General Meteorology Test Bank
Course Introduction
General Meteorology provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles of atmospheric science. This course explores the structure and composition of the atmosphere, weather processes, and the mechanisms that drive weather systems. Topics include atmospheric thermodynamics, cloud formation, precipitation processes, wind systems, weather forecasting, and severe weather phenomena. Students will examine both global and local climate patterns, as well as the role of meteorology in environmental and societal contexts. The course combines theoretical foundations with practical applications, preparing students to understand weather reports, interpret meteorological data, and appreciate the importance of meteorology in everyday life.
Recommended Textbook
Meteorology Today An Introduction to Weather Climate and the Environment 10th Edition by C.
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Chapter 1: Earth and Its Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the relationship between gravity and weight.
Answer: no answer
Q2) In an average year,more people die from ____ than from any other natural disaster.
A) lightning
B) earthquakes
C) tornadoes
D) flash floods and flooding
E) droughts
Answer: D
Q3) If you were to take a breath of pure oxygen,from a tank,you'd be getting about ____ the amount of oxygen you'd get by taking a normal breath of our atmosphere.
A) one-fifth
B) half
C) twice
D) three times
E) five times
Answer: E
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Chapter 2: Energy: Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) If you want to keep an object cool while exposed to direct sunlight,
A) put it inside a brown paper bag.
B) wrap it in black paper.
C) wrap it in aluminum foil with the shiny side facing inward.
D) wrap it in aluminum foil with the shiny side facing outward.
Answer: D
Q2) Which of the following determine the kind (wavelength)and amount of radiation that an object emits?
A) temperature
B) thermal conductivity
C) density
D) latent heat
Answer: A
Q3) The horizontal transport of any atmospheric property by the wind is called A) advection.
B) radiation.
C) conduction.
D) latent heat.
E) reflection.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Seasonal and Daily Temperatures
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Sample Questions
Q1) An important reason for the large daily temperature range over deserts is A) there is little water vapor in the air to absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation.
B) the light-colored sand radiates heat very rapidly at night.
C) dry air is a very poor heat conductor.
D) free convection cells are unable to form above the hot desert ground.
E) the ozone content of desert air is very low.
Answer: A
Q2) Two objects,A and B,have the same mass but the specific heat of A is larger than B.If both objects absorb equal amounts of energy,
A) A will become warmer than B.
B) B will become warmer than A.
C) both A and B will warm at the same rate.
D) A will get warmer,but B will get colder.
Answer: B
Q3) Using sprinklers to prevent crop damage from cold air works best when A) the air is fairly humid.
B) the air is fairly dry.
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Atmospheric Humidity
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Sample Questions
Q1) If water vapor comprises 3.5 percent of an air parcel whose total pressure is 1000 mb,the water vapor pressure would be
A) 1035 mb.
B) 35 mb.
C) 350 mb.
D) 965 mb.
Q2) The temperature at which water boils depends mainly on
A) air temperature
B) relative humidity
C) air pressure
D) air density
E) the specific heat of air
Q3) In order to reduce evaporation and conserve water,do you think it would be better to water a lawn in the early morning or early evening?
Q4) Bespectacled people know that when entering a warm building after being outdoors in subfreezing temperatures,condensation occurs on the lenses of their glasses.Why doesn't condensation occur on the lenses when they go outside after a lengthy stay inside the warm building?
Q5) Would hazy conditions generally indicate dry or humid conditions?
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Chapter 5: Condensation: Dew, Fog, and Clouds
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Sample Questions
Q1) List and discuss some of the effects that you think weather satellites may have had on the field of weather prediction.
Q2) When viewed from the surface,the smallest individual cloud elements (puffs)are observed with which cloud?
A) stratocumulus
B) cumulus
C) cirrocumulus
D) altocumulus
E) cumulonimbus
Q3) Advection fog is often observed along the Pacific coast during summer,as westerly winds carry moist air toward the shore.The fog forms because the surface water near the coast is ____ the surface water farther offshore.
A) much colder than
B) much warmer than
C) the same temperature as
Q4) Fog is a major hazard to aviation.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain why clouds form in rising air.
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Chapter 6: Stability and Cloud Development
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Sample Questions
Q1) ____ are found beneath fair-weather cumulus (cumulus humilis)clouds,whereas ____ are found between the clouds.
A) downdrafts,updrafts
B) updrafts,downdrafts
C) downdrafts,only horizontal motions
D) updrafts,only horizontal motions
Q2) The most latent heat would be released in a ____ parcel of ____ saturated air.
A) rising,warm
B) rising,cold
C) sinking,warm
D) sinking,cold
Q3) Vertical mixing of air tends to ____ a large environmental lapse rate. A) decrease B) increase
Q4) Explain how the stability of the atmosphere can affect the types of clouds that form.
Q5) Explain how lifting an air layer can steepen the environmental lapse rate and make the layer more unstable.
Q6) Would you expect to find a subsidence inversion to be associated with high or low pressure?
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Precipitation
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Sample Questions
Q1) After a snowstorm,the newspaper reports that Buffalo,New York,received 1.50 inches of precipitation.If we assume an average water equivalent ratio for this snowstorm,then Buffalo received about ____ inches of snow.
A) 3
B) 1.5
C) 10
D) 9
E) 15
Q2) The largest snowflakes would probably be observed in ____ air whose temperature is ____ freezing.
A) moist,near
B) dry,near
C) moist,well below D) dry,well below
Q3) Would you expect the heaviest snowfall to occur on an unusually cold night or a night when the temperature was just a little below freezing?
Q4) Explain why it is possible for an ice crystal to grow in a cold cloud even though the supercooled water droplets surrounding the ice crystal do not.
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Chapter 8: Air Pressure and Winds
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Sample Questions
Q1) A station at an altitude of 900 m (about 3,000 feet)above sea level measures an air pressure of 930 mb.Under normal conditions,which of the values below do you think would be the most realistic sea level pressure for this station?
A) 840 mb
B) 930 mb
C) 1,020 mb
D) 1,830 mb
Q2) Under what conditions might a station pressure of 750 mb be observed?
Q3) A surface low pressure center is generally associated with ____ on an upper level isobaric chart.
A) a trough
B) a ridge
C) zonal flow
D) convergence
Q4) The wind around a surface high pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere blows
A) counterclockwise and outward from the center.
B) counterclockwise and inward toward the center.
C) clockwise and outward from the center.
D) clockwise and inward toward the center.
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Chapter 9: Wind: Small Scale and Local Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) The howling of wind on a blustery night is believed to be caused by A) variation in air temperature.
B) wind blowing around a frozen surface.
C) snowflakes striking one another but not sticking together.
D) eddies of higher air density.
E) wind lifting,then lowering small objects at the surface.
Q2) The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by
A) wet weather and winds blowing from land to sea.
B) dry weather and winds blowing from land to sea.
C) wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land.
D) dry weather and winds blowing from sea to land.
Q3) The slowing of the wind due to the random motion of air molecules is called A) eddy viscosity.
B) mechanical turbulence.
C) molecular viscosity.
D) convective turbulence.
Q4) Will a valley breeze or a mountain breeze produce clouds? Explain.
Q5) Draw a sketch to show where eddies can form when air blows rapidly over a mountain range.Show on your sketch where you might expect clouds to form.How would these clouds appear when viewed from the ground?
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Wind: Global Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of the three-cell general circulation model,the driest regions of the earth should be near
A) the equator and the polar regions.
B) the equator and 30 latitude.
C) the equator and 60 latitude.
D) 30 latitude and 60 latitude.
E) 30 latitude and the polar regions.
Q2) On a large circle,show where the major pressure and wind belts would be found according to the 3-cell model of the earth's general circulation.
Q3) Jet streams sometimes split into two branches.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The name given to the current of warm water that replaces cold surface water along the coast of Peru and Ecuador during December is
A) Brazil current.
B) Humbolt current.
C) Benguela current.
D) El Niño.
Q5) How does El Niño change the weather where you live?
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Chapter 11: Air Masses and Fronts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Squall lines most often form ahead of a
A) cold front.
B) warm front.
C) cold-type occluded front.
D) warm-type occluded front.
E) stationary front.
Q2) What types of weather changes accompany the passage of a dryline (dew point front)?
Q3) How would each of the four basic types of air masses affect local weather conditions if they moved into your region?
Q4) Fronts are associated with A) low pressure.
B) high pressure.
Q5) An mT air mass lying above a cold ground surface represents a(n)____ situation. A) stable
B) unstable
C) occluded
D) stationary
Q6) Why is the formation of air masses associated with high pressure systems rather than low pressure systems?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Middle-Latitude Cyclones
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Sample Questions
Q1) If we assume that the absolute vorticity of flowing air is conserved,air moving northeastward will bend ____ to compensate for the ____ in the earth's vorticity.
A) anticyclonically,decrease B) anticyclonically,increase C) cyclonically,increase D) cyclonically,decrease
Q2) Explain how cyclogenesis works.
Q3) In the Southern Hemisphere,convergence and divergence don't play a role in the development of middle latitude cyclones.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Cyclogenesis often occurs in regions without horizontal temperature gradients. A)True B)False
Q5) Jet streaks often occur away from jet streams.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Why is it important locate and follow the movements of atmospheric shortwaves?
Q7) How can shortwaves be identified and followed on 500 mb charts?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Weather Forecasting
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Sample Questions
Q1) Very short-range forecasts often utilize which of the following forecast methods?
A) steady-state or trend method
B) pattern recognition method
C) ensemble method
D) both steady-state (trend method)and ensemble method
E) both steady-state (trend method)and pattern recognition method
Q2) A comma cloud is
A) an organized band of clouds that looks like a comma on a satellite photograph.
B) a large cumulonimbus cloud whose anvil is in the shape of a comma.
C) a high wispy cirrus cloud that takes on the shape of a comma.
D) the spiraling arms of a hurricane.
E) a band of high cirrus clouds blown by the jet stream.
Q3) A long-range forecast is a forecast that extends beyond about
A) 8.5 years.
B) 8.5 months.
C) 8.5 weeks.
D) 8.5 days.
Q4) Describe the difference between persistence and steady-state forecasts.
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Chapter 14: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) List and discuss some of the atmospheric conditions that are needed for a thunderstorm to develop.
Q2) All thunderstorms require
A) hot,humid air.
B) divergence of the air aloft.
C) lifting along some barrier such as a mountain or front.
D) surface heating.
E) rising air.
Q3) The upper part of a thunderstorm cloud is normally ____ charged,and the middle and lower parts are ____ charged.
A) negatively,negatively
B) negatively,positively
C) positively,positively
D) positively,negatively
Q4) After a tornado is spotted,
A) a tornado watch is issued.
B) its direction of movement is carefully monitored by aircraft.
C) a tornado warning is issued.
D) hail begins to fall from the cloud.
E) attempts may be made to change its direction of movement.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Hurricanes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which below is the best indication that a hurricane will likely strike your area within 24 hours?
A) a hurricane watch issued by the National Weather Service
B) high cirrus clouds moving in from the east
C) a hurricane warning issued by the National Weather Service
D) easterly or northeasterly winds with speeds in excess of 30 knots
E) a rapid drop in pressure and heavy rains
Q2) Hurricanes do not form
A) along the ITCZ.
B) along the equator.
C) with an easterly wave.
D) when the trade wind inversion is weak.
E) when the surface water temperature exceeds 25 C.
Q3) Why can't hurricanes form in the mid-latitudes?
Q4) Storms that form in the tropics are given names when
A) they reach tropical storm strength.
B) they become fully developed hurricanes.
C) they approach to within 250 miles of land.
D) rotation becomes visible on a satellite photograph.
Q5) What is a storm surge? How does a storm surge form?
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Chapter 16: Earths Changing Climate
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Sample Questions
Q1) If the earth were in a warming trend,which of the processes below would most likely act as a negative feedback mechanism?
A) increasing the water vapor content of the air
B) increasing the snow cover around the earth
C) decreasing the amount of cloud cover around the globe
D) increasing the carbon dioxide content of the air
Q2) The warming trend that began in the 1970s
A) extended to the 1990s.
B) ended during the mid-1980s.
C) has extended into the twenty-first century.
Q3) Volcanoes that have the most impact on global climate seem to be those rich in A) nitrogen.
B) water vapor.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) sulfur.
E) oxygen.
Q4) Discuss the significance of a predicted increase in global temperatures of 3<sup>o</sup>C,as opposed to a predicted increase of 1<sup>o</sup>C.
Q5) What are some of the possible consequences of global warming?
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Chapter 17: Global Climate
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Q1) How is it possible for regions with a desert climate to be found next to an ocean,which you might expect to be an abundant source of moist air?
Q2) Within the continental United States (excluding Alaska),one could observe
A) taiga.
B) polar tundra.
C) polar icecap.
D) all of the above
Q3) Deserts that experience low clouds and drizzle tend to be found mainly
A) in the center of continents.
B) in the rain shadow of a mountain.
C) on the eastern side of continents.
D) on the western side of continents.
E) on small islands near the equator.
Q4) The rainiest places in the world are usually located
A) downwind from mountain ranges.
B) in the region of the subtropical highs.
C) on the windward side of mountains.
D) in the middle of continents.
E) along the western side of continents.
Q5) Which climate type(s)would be affected most by global warming? Why?
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Air Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain how ozone might be thought to have both a beneficial and a detrimental role in the earth's atmosphere.
Q2) Explain why locating industrial facilities on the perimeter of a city might not always prevent air pollution in the city.
Q3) When chlorofluorocarbons are subjected to ultraviolet radiation,____ is released which rapidly destroys ozone.
A) chlorine
B) nitrogen
C) carbon dioxide
D) carbon
E) water vapor
Q4) A coning shape exhibited by a smokestack plume is indicative of ____ conditions.
A) inversion
B) stable
C) neutral
D) unstable
E) both inversion and stable
Q5) What is the urban heat island effect? How could an urban heat island affect atmospheric conditions nearby?
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Chapter 19: Light, Color, and Atmospheric Optics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Another name for diffuse light is
A) scattered light.
B) refracted light.
C) dispersion of light.
D) transmitted light.
Q2) How might you demonstrate the phenomenon of light scattering using a glass tank filled with water,a flashlight,and some milk?
Q3) Sun pillars are most commonly seen
A) in very cold weather.
B) in very hot weather.
C) when it's raining.
D) in the tropics.
Q4) If the setting sun appears red,you may conclude that
A) the sun's surface temperature has cooled somewhat at the end of the day.
B) only the longest waves of visible light are striking your eye.
C) the next day's weather will be stormy.
D) you will not be able to see the moon that night.
Q5) Describe the changes in appearance of a late-afternoon rainbow as the sun sinks toward the horizon.
Q6) Why aren't stars visible in the sky during the day?
Page 21
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