Deck 3: Solar Energy and Seasons

Question 1

Photovoltaic (PV) panels generate electricity from sunlight.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Earth's axis is tilted 25 degrees.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Transmission is the absorption of electromagnetic energy by an object.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Concentrated solar power (CSP) generates electricity by creating steam from water heated by sunlight.

Question 5

Ultraviolet radiation has shorter wavelengths than visible light.

Question 6

All objects emit electromagnetic radiation.

Question 7

The Gulf Stream current reduces the annual temperature range for northern Europe.

Question 8

Water has a lower specific heat than dry sand.

Question 9

Most of Earth's electromagnetic radiation is in short wavelengths.

Question 10

The lower albedo of cities and the materials of which they are made create the urban heat island effect.

Question 11

Meteorological seasons refer to the changing of weather conditions over the course of a year.

Question 12

Lines of equal temperature are called isotherms.

Question 13

One of the world's most intense sunlight regions is equatorial Africa.

Question 14

Sunlight becomes less diffuse at high latitudes.

Question 15

The subsolar point moves as high as 38 degrees latitude north and south.

Question 16

In the United States, the most intense sunlight occurs in Florida.

Question 17

Earth is closer to the Sun in January than in July.

Question 18

New York City, located on the coast, has a strongly maritime climate.

Question 19

Alpenglow forms as light is scattered in the atmosphere.

Question 20

Astronomical seasons refer to the changing position of the Sun, Moon, and stars.

Question 21

Most solar electromagnetic radiation is in long wavelengths.

Question 22

Solar panels on rooftops are an example of centralized solar energy production.

Question 23

All locations in the tropics are warm.

Question 24

The difference between the highest and lowest air temperatures for a given location is called the temperature range.

Question 25

Only in the tropics can the solar altitude be 90 degrees.

Question 26

Earth's albedo is highest in tropical regions.

Question 27

The term insolation is short for "incoming solar radiation."

Question 28

The heat-index temperature is determined by measuring atmospheric humidity and temperature.

Question 29

The Tropic of Capricorn occurs at 23.5 degrees north latitude.

Question 30

If Earth's axial tilt were to increase, seasonality would decrease.

Question 31

Renewable energy does not put ancient carbon in the atmosphere.

Question 32

Desert organisms such as the California desert tortoise are not harmed by solar power farms.

Question 33

The Kelvin scale has no negative numbers.

Question 34

Copper is a good insulator.Air is a good conductor.

Question 35

Temperature is the average kinetic movement of molecules in a substance, measured by a thermometer.

Question 36

The greater the temperature contrast between two objects in contact, the faster heat will flow from one to the other.

Question 37

Radiometers are used to measure the amount of reflected shortwave radiation at Earth's surface.

Question 38

Snow has a lower albedo than vegetation.

Question 39

Which has the potentially highest albedo?

A)clouds
B)bare rock
C)vegetation
D)asphalt

Question 40

When two objects of different temperatures come into contact, heat will flow from the object with a lower temperature to the object with a higher temperature.

Question 41

About 101,000 terawatts of energy are delivered to Earth each day by the Sun.Worldwide, society consumes about __________ terawatts of energy.

A)15
B)25
C)40
D)76

Question 42

The lowest temperature ever officially recorded was in __________.

A)Alaska
B)Siberia
C)Antarctica
D)Montana

Question 43

Which location does this climate diagram best match?

A)high latitude and coastal
B)high latitude and high elevation
C)low latitude and coastal
D)low latitude and high elevation

Question 44

What percentage of the energy the world uses comes from fossil fuels?

A)50%
B)65%
C)70%
D)85%

Question 45

Which color has the longest photon wavelength?

A)red
B)orange
C)yellow
D)green

Question 46

Which date is shown in this figure?

A)June 21
B)December 21
C)March 20
D)August 21

Question 47

Which location has the highest annual temperature range?

A)northern North America
B)north and central Eurasia
C)northeastern Eurasia
D)Australia

Question 48

On June 21, the latitude 41 degrees north receives __________ hours of daylight.

A)0
B)9
C)12
D)15

Question 49

The atmosphere is heated mostly by __________.

A)counter-radiation from clouds
B)counter-radiation from gases in the atmosphere
C)Earth's surface
D)the oceans

Question 50

What would happen to Earth's radiative equilibrium temperature if Earth's albedo were lowered?

A)It would decrease.
B)It would increase.
C)It would not change.
D)It is unknown

Question 51

Looking at the figure, what seasonal marker occurs at position D?

A)June solstice
B)December solstice
C)March equinox
D)September equinox

Question 52

Water freezes at __________ degrees Celsius.

A)0
B)32
C)100
D)212

Question 53

Water boils at __________ degrees Celsius.

A)0
B)32
C)100
D)212

Question 54

Overall, what percentage of solar radiation is reflected by Earth?

A)7%
B)23%
C)30%
D)70%

Question 55

The Southern Hemisphere has __________ average annual temperature range compared to the Northern Hemisphere.

A)a higher
B)a lower
C)the same
D)a cooler

Question 56

At which latitude does the amount of absorbed solar radiation equal the amount of energy emitted by Earth?

A)23.5 degrees
B)37 degrees
C)45 degrees
D)50 degrees

Question 57

Which will most likely happen to insolation if it strikes vegetation?

A)transmission
B)scattering
C)reflection
D)absorption

Question 58

Circulation of heat in the oceans and atmosphere is an example of energy movement through __________.

A)conduction
B)convection
C)radiation
D)seasonality

Question 59

What percentage of solar radiation is reflected by clouds and the atmosphere?

A)7%
B)23%
C)30%
D)70%

Question 60

Which statement is not true about the December solstice?

A)The subsolar point is over 23.5 degrees south latitude.
B)It is the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere.
C)Daylight hours get longer as one travels northward.
D)The subsolar point is over the Tropic of Capricorn.

Question 61

The temperature of 1 gram of water will rise __________ degree(s) Celsius when 1 calorie is added to it.

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)5

Question 62

Rainbows are caused by __________.

A)reflected sunlight
B)absorbed sunlight
C)refracted sunlight
D)transmitted sunlight

Question 63

Which location does this climate diagram best match?

A)high latitude and coastal
B)high latitude and inland
C)low latitude and coastal
D)low latitude and inland

Question 64

The __________ is the division between night and day.

A)circle of illumination
B)solar declination
C)perihelion
D)solar altitude

Question 65

Grass is green because it __________.

A)emits green photons
B)absorbs green, and reflects all other colors
C)absorbs all colors, but green is reflected
D)transmits green

Question 66

Water freezes at __________ degrees Fahrenheit.

A)0
B)32
C)100
D)212

Question 67

Without __________ Earth's atmosphere would not have a natural greenhouse effect.

A)a global heat engine
B)radiative equilibrium temperature
C)insolation
D)greenhouse gases

Question 68

If the Sun stopped shining, the global heat engine would __________.

A)shut down
B)be enhanced
C)remain unchanged
D)Solar energy does not relate to the global heat engine.

Question 69

Clouds are white because they __________.

A)emit white photons
B)absorb all colors equally
C)reflect all colors equally
D)absorb all colors, but reflect white

Question 70

The __________ is the result of heating inequalities across latitudes.

A)natural greenhouse effect
B)urban heat island
C)global heat engine
D)electromagnetic spectrum

Question 71

At a given location the sea level air temperature is 30 degrees Celsius.Based on the average environmental lapse rate, what is the most likely temperature at 5,000 meters in mountains near that same sea level location?

A)20 degrees Celsius
B)10.5 degrees Celsius
C)0.5 degrees Celsius
D)-2.5 degrees Celsius

Question 72

Over a six-month period, the subsolar point migrates across __________ degrees of latitude.

A)0
B)23.5
C)47
D)90

Question 73

Which has the most potential as a renewable energy source in terms of the theoretical maximum energy production?

A)biomass
B)geothermal
C)wind
D)hydroelectric

Question 74

The temperature of Earth's surface is approximately __________ degrees Celsius.

A)12
B)14.6
C)17
D)18.3

Question 75

By the middle of the century, about how much energy could come from fossil fuels?

A)20%
B)40%
C)60%
D)80%

Question 76

Which statement is not true about the June solstice?

A)The subsolar point is over the Tropic of Cancer.
B)It is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
C)Daylight hours get shorter as one travels southward.
D)It is the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

Question 77

Hotter objects emit __________ than relatively cooler objects.

A)longer wavelengths
B)shorter wavelengths
C)shorter wavelengths at a faster rate
D)longer wavelengths at a faster rate

Question 78

The average distance between Earth and the Sun is __________ million kilometers.

A)149.6
B)167
C)180
D)274.3

Question 79

Ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit is equal to __________ degrees Celsius.

A)20
B)25
C)30
D)35

Question 80

Which location has the highest annual temperature range?

A)near the equator and near the ocean
B)near the equator and far inland
C)at a high latitude and near the ocean
D)at a high latitude and far inland