cooler water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. This represents a(n)

a)

El Niño

b)

La Niña

c)

Hurricane

d)

None of the above

27.

This animation represents which of the Milankovitch Cycles?

a)

Eccentricity

b)

Precession

c)

Obliquity

28.

This animation represents which of the Milankovitch Cycles?

a)

Eccentricity

b)

Precession

c)

Obliquity

29.

This animation represents which of the Milankovitch Cycles? (tilt of the Earth's axis)

a)

Eccentricity

b)

Precession

c)

Obliquity

30.

Eccentricity influences the shape of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. As eccentricity increases, the shape of Earth’s orbit becomes more…

a)

Circular

b)

Oval-shaped

c)

Square

d)

None of the above

31.

What is the period of Earth's eccentricity?

a)

26,000 years

b)

40,000 years

c)

100,000 years

d)

400,000 years

32.

What is the period of Earth's obliquity?

a)

26,000 years

b)

40,000 years

c)

100,000 years

d)

400,000 years