Ch 1-6 Physical Geography
The Sun's rays are directly overhead at the ______ on or about December 21.
Tropic of Capricorn
"Greenwich Mean Time" is also known as _____.
Universal Time Coordinated
A nebula is
a cloud of gas and dust
Geography is
a combination of physical and social sciences
The acceptance of a theory or hypothesis is based on ________
a preponderance of evidence
Which of the below takes the LONGEST time?
a revolution of the Earth
The maximum distance between Earth and Sun occurs in July and is called the ________.
aphelion
Numbered meridians
are semicircles
The Plane of the Ecliptic is
at an angle from the plane of the Equator
The Earth rotates about its
axis
The line connecting the points of maximum flattening on Earth's surface is called the
axis
Which of the following subsystems includes all living things on Earth?
biosphere
Eratostenes was the first to accurately measure the Earth's _______
circumfrence
At the International Date Line, there is a change of ______
day
The "natural" baseline which serves as a baseline to measure longitude (such as the Equator, which is used as a baseline for latitude) _______.
does not exist
Pluto is now classified as a
dwarf planet
A cross section of Earth cut from pole to pole would reveal which shape?
ellipse
The solar system's Jovian planets are most likely composed of ___________
gas
A(n) _________ is a vertical piece of metal on a sundial.
gnomon
Our earthly grid system is also referred to as a ________ and consists of lines of latitude and longitude.
graticule
A ________ separates Earth into two hemisphers
great circle
The angular inclination of the Earth's axis with respect to a line perpendicular to the Plane of the Ecliptic
is 23.5 degrees
The solid, inorganic portion of the Earth's system is known as the ________
lithosphere
The Milky Way is one of over _________ galaxies in the Universe
many billions
The term "a.m."
means "before solar noon"
The surfaces of the inner planets of our solar system seem to be composed of
mineral matter
Before time zones were created in the 1880s, one could encounter ____________ time standards on a rail trip across the United States.
more than 20
Our solar system contains________moons revolving around the planets
more than one hundred (100+)
The best description of the actual shape of the Earth is as a(n)
oblate spheroid
At the equator, one degree of latitude is approximately equal to
one degree of longitude
Earth is
one of the inner planets
The response to Earth's rotation is
polar flattening
The constant angle between Earth's axis and the Plane of the Ecliptic is called Earth's ______
polarity
The fact that at any time during the year, the Earth's axis is parallel to its orientation at all other times is called parallelism, or ______
polarity
The cause of Earth's seasons is the
polarity of the axis
After it was part of a nebula and before it was the Sun, our Sun was a
protostar
Using gnomon, one can
tell local time
Which of the following is also an entire great circle?
the Equator
The most important physical effect of the Earth's rotation is ________
the alternation of sunlight and darkness
The distance of 150,000,000 kilometers is CLOSEST to being ___________
the average Earth/Sun distance
In science, the term "theory" is
the highest order of understanding
When the vertical rays of the Sun cross the Equator on their way northward, the date is known as _______ in the northern Hemisphere.
the vernal equinox
The Milky Way is one of, at least, _______ galaxies in the Universe
two hundred billion
The size of the Universe is best described as
vast beyond comprehension
Of the following, which is the first day of spring?
vernal equinox
the Earth is 3.3 percent closer to the Sun during the Northern Hemisphere ________ than when it is the farthest away.
winter
On June 21, the Sun's rays are directly over the
Tropic of Cancer
The Earth's polar and equatorial diameters vary by _____ percent.
.3
At the North Pole, one degree of longitude extends_____ kilometers on the ground.
0
How many time zones are contained within Alaska?
1
At the Equator (0 degrees), a given point on Earth's surface travels about _______ kilometers per hour.
1,600
Which of the following distances is CLOSEST to the actual distance associated with one degree of latitude?
100 km
The Milky Way is a galaxy some _______light years in diameter
100,000
Near the North Pole, one degree of latitude extends _____ kilometer(s) on the ground.
111
An equinox has the property of
12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night at all latitudes.
At the June solstice, day length varies from _____ hours at the Equator to _____ hours at the North Pole.
12, 24
Earth's Diameter is CLOSEST to _____ kilometers
12,000
The Universe is thought to be on the order of _______ billion years old.
13.7
The closest position taken by the Earth relative to the Sun is _____ million kilometers
147
Longitude is divided into multiples of ______ degrees for the purpose of delimiting standard time zones.
15
Which of the following is a central meridian in the standardized time system? 5 d W, 10 d W, 15 d W, 20 d W, 25 d W
15 degrees West
At the time of the aphelion, Earth is _________ million kilometers from the Sun.
152
The geographic grid line 180 degrees of longitude from the Prime Meridian is the ______
180th Meridian
Standardization in world time zones dates from ________
1884
The altitudinal difference (relief) between the top of the tallest mountain and the bottom of the deepest ocean trench is CLOSEST to ______ kilometers
20
The world is divided into _________ standard zones.
24
The moon is some _______ kilometers distant from Earth
385,000
How many degrees of latitude are there between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn?
47
The U.S. spans _____ time zones
6
In angular measurement, a minute contains _______ seconds.
60
At times, latitude higher than _____ degrees can have 24 hours or more of continuous darkness.
66.5
Any standard time zone extends ______ degrees of latitude to the east and west of the central meridian.
7.5
The Earth is one of ______ planets in our solar system
8
Russia is the country containing the most time zones. It contains ______ zones
9
Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth and its altitude is closest to ______ meters
9,000
The highest numbered latitude used in the geographic grid is ______ degrees.
90
Suppose you are standing on the standard time meridian of 75 degrees West. Which would be the next standard time meridian west?
90 degrees west
Which of the following is not contained within Earth's system of latitude and longitude? A) longitude of 5 W B) longitude of 185 E C) latitude of 0 D) longitude of 165 W E) latitude of 36 N
B) longitude of 185 E
When the Sun's rays are directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn, it is _____________-
December 21
When the circle of illumination just touches the Arctic Circle and the North Pole is dark, the date is closest to
December 21
In New York City, this is the shortest day of the year and the Sun is also lowest in the sky.
December solstice
Which of the following is NOT defined by latitude? A) parallel B) Arctic Circle C) Antarctic Circle D) North Pole E) meridian
E) Meridian
Rotation of the Earth causes _________. A) tides B) Coriolis effect C) local variations in temperature D) day and night E) all of the above
E) all of the above
Which of the following is a topic of study in a physical geography course? A) land forms B) soil C) climate D) flora E) all of the above
E) all of the above
Which of the following is out of order in the ideal application of the scientific method? A) observe a phenomenon that stimulates a question B) design an experiment C) observe the outcome of an experiment D) formulate a rule E) make a hypothesis
E) make a hypothesis
A spot on Earth's surface rotates fastest at the __________
Equator
Of the following, which is a great circle?
Equator
On both the Spring and Fall equinoxes, the Sun's rays are vertically overhead at the ____________
Equator
The first nearly correct measurement of the Earth's circumference was made by ______.
Eratostenes
Universal Time Coordinated is also known as ______________
Greenwich Mean Time
The perihelion is during the month of
January
The Earth/Sun aphelion occurs once per year during the month of _______
July
The circle of illumination just touches the Antarctic Circle on or about _______
June 21
The farthest north the vertical rays of the Sun ever reach north of the Equator occurs on or about _______
June 21
The Sun is a star in the ____ galaxy
Milky Way
One degree of longitude equals 0 miles on the ground at the ______________
North Pole
Which of the following best describes the latitude and longitude of North America?
Northern and Western Hemispheres
The north end of Earth's axis points towards
Polaris
The 0 degree Meridian is the same line as the ______
Prime Meridian
The Greenwich Meridian is also known as the _____________.
Prime Meridian
