Natural Hazards
Pre-Test Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the scientific principles behind natural hazards, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, and landslides. Students will learn about the causes, frequency, and impacts of these events on both the environment and society. The course also examines the ways in which natural hazards can be monitored, predicted, and mitigated through technological, engineering, and policy solutions. Case studies from around the world highlight the challenges of managing risk in diverse communities, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and resilience in reducing the vulnerability to natural disasters.
Recommended Textbook Meteorology Today An Introduction to Weather Climate and the Environment 2nd Edition by C.
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Chapter 1: Earth and Its Atmosphere
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Q1) Which of the following statements applies to stratospheric ozone?
A)It is one of the main ingredients of photochemical smog
B)It is a health hazard for people with respiratory illnesses
C)It protects life from harmful ultraviolet radiation
D)It is originally formed in the troposphere
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following terms refers to the rate at which temperature decreases with increasing altitude?
A)thermocline
B)temperature slope
C)lapse rate
D)sounding
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following is the instrument used to measure temperature, pressure, and humidity at various altitudes in the atmosphere?
A)aneroid barometer
B)barograph
C)altimeter
D)radiosonde
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: Energy: Warming Earth and the Atmosphere
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Q1) Which of the following defines the term latent?
A)hidden
B)dense
C)light
D)hot
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following processes occurs when rising air cools?
A)compression
B)condensation
C)evaporation
D)expansion
Answer: D
Q3) Solar radiation reaches the Earth's surface in which of the following forms of radiation?
A)ultraviolet, visible, and infrared
B)gamma rays
C)X-rays
D)microwave
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Seasonal and Daily Temperatures
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Q1) Which of the following statements describes what tends to happen on the north-facing side of a hill in a mountainous region in Canada?
A)It grows a variety of trees that are typically observed at lower elevation.
B)It is a worse location for a ski run than the south-facing side.
C)It receives more sunlight annually than the south-facing side.
D)It has snow on the ground for a longer period of time in winter, compared to the south-facing side.
Answer: D
Q2) When compared to land, how does water heat cool off?
A)at same rate
B)more slowly at first, and then more quickly
C)more slowly
D)more quickly
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following places receives the greatest amount of solar radiation?
A)south pole
B)north pole
C)top of the atmosphere
D)surface of the Earth
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Atmospheric Humidity
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Q1) In which part of Canada are average summer dew point temperatures highest?
A)the West Coast
B)the Arctic
C)the Prairies
D)Southern Ontario
Q2) When comparing the water budgets from each of the following locations, on average which would have the lowest amount of runoff?
A)Regina, SK
B)Toronto, ON
C)Vancouver, BC
D)St.John's NL
Q3) As air temperature increases, which of the following happens to the air's capacity for water vapour?
A)It can either increase or decrease.
B)It increases.
C)It decreases.
D)It remains constant.
Q4) In order to reduce evaporation and conserve water, is it better to water a lawn in the early morning or early evening? Explain why.
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Chapter 5: Condensation: Dew, Fog, and Clouds
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Q1) Which of the following conditions is BEST for the formation of radiation fog?
A)clear summer night with a strong breeze
B)clear winter night with a slight breeze
C)cloudy summer night with a slight breeze
D)cloudy winter night with a strong breeze
Q2) When viewed from the surface, which of the following cloud types are associated with the smallest individual cloud elements (that is, puffs)?
A)cirrocumulus
B)stratocumulus
C)altocumulus
D)cumulus
Q3) Which of the following describes why upslope fog forms as it flows up a hill or mountain range?
A)air warms radiatively
B)air warms adiabatically
C)air cools adiabatically
D)air cools radiatively
Q4) How can you visually distinguish between cumulus, altocumulus, and cirrocumulus clouds?
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Chapter 6: Stability and Cloud Development
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Q1) Which of the following terms refers to the temperature of an air parcel that is moved to a pressure of 1000 hPa at the dry adiabatic rate?
A)dew point temperature
B)potential temperature
C)descending temperature
D)adiabatic temperature
Q2) At the Earth's surface, at which of the following temperatures does a rising saturated air parcel cool most rapidly?
A)0°C
B)10°C
C)-12°C
D)20°C
Q3) Which of the following cloud types are commonly found downwind of a mountain?
A)mammatus clouds
B)anvil clouds
C)lenticular clouds
D)contrails
Q4) Explain why a rising parcel of air expands and cools.
Q5) Under what conditions can a cloud form when air is sinking?
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Chapter 7: Precipitation
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Q1) Which of the following is the name for a light shower of snow of short duration that falls intermittently from cumuliform clouds?
A)snow flurries
B)a cloud burst
C)a snow squall
D)virga
Q2) On average, the water equivalent of 25.4 cm of snow is about how many centimetres of water?
A)6.35 cm
B)5.08 cm
C)2.54 cm
D)1.27 cm
Q3) Which of the following cloud types produces precipitation by the collision-coalescence process only?
A)a thick, supercooled cumulonimbus cloud with abundant nuclei
B)a thick, warm cumulus cloud
C)a thick, cold cumulus cloud
D)a thick, cold nimbostratus cloud
Q4) Design an automated device for measuring snowfall. How might it work?
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Chapter 8: Air Pressure and Winds
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Q1) The wind is blowing across the contour lines toward an area of which kind of pressure?
A)lower pressure
B)higher pressure
Q2) Which of the following must balance the vertical pressure gradient force so that the atmosphere around the Earth does not rush off into space?
A)horizontal pressure gradient force
B)centripetal force
C)Coriolis force
D)gravity
Q3) Suppose at your home in the northern hemisphere the surface wind is blowing from the northwest. Which of the following directions relative to your home will have the region of lowest pressure?
A)south
B)east
C)north
D)west
Q4) Explain why closely spaced contour lines on an upper-level isobaric chart are associated with fast winds.
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Chapter 9: Wind: Small-Scale and Local Systems
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Q1) What is meant by the term monsoon wind system? Briefly describe or sketch the wind and pressure pattern during the summer and winter monsoon in Asia.
Q2) Which of the following defines chinook winds?
A)cold, dry, downslope winds
B)cold, moist, downslope winds
C)warm, moist, downslope winds
D)warm, dry, downslope winds
Q3) Which of the following is the smallest scale of atmospheric motion?
A)microscale
B)mesoscale
C)synoptic scale
D)macroscale
Q4) Suppose the sea level pressure in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is 1016 hPa. Which of the following gives the sea level pressure just off the coast of Halifax, when the strongest summertime sea breeze is blowing along the Nova Scotia coast?
A)1016 hPa
B)1015 hPa
C)1018 hPa
D)1021 hPa
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Chapter 10: Wind: Global Systems
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Q1) What is the polar jet stream and where is it found? Does the position of the polar jet stream change during the year?
Q2) Which of the following triggers an El Niño event?
A)ocean waters around Indonesia increase in temperature
B)Pacific equatorial currents increase in strength
C)upwelling increases along the California coast
D)trade winds weaken or reverse direction
Q3) Compare and contrast the causes and effects of El Niño and La Niña.
Q4) Which of the following areas is most suitable for wind power generation?
A)on high mountain peaks
B)in the doldrums
C)along coastlines
D)in the horse latitudes
Q5) In the northern hemisphere, ocean currents generally move in a circular pattern. Which of the following describes the direction of this motion in the North Atlantic and in the North Pacific?
A)clockwise in the Atlantic and counterclockwise in the Pacific
B)clockwise in the Atlantic and clockwise in the Pacific
C)counterclockwise in the Atlantic and counterclockwise in the Pacific
D)counterclockwise in the Atlantic and clockwise in the Pacific
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Chapter 11: Air Masses and Fronts
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Q1) Which of the following statements gives the main reason why the wintertime mP air masses are less common along the North American Atlantic coast than along the Pacific coast?
A)The water is warmer along the Atlantic coast.
B)The prevailing winds aloft are westerly.
C)The source region for mP air on the Atlantic coast is western Europe.
D)The water is colder along the Pacific coast.
Q2) Which of the following undergoes a downward motion during an upper-air front?
A)tropopause
B)low-level jet
C)mesopause
D)stratopause
Q3) Which of the following types of air masses is mainly responsible for hot, muggy summer weather in southern Ontario?
A)cT
B)mP
C)cP
D)mT
Q4) What types of weather changes accompany the passage of a dryline?
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Chapter 12: Middle-Latitude Cyclones
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Q1) On a surface weather map that shows an open wave cyclone, where can the warm sector be observed?
A)ahead of an advancing cold-occluded front
B)behind an advancing cold front
C)behind an advancing cold-occluded front
D)ahead of an advancing cold front
Q2) At which number would a developing wave cyclone most likely be found?
A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4
Q3) In winter, most middle-latitude cyclones that impact southern Ontario come from which direction?
A)west
B)east
C)north
D)south
Q4) What does the term "shortwave" refer to? Why is it important to locate and follow the movements of atmospheric shortwaves? How is this done? How is a shortwave different from a "longwave?"
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Chapter 13: Weather Forecasting
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Q1) In which of the following locations in Canada does the greatest annual number of thunderstorms occur?
A)northern Saskatchewan
B)southern Ontario
C)northern Quebec
D)northern Manitoba
Q2) Which of the following terms refers to a tornado vortex that does not touch the ground?
A)roll cloud
B)funnel cloud
C)mesocyclone
D)wall cloud
Q3) Which of the following defines an ordinary thunderstorm?
A)a storm that does not produce lightning or thunder
B)a scattered or isolated storm that is not severe
C)a storm that has a tilted updraft and downdraft
D)a storm that does not produce hail
Q4) Most tornadoes move from the southwest toward the northeast. Why?
Q5) The region of greatest tornado activity shifts northward from early spring to summer. Why does this occur?
15
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Chapter 14: Thunderstorms
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Q1) As surface air rushes in toward the eye of a hurricane, the air expands and should cool. Which of the following is the main reason the surface air does not cool around the eye?
A)The sinking air near the eye warms the air.
B)The warm water heats the air.
C)Sunlight heats the air.
D)Friction with the water adds heat to the air.
Q2) Which of the following describes how hurricanes are named?
A)Atlantic hurricanes are given male names and Pacific hurricanes are given female names.
B)Hurricanes are alternately assigned male and female names.
C)Hurricanes are only given male names.
D)Hurricanes are only given female names.
Q3) In which of the following locations are hurricanes most likely to form?
A)an area where trade wind inversion is strong
B)along a jet stream
C)along the equator
D)along the ITCZ
Q4) In what ways are weather conditions in the tropics and at middle latitudes different?
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Chapter 15: Tornadoes
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Q1) Which of the following describes a situation for which the Canadian Meteorological Service would release a warning for a severe thunderstorm?
A)Conditions are favourable for wind gusts of 90 km/h or more
B)Conditions are favourable for less than 50 mm of rainfall.
C)Hail less than 2 cm in diameter is occurring.
D)Winds gusts of 90 km/h or more are occurring.
Q2) Explain the relationship between dew point and minimum temperatures.
Q3) Which of the following problems arise because the grid spacing in modern computer forecasting models has become increasingly smaller?
A)Small-scale weather features can be resolved by the models.
B)Mesoscale weather features cannot be predicted.
C)Atmosphere-oceans interactions cannot be resolved.
D)Many more computations are needed.
Q4) Which of the following forecast methods compares past weather maps and weather patterns to those of the present?
A)nowcasting
B)persistence forecast
C)analogue method
D)trend method
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Chapter 16: Hurricanes
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Q1) Which of the following explains why the West Coast of Canada is a moist environment?
A)the effect of continental air masses
B)the presence of mountains
C)Arctic outflows that bring cold air into the area
D)warm ocean currents
Q2) During the summer months strong regions of high pressure exist off Canada's East and West coasts. How do these high-pressure areas combine with the different ocean currents off the coasts to cause a summer dry season on the West Coast and plentiful rain on the East Coast?
Q3) In which of the following areas would precipitation be LEAST likely?
A)in an area affected by maritime air masses
B)along a windward coast
C)in an area of low pressure
D)on the leeward side of a mountain range
Q4) The hottest places on Earth are not found near the equator in tropical wet climates but rather in arid climate regions. Why?
Q5) Which climate type(s) are most affected by climate change? Why?
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Chapter 17: Earths Changing Climate
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Q1) Which of the following conditions occurred during the Little Ice Age?
A)Alpine glaciers grew in size and advanced.
B)The climatic optimum occurred.
C)The Bering land bridge formed.
D)Continental glaciers covered large portions of North America.
Q2) In what ways might climate change benefit the planet?
Q3) Climatic models predict that the concentration of a certain gas must increase in the atmosphere for CO2 to produce a global warming of between 2°C and 5°C. According to this prediction, which of the following gases must increase?
A)chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
B)water vapour (H2O)
C)sulfur dioxide (SO2)
D)ozone (O3)
Q4) When did the current warming trend observed on Earth start?
A)about 500 years ago
B)about 100 years ago
C)about 1,000 years ago
D)about 10,000 years ago
Q5) What are some of the possible consequences of climate change?
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Chapter 18: Global Climate
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Q1) Which of the following gases is a primary component of photochemical smog?
A)chlorofluorocarbons
B)ozone
C)carbon monoxide
D)sulphur dioxide
Q2) Which of the following regions of Canada likely has the most severe acid rain problem?
A)the Prairies
B)the Maritimes
C)coastal British Columbia
D)southern Ontario
Q3) When chlorofluorocarbons are subjected to ultraviolet radiation, which of the following gases is released and rapidly destroys ozone?
A)nitrogen
B)carbon
C)carbon dioxide
D)chlorine
Q4) List some of the ways that pollutants are removed from the atmosphere. Does this occur quickly or slowly?
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Chapter 19: Air Pollution
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Q1) Which of the following atmospheric phenomena is produced by the diffraction of light around small water droplets?
A)inferior mirage
B)Heiligenshein
C)corona
D)halo
Q2) Which of the following is the name for beams of light that shine downward through breaks or holes in clouds?
A)glories
B)inferior mirage
C)crepuscular rays
D)corona
Q3) Which of the following terms refers to an atmospheric phenomenon that causes objects to appear inverted?
A)dispersion
B)scintillation
C)an inferior mirage
D)a superior mirage
Q4) Why do distant mountains appear blue?
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