Geography Test 1
Which of the following accurately describes Earth's distance from the sun?
-The earth-sun distance averages 150 million kilometers (93 million miles). -The earth is closer to the sun in January (perihelion) and farther away in July (aphelion). -It takes light an average of 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel from the sun to the earth. All of these statements are correct.
At sea level, the pressure of the atmosphere is about ________ kg per square centimeter, or ________ pounds per square inch.
1.0; 14.7
On Earth, the Sun passes directly overhead at 0 degrees latitude (Equator) ________ times a year.
2
If it is 10:00 A.M. in Miami, Florida (Eastern time zone), what time is it in Los Angeles, California, located 3 time zones to the west in the Pacific Time zone?
7 A.M.
Which of the following is TRUE about Global Positioning System (GPS)?
GPS helped accurately determined the height of Mt. Everest.
Why are humans and other living things NOT crushed by the pressure of the atmosphere?
Humans and other living things exert pressure outward, counterbalancing atmospheric pressure.
Based on your understanding of the march of the seasons, which of the following is TRUE of Quito, Ecuador (0° 15' N, 78° 35' S)?
Quito experiences days and nights of equal lengths throughout the year.
Why is stratospheric ozone loss a concern?
Stratospheric ozone absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation (UVB and UVC).
What two pollutants react with water to produce acid rain?
Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides
Which of the following is TRUE for the June Solstice?
The Arctic Circle is completely within the circle of illumination.
Which of the following is FALSE?
The Sun is by far the largest star in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Which of the following is CORRECT regarding daylength?
The equator always receives equal hours of day and night.
Which of the following statements about Earth is correct?
The equatorial diameter is 42 km (26 mi.) greater than the polar diameter.
Which of the following is TRUE of gases in the heterosphere?
The hydrogen and helium occur at the top of the heterosphere, and the nitrogen and oxygen at the bottom.
Which of the following is TRUE of nitrogen?
The nitrogen that the human body needs is derived from food not the air.
Which of the following is TRUE of the number of hours of daylight?
The number of hours of daylight varies depending on the latitude of the observer.
Despite its high temperatures, why would the thermosphere feel cold to humans?
The number of molecules is not high enough to transfer heat to human's skin.
Which of the following best describes the field of physical geography?
The spatial analysis of all the physical elements, processes, and systems that make up the environment.
Which of the following is TRUE for the March Equinox?
The subsolar point is at the equator.
Which of the following is NOT a reason for the seasons?
The timing of Earth's perihelion and aphelion
"Geography" literally means
To write about the earth
Which is not true of Earth's modern atmosphere?
We consider the top of the atmosphere to be 32,000 km (20,000 mi.) from Earth's surface
Which of the following sequences is arranged in order from shorter wavelength to longer wavelength?
X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared
Earth and the Sun formed specifically from
a nebula of dust and gases
A magnetic disturbance on the Sun's surface is called:
a sunspot.
Which of the following is great circle?
the Equatorial parallel (0 degree latitude)
The meridian opposite of the Earth's prime meridian (0° longitude) is called:
the International Date Line (IDL)
The homosphere is so called because
the blend of gases is nearly uniform throughout.
The term "net radiation" refers to
the difference in amount of incoming and outgoing radiation.
The auroras (borealis and Australis) in the upper atmosphere are caused by:
the interaction of the solar wind and upper layers of Earth's atmosphere
On its way to Earth, the solar wind first encounters
the magnetosphere.
Remote sensing is
the monitoring of a distant object without physical contact.
The word spatial refers to
the nature and character of physical space and the distribution of phenomena within it
Life is possible on Earth primarily because:
the ozonosphere and ionosphere shield the surface from harmful solar radiation.
If a clock on a ship indicates that it is 2:00 P.M. in its home port, while another clock on the ship indicates that it is 12:00 noon at the ship's present location, what is the difference in longitude between the ship's present position and its home port?
the ship is 30 degrees west of its home port
Weather is confined to the troposphere because:
the temperature of the stratosphere prevents tropospheric air from rising into it.
The thermopause refers to
the top of Earth's atmosphere.
On the June Solstice, this area experiences 24 hours of daylight.
above the Arctic Circle
On June 21, the sun never sets (i.e. no sunset) at John's location. Based on this, it can be concluded that John lives:
above the Arctic Circle.
The ozonosphere is critical to life because it:
absorbs most ultraviolet wavelengths.
The Montreal Protocol
aims to reduce and eliminate all ozone depleting substances.
Which of the following is incorrectly matched?
aphelion - earth-sun distance is 91.5 million miles
The thermopause is located:
approximately 480 km (300 mi.) above Earth's surface.
Which of the following is incorrectly matched?
arctic circle - 66.5 degrees southern parallel
Standard time zones
are 15° wide because Earth rotates through that distance in one hour.
Changes in daylength, the Sun's altitude above the horizon, and the Sun's declination over the course of the year
are responsible for the seasons.
Relative to the five fundamental themes of geography, latitude and longitude refer to
location
Radio waves have a ________ wavelength than visible light and are therefore ________ energetic.
longer; less
An angular distance measured east or west of the prime meridian from the center of Earth is termed:
longitude.
The Sun produces which of the following?
mainly visible light and infrared energy
Which of the following lists the correct sequence of gases, from most to least, in terms of percentage within the homosphere?
nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, trace gases
A map scale of 1:24,000 means that:
one foot on the map equals 24,000 feet on the earth's surface it is a large-scale map one inch on the map equals 24,000 inches on the ground one centimeter on the map equals 24,000 centimeters on the ground all of these statements are correct
Which of the gases listed below has accumulated in the atmosphere as a result of biological (life) processes?
oxygen
Which of the following statements is true regarding latitude and parallels?
parallels run as east-west lines on a map the angle is measured north or south of the equator both A and C
The heterosphere is the layer of the atmosphere in which the gases are ________ because of __________.
poorly mixed; the influence of gravity which causes gases of different weight to separate into layers
Our planet and our lives are powered by
radiant energy from the Sun.
A scale of 1:900,000 is ________a scale of 1:24,000.
smaller than
The average insolation received by the thermopause when Earth is at its average distance from the sun is known as the
solar constant
Temperatures increase with increasing altitude (going up) in what two atmospheric layers?
stratosphere and thermosphere
Which of the following is incorrectly matched regarding latitudinal geographic zones?
subantarctic zone - area between 55o and 66.5o latitudes
What is the name of the location on the surface of Earth that receives insolation when the Sun is directly overhead? (When this occurs, the Sun's rays are perpendicular to this surface.)
subsolar point
The ________ emits mainly ________ which is also called ________.
Earthlongwave radiationthermal infrared
Earth's circumference is greatest when measured around the
Equator
Which of the following is easily determined using the position of the Sun or stars such as Polaris?
latitude
An angular distance measured north or south of the Equator from the center of Earth is called:
latitude.
Why is the hole in the ozone greatest over Antarctica?
Chlorine freed from CFCs elsewhere migrate to the Antarctic region, where they are trapped by the polar vortex.
UTC refers to
Coordinated Universal Time
Which of the following best describes the direction of Earth's rotation?
Counterclockwise when viewed from the North Pole; clockwise when viewed from the South Pole, eastward when viewed from the equator.
The practice of setting time ahead or behind during the year, out of coordination with the Sun, is termed
Daylight Saving Time
When does Earth's perihelion position, the point of orbit when it is closest to the Sun, occur?
During the Northern Hemisphere's winter.
Which of the following is an example of a closed system?
Earth (in terms of matter)
Which of the following is TRUE regarding the 0° prime meridian?
Earth's prime meridian passes through the old Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, as set by an 1884 treaty.
The uneven distribution of insolation by latitude is primarily caused by:
Earth's sphericity, which presents varied angles to parallel solar rays.
Travelers flying west from Los Angeles (118° W) to Tokyo (139° E) will cross the __________ and, as a result, they will __________ when crossing this meridian.
International Date Line; lose a day (Example: Saturday becomes Sunday.)
Which of the following is TRUE of the mesosphere?
It contains clouds that are visible at night.
Which of the following is true of the Sun's electromagnetic spectrum?
It is capable of sustaining life on Earth even though some portions of the spectrum are actually harmful to living organisms.
Which of the following is TRUE of the subsolar point?
It only occurs at latitudes between the tropics (23.5° N/S).
Which of the following is true regarding the depletion of ozone in the ozonosphere (ozone layer)?
It results from chemical reactions with chlorine that is derived from CFCs.
If it is 10:00 PM on July 3rd at 30 degrees west, what date and time is it at 15 degrees east?
July 4th @ 1 a.m.
Which of the following statements is true?
March 21 = equal day and night hours everywhere on Earth.
A by-product of photosynthesis is
Oxygen
The oblateness (flattened shape) of Earth occurs at the
Poles
Which of the following Earth spheres is considered a living sphere?
biosphere
Isaac Newton reasoned that Earth was NOT perfectly spherical because of
centrifugal force created by Earth's more rapid rotation at the equator.
In terms of matter and resources, Earth is essentially a(n) ________ system; In terms of energy, Earth is a(n) ________ system.
closed; open
At all times during the year, the circle of illumination
divides Earth between equal halves of lightness and darkness.
If City A is located west of City B, the time at City A is __________ than that at City B because the earth rotates from __________ when viewed from above the North Pole.
earlier; west to east(i.e., counterclockwise)
Which of the following terms is used to accurately describe the earth's shape?
geoid
The equinox
has 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night for all locations.
The Clean Air Act
has resulted in the significant reduction in various atmospheric pollutants.
The tropopause occurs at a ________ elevation above the tropics than above the poles because ________.
higher; the troposphere is hotter in the tropics, and this causes the air to rise to greater heights
Shale gas extraction using hydraulic fracturing falls within which of the five themes?
human-Earth relationships
Intercepted (Incoming) solar radiation is also known as:
insolation.
The maximum number of daylight hours of the year in the N. Hemisphere are experienced during the:
time that the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer (summer solstice)
Which atmospheric zone supports the biosphere and is the region of principle weather activity?
troposphere
Based on function, the atmosphere has:
two functional areas that absorb harmful radiation from the Sun
The difference in Sun time between two places located 30° in longitude apart from one another is
two hours
The realization that the Earth was a sphere
was first made by Pythagoras, 580-500 B.C.
Temperature inversions occur
when surface temperatures are lower than warmer overlying air
