Introduction to Physical Geography Test Preparation
Course Introduction
Introduction to Physical Geography provides an overview of the Earths natural processes and physical features, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Students will explore topics such as weather and climate, landforms, soils, vegetation, and the interactions between humans and natural environments. Emphasis is placed on understanding spatial patterns, earth systems, and the dynamic processes that shape the planet. Through lectures, readings, and hands-on activities, students develop foundational geographic knowledge and skills essential for further studies in environmental science and geography.
Recommended Textbook
Physical Geography A Landscape Appreciation 10th Edition by Darrel Hess
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20 Chapters
3397 Verified Questions
3397 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Earth
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198 Verified Questions
198 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When one crosses the Prime Meridian, the time zone does not change.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The size of the Universe is best described as
A) 100,000 light years across.
B) small.
C) in terms of the width of 5 galaxies across.
D) 1 astronomical unit across.
E) vast beyond comprehension.
Answer: E
Q3) The International Date Line is not strictly a line of longitude because it has been constructed to avoid land.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) The Equator is an example of a great circle in the geographic grid.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Portraying Earth
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166 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) One is able to view overlapping vertical aerial photographs in "3 dimensions" using a device called a ________.
Answer: stereoscope
Q2) By far, the greatest use of thermal IR scanning systems has been
A) to penetrate clouds.
B) onboard meteorological satellites.
C) in surface weather thermometer shelters.
D) in making orthophoto quadrangles.
E) to sense underwater features.
Answer: B
Q3) The main purpose of the interruption of projections is ________.
A) to improve portrayal of the oceans
B) to provide a stereoscopic view
C) to make maps compatible with air photos
D) to highlight continents with minimum distortion
E) to save ink during printing
Answer: D
Q4) ________ is the Landsat spectral band used for identification of wetlands, organic soils, and water bodies.
Answer: The near infrared
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Introduction to the Atmosphere
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170 Verified Questions
170 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The troposphere is an atmospheric layer with a uniform depth in all places around the globe.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The exosphere marks the outward limit of the ________.
A) troposphere
B) stratosphere
C) atmosphere
D) thermosphere
E) geosphere
Answer: C
Q3) The international treaty banning chlorofluorocarbons has been rejected by most nations of the world.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) The word troposphere has a Greek root word which means ________.
Answer: "turning" sphere
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Chapter 4: Insolation and Temperature
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188 Verified Questions
188 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The radiation coming from the Sun is most plentiful at .5 micrometers. The most plentiful radiation coming from the Earth is at ________ micrometer(s).
A) 0
B) 0.5
C) 2
D) 5
E) 10
Q2) Solar energy is also known as ________.
A) power
B) insolation
C) conduction
D) convection
E) longwave energy
Q3) The position of the major oceanic gyres is caused by the major atmospheric circulations.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Summer temperatures are generally higher over continents than over oceans.
A)True
B)False
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Atmospheric Pressure and Wind
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171 Verified Questions
171 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The polar front jet stream is
A) found above the polar front.
B) found above the boundary of warm and cold air.
C) usually to the north of the core of the upper westerlies.
D) not continuous around the Earth.
E) described by all of the above.
Q2) La Niña is usually just as prominent as El Niño.
A)True
B)False
Q3) At the surface, air ________ into the center of a cyclone and then rises.
Q4) Very dry, "desert" islands are common in the zone of the trade winds.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The polar front and subtropical jet streams are both high-altitude flows which circulate ________.
A) in the tropics
B) at the poles
C) along the Prime Meridian
D) from east to west
E) from west to east
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Chapter 6: Atmospheric Moisture
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178 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The term used in the United States for small raindrops that freeze while falling toward the surface is ________.
A) snow
B) hail
C) sleet
D) fog
E) frost
Q2) Coastal regions usually receive more precipitation than interior zones.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Water that stays in liquid form at temperatures below freezing is termed ________.
A) at the dew point
B) exhibiting vapor pressure
C) white frost
D) releasing the latent heat of vaporization
E) supercooled
Q4) World precipitation maps contain lines of equal precipitation. These lines are known as ________.
Q5) Large raindrops, large snowflakes, or hail indicate ________ in the atmosphere.
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Chapter 7: Atmospheric Disturbances
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Sample Questions
Q1) New Orleans is prone to hurricane flooding because it is lower than the level of the Mississippi River.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A(n) ________ is the boundary between mT and cT air and is frequently the focus of tornado development.
A) dryline
B) hurricane
C) easterly wave
D) occluded front
E) polar front
Q3) Which of the following air masses can be identified as being "very stable"?
A) Arctic
B) equatorial
C) maritime tropical
D) maritime polar
E) all of the above
Q4) Hurricane Katrina's greatest damage came from storm surge and flooding.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Climatic and Climate Change
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187 Verified Questions
187 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of general location of a climate, in what place would one expect to find a humid continental climate in the U.S.?
A) the southwest (Phoenix, Arizona)
B) the northwest (Seattle, Washington)
C) the southeast (Atlanta, Georgia)
D) the Great Lakes (Buffalo, New York)
E) south central (Dallas, Texas)
Q2) Precipitation is usually plentiful in the cold climates of Earth.
A)True
B)False
Q3) All months have average temperatures below freezing in the ________ climatic type.
A) BS
B) EF
C) ET
D) Dfa
E) Csa
Q4) The treaty called the ________ Protocol addresses global warming.
Q5) ________ is the most conspicuous characteristic of D climates.
Q6) Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, and Dwd are known ________ climates.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: The Hydrosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) At any one time, a majority of Earth's water is in motion in the hydrologic cycle.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Clay is both ________ and ________.
A) porous, permeable
B) porous, non-permeable
C) non-porous, non-permeable
D) non-porous, permeable
E) lacking interstices, lacking openings
Q3) The Ogallala aquifer is a massive aquifer beneath California.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Ice, when it is frozen year-round in the ground, is termed ________.
A) berg ice
B) permafrost
C) ice pack
D) shelf ice
E) groundwater
Q5) Describe the paths of water through the hydrologic cycle.
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Chapter 10: Cycles and Patterns in the Biosphere
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163 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Earth has ________ species of animals compared to the number of plant species. A) many fewer
B) about 100 fewer C) about 100 more D) many more E) about the same number of
Q2) The conversion of nitrates into free nitrogen ________.
A) does not happen in nature
B) is called "fixing" of nitrogen
C) is accomplished by bacteria
D) happens in the process of photosynthesis
E) is not correctly described above
Q3) Encompassed in life, water is classified as in transit or ________.
Q4) Most plants are able to use nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Most atmospheric oxygen is a result of light decomposing water during the process of ________.
Q6) ________ competition is competition among members of different species.
Q7) How do plants create carbohydrates?
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Chapter 11: Terrestrial Flora and Fauna
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172 Verified Questions
172 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The true mosses, peat mosses, and liverworts are sporebearing plants belonging to the group called bryophytes.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A(n) ________ tree is one that sheds its leaves on a sporadic or successive basis with no seasonal variation.
A) deciduous
B) hardwood
C) softwood
D) broadleaf
E) evergreen
Q3) ________ is an (are) animal adaptation(s) to the desert biome.
A) Burrowing
B) Nomadism
C) Estivation
D) Nocturnal habits
E) All of the above
Q4) In most of the world, broadleaf trees are deciduous.
A)True
B)False
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Soils
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171 Verified Questions
171 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) There are approximately one hundred major soil orders recognized by the U.S. Soil Taxonomy.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The pedogenic regime associated with the tropical moist climates is ________.
A) podzolization
B) salinization
C) laterization
D) gleization
E) calcification
Q3) The pedogenic regime associated with high annual precipitation and temperature is ________.
A) gleization
B) laterization
C) calcification
D) salinization
E) none of the above
Q4) Soil is considered to include dead and decaying organic matter.
A)True
B)False
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Introduction to Landform Study
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174 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Earth's crust is a layer of the lithosphere about 1,000 kilometers thick.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Earth is probably 14.6 billion years old.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Compared to Earth's crust as a whole, the sedimentary rocks beneath the ocean bottoms are ________.
A) very thin
B) not commonly found
C) laid down vertically instead of horizontally
D) much sandier
E) found almost as deep as is the Moho
Q4) Draw and label a diagram illustrating the important portions of Earth's interior from crust to inner core.
Q5) ________ refers to the analytical element of landscape study which considers the actions that have combined to produce the landform.
Q6) Draw a sketch and describe the pathways by which igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks may change into each other.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: The Internal Processes
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174 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Evidence of former surface volcanic activity is often found in the vast accumulations of lava called ________.
A) hot spots
B) flood basalts
C) magma
D) calderas
E) pyroclastic
Q2) The event that occurred the closest in time to the formation of Pangaea was
A) Earth formed.
B) a continent called "Micronesia" broke up.
C) the formation of Rodinia.
D) the Big Bang.
E) the Atlantic Ocean formed.
Q3) Paleomagnetism is used to show that the continents drifted apart.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Great Rift Valley is on the continent of ________.
Q5) All faults are on a north-south axis.
A)True
B)False
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Preliminaries to Erosion: Weathering and Mass Wasting
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164 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) In high altitude climates ________ is a (are) prevalent process(es).
A) landslides
B) hydrolysis
C) salt wedging
D) carbonation
E) frost wedging
Q2) Chemical weathering is speeded because mechanical weathering tends to ________.
A) greatly increase the surface area to be weathered
B) stop when chemical weathering starts
C) deliver rocks to where chemical processes are dominant
D) prevent moisture from washing away the chemicals
E) make coarse-grained materials decompose more rapidly than fine-grained materials
Q3) Which of the following landscapes is most closely associated with jointing?
A) Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
B) the folded Appalachian Mountains
C) the Front Range of the Rockies
D) Chief Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana
E) Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park
Q4) With the passage of time, all talus migrates ________.
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Chapter 16: Fluvial Processes
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168 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The degree of turbulence in streamflow is determined by the velocity and the
A) solar incidence
B) stream channel roughness
C) bedrock chemistry
D) tidal bore
E) none of the above
Q2) Which of the following is descriptive of hillslope form as found in nature?
A) steep
B) convex
C) concave
D) irregular
E) all of the above
Q3) Explain what circumstances make streamflow so unsystematic and irregular.
Q4) The detachment and removal of fragmented rock material is known as ________.
A) diastrophism
B) erosion
C) leaching
D) regolith stripping
E) sedimentation
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Chapter 17: Karst and Hydrothermal Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Cavern openings to the surface are usually ________.
A) small
B) the largest part of the cavern
C) the site of hot springs
D) warmer than the air outside
E) triangular in shape
Q2) In karst landscapes of slight relief, ________ is (are) the most common features.
A) hot springs
B) caverns
C) sinkholes
D) travertine
E) mogotes
Q3) Travertine deposits are relatively porous compared to sinter, which is relatively dense.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Mound or terrace build-up is often a side effect of hot springs.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: The Topography of Arid Lands
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Sample Questions
Q1) Like a mesa in its shape, but smaller in its extent, is the bajada.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Free-moving sand is usually found near centers of desert basins.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A salina is the same thing as a wash.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The main constituent of desert sand is usually quartz crystals.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The Great Salt Lake in Utah is the second largest lake in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Utah's Great Salt Lake is a small remnant of a much larger lake which existed when the climate was wetter.
A)True
B)False
Q7) ________ is a shiny coating that forms on the outside of rocks and pebbles.
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Chapter 19: Glacial Modification of Terrain
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Sample Questions
Q1) Firn is another term for névé.
A)True
B)False
Q2) During the last Ice Age, sea level was ________.
A) a few centimeters lower than today's sea level
B) a few centimeters higher than today's sea level
C) the same as today's sea level
D) much lower than today's sea level
E) much higher than today's sea level
Q3) Draw a diagram showing five landforms resulting from continental glaciation. Explain how each landform is created.
Q4) Provide a reason why some scientists believe the Pleistocene is over and a reason why other scientists believe we are now in an interglacial stage. Why hasn't this controversy been solved?
Q5) Most of the material carried by a glacier is moved at the ________.
A) sides
B) bottom
C) surface
D) middle
E) none of the above
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Chapter 20: Coastal Processes and Terrain
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following coastline EFFECTS is best matched with a CAUSE?
A) sand transport : longshore currents
B) significant erosion : tides
C) beach sand : ocean bottom erosion
D) cliffs : shorelines of submergence
E) barrier islands : rising sea level
Q2) An environmental concern of commercially developing tidal power is ________.
Q3) Where are tides significant agents in coastal erosion?
A) on barrier islands
B) along shorelines of submergence
C) in narrow bays
D) on the ocean bottom
E) in all the above places
Q4) Wave shape changes usually occur in zones near the coast rather than in open water.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Coral fringes nearly all tropical coastlines.
A)True
B)False
22
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