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1. |
The position of the Pacific high over the north Pacific Ocean: |
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a. |
shifts northward in winter and southward in summer |
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b. |
shifts southward in winter and northward in summer |
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c. |
shifts eastward in winter and westward in summer |
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d. |
remains in about the same location all year |
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ANSWER: b |
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2. |
The average winds aloft are strongest in: |
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a. |
summer |
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b. |
winter |
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c. |
fall |
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d. |
spring |
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ANSWER: b |
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3. |
A good source region for an air mass would be: |
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a. |
mountains with deep valleys and strong surface winds |
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b. |
generally flat areas of uniform composition with light surface winds |
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c. |
hilly with deep valleys and light winds |
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d. |
generally flat area of uniform composition with strong surface winds |
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ANSWER: b |
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4. |
A cold-type occluded front: |
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a. |
has cold surface air ahead of it |
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b. |
has warm surface air behind it |
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c. |
has cold surface air behind it |
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d. |
has cold air rising above warmer air |
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ANSWER: c |
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5. |
Which of the following is not an important factor in the production of rain by the collision-coalescence process? |
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a. |
the updrafts in the cloud |
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b. |
relative size of the droplets |
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c. |
the number of ice crystals in the cloud |
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d. |
cloud thickness |
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ANSWER: c |
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6. |
Large, heavy snowflakes are associated with: |
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a. |
dry air and temperatures well below freezing |
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b. |
moist air and temperatures well below freezing |
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c. |
dry air and temperatures near freezing |
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d. |
moist air and temperatures near freezing |
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ANSWER: d |
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7. |
If the flow of air into a surface low pressure area is greater than the divergence of air aloft, the surface pressure in the center of the low will: |
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a. |
increase |
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b. |
decrease |
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c. |
remain the same |
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d. |
deepen |
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ANSWER: a |
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8. |
The three stages of an air-mass thunderstorm are: |
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a. |
beginning, middle, end |
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b. |
juvenile, mature, aged |
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c. |
cumulus, mature, dissipating |
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d. |
cumulus, cumulonimbus, nimbostratus |
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ANSWER: c |
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9. |
A second surge of electrons that proceeds from the base of a cloud toward the ground during cloud-to-ground lightning is called a: |
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a. |
return stroke |
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b. |
stepped leader |
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c. |
dart leader |
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d. |
downstroke |
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ANSWER: c |
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10. |
The rotating updraft inside a severe thunderstorm is called a: |
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a. |
mesohigh |
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b. |
mesocyclone |
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c. |
suction vortice |
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d. |
roll cloud |
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ANSWER: b |
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11. |
Which of the following factors is most important in determining the strength of a tornado? |
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a. |
diameter |
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b. |
air temperature |
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c. |
duration |
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d. |
central pressure |
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ANSWER: d |
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12. |
The most frequent time of day for tornadoes to form is in the: |
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a. |
early morning just after sunrise |
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b. |
late morning just before noon |
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c. |
evening just after sunset |
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d. |
afternoon |
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ANSWER: d |
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13. |
Which below is the best indication that a severe thunderstorm is about to produce a tornado? |
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a. |
a wall cloud |
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b. |
a roll cloud |
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c. |
a mammatus cloud |
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d. |
a gust front |
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ANSWER: a |
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14. |
A weak trough of low pressure found in the tropics and along which hurricanes occasionally form is called: |
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a. |
an open wave |
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b. |
an easterly wave |
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c. |
a baroclinic wave |
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d. |
a permanent wave |
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ANSWER: b |
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15. |
The ring of intense thunderstorms and strong winds located about 20 to 50 km from the center of a hurricane is referred to as the: |
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a. |
eye wall |
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b. |
vortex |
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c. |
spiral band |
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d. |
wall cloud |
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ANSWER: a |
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16. |
As surface air rushes in toward the eye of a hurricane, the air expands and should cool. The main reason the surface air is not cooler around the eye is because: |
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a. |
the sinking air near the eye warms the air |
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b. |
friction with the water adds heat to the air |
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c. |
the warm water heats the air |
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d. |
sunlight heats the air |
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ANSWER: c |
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17. |
The strongest winds in a hurricane heading westward toward Florida would most likely be found on the: |
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a. |
northern side |
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b. |
southern side |
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c. |
eastern side |
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d. |
western side |
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ANSWER: a |
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18. |
Weather-related flash floods: |
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a. |
are local floods of great volume and short duration |
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b. |
cause few fatalities |
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c. |
in the U.S. are limited in occurrence to the Southwest |
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d. |
result from precipitation produced by a warm front |
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ANSWER: a |
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19. |
A biogeophysical feedback mechanism in the Sahel relates: |
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a. |
reduced cloud cover to increasing surface temperatures and an increase in rainfall |
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b. |
reduced vegetation to a decrease in surface temperatures and a reduction in rainfall |
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c. |
an increase in vegetation to an increase in surface temperatures and a reduction in rainfall |
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d. |
a decrease in vegetation to a lowering of surface albedo and an increase in rainfall |
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ANSWER: b |
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Paragraph answers: |
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1. |
Explain why the weather in the U.S. is more extreme when the westerly wind pattern is strongly meridional |
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2. |
Explain why an Alberta-track cyclone usually produces less precipitation than a Colorado-track cyclone |
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3. |
Describe the synoptic situation in the middle latitudes that is most favorable for the formation of severe thunderstorms |
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4. |
Explain why the location of principle tornadic activity shifts northward during the spring. |
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5. |
Describe what happens to a hurricane when it reaches middle latitudes. |
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