Geog 104 Reading Quizzes

Which of the following is used to describe the half of the Earth that lies north of the Equator? Southern Hemisphere. Northern Hemisphere. Western Hemisphere. Eastern Hemisphere.

Northern Hemisphere

Which of the following is true of a map with a scale of 1:24000? a. A distance of 1 centimeter on the map is equal to a distance of 24,000 kilometers on the Earth's actual surface. b. A distance of 1 centimeter on the map is equal to a distance of 24,000 meters on the Earth's actual surface. c. A distance of 1 inch on the map is equal to a distance of 24,000 inches on the Earth's actual surface. d. A distance of 1 inch on the map is equal to a distance of 24,000 feet on the Earth's actual surface.

c. A distance of 1 inch on the map is equal to a distance of 24,000 inches on the Earth's actual surface.

What is the term for a vertical cut shows soil layers? a. Soil structure. b. Soil texture. c. Soil profile. d. Soil order.

c. Soil profile.

The scope of modern geography can best be described as a. descriptive b. simplistic c. integrative d. narrow

c. integrative

Which of the following statements are true about the solar constant? (select all that are correct) a. It is the average amount of radiation from the Sun received by the Earth. b. It is measured at the surface of the Earth. c. On average it is equal to approximately 1370 Watt per square meter. d. It is not exactly constant due to changes in solar output.

c. On average it is equal to approximately 1370 Watt per square meter. d. It is not exactly constant due to changes in solar output.

Low pressure at the surface is usually associated with the following. a. Surface cooling. b. Air sinking. c. Surface heating. d. Air stagnating

c. Surface heating.

characteristics of an anti-cyclone

cold, high pressure

What happens when an aquifer is sandwiched between two aquicludes an is exposed at the surface? a. It becomes polluted from minerals in the aquicludes. b. Groundwater is forced upward, as in an artesian well. c. It evaporates due to increased pressure and heating. d. Groundwater is forced downward to recharge a deeper aquifer.

b. Groundwater is forced upward, as in an artesian well.

Which of the following statements is true about the circle of illumination? a. It always passes through the north and south poles. b. It separates the part of the earth that is experiencing daylight from the part that is experiencing night. c. It represents the parallel of latitude that experiences daylight for 24 hours on the summer solstice from the rest of the earth. d. All of these choices are true.

b. It separates the part of the earth that is experiencing daylight from the part that is experiencing night.

In general, what type of climate accelerates soil forming processes? a. Cold and dry. b. Warm and wet. c. Warm and dry. d. Cold and wet.

b. Warm and wet.

The Mercator Projection is an example of which type of map projection? a. Equivalent projection. b. Conformal projection. c. Albers equal-area projection. d. A three-dimensional projection.

b. Conformal projection.

Why is air pressure usually lower at higher altitudes than at lower altitudes? a. Migration of low-pressure systems. b. Gravity and molecular density. c. Colder temperatures. d. Barometrics.

b. Gravity and molecular density.

If you were to create a map showing atmospheric patterns, which of the following would you use? a. isopachs. b. isobars. c. isobaths. d. contours.

b. isobars.

What is soil composed of? a. It is made of mineral materials. b. It is made of organic matter. c. It includes water and air. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

What is the water in the soil that is held by soil particles and cannot be used by plants? a. Soil water. b. Infiltrated water. c. Percolating water. d. Hygroscopic water.

d. Hygroscopic water.

Soils that contain an abundance of iron are generally what color? a. Black. b. Blue. c. Green. d. Red.

d. Red.

What is a correct definition of subsidence? a. The lithification of underlying sediments due to excess surface weight. b. The decreasing height of the water table due to excess evapotranspiration. c. The increasing height of the underlying water table due to excess infiltration. d. The compaction of underlying sediments due to the loss of water in pore spaces.

d. The compaction of underlying sediments due to the loss of water in pore spaces.

The International Date Line is located at approximately a. 90 degrees west latitude. b. 90 degree west longitude. c. 180 degrees latitude. d. 180 degrees longitude.

d. 180 degrees longitude.

Why do locations on Earth's surface experience a daily change in daylight to night? a. Earth's tilt on its axis. b. The difference between perhelion and aphelion. c. Earth's revolution around the Sun. d. Earth's rotation around its axis.

d. Earth's rotation around its axis.

Which of the following is the correct order of shortest wavelength radiation to the longest wavelength radiation? a. Radiowaves, gamma rays, visible light. b. Visible light, radiowaves, gamma rays. c. Radiowaves, visible light, gamma rays. d. Gamma rays, visible light, radiowaves.

d. Gamma rays, visible light, radiowaves.

What is a water table? a. A boundary between an unsaturated zone and groundwater. b. An impermeable rock mass that stops percolating water. c. A relatively high location of the unsaturated zone in the soil. d. An isolated geologic feature that slowly stores water over time.

a. A boundary between an unsaturated zone and groundwater.

What is one way to change the position of the water table? a. Remove water through groundwater pumping. b. Change the chemical composition of groundwater. c. Alter the location of an aquiclude. d. Cause loss of water through percolation.

a. Remove water through groundwater pumping.

what is the critical, needed variable for soils to develop, if all other factors are the same? a. Time. b. Parent material. c. Climate. d. Relief.

a. Time.

The distance between meridians is a. greatest at the equator and decreases poleward. b. greatest at the poles and decreases towards the equator. c. exactly the same at the equator as at the poles. d. greatest at the Prime Meridian and then decreases.

a. greatest at the equator and decreases poleward.

The parallels of latitude that lie between about 23o N and S are known as the a. low latitudes. b. mid latitudes. c. high latitudes. d. meridians.

a. low latitudes.

Which is true about the shape of Greenland in a Mercator projection? a. Greenland's entire size is distorted, making it appear larger than it actually is. b. Greenland's size is only distorted at its highest latitudes. c. Greenland's entire size is distorted, making it appear smaller than it really is. d. Greenland's size is only distorted at its lowest latitudes.

a. Greenland's entire size is distorted, making it appear larger than it actually is.

Which of the following is true of radiation? a. It is a form of energy that is transmitted as waves. b. It cannot be seen by humans at all. c. It only occurs in a shortwave form. d. It only occurs in longwave form.

a. It is a form of energy that is transmitted as waves.

Which if the following is (are) a way that air temperature can affect air pressure? Select all answers that apply. a. Surface cooling causes air to become denser. b. Surface heating cause air to become less dense. c. Surface heating causes air to become denser. d. Surface cooling cause air to retain starting density.

a. Surface cooling causes air to become denser. b. Surface heating cause air to become less dense. d. Surface cooling cause air to retain starting density.

The amount of incoming solar energy received at the Earth's surface changes with latitude for which of the following reasons? a. The curvature of the Earth changes the directness of the Sun angle. b. The rotation of the Earth changes the latitude of locations. c. The north-south change in the location of the circle of illumination changes over the course of 24 hours. d. The distance on the Earth's surface changes with latitude.

a. The curvature of the Earth changes the directness of the Sun angle.

Which of the following types of radiation has the longest wavelength? a. Thermal infrared. b. Ultraviolet radiation. c. Visible light. d. Gamma rays.

a. Thermal infrared.

Very warm air is usually associated with a. low pressure. b. no humidity. c. anticyclones. d. high density.

a. low pressure

The study of the spatial distribution of physical components and natural processes of the Earth is known as: a. physical geography b. human geograhy c. natural geography d. empirical geography

a. physical geography

Small scale maps differ from large scale maps in that a. small scale maps use conformal projections while large scale maps use equivalent projections. b. small scale maps have a representative fraction which is a larger number than large scale maps. c. small scale maps are cheaper to produce than large scale maps. d. small scale maps show a larger area but with less detail than a large scale map.

d. small scale maps show a larger area but with less detail than a large scale map.

Very cold air is usually associated with a. low density. b. cyclones. c. high humidity. d. high pressure.

d. High pressure

What is true about the Earth's orbit around the Sun? a. Earth's orbit is a perfectly circular path. b. Earth's orbit takes exactly 365.50 days to complete. c. Aphelion is the point where the Earth is closest to the Sun in its orbit. d. Perhelion is the point where the Earth is closest to the Sun in its orbit.

d. Perhelion is the point where the Earth is closest to the Sun in its orbit.

A great circle and small circle always a. divide the earth into equal halves. b. pass through the equator. c. represent the shortest distance between any two points on the planet. d. intersect the Earth's surface.

d. intersect the Earth's surface.

The system of north-south great circles that intersect at the poles are called a. small circles. b. parallels of latitude. c. isolines. d. meridians of longitude.

d. meridians of longitude.

Characteristics of a tropical cyclone

warm, low atmospheric pressure, high winds, heavy rains