Earth Science Expert Answers & Study Resources

54) Why are there only 4-7 eclipses per year? A) The Moon's orbit is inclined to the ecliptic and only crosses the ecliptic twice per year. B) There are more, they just aren't visible on both sides of the earth. C) The Moon's orbit is inclined to the ecliptic and only crosses the.

86) The boundary between air masses having different densities is called a(n) ________. A) front B) anticyclone C) source area D) cyclone 87) By international agreement, lesser tropical cyclones are given different names based on the strength of their winds. When a cyclone's strongest winds do not exceed 61 kilometers (38 miles) per hour, it.

54) ________ refers to the bright head of a comet. A) Toma B) Coma C) Lira D) Lima 56) A comet is visible because ________. A) it is composed of white material, mostly ice B) it boils off steam that streams outward along the comet's path C) it is a very large object that get stretched out by.

11) Fluorescence is a characteristic of ________. A) emission nebulae B) planetary nebulae C) reflection nebulae D) dark nebulae E) blue nebulae 12) The red color of emission nebulae comes from the ________. A) energy emission of oxygen B) conversion of infrared light to visible light C) conversion of ultraviolet light to visible light D) energy emission of helium E) energy.

33) The updrafts in thunderstorms are initiated by thermal instabilities at the surface. What process tends to increase the vertical instability that feeds the thunderstorm development? A) low pressure aloft B) Coriolis forces C) release of latent heat by condensation D) a jet stream aloft 34) When a TV weather forecaster gives a forecast for.

13) Why do humid tropical regions have only small variations in temperature throughout the year? A) The canopy of trees in the rain forest shade the ground and reflect light all the time. B) The location of this climatic region is limited to an area where the solar radiation does not vary.

72) The "true" brightness of a star is called its ________ magnitude. A) absolute B) galactic C) Doppler D) apparent 73) The distance light travels in a year, called a(n) ________, is used by astronomers to measure stellar distances. A) parsec B) dwarf distance C) hydrogen fusion D) light year 74) Possibly the most cataclysmic event associated with the death.

66) When a(n) ________ front passes, the temperature drops dramatically. A) stationary B) warm C) occluded D) cold 67) Surface cyclones are accompanied by ________ aloft. A) high pressure systems B) divergence C) suction vortexes D) convergence 68) Convergence aloft helps maintain surface ________. A) lows B) tornadoes C) wind gusts D) highs 69) Lightning rarely occurs in the ________. A) ocean B) mid latitudes C) tropics D) polar.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) According to the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, how many "heavenly" bodies could be observed wandering along the background of stars? A) five B) two C) seven D) one 2) Why were planets called "wanderers" by early astronomers? A) They.

49) Slipher made the observation that galaxies rotated and moved relative to each other. Hubble expanded on this work to show that ________. A) the relative motion between adjacent galaxies varies B) galaxies within the Local Group rotate more than other galaxies C) galaxies within the Local Group rotate less than other galaxies D).

30) What did the Mars rover Opportunity discover on Mars that relates to questions about the existence of water on Mars? A) The rover found ice in the soil. B) The rover found sedimentary rocks that contained minerals that could only have formed by precipitation from water. C) The rover found liquid water.

93) Which of these is not one of the three major variables used in the Köppen system to establish the boundary between dry and humid climates? A) average annual precipitation B) seasonal variation in pressure C) seasonal distribution of precipitation D) average annual temperature 94) Earth's low-latitude deserts and steppes coincide with the ________ pressure.

16) The old fashioned incandescent light bulb produces yellowish colored light by heating tungsten to a very high temperature and the tungsten radiates light peaking in the yellowish-white range. If you wanted a more blue light that was brighter, what would you need to do with a simple filament light.

79) The energy from nuclear fusion is produced by the conversion of ________. A) matter to anti-matter B) mass to energy C) particles to waves D) all of the above are accurate 80) Astronomers currently estimate sunspots to be about ________ degrees cooler than the rest of the surface. A) 1000 B) 1500 C).

84) The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered universe was ________. A) Copernicus B) Galileo C) Ptolemy D) Eratosthenes 85) The average distance from Earth to the Sun is called the ________ unit. A) atomic B) aphelion C) astronomical D) angle 86) The planets stay in orbit around the Sun because of a balance between gravity and ________. A) orbit B).

64) ________ discovered Jupiter's four largest moons. A) Brahe B) Galileo C) Kepler D) Newton 65) ________ discovered the three laws of planetary motion. A) Brahe B) Galileo C) Kepler D) Newton 66) ________ accurately recorded the position of the planet Mars. A) Brahe B) Galileo C) Kepler D) Newton 67) Galileo believed in a ________ view of the universe. A) Geocentric B) Heliocentric C) Earth D) Ptolemaic 68) ________.

27) A star with the same color as another but 100 times brighter must be ________. A) 100 times colder B) 100 times closer C) 100 times hotter D) 100 times larger E) none of the above 28) The first stars formed about 300 million years after Big Bang in the most massive nebulae because ________. A).

13) The most popular theory for the origin of the Moon today is ________. A) the Moon and Earth coalesced from an eddy in the solar nebular, forming a binary planet system B) the early Earth and a planet the size of Mars collided, and the ejected material coalesced to form Earth's.

ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper. 95) Describe the sequence of events that occur when a fully developed midlatitude cyclone passes just to your north, including cloud sequences, frontal passages, and barometric conditions. 96) Why does the central United States from Texas to.

49) Irregularities in brightness on the Sun's photosphere (granules) are produced by ________. A) local violent explosions within the photosphere equivalent to a hydrogen bomb explosion B) large convective cells within the photosphere C) different elemental abundances being stirred within the photosphere, to produce variable brightness D) pods of solid mass ejected to the.

74) The ________ side of the Moon is always visible from Earth. A) cratered B) same C) dark D) polar 75) The cycle of phases of the Moon is the basis for our ________. A) day B) month C) light year D) year 76) An eclipse of the Moon can be seen by anyone on ________. A) the opposite side of.

44) Axial precession is sometimes called the precession of equinoxes because it results in a gradual shift, relative to the celestial background, of the position where the Sun crosses the celestial equator at the equinox. Astrology is a mythology based on things like your "sign" which refers to the position.

73) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern. A) subarctic B) rain shadow C) desert D) steppe 74) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does.

62) Stars spend most of their life span as ________ stars. A) main-sequence B) neutron C) red giant D) red supergiant 63) The measure of a star's brightness is called its ________. A) magnitude B) luminosity C) apparent light D) both A and B 64) The least massive main-sequence stars are ________ in color. A) blue B) white C) yellow D) red 65) Stars with.

19) When an active cold front overtakes a warm front, ________. A) the fronts cancel one another out B) an occluded front forms C) cloud formation ceases D) a stationary front is created 20) You are in mid-latitudes in winter. You experience heavy snow followed by a dramatic drop in temperature as a cold front.

83) The southeastern United States is a good example of a ________ climate. A) savanna B) humid subtropical C) Mediterranean D) dry summer subtropical 84) Annual temperature ranges are ________ throughout a humid continental climate. A) almost nonexistent B) moderate C) high D) low 85) The tundra climate is a ________ found almost exclusively in the ________ Hemisphere. A) treeless climate;.

86) A popular modern theory for the origin of the Earth-Moon system is that the early Earth collided with another planet the size of ________. A) Mercury B) Mars C) Jupiter D) Venus 87) Which planet, in addition to Earth, shows clear evidence of water erosion? A) Mars B) Jupiter C) Mercury D) Venus 88) Saturn's moon Titan has rain.

76) Tornadoes are most often generated along the ________ front of a middle-latitude cyclone. A) stationary B) cold C) warm D) occluded 77) A tornado watch is issued by the National Weather Service ________. A) only if a tornado has been sighted but before it has touched down B) if the weather conditions indicate that tornadoes could.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) In the early 1700's Kant suggested there were many galaxies visible from Earth but the idea was not popular because ________. A) the "Big Bang" theory did not support that concept B) that hypothesis would require a.

34) The Southern Cross is a Southern Hemisphere constellation that is as famous the big dipper in the Northern Hemisphere because of the brightness of the stars. It has a Southern Hemisphere declination slightly higher than the big dipper's Northern Hemisphere declination. Is it visible anywhere in the United States? A).

37) Low mass stars generally end up as ________ dwarfs. A) yellow B) red C) blue D) white 40) A neutron star theoretically will form from a supernovae collapse that ________. A) fuses all of the atoms into super atoms with very high atomic numbers B) compresses all atoms so that electrons are so close to the.

51) Carbon dioxide is an important influence on climate because ________. A) it passes incoming long wavelength solar radiation, but it absorbs short wavelength outgoing earth radiation B) it absorbs incoming short wavelength solar radiation, but it passes some longer wavelength outgoing earth radiation C) it passes incoming short wavelength solar radiation, but.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Which of the following is not part of the climate system? A) gyrosphere B) hydrosphere C) cryosphere D) geosphere E) biosphere 2) Which of the following is a part of the earth system that could be significantly impacted by climate and.

ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper. 96) If the earth were the center of the universe and the Moon, planets, and Sun all moved around the earth, logic would say that all of these celestial objects should move in the same direction.

21) Who wrote the book entitled Of the Revolutions of Celestial Spheres (De Revolutionibus)? A) Johannes Kepler B) Galileo C) Tycho Brahe D) Sir Isaac Newton E) Nicolaus Copernicus 22) This scientist wrote a book entitled Dialogue of the Great World Systems that compared the Earth-centered system with the Sun-centered system. A) Galileo B) Tycho Brahe C) Johannes Kepler D).

ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper. 102) If you could modify or replace the Köppen classification system what information would you incorporate that is not currently part of the system? 103) Climatic zones are often based on different types of vegetation that result.

65) Impact craters are common on the surface of all of the terrestrial planets except ________. A) Mars B) Mercury C) Venus D) Earth 66) Lunar regolith breccia contains crystalline rock fragments and glassy fragments formed by ________. A) solar flares B) asteroid fragments C) comet trails D) meteorite impacts 67) The youngest rocks found on the Moon by.

75) There is evidence of water on ________. A) Mars B) Venus C) the Moon D) Mercury 76) Large impact craters and large, domal features (probably representing viscous lava flows) have been imaged on the surface of ________. A) Mercury B) Mars C) Venus D) Saturn 77) ________ is the major gas in the atmosphere of Venus. A) Water vapor B) Nitrogen.

29) Which of the following types of telescopes use lenses similar to that of ordinary eyeglasses? A) reflective B) refracting C) orbital D) adaptive 31) In a radio telescope, the electromagnetic energy is gathered by ________. A) a glass mirror with a reflective coating, similar to an optical telescope B) a spherical thin metal.

61) If sea ice melts, this would affect the climate by ________. A) increasing albedo B) increasing the amount of solar energy absorbed at the surface C) decreasing the moisture in the atmosphere D) reducing the amount of solar energy absorbed at the surface E) increasing the moisture in the atmosphere 62) General circulation models are.

42) Neptune and Uranus both appear bluish in sunlight whereas Jupiter and Saturn are multicolored. Why are Neptune and Uranus blue? A) They do not contain dust and debris in the atmosphere, like Saturn and Jupiter. B) They contain methane ice in their atmosphere which causes the color. C) They contain ice crystals.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 2) Most of the mass in the solar system is contained ________. A) in the Sun B) in the outer planets C) in the Sun plus Jupiter D) in the inner planets 3) Which observation supports the theory that the planets.

38) Why are humid middle-latitude climates with severe winters not found in the Southern Hemisphere? A) It is too warm in the Southern Hemisphere to have severe winters. B) The Southern Hemisphere is dominated by oceans. C) Coastal regions in the Southern Hemisphere are mostly volcanic. D) The Southern Hemisphere is dominated by warm.

69) Dark-line (absorption) spectra can be used to identify the ________ present in stars. A) energy B) luminosity C) heat D) elements 70) In the case of light, when a source is moving away, its light appears ________ than it actually is. A) bluer B) greener C) whiter D) redder 71) Galileo ________ telescopes. A).

56) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern. A) occluded front B) stationary front C) cold front D) warm front 57) Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the.

59) Hydrogen "burning" in stars is ________. A) a chemical reaction that bonds hydrogen to oxygen to make water, which remains a gas because of the extremely high temperatures B) an atomic reaction that fuses 4 protons to make a helium nucleus, releasing energy by converting mass to energy C) an atomic reaction.

24) The low latitude dry regions coincide with ________. A) the polar low pressure belt B) the subtropical high pressure belts C) the subtropical low pressure belts D) the gulf stream E) the polar high pressure belt 25) Low latitude dry regions tend to ________. A) have high cirrus clouds B) have high winds due to downward plunging.

46) When a hurricane moves onto land, it rapidly loses its punch; that is, the storm declines in intensity. Which of the factors listed below contribute to this loss of punch? A) lack of warm, moist air to feed latent heat driven convection B) disruption of outflow by strong winds aloft from.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 3) Electromagnetic radiation that behaves like a particle is called a(n) ________. A) photon B) quark C) electron D) proton 4) X-rays have shorter wavelength than visible light; therefore, X-rays ________. A) have lower energy than light waves B) are.

104) Observe the desert and steppe climates on Figure 20.8 below. How are these climates distributed relative to latitude? What is the relationship of dry climates to global circulation discussed in chapter 20? 105) Why is climate change a political issue in the United States? 106) How are carbon dioxide and other.