Metr Exam 3

1.

1 point

The most important reason why summers in the Southern Hemisphere are not warmer than summers in the Northern Hemisphere is that:

the earth is closer to the Sun in January

the Sun' energy is less intense in the Southern Hemisphere

more of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water

on average, it is much cloudier in the Southern Hemisphere

the earth is farther from the Sun in July

2.

1 point

Which of the following is NOT one of the orbital parameters that help determine how sunlight is distributed on the planets.

gas composition

direction of tilt in space

orbital eccentricity

distance from the Sun

axial tilt

3.

1 point

The inner planets are small and rocky because:

the gravitational influence of the Sun decreases as you move further and further from the center of the solar system

large impacts stripped the atmospheres away from the inner planets

the inner solar system was too hot for the planets to capture significant amounts of hydrogen, allowing condensation of primarily metals and rocky materials

the Big Bang affected only the inner planets and not the outer portions of the solar system

these planets weren't torn apart by collisions with comets

4.

1 point

Which of the following best describes the transfer of energy by conduction?

the top end of a metal spoon gets hot, even though only the lower part is immersed in hot liquid

the atmospheric greenhouse effect

even on a cold winter's day, the sun shining directly on your face feels warm

a hurricane forms over tropical ocean waters, but keeps going as it moves to higher latitudes

birds search for rising columns of warm water in order to get a "free ride" to higher elevations

5.

1 point

In a temperature inversion, air temperature decreases with increasing height.

True

False

6.

1 point

Which hemisphere has smaller temperature variations due to little land to interrupt the oceanic and atmospheric circulation?

Northern hemisphere

Western hemisphere

Southern hemisphere

Eastern hemisphere

7.

1 point

Temperatures at any point on the face of the earth are influence by

latitude

altitude/elevation

land and water distribution

ocean current

all of the above

8.

1 point

The heat energy required to change a substance from one state to another:

fusion

latent heat

conduction

convection

radiation

9.

1 point

Sublimation is the process by which water goes:

from solid to a liquid

from gas to a liquid

from liquid to a gas

from liquid to a solid

from solid to a gas

10.

1 point

The best explanation for why the polar latitudes would be color than lower latitudes even if Earth were NOT tilted on its axis is:

Release of latent heat to the atmosphere when polar ice melts at low latitudes keeps them warmer than they would be otherwise

Because Earth is spherical, solar radiation is less intense at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes

Conduction of heat through the interior of the earth preferentially carries energy away from the polar regions

The concentration of magnetic field lines at the poles allows heat to escape more easily from the high latitudes

Evaporation from polar ice caps helps to cool higher latitudes

11.

1 point

Ozone is important for life on Earth because:

it absorbs ultraviolet light

it provides a surface for water vapor to condense upon

it reflects most of the infrared energy from the sun

crops absorb it in order to grow

animals need it to breathe

12.

1 point

All latitudes on Earth experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness during solstice.

True

False

13.

1 point

The global average temperature at Earth's surface is approximately 15 degrees Celsius. On the Fahrenheit temperature scale this is approximately:

100 degrees

59 degrees

0 degrees

-5 degrees

32 degrees

14.

1 point

The Sun emits its peak energy in which portion of the electromagnetic spectrum?

visible

ultraviolet

gamma ray

microwave

infrared

15.

1 point

The standard lapse rate in lower atmosphere is 6.5 degrees Fahrenheit/km.

True

False

16.

1 point

Hydrogen and helium are the 2 most abundant elements:

in the universe

on Mars

in Earth's atmosphere

in the oceans

in Earth's crust

17.

1 point

The primary source of energy for Earth's atmosphere comes from volcanic eruptions.

True

False

18.

1 point

If Earth had no atmospheric greenhouse effect, it would probably be too cold for life to exist.

True

False

19.

1 point

The process of convection depends on the fact that, in general, fluids expand when heated and thus undergo a decrease in density.

True

False

20.

1 point

The correct order of electromagnetic waves, from shortest wavelength to longest wavelength, is:

visible, infrared, ultraviolet

ultraviolet, visible, infrared

ultraviolet, infrared, visible

infrared, ultraviolet, visible

visible, ultraviolet, infrared

21.

1 point

The two most abundant greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are carbon dioxide and ozone

True

False

22.

1 point

A city on the east coast of the US is likely to be somewhat warmer than a city on the west coast of the US because

the ocean current along the east coast is warmer than the ocean current along the west coast

the insulating properties of snow keep the ground in the east warm, even in the winter

since the west coast of the US is closer to Alaska, it gets cooled more by air moving southward

more trees on the east coast means that more solar radiation is absorbed in that regions

because the run rises in the east, the east coast gets more sunlight each day than does the west coast

23.

1 point

Atmosphere is delicate life-giving blanket of air that surrounds the fragile Earth.

True

False

24.

1 point

At 5.5 kilometers above the Earth's surface, the air pressure is ____ of the sea level pressure which is 1000 mb.

30%

90%

50%

99.99%

99%

25.

1 point

Energy emitted from the Sun's surface is transmitted to the planets via:

potential energy

radiation

convection

latent heat

conduction

26.

1 point

Approximately how old is our solar system, according to most scientists?

13 billion years

4.6 billion years

3.8 million years

1,000,000 years

6,000 years

27.

1 point

Mesopause is the boundary separating the mesosphere and the thermosphere.

True

False

28.

1 point

The average atmospheric pressure at sea level on Earth is:

14 inches of mercury

150 pounds per square inch

1013.25 millibars

90 hecto Pascals

.01 Pascals

29.

1 point

The Earth is farthest from the sun in:

September

July

January

December

March

30.

1 point

The primary reason why Earth and the Sun emit their peak energies in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum is because:

Earth is smaller than the Sun

the Sun is gaseous whereas Earth is mostly solid

the temperatures of the two bodies are very different

the two bodies are in different parts of the solar system

31.

1 point

At which time of the year is the Sun directly overhead at the equator at noon?

summer solstice

autumnal equinox

perihelion

aphelion

winter solstice

32.

1 point

The highest concentration of naturally occurring ozone occurs in the

troposphere

exosphere

mesosphere

ionosphere

stratosphere

33.

1 point

On the Celsius temperature scale, the freezing point of water is -32 degrees.

True

False

34.

1 point

Which of the following is the best definition of "aerosols"?

chemical substances that are composed only of hydrogen and carbon

partially opaque particles of ice that range in size from that of a pea to that of a baseball

gases which absorb and emit visible radiation

tiny suspended solid and liquid particles in the atmosphere

compounds in the atmosphere that are primarily responsible for destruction of ozone

35.

1 point

The amount of force exerted over an area of surface by the wight of air above the surface is called pressure

True

False

36.

1 point

The climate is what you expect; the weather is what you get

True

False

37.

1 point

The formation of the solar system started with a large cloud of gas and dust

True

False

38.

1 point

A "Specific Heat" can best be described as:

the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius

a measure of the amount of solar radiation that hits each square foot of Earth's surface

the amount of energy it takes to keep a 100 watt bulb lit for 10 hours

the energy emitted by a 1 kilowatt appliance each hour of the day

the number of hours an appliance that uses 1 kilowatt of energy can run

39.

1 point

The height of the tropopause varies. It is found at higher elevations over equatorial/tropical regions, and ____ in elevation as we travel poleward.

increases

decreases

40.

1 point

The region of the atmosphere where nearly all weather takes place is the

ionosphere

thermosphere

magnetosphere

exospehere

troposphere

41.

1 point

The sky is blue because:

blue light is reflected off the world's oceans into the atmosphere

ozone in the upper atmosphere reflects blue light downward

blue light is not easily scattered by the atmosphere

air molecules scatter blue (shorter wavelength) light more readily than other colors of visible light

blue light is not easily absorbed by the atmosphere

42.

1 point

The atmospheric greenhouse effect on Earth is produced because certain gases in our atmosphere absorb and re-emit

visible radiation

infrared radiation

latent heat

gamma rays

ultraviolet radiation

43.

1 point

During summer in the Northern hemisphere, as you move northward from middle latitudes to higher latitudes:

day length becomes longer, but solar intensity decreases

day length becomes shorter, but solar intensity increases

day length becomes shorter, and solar intensity decreases

there is equal day length and solar intensity throughout the Northern Hemisphere in summer

day length becomes longer, and solar intensity increases

44.

1 point

The most abundant gas in the atmosphere of Venus and Mars is

water vapor

oxygen

argon

carbon dioxide

nitrogen

45.

1 point

The thermosphere has very high temperatures but very low heat.

True

False

46.

1 point

When water evaporates, energy is released to the environment.

True

False

47.

1 point

The Earth's atmosphere is divided into layers based on variations in the vertical profile of:

air density

air temperature

wind speed

air pressure