Purdue EAPS100 Final Study Flash Cards
A halo around the Sun or Moon indicates that this cloud type is present. a. cirrostratus b. cumulonimbus c. altostratus d. cirrus
a
After the center of a mature wave cyclone passes, you should expect __________. a. barometric pressure to rise b. warmer temperatures c. barometric pressure to fall d. barometric pressure to remain steady
a
Closely spaced isobars often indicate __________. a. high winds b. variable winds c. light winds d. cyclonic winds
a
Hubble's law states that galaxies are receding from us at a speed that is proportional to their ____. a. distance b. orientation c. volume d. mass
a
If an observer sees cirrus clouds, followed later by cirrostratus, and then altostratus, he or she is witnessing the approach of a _______ front. a. warm b. cold c. warm or cold d. none of these
a
In the Southern Hemisphere, the winds associated with a low pressure system blow __________. a. clockwise and toward the center b. counterclockwise and toward the center c. clockwise and outward from the center d. counterclockwise and outward from the center
a
On a weather map, _______ fronts are shown by a line with semicircles extending from one side. a. warm b. cold c. occluded d. stationary
a
The Sahara and Australian deserts (among others) are associated with the __________. a. subtropical high b. equatorial low c. subpolar low d. subpolar low
a
The air masses that have the greatest influence on weather conditions in the central United States are __. a. cP and mT b. mP and cP c. cT and cP d. mP and mT
a
The cloud form that consists of globular cloud masses that take on a billowy or "cauliflower-like" structure is called __________. a. cumulus b. stratus c. cirrus d. alto
a
The discovery that the universe appears to be expanding led to a widely accepted theory called __________. a. the Big Bang b. Hubble's Law c. Einstein's Law d. the Doppler effect
a
The mercurial barometer was invented by __________. a. Torricelli b. Galileo c. Newton d. Watt
a
The precipitation associated with a warm front typically arrives ___________ the actual frontal boundary ____. a. considerably ahead of b. considerably behind c. at about the same time as d. none of these
a
These clouds are often called "fair weather" clouds. a. cumulus b. stratus c. cirrus d. nimbo
a
This air mass often originates as a different air mass in Siberia and is subsequently altered. a. cP b. mP c. cT d. mT
a
This scientist determined the nature of the forces that kept the planets in their orbits. a. Sir Isaac Newton b. Galileo c. Tycho Brahe d. Nicolaus Copernicus
a
Three laws of planetary motion were discovered by __________. a. Johannes Kepler b. Galileo c. Tycho Brahe d. Nicolaus Copernicus
a
Upper air winds __________. a. are generally faster than surface winds b. are unaffected by the Coriolis force c. are greatly influenced by friction d. both a. and b
a
Usually _________ fronts produce several hours of moderate-to-gentle precipitation over a large region. a. warm b. cold c. warm and cold d. none of these
a
When warm moist air moves over a cold surface, _______ fog may result. a. advection b. radiation c. steam d. upslope
a
Which of the following should have the steepest pressure gradient? a. tornado b. middle-latitude cyclone c. hurricane d. all of should have equally steep pressure gradients
a
"Rain long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past." The first five words of this weather proverb ______. a. refer to a cold front b. refer to a warm front c. refer to an anticyclone d. have no basis in fact
b
A dark gray cloud that blankets the sky and often generates precipitation is called __________. a. cirrostratus b. nimbostratus c. altostratus d. cirrus
b
A sea breeze usually originates during the __________. a. evening and flows toward the land b. day and flows toward the land c. evening and flows toward the water d. day and flows toward the water
b
A steep pressure gradient __________. a. would be depicted by widely spaced isobars b. produces strong winds c. is only possible in the tropics d. produces light winds
b
A wind shift from south or southwest to northwest is commonly associated with the passage of a _______ front. a. warm b. cold c. neither warm or cold d. stationary
b
An altimeter is an adaptation of the __________. a. mercurial barometer b. aneroid barometer c. barograph d. anemometer
b
An mP air mass is __________. a. cold and dry b. cold and humid c. warm and dry d. warm and humid
b
Hail is most commonly associated with __________. a. cirrostratus b. cumulonimbus c. altostratus d. cirrus
b
If "fair" weather is approaching, the pressure tendency would probably be __________. a. steady b. rising c. falling d. none of these
b
If Earth were not rotating __________. a. it would lose its atmosphere b. air would move directly from high to low pressure c. all air would move in one direction only d. friction would be eliminated
b
If you were 200 kilometers ahead of the surface position of a warm front, you would find the frontal surface at a height of about __________ km overhead. a. 0.5 b. 1.0 c. 1.5 d. 2.0
b
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winds associated with a low pressure system (cyclone) blow __________. a. clockwise and toward the center b. counterclockwise and toward the center c. clockwise and outward from the center d. counterclockwise and outward from the center
b
In the Northern Hemisphere, tornadoes are most frequent during the __________. a. January-March period b. April-June period c. October-December period d. month of September
b
In the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe the __________. a. Earth was flat b. Earth was in the center of the universe c. Sun was in the center of the solar system d. Earth rotated on its axis to produce night and day
b
Lines on a weather map connecting places of equal air pressure are called __________. a. isovectors b. isobars c. isotherms d. isogrids
b
On a weather map, _______ fronts are shown by a line with triangular points on one side. a. warm b. cold c. occluded d. stationary
b
One of the discoveries which led to the modern view of the solar system was that the orbits of the planets are__________. a. circles b. ellipses c. hyperbolas d. parabolas
b
The Coriolis effect influences __________. a. only wind speed b. only wind direction c. both wind speed and wind direction d. neither wind speed nor wind direction
b
The ____________ explains how our solar system probably formed from a giant cloud of gases and dispersed solid particles. a. protogalactic theory b. nebular hypothesis c. extrastellar solar hypothesis d. planetary compression theory
b
The cloud form that is best described as sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky is termed ____________. a. cumulus b. stratus c. cirrus d. alto
b
The distance to stars can be determined from __________. a. fluorescence b. stellar parallax c. stellar mass d. emission nebulae
b
The eye of a hurricane is __________. a. the portion with the highest wind speeds b. warmer than the rest of the storm c. along the leading edge of the storm d. the area of most intense rainfall
b
This air mass may produce an occasional "northeaster" in the winter. a. cP b. mP c. cT d. mT
b
This cloud may develop an "anvil head." a. cirrostratus b. cumulonimbus c. altostratus d. cirrus
b
This fog forms in valleys at night. a. advection fog b. radiation fog c. steam fog d. precipitation fog
b
This pressure zone is associated with abundant precipitation and warm temperatures. a. subtropical high b. equatorial low c. subpolar low d. subpolar low
b
This scientist was the first to use the telescope in astronomy. a. Sir Isaac Newton b. Galileo c. Tycho Brahe d. Nicolaus Copernicus
b
Thunder and lightning are associated with these clouds. a. cirrostratus b. cumulonimbus c. altostratus d. cirrus
b
Tornadoes can be associated with this cloud type. a. cirrostratus b. cumulonimbus c. altostratus d. cirrus
b
Typhoon is another name for a __________. a. wave cyclone b. hurricane c. tornado d. squall line
b
What is the technical name for a high pressure center? a. cyclone b. anticyclone c. front d. doldrums
b
When are upper air winds fastest? a. in summer b. in winter c. whenever the temperature gradient is weak d. these winds maintain roughly the same speeds throughout the year
b
When supercooled raindrops freeze on contact with solid objects, _______ forms. a. rime b. glaze c. hail d. sleet
b
Which one of the following statements is NOT true of tornadoes? a. occur most frequently in the spring of the year b. usually occur along the warm front of a mid-latitude cyclone c. most common in the Midwest and Great Plains d. associated with cumulonimbus clouds
b
____________ meteorites are thought to be analogous in composition to Earth's core. a. Calcareous b. Iron c. Stony d. Ammonical
b
A cT air mass is __________. a. cold and dry b. cold and humid c. warm and dry d. warm and humid
c
A land breeze usually originates during the __________. a. evening and flows toward the land b. day and flows toward the land c. evening and flows toward the water d. day and flows toward the water
c
Based on the observed red shifts in the spectral lines of distant galaxies, astronomers conclude that __________. a. Earth is in the center of the universe b. the universe is contracting c. the universe is expanding d. the universe is in a steady state
c
Compared to the density of liquid water (1 gram/cc), the appropriate range in average densities of the terrestrial planets is ____________. a. l to 2 grams/cc b. 0.4 to 0.7grams/cc c. 4 to 6 grams/cc d. 2 to 3grams/cc
c
Fast moving currents of air found near the top of the troposphere are called __________. a. mesocyclones b. chinooks c. jet streams d. El Niño
c
High clouds that form delicate veil-like patches or extended wispy fibers are termed __________. a. cumulus b. stratus c. cirrus d. alto
c
If stormy weather is approaching, the pressure tendency would probably be __________. a. steady b. rising c. falling d. none of these
c
In the Northern Hemisphere, winds associated with a high pressure system blow __________. a. clockwise and toward the center b. counterclockwise and toward the center c. clockwise and outward from the center d. counterclockwise and outward from the center
c
Low air pressure systems are usually associated with __________. a. diverging winds b. descending air c. precipitation d. clear weather
c
Most of the United States is situated in which zone of prevailing winds? a. trade winds b. subpolar easterlies c. westerlies d. doldrums
c
One of the most common units used to express stellar distance is the __________. a. mile b. meter c. light-year d. kilometer
c
Standard sea level pressure in millibars is a. 750 mb b. 890 mb c. 1013 mb d. 1143 mb
c
The subpolar low (polar front) is a. a zone where the trade winds meet b. the forward edge of the Antarctic ice cap c. a zone where the polar easterlies and the westerlies converge d. the boundary between frozen and liquid
c
This cloud type is confined to the middle height range. a. cirrostratus b. cumulonimbus c. altostratus d. cirrus
c
Tornadoes most often move TOWARDS what direction? a. west b. southeast c. northeast d. northwest
c
We are likely to have our highest relative humidity __________. a. during mid-afternoon b. around midnight c. about sunrise d. at noon
c
When an active cold front overtakes a warm front __________. a. the fronts cancel one another out b. cloud formation ceases c. an occluded front forms d. a stationary front is created
c
When an area is experiencing several consecutive days of rather constant weather, it is probably __________. a. warm-front weather b. cold-front weather c. air-mass weather d. occluded front weather
c
Which of the following is considered to be a boundary between two different air masses? a. warm front b. cold front c. both warm front and cold front d. none of these
c
Which one of the fogs listed below may be categorized as an evaporation fog? a. advection b. radiation c. steam d. upslope
c
Widely spaced isobars often indicate __________. a. high winds b. variable winds c. light winds d. cyclonic winds
c
A Santa Ana (or Chinook or Foehn) wind is a __________. a. wind associated with a blizzard b. cold, damp wind blowing off a snow field c. wind that is common to the world's deserts d. very dry, warm wind flowing down a mountain slope
d
A wintertime form of precipitation that consists of small ice particles is called __________. a. rime b. glaze c. hail d. sleet
d
According to the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, how many "heavenly" bodies could be observed wandering along the background of stars? a. one b. two c. five d. seven
d
An air mass from the Gulf of Mexico is labeled __________. a. cP b. mP c. cT d. mT
d
Another name for the area of subtropical highs is __________. a. subpolar easterlies b. westerlies c. doldrums d. horse latitudes
d
Cold fronts and warm fronts in the middle latitudes are often associated with a __________. a. hurricane b. middle-latitude cyclone c. low pressure d. both b and c
d
Galileo observed several features using the telescope a. sunspots b. phases of Venus c. Jupiter's four largest moons d. the two moons of Mars
d
High air pressure systems are usually associated with __________. a. diverging winds b. descending air c. clear weather d. all of these
d
Hurricanes generally are __________. a. larger than tornadoes b. larger than mid-latitude cyclones c. areas of heavy rainfall and strong winds d. all of these
d
Standard sea level pressure in inches of mercury is __________. a. 7.52 inches b. 14.70 inches c. 28.70 inches d. 29.92 inches
d
The amount of water vapor in the air (by volume) usually does not exceed __________. a. 50% b. 28% c. 14% d. 4%
d
The apparent westward "drift" of the planets compared to the background stars is called __________. a. Ptolemaic motion b. occultation c. precession d. retrograde motion
d
The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered universe was __________. a. Sir Isaac Newton b. Galileo c. Tycho Brahe d. Nicolaus Copernicus
d
The force that generates wind is __________. a. Coriolis force b. gravity force c. centrifugal force d. pressure gradient force
d
This air mass is the source of much of the moisture for precipitation in the central and eastern United States. a. cP b. mP c. cT d. mT
d
This cloud sometimes produces "mare's tails." a. cirrostratus b. cumulonimbus c. altostratus d. cirrus
d
This fog results from adiabatic cooling. a. advection b. radiation c. steam d. upslope
d
This term is used to describe clouds found in the middle height range. a. cumulus b. stratus c. cirrus d. alto
d
This term is used to describe clouds that produce precipitation. a. cumulus b. stratus c. cirrus d. nimbo
d
When a hurricane moves onto land, it rapidly loses its punch; that is, the storm declines in intensity a. friction b. lack of warm, moist air c. heating from below by the land surface d. both a and b
d
When using a psychrometer and the two temperatures read nearly the same, you can conclude that __________. a. your instrument reading is accurate b. a change in temperature is likely c. the dew point temperature is very low d. the air has a high relative humidity
d
Which of these factors influence the magnitude of the Coriolis force? a. wind speed b. latitude c. wind direction d. both wind speed and latitude
d
Which of these instruments is NOT used to measure air pressure? a. mercurial barometer b. aneroid barometer c. barograph d. anemometer
d