Unit 10, Thunderstorms and Tornadoes Wikipedia Homework

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado", scroll down to "Safety", and answer this question: Which is the worst place to seek shelter from a tornado? a. A highway overpass b. Getting low in a ditch c. A basement d. An interior room on the first floor of a house

a. A highway overpass

In Wikipedia, look up "Supercell", scroll down to "Supercell anatomy", and answer this question: A mesocyclone is a rotating updraft of warm air within a supercell. Based on the panel of three figures in this section, how does it form? a. By the tilting of a horizontal vortex b. By strong downdrafts from the supercell c. From the Earth's Coriolis force d. From the jet stream

a. By the tilting of a horizontal vortex

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado", scroll down to "Intensity and Damage", and answer this question: True or False: According to current records, less than 1% of tornadoes are violent (EF4 or greater). a. True b. False

a. True

In Wikipedia, look up "Lightning", scroll down to "Electrification", and answer this question: Lightning is an electrostatic discharge between two electrically charged regions that allows electrons in a negatively charged region to flow back to the positive region. How did these regions in thunderstorms get oppositely charged to begin with? a. When small ice crystals collide with hail within clouds. b. When updrafts bring electrons up from the ground. c. When clouds collide. d. The freezing of water in clouds releases electrons.

a. When small ice crystals collide with hail within clouds.

In Wikipedia, look up "Thunder" and answer this question: What causes thunder? a. A collision between two thunderstorm clouds. b. A sudden increase in temperature due to lightning produces a rapid expansion of the air that creates a shock wave. c. A strong separation of electric charge that builds up between clouds and the ground. d. A sudden change in pressure due to a strong downdraft.

b. A sudden increase in temperature due to lightning produces a rapid expansion of the air that creates a shock wave.

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado", scroll down to "Tornado rating scale", and answer this question: What is the Fujita (or Enhanced Fujita) scale used to rate the power of tornadoes based on? a. Wind speed b. Damage caused c. Longevity d. Size

b. Damage caused

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado" and answer this question: True or False: A violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with the surface of the Earth can still be considered a tornado. a. True b. False

b. False

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado", scroll down to "Ongoing research", and answer this question: True or False: Meteorologists have a fairly good understanding of how and when tornadoes form. a. True b. False

b. False

In Wikipedia, look up "Supercell" and answer this question: Which distinguishes supercells from all other thunderstorms? a. Its size b. Its rotation c. The amount of rainfall d. It produces hail

b. Its rotation

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado", scroll down to "Climatology", and answer this question: When are tornadoes most common? a. Winter b. Spring c. Summer d. Fall

b. Spring

In Wikipedia, look up "Downburst" and answer this question: What is a downburst? a. A sudden increase in rain during a thunderstorm. b. When a wall cloud descends from a supercell. c. A strong ground-level wind that emanates from a source above and blows in straight lines in all directions from the point of contact at ground level. d. The point in time when a tornado first touches the ground.

c. A strong ground-level wind that emanates from a source above and blows in straight lines in all directions from the point of contact at ground level.

In Wikipedia, look up "Water Cycle", scroll down to "Description", and answer this question: What happens to water vapor (which is an invisible gas) as it cools? a. It condenses into tiny drops which are lighter than air b. It expands into tiny droplets which are lighter than air c. It condenses into tiny drops which are heavier than air d. It expands into tiny droplets which are heavier than air

c. It condenses into tiny drops which are heavier than air

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado", scroll down to "Climatology", and answer this question: Which region experiences the most tornadoes? a. Europe b. Australia c. The United States d. Canada

c. The United States

In Wikipedia, look up "Cold front", scroll down to "Development of cold fronts", and answer this question: Happens when mass of colder air move into where warmer air is present? a. The drier, colder air forms a shallow sloping boundary under the warmer, moister air at the surface and lifts that air. b. The drier, colder air forms a shallow sloping boundary over the warmer, moister air at the surface and the cold air is lifted. c. The drier, colder air forms a steeply sloping boundary under the warmer, moister air at the surface and lifts that air. d. The drier, colder air forms a steeply sloping boundary over the warmer, moister air at the surface and the cold air is lifted.

c. The drier, colder air forms a steeply sloping boundary under the warmer, moister air at the surface and lifts that air.

In Wikipedia, look up "Hail" and answer this question: Which of the following is NOT required for hail to be generated? a. Strong, upward motion of air within a thunderstorm b. Lowered heights of the freezing level c. The presence of snow d. All the above are required for hail to form

c. The presence of snow

In Wikipedia, look up "Tornado", scroll down to "Radar", and answer this question: What does Doppler radar measure in order to spot evidence of rotation in storms. a. Temperature b. Distance c. Velocity d. Pressure

c. Velocity

In Wikipedia, look up "Water Cycle", scroll down to "Description", and answer this question: Which of the following describes what happens with increasing altitude? a. Air pressure increases and the temperature rises. b. Air pressure increases and the temperature drops. c. Air pressure decreases and the temperature rises. d. Air pressure decreases and the temperature drops.

d. Air pressure decreases and the temperature drops.

In Wikipedia, look up "Cumulonimbus cloud" and answer this question: Which of the following can be produced by cumulonimbus clouds? a. Lightning b. Tornadoes c. Hailstones d. All the above

d. All the above

In Wikipedia, look up "Lightning", scroll down to "Lightning leaders", and answer this question: What are lightning leaders? a. The front part of thunderstorms where lightning occurs. b. Electrical conducting rods that channel lightning strikes away from a house. c. Lightning that occurs between the lower and upper part of thunderstorms. d. Electrically conductive channels of ionized gas that connect regions of opposite charge, creating a path for lightning (flash).

d. Electrically conductive channels of ionized gas that connect regions of opposite charge, creating a path for lightning (flash).

In Wikipedia, look up "TOtable Tornado Observatory" and answer this question: Which is not true about the TOTO? a. It was designed to be placed directly in the path of a tornado. b. It was never deployed successfully to measure tornadoes (it fell over when close to even a small tornado). c. It was named after the dog in the Wizard of Oz. d. It was designed to release little GPS balls to measure wind speed in a tornado, just like Dorothy in the move Twister.

d. It was designed to release little GPS balls to measure wind speed in a tornado, just like Dorothy in the move Twister.