Chapter 6 Quiz

1. Downwind of large mountain ranges there is less precipitation; this drier zone is called the ________.
  advection side 
  adiabatic area 
  lifting condensation level 
  rain shadow 
  windward side 
 

2. Showery precipitation is most closely associated with ________.
  sinking air 
  non-buoyant air 
  stable air 
  cirrus clouds 
  unstable air 
 

3. The release of latent heat from water molecules is called ________.
  vapor pressure 
  specific humidity 
  sublimation pressure 
  evaporative cooling 
  condensation 
 

4. Buoyant air will rise until it ________.
  makes clouds 
  reaches the stratopause 
  reaches the temperature of the surrounding air 
  becomes unstable 
  becomes warmer 
 

5 The presence of which of the following hastens evaporation?
  Cold air 
  Rising air 
  Slow-moving air 
  Already humid air 
  Warm water 
 

6 Which of the following cloud types has the greatest height (from top to bottom)?
  Cumulus 
  Cumulonimbus 
  Cirrus 
  Altostratus 
  Stratus 
 

7. Liquid converts to gas when ________.
  the liquid heats to freezing 
  molecules break loose from the liquid 
  cooling reaches the dew point 
  a crystalline structure is created 
  sublimation starts 
 

8 Evaporation ________.
  is a process not requiring energy 
  is a cooling process 
  is a heating process 
  has its greatest rates when the air is already humid 
  releases latent heat in the air 
 

9. Most of the Earth’s cloudiness results directly from ________.
  sublimation 
  vertical temperature gradient 
  air pollution 
  evaporation 
  adiabatic cooling 
 

10. Air that resists vertical movement is said to be ________.
  unstable 
  stable 
  cyclonic 
  adiabatic 
  anticyclonic 
 

11.  The state of water that is the most fundamental, yet least obvious, in the atmosphere is ________.
  water vapor 
  ice crystals 
  rain 
  hail 
  evaporation 
 

12. The transfer of moisture from land to air is termed ________.
  specific humidity 
  condensation 
  dew point 
  evaporative cooling 
  evapotranspiration 
 

13. The capacity for air to hold water ________.
  increases as temperature increases 
  decreases as evaporation decreases 
  increases as temperature decreases 
  is a constant 
  is not related to temperature 
 

14. Which is NOT among the main types of atmospheric lifting and precipitation?
  Convergent 
  Orographic 
  Frontal 
  Convective 
  Advective 
 

15. In the United States, winter precipitation exceeds summer precipitation ________.
  in the Midwest 
  in the Rocky Mountains 
  in New England 
  on the West Coast 
  in the South 
 

16. The Bergeron process is also known as the ________ process.
  ice crystal formation 
  collision/coalescence 
  acid rain formation 
  glaze 
  hail 
 

17   Any buoyant parcel of air is said to exhibit ________.
  instability 
  a dry adiabatic lapse rate 
  advection 
  a moist adiabatic lapse rate 
  stability 
 

18. ________ is the critical temperature at which saturation is reached.
  Relative humidity 
  The flash point 
  Absolute humidity 
  The dew point 
  Specific humidity 
 

19. A lack of atmospheric buoyancy is related to ________.
  coalescence 
  stability 
  instability 
  an adiabatic condition 
  the dew point depression 
 

20. Acid rain has a pH of less than ________.
  1.6 
  15.6 
  5.6 
  12.6 
  7.6 
 

21. Color-coded map of the United States indicating areas of average precipitation in July – ranging from Below 1 inch (2.5 cm) to over 16 inches (40 cm).

This map shows the ________ region of the United States to have the greatest July precipitation totals.
  West Coast 
  Great Plains 
  Rocky Mountains 
  Gulf Coast 
  New England 
 

22. Hail becomes larger because it collides with ________.
  ice crystals 
  water vapor 
  sleet 
  raindrops 
  supercooled water 
 

23.  The hydrologic cycle refers to the ________.
  groundwater flow to the surface 
  totality of the forms of precipitation 
  flow of rivers 
  latent heat of vaporization 
  unending circulation of Earth’s water supply
 

24. The most common and widespread form of precipitation is ________.
  snow 
  hail 
  sleet 
  rain 
  fog 
 

25 The western coasts of continents in the subtropical zones are in ________ precipitation zones.
  arid 
  monsoon 
  moderate 
  high 
  snowy 

Chapter 6 Quiz Answers