6th Grade Science Unit 6 - Atmosphere, Weather, Climate

The gas that makes up almost 80% of the atmosphere is:
1. carbon dioxide
2. hydrogen
3. nitrogen
4. oxygen
A gas form of water that exists in the atmosphere is called:
Air pressure is _____________ at the Earth's surface.
1. weakest
2. strongest
The layer of the atmosphere that is closest to the Earth and contains almost 90% of the atmosphere's total mass is the:
As altitude increases, air pressure:
1. increases
2. decreases
3. remains constant
The _____________ layer in the stratosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation.
The layer of the atmosphere that has the highest temperatures, over 1000 ^oC, is the:
1. stratosphere
2. mesoshpere
3. tropopsphere
4. thermosphere
Which layer of the atmosphere has higher density?
1. troposphere
2. thermosphere
Earth receives energy from the Sun by ____________ which is the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves.
Electrically charged particles called _________ radiate energy as shimmering lights called auroras.
The transfer of thermal energy by the circulation of a liquid or gas is called:
1. radiation
2. convection
3. conduction
In the greenhouse effect, which components of the atmosphere act like the roof of a greenhouse? (Check all that apply.)
1. water vapor
2. carbon monoxide
3. carbon dioxide
4. precipitation
The gradual increase in the average global temperatures over the past 100 years is refered to as:
Differences in air pressure usually causes
Differences in air pressure are generally caused by:
1. unequal heating of the earth
2. solar winds
3. gravitational pull of the moon
4. ocean currents
Prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60^o and 90^o in both hemispheres are:
1. westerlies
2. polar easterlies
3. trade winds
4. horse latitude winds
The apparent curving of the path of winds due to the Earth's rotatikon is called the ___________ effect.
You are sailing in the ocean near the equator. There is no wind, it is hot, and the crew is irritable. You are stuck in the ________.
1. horse latitudes
2. prevailing westerlies
3. doldrums
4. trade winds
When you fly from New York to San Francisco, the flight takes 5 hours. When you return to New York, the flight takes only 4 1/2 hours. This is probably due to the:
1. lack of rain
2. jet stream
3. absence of clouds
4. time change
Warm air
1. rises
2. falls
3. stays at the same altitude
You visit a planet where the temperature of the planet's suface is the same everywhere and never changes. Is it windy?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Sometimes
Check all the sources of primary pollution:
1. volcanos
2. car exhaust
3. smog
4. ozone
5. industrial emissions
Weather, the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place, is most affected by the amount of ________ in the air.
1. oxygen
2. nitrogen
3. water
4. dust
The amount of water vapor in the air is called:
Which water cycle process starts to occur after the relative humidity of the air reachers or exceeds 100%?
The measure of the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold at a certain temperature is called:
1. condensation point
2. saturation point
3. relative humidity
4. humidity
Precipitation can have the form of either liquid or solid.
1. True
2. False
A light rain has been falling steadily and has been for some time. You look up at the sky and see which type of clouds?
1. cumulous
2. cirrus
3. cumulonimbus
4. nimbostratus
Select the four types of precipitation:
1. rain
2. clouds
3. snow
4. sleet
5. hail
If the air had no paticles in it, would you ever see any clouds?
1. Yes
2. No
Air masses are large bodies or air that have similar: (Check all that apply.)
1. temperature
2. nitrogen content
3. moisture content
4. oxygen content
Which air mass would be cold and wet?
1. maritme tropical
2. continental tropical
3. maritime polar
4. continental polar
You are going to the beach for the next week. The weather report says that a stationary front will be sitting over the beach for the next several days. Should you plan to bring lots of indoor activities?
1. Yes
2. No
The area where two types of air masses meet is called a ________.
What are the characteristics of an air mass whose two-letter symbol is mT? (Check all that apply.)
1. wet
2. cold
3. dry
4. warm
If you want a nice dry clear day, you should go to an area with a(n):
1. cyclone
2. anticyclone
Which air mass would most likely bring thunderstorms to the Southeastern United States during the summer?
1. cT
2. mP
3. mT
4. cP
You have just observed an electric discharge between two oppositely charged surface. You have observed:
Check the characteristics of a thunderstorm. (Check all that apply.)
1. lasts for several days
2. rain
3. heavy winds
4. arises in cyrus clouds
5. lightnng
6. thunder
Check the true statements below.
1. Hurricanes generally have wider diameters than tornadoes.
2. Hurricanes generally have higher wind speeds than tornadoes.
3. Hurricanes get their energy from the condensation of water vapor.
4. The path of a tornado can be hundreds of miles wide.
5. Most damage from a hurricane is caused by floooding from heavy rains and storm surges.
Air pressure is measured by using a:
1. thermometer
2. anemometer
3. barometer
4. wet bulb thermometer
The process that releases water vapor into the air is called:
1. precipitation
2. condensation
3. evaporation
4. runoff
Which is NOT a form of condenstation.
1. fog
2. snow
3. dew
4. clouds
Large thunderhead clouds that produce precipitation are called _________ clouds.
A severe storm with a rapidly rotating funnel cloud is called a _____________.
1. hurricane
2. thunderstorm
3. tornado
4. typhoon
The average weather condition in an area over a long period of time is called _____________.
The seasons in a particular place on the Earth are primarily due to:
1. the earth's roation around its axis.
2. the differences in the earth's distance from the Sun during the year.
3. the tilting of the Earth towards and away from the Sun during the year.
4. the tides of the ocean.
The climate on two sides of a mountain can be very different.
1. True
2. False
If you live in the United States, your climate zone is:
1. polar
2. temperate
3. tropical
The higher the latitude, the ___________ the climate
1. warmer
2. cooler
A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communiites is called a ______.
Which of the following has the greatest number of animal and plant species?
1. tropical savanna
2. tropical desert
3. tropical rain forest
4. tundra
The biome with the most fertile soils is the:
1. temperate forest
2. temperate grasslands
3. tropical rain forests
4. chaparrals
The earth's climate can be changed by a volcanic eruption because:
1. the large amounts of dust, ash and smoke released to the atmosphere block the sun's rays and cause the earth to cool.
2. the large amount a heat from the lava cause the earth to warm up.
Which two things does the Milankovich theory say causes ice ages? (Check two.)
1. the phases of the moon
2. the variation of the tilt of the Earth's axis
3. the change in the Earth's orbit from circular to elliptical
4. Sun spots