Chapter 23

The smallest, most violent weather event is a (an) Answer a. hurricane. b. tornado. c. hailstorm. d. ice storm.

Weather prediction is not based on Answer a. use of computer models. b. the Farmer's Almanac. c. the study of the movement of air masses. d. knowledge of basic scientific laws.

When is the atmosphere in a state of stability? Answer a. A lifted parcel of air continues moving when the uplifting force is removed. b. A lifted parcel of air does not move when the uplifting force is removed. c. A lifted parcel of air is cooler than the surrounding air. d. A lifted parcel of air is warmer than the surrounding air.

Which of the following is not considered to be a form of precipitation? Answer a. rain b. dew c. snow d. hail

Clouds that are between you and the Sun will appear gray because Answer a. the clouds filter sunlight. b. the clouds reflect sunlight. c. the clouds refract sunlight. d. the Sun's shadow makes the clouds dark.

Without any heat being added or removed, a parcel of air that is expanding is becoming Answer a. neither warmer nor cooler. b. warmer. c. cooler. d. the temperature of the surrounding air.

There are greater temperature extremes in North Dakota than in the state of Washington because Answer a. North Dakota is farther north than Washington. b. North Dakota is more mountainous than Washington. c. there is no ocean near North Dakota. d. the dry adiabatic lapse rate is greater in North Dakota.

Cloud droplets merge and fuse with millions of other droplets to form large raindrops. This process is called Answer a. seeding. b. precipitation. c. coalescence. d. combination.

An intense low-pressure area with widespread winds greater than 120 km/h is a Answer a. tornado. b. tropical storm. c. hurricane. d. cyclone.

The transfer of heat from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature by the displacement of high-energy molecules is Answer a. thermal energy. b. conduction. c. convection. d. radiation.

A thunderstorm usually does not develop under what conditions? Answer a. Warm air b. Cold air c. Moist air d. Humid air

How does precipitation form from water droplets in a cloud? Answer a. merging of small raindrops as they fall b. snowflakes grow into hail, which melts as it falls c. coalescence of water droplets or growth of ice crystals d. None of the above.

The process of water vapor cycling in and out of the atmosphere with evaporation of water from the surface and precipitation of water back to the surface is called the Answer a. unusual weather cycle. b. atmospheric cycle. c. hydrologic cycle. d. reverse flow cycle.

A warm front forms when Answer a. a cold air mass displaces warmer air. b. masses of cold air and warm air move past one another in opposite directions. c. the Sun warms a stationary cold air mass. d. a warm air mass advances over a mass of cooler air.

Which of the following is a correct statement about the greenhouse effect? Answer a. Carbon dioxide reflects sunlight like a pane of window glass. b. Short-wave solar radiation is absorbed by carbon dioxide. c. Long-wave radiation from the Sun is absorbed by Earth. d. Carbon dioxide absorbs long-wave radiation from Earth, then reemits it in all directions.

A condition that lifts a parcel of air to form cumulus clouds is Answer a. differential heating. b. mountain barriers. c. a cold front. d. All of the above.

Cumulus clouds usually mean an atmospheric state of Answer a. stability. b. instability. c. cool, dry equilibrium. d. warm, humid equilibrium.

A cyclone is centered about a Answer a. region of low pressure. b. region of high pressure. c. cold front. d. occluded front.

How does a cloud form? Answer a. from ocean spray b. water vapor is cooled and condenses onto small particles c. an accumulation of drizzle and fog d. an accumulation of tiny ice crystals

Brief periods of showers are usually associated with which cloud type? Answer a. stratus b. cumulus c. cirrus d. None of the above

What is a cloud? Answer a. water molecules floating in the air b. light reflecting from large raindrops c. an accumulation of ice crystals or water droplets in the air d. None of the above.

In order for liquid cloud droplets at the freezing point to freeze into ice crystals, Answer a. condensation nuclei are needed. b. further cooling is required. c. ice-forming nuclei are needed. d. nothing more is required.

A parcel of air that is shoved upward into atmospheric air in a state of instability will expand and become cooler Answer a. than the surrounding air. b. reaching the same temperature as the surrounding air. c. but not as cool as the surrounding air. d. then warmer as it rises.

What kind of weather front is approaching if you observe high clouds far in advance of the ground-level base of the front, followed by thicker and lower stratus clouds as the front approaches with drizzle and continuous light rain? Answer a. cold front b. warm front c. stationary front d. occluded front

A cyclone is centered about a Answer a. region of low pressure. b. region of high pressure. c. cold front. d. occluded front.

When water vapor in the atmosphere condenses to liquid water, Answer a. dew falls to the ground. b. rain or snow falls to the ground. c. a cloud forms. d. All of the above are correct.

A boundary between air masses is called a Answer a. boundary. b. front. c. dividing line. d. barrier.

White, puffy cumulus clouds that form over a flat region of the country during the late afternoon of a clear, warm day are probably the result of Answer a. convection. b. a barrier to moving air. c. the meeting of moving air masses. d. None of the above is correct.

The one term that does not describe an air mass is Answer a. maritime polar. b. continental southern. c. maritime tropical. d. continental polar.

A parcel of air shoved upward into atmospheric air in a state of instability will expand and become cooler, Answer a. but not as cool as the surrounding air. b. and thus colder than the surrounding air. c. reaching the same temperature as the surrounding air. d. then warmer than the surrounding air.

The process that is not involved with how water cycles in and out of the atmosphere is Answer a. evaporation. b. boiling. c. condensation. d. precipitation.

Condensation of water vapor into clouds or fog requires Answer a. high temperatures. b. storms. c. condensation nuclei. d. no wind.

Longer periods of drizzle, rain, or snow are usually associated with which cloud type? Answer a. stratus b. cumulus c. cirrus d. None of the above.

Longer periods of drizzle, rain, and snow are usually associated with which cloud type

The separation of charge associated with the movement of water droplets as a fall or as they are lifted by a updraft can result in

A stable atmosphere usually has what type of clouds

Which cloud type is usually associated with the arrival of a cold front

In which type of air mass would expect to find afternoon thunderstorms

An unstable atmosphere usually has what type of clouds

What is a large violent circular storm that is born over warm tropical ocean waters

What kind of weather front is approaching if you observe towering cumulus clouds, thunderstorms, a rapid change in temp. a rapid shift in wind, and a rapid increase, in the barometric pressure when the front passes

A parcel of air that rises undergoes