Geoscience Test Questions
Course Introduction
Geoscience is the study of the Earth, encompassing its structure, composition, processes, and history. This course explores topics such as rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, and Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Through lectures, laboratory work, and field experiences, students will gain an understanding of the dynamic forces that shape our planet and the complex interactions between the Earth's systems. The course also addresses how geoscientists investigate natural resources and environmental challenges, preparing students to analyze real-world problems related to Earth and its environment.
Recommended Textbook
Understanding Weather and ClSMate 7th Edition by Edward Aguado
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17 Chapters
1870 Verified Questions
1870 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Energy and Mass
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain why the atmosphere "thins out" with altitude.
Answer: Air is compressible.The total weight of the air above a point is the result of the weight of each successive layer above it.
Q2) Volcanic outgassing:
A)created the earth's first atmosphere.
B)has had little effect on the earth's atmosphere.
C)emits large amounts of water vapor.
D)emits very little carbon dioxide.
Answer: C
Q3) Compare the concerns of the sciences of meteorology and climatology,giving one example of different phenomena they might investigate.
Answer: Climatology and meteorology are concerned with the same elements of the atmosphere,but the time scale involved is different.Meteorology focuses on the short-term and climatology relies on the averages and variations of atmospheric conditions over years.As an example,climatology would document the distribution of tornadoes in space and time over many years for a certain geographical region.On the other hand,meteorology would investigate the conditions present in the atmosphere a few hours prior to tornado occurrence.
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Chapter 2: Solar Radiation and the Seasons
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108 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Electromagnetic radiation provides energy for A)the movement of the atmosphere.
B)the growth of plants.
C)the evaporation of water.
D)all of the above
Answer: D
Q2) The earth's axis of rotation is tilted roughly this number of degrees away from a line perpendicular to the plane of the earth's orbit:
A)5.3.
B)11.2.
C)23.5.
D)90.
Answer: C
Q3) The greatest seasonal change in the period of daylight is experienced at the A)Equator.
B)Tropic of Capricorn.
C)North and South Poles.
D)Tropic of Cancer.
Answer: C
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Energy Balance and Temperature
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104 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following locations is warmest in summer?
A)Seattle, Washington
B)Los Angeles, California
C)Anchorage, Alaska
D)Charleston, South Carolina
Answer: D
Q2) The range of wavelengths where the atmospheric window is lies:
A)between 8 and 12 microns.
B)in the visible range.
C)between 2 and 6 microns.
D)less than 0.4 microns.
Answer: A
Q3) Free convection is the mixing process related to:
A)buoyancy.
B)conduction.
C)subsidence.
D)drying.
Answer: A
Q4) List three absorbers of solar radiation in the atmosphere.
Answer: gases; particulates; droplets
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Chapter 4: Atmospheric Pressure and Wind
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108 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the figure,winds at the 500-mb level are
A)stronger near the Atlantic coast because the height contours are farther apart
B)weaker near the Atlantic coast because the height contours are farther apart
C)weaker near the Atlantic coast because the height contours are closer together
D)stronger near the Atlantic coast because the height contours are closer together
Q2) The Coriolis force:
A)determines the motion in which water will spiral down a drain.
B)causes a deflection to the right in the Southern Hemisphere.
C)has a greater effect the longer it acts.
D)operates independently of Newton's Second Law.
Q3) The sea level pressure distribution across the world is:
A)randomly distributed.
B)disorganized and widely scattered.
C)organized into high and low pressure areas.
D)not well-known by scientists.
Q4) How does a mercury barometer work,and what corrections are typically made to its readings?
Q5) What does a 500 mb height map tell us about pressure,pressure gradient force,and wind?
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Chapter 5: Atmospheric Moisture
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111 Verified Questions
111 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) As the Earth warms,its surface emits more longwave radiation.What is the most likely effect on global temperature?
A)should rise
B)should fall
C)should stay the same
Q2) The hair hygrometer:
A)uses hairs from dogs, usually golden retrievers.
B)takes advantage of the ability of hair to respond to changes in humidity.
C)was popular in the nineteenth century, but is no longer used today.
D)requires swinging the instrument around one's head for at least a minute.
Q3) Humidity:
A)is measured only one way.
B)is unrelated to the vapor pressure of water.
C)is a measure of only the water vapor in the air.
D)applies to water, whether solid, liquid, or vapor.
Q4) The difference in "water vapor" and "liquid water" is:
A)a matter of internal energy.
B)the vertical location of the water.
C)water that is located over land verses over a body of water.
D)None. There is no difference between water vapor and liquid water.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Cloud Development and Forms
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Sample Questions
Q1) High clouds:
A)have a typical ceiling around 4500 meters.
B)are composed of ice crystals.
C)include altostratus clouds.
D)have a fairly large water content.
Q2) In which state would orographic lifting be most important?
A)Louisiana
B)Florida
C)Kansas
D)Colorado
Q3) Halos are formed in ________ clouds.
Q4) The cloudiest city in the U.S.is:
A)Lansing, Michigan.
B)Chicago, Illinois.
C)Juneau, Alaska.
D)San Francisco, California.
Q5) How does orographic uplift create clouds? Why is there a rain shadow?
Q6) Describe the important properties and necessary conditions for absolutely unstable air,absolutely stable air,and conditionally unstable air.
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Q7) ________ clouds have a circular shape and form downwind of mountain barriers.
Chapter 7: Precipitation Processes
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114 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Snow results from all of the following processes,except:
A)riming.
B)deposition.
C)coalescence.
D)aggregation.
Q2) Cloud seeding:
A)has been of substantial benefit to farmers on the Great Plains.
B)uses dry ice to increase the temperature of very cold clouds.
C)uses silver iodide to promote homogeneous nucleation.
D)has been able to increase rainfall in the Sierra Nevada under certain conditions.
Q3) Snowflakes:
A)rarely exceed a tenth of a millimeter in size.
B)form different crystal patterns in different parts of the country.
C)will grow very different types of crystals even at the exact same conditions.
D)can be a combination of several different forms.
Q4) State two reasons why many scientists question the value of cloud seeding for enhancing precipitation.
Q5) List two common sources of rain gauge measurement error.
Q6) What are the factors that can affect the size and shape of snow crystals?
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Atmospheric Circulation and Pressure
Distributions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Strengthening trade winds across the equatorial Pacific Ocean set the stage for ________ and weaker trade winds encourage the development of ________.
Q2) Explain how upwelling along the western coast of South America contributes to the dryness of the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Q3) While following an Ekman spiral,ocean currents will have turned about this many degrees upon reaching a depth of approximately 100 meters: ________.
Q4) Maps of the Global distribution of the mean height of the 500 mb surface in January and July demonstrate that all of the following is true, except:
A) 500 mb heights are greatest over the tropics.
B) 500 mb heights typically increase with increasing latitude.
C) the gradient in height is greatest in the hemisphere experiencing winter.
D) for a given latitude the 500 mb height is greater in summer than in winter.
Q5) Which of the following is NOT a warm current?
A)North Equatorial Current
B)Gulf Stream
C)Canary Current
D)North Atlantic Drift
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Chapter 9: Air Masses and Fronts
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Sample Questions
Q1) During winter,________ air masses are associated with poor air quality in urban areas because cold conditions lead to increased consumption of heating fuel.
A)cP
B)cT
C)mP
D)mT
Q2) The boundary between a warm air mass moving into a cold air mass is called a(n)
A)warm front.
B)cold front.
C)stationary front.
D)occluded front.
Q3) Cold fronts
A)typically bring mild weather.
B)have an upper boundary that slopes forward.
C)have flat forward edges.
D)cause convergence when they meet warm air.
Q4) Would you expect to find a cA air mass in the Southern Hemisphere? Explain.
Q5) Describe the various ways in which an occluded front can form.
Q6) List two main characteristics of air mass source regions.
Q7) This type of front moves very slowly,if at all: ________ front.
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Chapter 10: Midlatitude Cyclones
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Sample Questions
Q1) Rising air is usually associated with a(n)________ while sinking air is usually associated with a ________.
A)trough; ridge
B)ridge; trough
C)high pressure system; low pressure system
D)inversion; neutral atmosphere
Q2) The passage of a mid-latitude cyclone over Saint Louis would probably begin with this.
A)cold air and intense precipitation
B)relatively cold and sunny conditions
C)relatively warm and sunny conditions
D)deepening cloud cover with possible light rain showers
Q3) The dry conveyor belt
A)initially flows toward the west.
B)brings the cyclone its warmest air.
C)does not merge with the general wind flow of the other belts.
D)begins in the upper levels of the troposphere.
Q4) Explain the relationship between cold fronts and the formation of upper-level troughs.
Q5) As opposed to cyclones,________ are often associated with good weather.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Lightning, thunder, and Tornadoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the United States,tornadoes are most likely to occur in this month:
A)May.
B)July.
C)August.
D)October.
Q2) Since 1950,the number of tornadoes documented in the United States has ________.
Q3) Charge separation
A)results in the top of the cloud having a negative charge.
B)most often occurs in clouds that are not precipitating.
C)results in lightning only if the cloud extends above the freezing level.
D)is not explained by the thermoelectric effect.
Q4) The ability to detect mesocyclones using Doppler radar
A)reduces the risk of damage of stepped leaders.
B)allows meteorologists to predict where and when cumulonimbus clouds may form.
C)gives meteorologists the opportunity to change the direction of the rotation.
D)allows meteorologists to issue tornado warnings before tornados form.
Q5) Describe one way in which nonsupercell tornadoes can form.
Q6) Explain how the aviation industry safeguards modern aircraft against lightning.
Page 13
Q7) Downdrafts that occupy the entire base of the cloud spell the end of this type of storm: ________.
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Chapter 12: Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The tropical disturbances that affect the Atlantic Ocean,Caribbean Sea,and the Americas,mostly form over
A)the Gulf of Mexico.
B)western Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.
C)the Caribbean Sea.
D)the western Atlantic Ocean.
Q2) This region receives more hurricanes than any other: ________.
Q3) This is hurricane season in Australia.
A)January to March
B)April to June
C)June to November
D)August to October
Q4) Upon reaching the east coast of North America,tropical storms and hurricanes are most likely to move in this general direction.
A)north
B)south
C)east
D)west
Q5) The Western Atlantic hurricane season runs from ________.
Q6) Explain why hurricanes weaken before they reach the coast of California.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Weather Forecasting and Analysis
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121 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) An analog forecast
A)requires knowledge of local weather conditions at the time the forecast is made.
B)requires knowledge of regional weather conditions at the time the forecast is made.
C)requires knowledge of both local and regional weather conditions, only on the day before the forecast is made.
D)requires knowledge of a long history of local and regional weather conditions.
Q2) Wind profilers are vertically-pointing Doppler radars that provide A)temperature.
B)moisture.
C)winds.
D)cloud heights.
Q3) The prediction phase of forecasting
A)involves using the governing equations.
B)applies equations only once.
C)is not run on a computer.
D)is used only in short-term forecasts.
Q4) List the typical data gathered at surface weather observation stations in the United States.
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15
Chapter 14: Human Effects on the Atmosphere
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe how carbon monoxide is produced by both humans and nature.Then discuss why it is so toxic to humans.
Q2) This type of air leads to the greatest vertical mixing of pollutants.
A)stable air
B)unstable air
C)radiation inversion
D)subsidence inversion
Q3) These compounds are made entirely of hydrogen and carbon: ________.
Q4) Fog forms at humidity values less than 100 percent
A)because of a large concentration of condensation nuclei.
B)because of a relatively small concentration of condensation nuclei.
C)only over ocean areas.
D)only over inland swamps and stagnant water areas.
Q5) All of the following statements about particulates are true,except
A)they can be solid.
B)they can be liquid.
C)they can have natural sources.
D)they are larger than aerosols.
Q6) Explain how urbanization influences natural drainage.
Q7) Discuss the effects of acid precipitation on the environment.
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Chapter 15: Earths Climates
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Sample Questions
Q1) Seattle,Washington,has this type of climate: ________.
Q2) What is the largest climate modifier in the southern hemisphere?
A)the amount of temperature gradient between the south pole and the equator
B)the lack of deserts and dry areas in the southern hemisphere
C)the fact that a very large portion of the southern hemisphere's surface area is composed of water
D)The jet streams are not as strong and more zonal in the southern hemisphere.
Q3) The monsoonal climate
A)occurs primarily in places with offshore winds.
B)is typical in tropical coastal areas.
C)often extends far inland.
D)is visited yearly by at least one hurricane.
Q4) This climate type has produced the world's highest temperatures.
A)tropical wet/dry
B)mid-latitude desert
C)Mediterranean
D)subtropical desert
Q5) Discuss highland climates and explain why they are so variable.
Q6) Present the important aspects of the Thornthwaite classification system and explain why it is not widely used.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Climate Changes: Past and Future
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Sample Questions
Q1) Continental drift
A)is now considered the primary cause of most long-term climate change.
B)occurs very slowly.
C)has been correlated with Milankovitch cycles.
D)did not affect mountain building processes on continents.
Q2) Some plants undergo accelerated growth and enhanced photosynthesis in an environment rich in carbon dioxide.This
A)promotes warming.
B)is a negative feedback.
C)is a positive feedback.
Q3) If the planet warms and its atmosphere contains more water,the lapse rate at low latitudes will
A)remain unchanged.
B)increase.
C)decrease.
Q4) Aerosols
A)typically enter the atmosphere as solid particles.
B)come entirely from nonbiological sources.
C)do not absorb incoming sunlight to a significant extent.
D)can lead to higher nighttime temperatures.
Page 18
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Chapter
Masteringmeteorology
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Sample Questions
Q1) The brightest and most common rainbows are A)primary rainbows.
B)secondary rainbows.
C)moonbows.
D)glories.
Q2) Which of the colors of the primary rainbow is refracted at the greatest angle? Explain your answer.
Q3) A refraction pattern in which rays are bent concave upward can be caused by A)increased moisture.
B)strong winds.
C)a steady, steep drop in temperature with height. D)low clouds.
Q4) Explain how,where,and when the green flash occurs.
Q5) Sundogs form when platelike ice crystals
A)tumble while falling.
B)orient themselves vertically.
C)orient themselves horizontally.
D)melt while falling.
Q6) Explain how a primary rainbow is formed.
Q7) The bending of light as it passes around water droplets is known as ________. Page 19
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Page 20