SAMPLE TEST QUESTIONS        SURVEY OF MET I          CH1

  1. The most abundant gases in the earth's atmosphere by volume are:

     a.  carbon dioxide and nitrogen

     b.  oxygen and water vapor

     c.  nitrogen and oxygen

     d.  oxygen and helium

     e.  oxygen and ozone

  2. The primary gases found in the homosphere:

     a.  nitrogen and oxygen

     b.  oxygen and ozone

     c.  oxygen and helium

     d.  nitrogen and helium

  3. Typically, water vapor occupies about what percentage of the air's volume near the earth's surface?

     a.  about 78%

     b.  about 21%

     c.  close to 10%

     d.  less than 4%

  4. Which below is not considered a greenhouse gas?

     a.  carbon dioxide (CO2)

     b.  nitrous oxide (N2O)

     c.  water vapor (H2O)

     d.  methane (CH4)

     e.  oxygen (O2)

  5. The amount of force exerted over an area of surface is called:

     a.  density

     b.  weight

     c.  temperature

     d.  pressure

  6. Much of Tibet lies at altitudes over 18,000 feet where the pressure is about 500 mb. At such altitudes, the Tibetans are above roughly:

     a.  10% of the air molecules in the atmosphere

     b.  25% of the air molecules in the atmosphere

     c.  50% of the air molecules in the atmosphere

     d.  75% of the air molecules in the atmosphere

  7. Which of the following weather elements always decreases as we climb upward in the atmosphere?

     a.  wind

     b.  temperature

     c.  pressure

     d.  moisture

     e.  all of the above

 8. The number or mass of air molecules in a given space or volume is called:

     a.  density

     b.  pressure

     c.  temperature

     d.  weight

 9. In the stratosphere, the air temperature normally:

     a.  decreases with increasing height

     b.  increases with increasing height

     c.  both increases and decreases depending on the season

     d.  cannot be measured

 10. Almost all of the earth's weather occurs in the:

     a.  exosphere

     b.  stratosphere

     c.  mesosphere

     d.  thermosphere

     e.  troposphere

  11. In a temperature inversion:

     a.  air temperature increases with increasing height

     b.  air temperature decreases with increasing height

     c.  air temperature remains constant with increasing height

     d.  it is warmer at night than during the day

 12. The ionosphere is an atmospheric layer that contains a high concentration of ions. An ion is:

     a.  another term for ozone

     b.  an atom or molecule that has lost or gained an electron

     c.  atomic oxygen

     d.  a radioactive element

13. Once released into the atmosphere, chlorofluorocarbons remain about:

     a.  10 days

     b.  50-100 years

     c.  5-10 years

     d.  1 month

 14. The word "weather" is defined as:

     a.  the average of the weather elements

     b.  the climate of a region

     c.  the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place

     d.  any type of falling precipitation

 15. Storms vary in size (diameter). Which list below arranges storms from largest to smallest?

     a.  hurricane, tornado, middle latitude cyclone, thunderstorm

     b.  tornado, middle latitude cyclone, hurricane, thunderstorm

     c.  hurricane, middle latitude cyclone, thunderstorm, tornado

     d.  middle latitude cyclone, tornado, hurricane, thunderstorm

     e.  middle latitude cyclone, hurricane, thunderstorm, tornado