Question 1
Question
The main difference between weather and climate is that ________.
Answer
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weather is the regional pattern based on latitude and humidity while climate is the daily pattern based on season.
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climate is the regional pattern based on latitude and humidity while weather is the daily pattern based on season
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weather is the daily variations that actually occur at a location and climate is the general pattern of weather over time
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climate is the daily variations that actually occur at a location and weather is the general pattern of climate over time
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climate is a political opinion while weather is reality
Question 2
Question
Solar rays will strike the Tropic of Capricorn at an angle of 90 degrees on ________.
Answer
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September 21
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June 21
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March 21
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December 21
Question 3
Question
What causes seasons?
Answer
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seasonal changes in the angle of the sun above the horizon
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differences in the amount of daylight
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the elliptical orbit of the earth
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the changing tilt angle of the earth
Question 4
Question
The differences in summer and winter temperatures are greatest for locations ________.
Answer
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The location does not affect the range of temperatures.
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near 60 degrees north or south latitude
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near the Poles
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near the tropic of Cancer or Capricorn
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near the equator
Question 5
Question
The north end of Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees toward the Sun on ________.
Answer
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September 21 or 22
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March 21 or 22
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December 21 or 22
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June 21 or 22
Question 6
Question
The greenhouse effect is caused by…
Answer
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Greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere absorbing radiation from the Earth's surface, and preventing much of it escaping into space
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Greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere absorbing solar radiation
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Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
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Too much heat in the atmosphere
Question 7
Question
Which of these natural events affect the climate?
Question 8
Question
Which of these greenhouse gases is most abundant in the atmosphere?
Answer
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Nitrous oxide
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Carbon dioxide
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Methane
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Water vapor
Question 9
Question
What greenhouse gas was NOT present in the atmosphere in pre-industrial times (before 1750)?
Answer
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Nitrous oxide
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Methane
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Carbon dioxide
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Trichlorofluoromethane
Question 10
Question
Which of the following changes in climate has NOT already occurred?
Answer
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A decrease in the sea ice around Antarctica
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Fewer cold days and frosts, and more frequent heatwaves over the last 50 years
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0.17m rise in sea level during the 20th century
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0.74°C increase in average global temperature over the last century
Question 11
Question
Which of these countries has the highest per capita (per person) carbon dioxide emissions?
Answer
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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United States
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China
Question 12
Question
Which of the following activities contributes the most to carbon emissions globally?
Answer
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Forestry
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Energy supply
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Transport
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Agriculture
Question 13
Question
On average, what percentage of the Earth's atmosphere by volume consists of carbon dioxide?
Answer
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About 0.004 percent
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about 4 percent
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About 0.04 percent
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About 0.4 percent
Question 14
Question
According to global surface temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, how many of the top 10 hottest years on record have occurred in the past 10 years.
Question 15
Question
What region of the world will likely warm most rapidly due to climate change?
Question 16
Question
Which of the following best explains the effect of greenhouse gases on Earth’s atmosphere?
Answer
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produce more carbon dioxide which generates more plant growth.
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absorb some of the incoming radiation from the Sun.
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absorb some of the energy Earth radiates out into space
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act as a shield that reflects some of the incoming radiation from the Sun
Question 17
Question
Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?
Answer
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nitrogen (N2)
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carbon dioxide (CO2)
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water (H2O)
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nitrogen oxide (N2O)
Question 18
Question
There are several long-term changes in Earth’s orbit that affect how heat from the Sun is distributed over the planet. Which of the following describes how the orbit changes from being elliptical to more circular?
Answer
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eccentricity
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axial tilt
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solar obliqueness
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precession
Question 19
Question
Ice core data have revealed which of the following?
Answer
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current carbon dioxide concentrations are far outside of Earth’s recent operating range.
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Earth’s climate has been remarkably stable for the past 10,000 years
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Earth’s climate shows a history of abrupt and rapid changes in temperature
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all of the answers listed here.
Question 20
Question
Which of the following statements with respect to Earth’s climate is NOT true?
Answer
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atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are currently well within Earth’s recent operating range
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past climate changes have caused societies to collapse
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variation in energy output from the Sun is too small to explain current warming
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Earth is currently in a strong warming trend
Question 21
Question
One important consequence of global warming is that Earth’s climatic zones are expected to shift. Which of the following would affect large parts of Earth’s population as winters arrive later and end earlier?
Answer
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increased flooding during the winter months
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colder winters
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less sunlight during the agricultural growing season
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less melt water to sustain streams during the summer months
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shortening of the agricultural growing season
Question 22
Question
Ocean acidification is taking place as the oceans absorb some of the additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What is the basic environmental problem that this creates?
Answer
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more difficult for marine organisms to secret their own protective shells.
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causes the oceans to become even more saline, thereby reducing ocean circulation
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increases the rate of evaporation of seawater
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makes it unsafe for humans to go swimming in the ocean
Question 23
Question
Seasonal variations in CO2 recorded at Mauna Loa Observatory are related to ________.
Answer
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humidity
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temperature
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storms
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vegetation
Question 24
Question
Climate-feedback mechanisms ________
Answer
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have nothing to do with climate models
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disagree with climate models
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complicate climate models
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support climate models
Question 25
Question
The magnitude of a temperature increase due to greenhouse warming will probably be smallest in the ________.
Answer
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subtropics
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tropics
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lower middle-latitudes
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polar regions
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higher middle-latitudes
Question 26
Question
Approximately how much of the Earth's water supply is saline?
Question 27
Question
The main process that links water in the atmosphere with water on the Earth's surface is
Answer
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infiltration
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evaporation
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transpiration
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condensation
Question 28
Question
The water table is ________.
Answer
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a boundary between unsaturated bedrock below and saturated bedrock above
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a boundary between saturated rock below and unsaturated rock above
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a boundary between unsaturated bedrock and an underground river
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an underground mass of partly saturated rock
Question 29
Question
Permeable rock strata or sediment that transmit groundwater freely are called ________.
Answer
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aquitards
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aquifers
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springs
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perched water tables