GEO 1200 EXAM 1
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 world is divided into ________ standard zones.
24
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
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 ________.
Eratosthenes
The maximum distance between Earth and Sun occurs in July and is called the ________.
aphelion
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
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
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 its 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 a gnomon, one can
tell local time.
Which of the following is also an entire great circle?
the Equator
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 United States spans ________ time zones.
6
In angular measurement, a minute contains ________ seconds.
60
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 altitudinal difference (relief) between the top of the tallest mountain and the bottom of the deepest ocean trench is CLOSEST to ________ kilometers.
20
At the North Pole, one degree of longitude extends ________ kilometers on the ground.
0
The Earth's polar and equatorial diameters vary by ________ percent.
0.3
How many time zones are contained within Alaska?
1
At the Equator (0°), 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
At the time of the aphelion, Earth is ________ million kilometers from the Sun.
152
Which of the following is a central meridian in the standardized time system?
15°W
The geographic grid line 180 degrees of longitude from the Prime Meridian is the ________.
180th meridian
Standardization in world time zones dates from ________.
1884
At times, latitudes 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
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 ________°.
90
Suppose you are standing on the standard time meridian of 75°W. Which would be the next standard time meridian to your west?
90°W
Universal Time Coordinated is also known as ________.
Greenwich Mean Time
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° Meridian is the same line as the ________ .
Prime Meridian
The Greenwich Meridian is also known as the ________.
Prime Meridian
On June 21, the Sun's rays are directly over the
Tropic of Cancer.
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.
Which of the following is not contained within Earth's system of latitude and longitude?
a longitude of 185°E
The acceptance of 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
Rotation of the Earth causes ________.
all of the above
Which of the following is a topic of study in a physical geography course?
all of the above
Eratosthenes was the first to accurately measure the Earth's ________.
circumference
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.
The Earth is one of ________ planets in the solar system.
eight
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 hemispheres.
great circle
The solid, inorganic portion of the Earth system is known as the ________.
lithosphere
Which of the following is out of order in the ideal application of the scientific method?
make a hypothesis
The Milky Way is one of over ________ galaxies in the Universe.
many billions
The term "a.m."
means "before solar noon".
Which of the following is NOT defined by latitude?
meridian
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
The best description of the actual shape of the Earth is as a(n)
oblate spheroid.
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.
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 farthest away.
winter