Deck 16: Where Do You Live Climate and Biomes

Question 1

What factor affects the average temperature of a region?

A) the amount of cloud cover that exists
B) the amount of light energy per unit area hitting it
C) whether there's an El Niño that year
D) the amount of precipitation it receives

Answer 1

B

Question 2

France is at almost the same latitude as Nova Scotia. Why is France's climate so much milder?

A) France is surrounded by mountains that buffer it from all severe weather conditions.
B) Nova Scotia isn't near a large body of water, but France is located adjacent to the ocean.
C) There are more people in France than Nova Scotia; thus human activity warms up the former region during colder periods of the year.
D) The Gulf Stream brings warm water from the tropical Atlantic to France, modifying its climate.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In the Northern Hemisphere, when does the summer solstice occur?

A) when the sun reaches its northern maximum
B) when the South Pole is closest to the sun
C) when solar irradiance is at its minimum
D) when lengths of day and night are equal at all latitudes

Answer 3

A

Question 4

As depicted in this illustration, where does the most rainfall generally occur?

A) on the windward side of a body of water
B) on the leeward side of a body of water
C) on the leeward side of a mountain
D) at high altitudes on a mountain

Question 5

On August 8, 2005, the temperature in New Haven, Connecticut, was 82°F with partly cloudy skies. What term defines this description of New Haven's conditions?

A) climate
B) weather
C) biome
D) ecosystem

Question 6

What factor most influences the dry deserts of Nevada?

A) the hot desert sun
B) the Pacific Ocean
C) overgrazing by livestock
D) the rain shadow from a California mountain range

Question 7

How many degrees does the Earth's axis tilt from perpendicular?

A) 10°
B) 90°
C) 23.5°
D) 0°

Question 8

Buffalo, New York, experiences a "lake effect" when wind blowing across the warm water accumulates water vapor that condenses when reaching cooler land. Boston's climate is moderated by the warmer ocean water that lies to the east. Assuming similar winter temperatures, how much snowfall accumulation would be expected in Boston compared to Buffalo?

A) less snow in Boston
B) more snow in Boston
C) about the same in both cities
D) It is impossible to predict.

Question 9

What causes the moist air of tropical rainforests?

A) warm air rising at the equator, cooling and condensing, and falling to Earth
B) warm air sinking, moving to the equator, and raining
C) cool air rising, evaporating, and forming cloud cover
D) cool air sinking, condensing, and falling as rain

Question 10

What is the typical pattern of temperature and rainfall/snowfall in a region, established over a long period of time?

A) climate
B) weather
C) precipitation
D) solar irradiance

Question 11

Which city would have the largest variation in daylight hours between the summer solstice and the winter solstice?

A) New York, New York
B) Los Angeles, California
C) Miami, Florida
D) Montreal, Canada

Question 12

Why does Dallas, Texas, have a higher yearly average temperature than Chicago, Illinois?

A) Dallas is at a higher latitude than Chicago.
B) Chicago experiences more prevailing westerly winds than Dallas.
C) Dallas receives more solar irradiance than Chicago.
D) Dallas is closer to a large body of water, than is Chicago.

Question 13

In summer, why is the air around a large body of water cooler than nearby inland areas?

A) Water temperature changes slowly in response to solar irradiation when compared to the rate of temperature change of land surfaces.
B) Water temperature isn't affected by solar irradiation, whereas the temperature of land surfaces is affected.
C) It's not actually cooler; the breezes associated with the water only make it seem cooler.
D) Air molecules are farther away from each other over water, so they do not generate as much heat.

Question 14

Which city is more likely to experience the largest temperature changes throughout an average year?

A) Chicago, Illinois
B) Houston, Texas
C) Albuquerque, New Mexico
D) Nashville, Tennessee

Question 15

In a general sense, ________ refers to short term environmental conditions, and ________ refers to long term environmental conditions.

Question 16

The temperature of a city is often warmer than the temperature in its surrounding suburbs. This is the result of an urban heat island effect. Why might this effect occur?

A) The pavement and buildings absorb heat.
B) There are more parks in the city.
C) Fewer people drive in the suburbs.
D) Fewer buildings use air conditioning in the suburbs.

Question 17

The Gulf Stream is part of what scientists call the "great conveyor belt" that circulates water throughout the world's oceans. There is cause for concern that the increase in global warming might stop the conveyor belt. Would this scenario change Europe's climate?

A) Yes: The Gulf Stream brings cold water from the arctic to Europe. Without this, Europe's climate is expected to be much warmer.
B) Yes: The Gulf Stream brings warm water from the tropics to Europe. Without this, Europe's climate is expected to be much cooler.
C) No: The climate of Europe is unaffected by ocean currents.
D) No: There are other currents that will take over if the Gulf Stream stops functioning.

Question 18

Los Angeles, California, has an average daily temperature between 70°F and 80°F for most of the year. There's very little rainfall except during a rainy season beginning in the fall. What does this describe about the city's conditions?

A) climate
B) weather
C) biome
D) ecosystem

Question 19

Earth's axis is tilted away from the sun during ________ and toward the sun during ________ in the Northern Hemisphere.

A) winter; summer
B) summer; winter
C) spring; fall
D) fall; spring

Question 20

To determine a geographic area's climate, what variable conditions must be taken into account?

A) distance from the equator and available sunlight
B) altitude and bodies of water
C) temperature and precipitation
D) air quality and urbanization

Question 21

Where are the major deserts of the world located?

A) 30° north and south of the equator
B) 23.5° north and south of the equator
C) 45° north and south of the equator
D) the equator

Question 22

Which terrestrial biome is dominated by woody plants?

A) desert
B) tundra
C) tropical grassland
D) chaparral

Question 23

Which factor does not affect temperature variation among geographic locations?

A) latitude
B) proximity to water
C) elevation
D) longitude

Question 24

When is the length of day always the greatest?

A) during the September equinox
B) during the March equinox
C) during the winter solstice
D) during the summer solstice

Question 25

In New York, when would the warmest days of the year usually occur?

A) around the summer solstice
B) about one month after the summer solstice
C) about one month before the summer solstice
D) in mid-September

Question 26

Which area of a mountain would be expected to receive the most precipitation?

A) the peak
B) leeward side
C) windward side
D) north slope

Question 27

Hypothetically, how could scientists lower Earth's temperature in order to combat global warming?

A) by moving ice from the Arctic to the tropical oceans
B) by forcibly melting more glaciers and polar ice caps
C) by reflecting more light from land masses
D) by decreasing the reflectance of cities

Question 28

Where would you expect a "rain shadow" to occur in the United States?

A) on the western side of the Cascade Mountains, in the Pacific Northwest
B) on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains, in the eastern United States
C) on the eastern side of Lake Ontario, in upstate New York
D) on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, in Utah

Question 29

In which general direction do the prevailing winds blow between 30° North and the equator?

A) from south to north
B) from east to west
C) from north to south
D) from southwest to northeast

Question 30

Which location might exhibit the greatest variation in temperatures throughout the seasons?

A) a small town at sea level in Panama
B) San Diego, California
C) a city in Finland
D) Rome, Italy

Question 31

Valleys are usually ________ than nearby hilltops because ________.

A) warmer; they receive more solar irradiance
B) cooler; they usually hold a body of cool water
C) cooler; cool air is heavier than warm air
D) warmer; warm air is heavier than cool air

Question 32

Regions that have ________ levels of solar irradiance have ________ average temperatures.

A) low; varying
B) high; low
C) low; low
D) high; varying

Question 33

What phrase describes the amount of light received by a given unit area over time?

A) solar precipitation
B) solar irradiance
C) solar flare
D) solar convergence

Question 34

In the Northern Hemisphere, in what direction does the apparent position of the sun on the horizon at sunrise move as summer turns to winter?

A) north to south
B) south to north
C) east to west
D) west to east

Question 35

Which biome has the most biomass per unit area?

A) boreal forest
B) tundra
C) temperate forest
D) tropical forest

Question 36

Which major biome type contains most of Earth's biodiversity?

A) desert
B) tundra
C) grasslands
D) forests

Question 37

What is the definition of "swidden"?

A) tundra
B) slash-and-burn agriculture
C) the boreal forest
D) biome

Question 38

Compared to the air above a nearby land mass, how would the air above a large body of water be?

A) cooler in winter
B) warmer in summer
C) cooler in summer
D) the same, unless wind is blowing

Question 39

Where do prevailing winds coming from the north and south collide?

A) at the intertropical convergence zone
B) on the leeward side of a mountain
C) on the windward side of a mountain
D) within hurricanes

Question 40

What situation relates to the reason why hot-air balloons are able to fly?

A) Precipitation falls on the leeward side of a mountain.
B) Water droplets can freeze inside clouds.
C) Very little rain falls at 30° north and south of the equator.
D) The tops of hills are warmer than the valleys below.

Question 41

What type of plants are naturally selected when grazing animals eat the tops of plants?

A) plants that don't reproduce via flowers
B) plants that grow from the tip of the plant
C) plants that grow from the base of the plant
D) plants that can grow only after a fire burns the top of the plant

Question 42

Which evolutionary adaptation is found in a typical desert plant?

A) shallow roots to quickly capture water
B) broad leaves to capture the bright sunlight
C) long-blooming flowers to attract pollinators
D) deep roots to capture all available moisture

Question 43

What adaptation is found in the evergreen trees of boreal forests?

A) a thick waxy coat on leaves
B) lower levels of chlorophyll in leaves
C) the ability to shed leaves when water availability is low in winter
D) flower production in early spring

Question 44

What has resulted from the introduction of large numbers of grazing livestock to a savanna in the Sahel region of Africa?

A) an increase in the savanna
B) the destruction of the biome
C) more food in times of famine
D) another form of sustainable agriculture

Question 45

How much rainfall is received in a desert?

A) a negligible amount (essentially 0 inches per year)
B) less than 1 inch per year
C) less than 20 inches per year
D) more than 20 inches per year

Question 46

When all living organisms are included, which biomes contain about 70% of the biomass found on Earth's land surface?

A) forests
B) grasslands
C) tundras
D) deserts

Question 47

Which biome contains few shrubs or trees and has limited rainfall?

A) grassland
B) chaparral
C) boreal forest
D) tundra

Question 48

Which description applies to broadleaf deciduous trees of temperate forests?

A) They drop their leaves as they freeze solid.
B) They reabsorb chlorophyll, resulting in the colorful autumn pigments becoming visible.
C) They grow slower than narrow-leaved trees during summer months.
D) They are the only type of plant life found in this biome.

Question 49

Why do the deciduous leaves on temperate forest trees turn from green to orange, red, and/or yellow before falling?

A) The chlorophyll changes color as it's broken down.
B) The chlorophyll is absorbed by the tree, leaving the other pigments visible.
C) New photosynthetic pigments are created as the amount of daylight becomes limited.
D) New pigments are created in response to colder temperatures.

Question 50

Why is the biodiversity of a tropical rainforest very high?

A) due to high temperatures found year-round
B) due to the low amount of solar irradiance
C) due to the high amount of solar irradiance
D) due to the high levels of nutrients in the soil

Question 51

Which biome includes plants that are adapted to frequent fires?

A) boreal forest
B) temperate forest
C) chaparral
D) desert

Question 52

In which biome are coniferous trees most abundant?

A) tropical forests
B) temperate forests
C) deciduous forests
D) boreal forests

Question 53

What is the purpose of the fragrant oils found in rosemary and thyme?

A) They encourage humans to pick them and spread their seeds.
B) They protect the plants from fire.
C) They help fuel fires, to which they've become adapted.
D) They discourage humans from consuming the plants.

Question 54

Why do tropical rainforests exist in soils that are nutrient-poor?

A) There is a low rate of decomposition, and plants cannot absorb the "undigested" nutrients.
B) There is a low rate of decomposition, and plants quickly absorb the nutrients as they are available.
C) There is a high rate of decomposition, and plants quickly absorb the nutrients as they are available.
D) The plants cannot use the types of nutrients produced by tropical decomposers.

Question 55

Annual plants germinate, reproduce, and die in one season. Where do these plants often evolve?

A) deserts
B) tundra
C) deciduous forests
D) chaparral

Question 56

What biome includes an environment where the plants are low to the ground and many boggy areas are found?

A) a boreal forest
B) a savanna
C) a tundra
D) a prairie

Question 57

When a patch of land is cleared in a tropical rainforest, the vegetation is often burned to enrich the soil with nutrients from the burned plant material. What description applies to this situation?

A) This works well because so many nutrients are trapped in tropical plants.
B) This works for a few years, but the soil is soon depleted of nutrients.
C) This isn't necessary because tropical soils are filled with nutrients.
D) This helps to promote long-term sustainable agriculture.

Question 58

If you were to buy land in order to plant crops, which type of biome would you prefer?

A) savanna
B) prairie
C) tropical forest
D) chaparral

Question 59

During the last few years, scientists have observed that caribou have had difficulty migrating due to the melting of the ________, creating impassable wetlands where there was once solid ground.

A) glaciers
B) ice caps
C) icebergs
D) permafrost

Question 60

What factors are found in both tropical and temperate forests?

A) rainy and dry seasons
B) seasonal changes in temperature
C) enough precipitation to support large trees
D) the same species of trees

Question 61

What has created at least half of the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere?

A) burning fossil fuels
B) trees in the boreal forest
C) phytoplankton in the ocean
D) plants, algae, and phytoplankton in the intertidal zone

Question 62

In order to reproduce, to what type of wetland must certain species of salamanders migrate so their aquatic eggs can develop free of predatory fish that are unable to survive the annual drying up of this wetland?

A) vernal pond
B) intertidal zone
C) marsh
D) swamp

Question 63

What processes are included in the treatment of wastewater in industrial plants of developed countries?

A) removing excess nutrients, such as phosphates and nitrates
B) removing semisolid wastes
C) discharging untreated wastewater into waterways
D) burning semisolid wastes for energy

Question 64

By definition, how much salt does fresh water contain?

A) less than 0.0001%
B) less than 0.1%
C) about 1%
D) absolutely none

Question 65

How can the amount of yard waste produced by people be reduced?

A) through recycling
B) through composting
C) by having people bring their own waste to dumps
D) through burning

Question 66

On a warm summer day in August, you decide to go for a walk through a new housing development that was built near your home a few years ago. As you walk by the pond that's in the center of this development, you notice an unpleasant smell. Then, you see that the pond is full of green algae, and there are dead fish floating on the surface. This is a pond that used to be clean and clear, and you used to play in it as a child. What could have most likely caused this change?

A) Too many people are discarding food and other wastes in the pond, causing increased algal growth.
B) Lawns are being overfertilized, causing excess fertilizer to wash into the pond, stimulating algal growth.
C) The low reflectance of the surrounding area is heating up the pond, causing increased algal growth.
D) The salting of the roads during icy conditions in the winter has resulted in the runoff of salt and thus stimulated algal growth.

Question 67

What food chain sequence, from the base up, would be found in the open ocean?

A) zooplankton, phytoplankton, tuna, cod
B) phytoplankton, zooplankton, sand lance, humpback
C) shark, cod, phytoplankton, zooplankton
D) albatross, cod, zooplankton, phytoplankton

Question 68

What substance builds coral reefs?

A) the limestone skeletons of dead coral
B) rock formations on the ocean floor
C) inactive volcanoes
D) the skeletal remains of fish

Question 69

What are the benefits of wetlands?

A) protection from flooding
B) storage of drinking water
C) increasing rate of water flow to bodies of water
D) production of sediment that is useful for fertilizer

Question 70

What process involves the gradual replacement of plant species in a rainforest over time (for example, as it progresses from an old agricultural field back to a forest)?

A) intertropical convergence
B) desertification
C) succession
D) deforestation

Question 71

What can result from burning fossil fuels?

A) a decrease in ground-level ozone levels
B) a decrease in carbon dioxide levels
C) an increase in mercury levels
D) a decrease in acid rain

Question 72

What organism do coral animals harbor inside their bodies to provide them with nutrition?

A) bacteria
B) dinoflagellates
C) photosynthetic algae
D) hydras