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Geography Practice Test

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 18mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which is not true of geographers?

a)

They are not really scientists.

b)

They use spatial analysis.

c)

They are concerned with spatial and temporal relationships.

d)

They are Earth systems scientists.

2.

Which of the following terms characterizes the discipline of geography?

a)

eclectic

b)

holistic

c)

unscientific

d)

A, B, and C.

e)

A and B only.

3.

Which of the following is the most strongly supported by experimental and observational evidence?

a)

speculation

b)

hypothesis

c)

theory

d)

educated guess

4.

Living systems are considered

a)

inorganic.

b)

abiotic.

c)

biotic.

d)

part of the lithosphere.

5.

A value for Earth's circumference was first calculated by

a)

Columbus.

b)

a librarian at Alexandria named Eratosthenes.

c)

modern satellite measurements.

d)

Pythagoras.

6.

An angular distance measured north or south of the equator from the center of Earth is termed

a)

longitude.

b)

Greenwich distance.

c)

zenith.

d)

latitude.

7.

Travelers flying west from Los Angeles (118º W) to Tokyo (139 º E) will cross the __________ and, as a result, they will __________ when crossing this meridian.

a)

prime meridian; gain a day (Example: Sunday becomes Saturday.)

b)

International Dateline; gain a day (Example: Sunday becomes Saturday.)

c)

International Dateline; lose a day (Example: Saturday becomes Sunday.)

d)

prime meridian; lose a day (Example: Saturday becomes Sunday.)

8.

The larger the scale of a map, the __________ the area covered by the map and the ________ detail it provides.

a)

larger; less

b)

larger; more

c)

smaller; more

d)

smaller; less

9.

Based on temperature, the atmosphere is divided into

a)

two functional areas that absorb radiation from the Sun.

b)

two broad regions.

c)

nitrogen, oxygen, argon.

d)

four regions: ranging from the troposphere to the thermosphere.

10.

The ozonosphere is critical to life because it

a)

absorbs most ultraviolet wavelengths.

b)

absorbs visible light wavelengths.

c)

affects temperatures.

d)

produces the auroras.

11.

Which of the following can lead to a temperature inversion?

a)

air drainage into mountain valleys

b)

radiative cooling of the ground at night

c)

a lowering of the stratosphere during periods of low sun activity

d)

all of the above

e)

A and B only

12.

Photochemical reactions produce

a)

ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrates (PAN).

b)

particulates such as dust, dirt, soot, and ash.

c)

carbon monoxide.

d)

principally sulfur dioxides.

13.

The Clean Air Act

a)

was made stronger during the Reagan administration.

b)

is no longer in effect.

c)

did not result in significant reductions of any major air pollutants.

d)

has saved the country several trillion dollars.

14.

The passage of shortwave and longwave energy through the atmosphere or water is an example of

a)

insolation.

b)

transmission.

c)

refraction.

d)

absorption.

15.

Because of the process known as __________ the sun appears above the horizon __________ it has actually risen.

a)

transmission; after

b)

refraction; after

c)

refraction; before

d)

transmission; before

e)

reflection; before

16.

If a surface absorbs insolation,

a)

diffuse radiation occurs.

b)

its temperature decreases.

c)

refraction occurs.

d)

its temperature increases.

e)

its temperature is unaffected.

17.

Net radiation (NET R) refers to

a)

the amount of insolation not absorbed at the surface.

b)

the net energy expended for ground heating and cooling.

c)

the balance of all radiation incoming and outgoing at Earth's surface.

d)

the amount of insolation coming into the surface.

18.

Air temperature is a measure of the presence of which of the following?

a)

relative humidity

b)

heat capacity

c)

apparent temperature

d)

sensible heat

19.

If the temperature at the surface of the earth (at sea level) is 40 º C, what is the temperature at 2000 m if the normal lapse rate is 6.4 º C/1000 m?

a)

46.4 º C

b)

52.8 º C

c)

27.2 º C

d)

33.6 º C

20.

-273 º C (-459.4 º F) is

a)

the same as 273 Kelvin.

b)

absolute 0 º temperature.

c)

an average boiling temperature.

d)

not possible on any scale.

21.

Evaporation

a)

affects the temperature of land surfaces and water bodies the same amount.

b)

tends to lower temperatures more over water bodies than over land.

c)

tends to increase temperatures over land.

d)

tends to increase the temperature over water.

e)

affects land more than ocean surfaces.

22.

Air flow is initiated by the

a)

pressure gradient force.

b)

friction force.

c)

Coriolis force.

d)

centrifugal force.

23.

A isoline of equal pressure plotted on a weather map is known as

a)

an equilibrium line.

b)

the thermal equator.

c)

an isobar.

d)

an isotherm.

24.

The Coriolis force

a)

causes the apparent deflection of winds from a straight path.

b)

drives air from areas of higher to lower barometric pressure.

c)

is the only force acting on flows of air in the upper troposphere.

d)

decreases with height above the surface.

25.

The Polar high above the North Pole is a __________ pressure system that produces variable winds that flow in a/an __________ pattern.

a)

strong; cyclonic

b)

weak; anticyclonic

c)

weak; cyclonic

d)

strong; anticyclonic

26.

Land-sea breezes are caused by

a)

onshore (toward the land) air flows that develop in the afternoon as the land heats faster than neighboring water surfaces.

b)

cooler air flowing offshore (toward the ocean) in the afternoon.

c)

the fact that warmer air is denser and settles to the surface of the land.

d)

the fact that water heats and cools faster than land surfaces.

27.

Which of the following is correctly matched?

a)

equilibrium; balance of inputs and outputs

b)

steady state equilibrium; small fluctuations about an average condition

c)

dynamic equilibrium; small fluctuations about an average condition that changes gradually over time

d)

All of the above are correctly matched.

28.

A nonrechargeable battery can best be described as a/an __________ energy system and a/an __________ material system.

a)

closed; closed

b)

closed; open

c)

open; open

d)

open; closed

29.

How far north you live from the equator is measured as your __________, whereas an imaginary line marking all those places at that same distance north of the equator is called a __________.

a)

longitude; meridian

b)

meridian; longitude

c)

latitude; parallel

d)

parallel; latitude

e)

location; place

30.

Which of the following results from radiation imbalances at different latitudes?

a)

hurricanes

b)

global winds

c)

ocean currents

d)

all of these

e)

none of the above

31.

Which of the following statements is true?

a)

December 21 = vernal equinox.

b)

September 22 = summer solstice in Australia.

c)

March 21 = equal day and nights everywhere on Earth.

d)

June 21 = equal day and nights everywhere on Earth.

e)

December 21 = subsolar point at the Tropic of Cancer.

32.

In Figure 2.76, what position corresponds to the winter solstice for observers in the northern hemisphere? (Assume north is toward the top of the page.)

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

33.

According to Figure 2.76, at what position would daylight last for 24 hours for observers located north of the Arctic Circle?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

34.

The Tropic of Cancer refers to

a)

the parallel that occurs at 23.5 º south latitude.

b)

the location of the subsolar point on September 22.

c)

the parallel that is the farthest northern location for the subsolar point during the year.

d)

0e latitude when the Sun crosses the equator.

35.

Which of the following is not true of ozone?

a)

The total amount of ozone is very small compared to the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere.

b)

It is inert; i.e., it is chemically non-reactive.

c)

It consists of three oxygen molecules.

d)

It experiences natural fluctuations in amount, but has been in a state of dynamic equilibrium for hundreds of millions of years.

e)

Even if the production of CFCs were stopped today, the CFCs already present in the atmosphere would continue to destroy ozone for decades.