Deck 1: The Earth As a Rotating Planet

Question 1

At the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere:

A)more solar radiation reaches the Northern Hemisphere
B)more solar radiation reaches the Southern Hemisphere
C)equal amounts of solar radiation reach both Hemispheres
D)regions north of the Arctic Circle receive 24 hours of daylight
E)regions north of the Arctic Circle receive 24 hours of night

Answer 1

C

Question 2

At the moment of the perihelion,the earth's position is _____________________.

A)directly between the plane of the ecliptic and the Tropic of Capricorn
B)farthest from the Sun
C)closest to the Sun
D)farthest from the Moon
E)closest to the Moon

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The Meridian at 0 degrees is:

A)the Prime Meridian
B)the Equator
C)the Arctic Circle
D)the Antarctic Circle
E)the International Date Line

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The point on the Earth's surface where the Sun is directly overhead is:

A)subsolar point
B)circle of illumination
C)great circle
D)small circle
E)arctic circle

Question 5

The boundary between the half of the Earth in sunlight and the half of the Earth in darkness is the __________.

A)solar zenith
B)international dateline
C)arctic circle
D)plane of the ecliptic
E)circle of illumination

Question 6

What forces cause the Earth to assume the shape of an oblate ellipsoid?

A)Gravity
B)Earth's rotation on its axis
C)Earth's revolution around the Sun
D)Tectonic forces
E)Gravitational influence of the Moon

Question 7

When the Sun is at its maximum inclination in the Northern Hemisphere it is:

A)the summer solstice
B)the winter solstice
C)the autumnal equinox
D)the vernal equinox
E)the spring equinox

Question 8

On which of the following projections does a straight line represent a true and constant compass bearing?

A)conic
B)cylindrical
C)isarithmic
D)equal-area
E)Mercator

Question 9

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

A)The earth rotates on its axis in a west-to-east direction.
B)The contrast between the force of rotation at or near the poles,and at or near the equator,accounts for the earth's shape.
C)The distance traveled during a complete rotation of the earth by a person standing on one of the poles is approximately the same as someone else standing at the equator.
D)The rotation of the earth on its axis determines the length of a calendar day
E)The lines of longitude converge at the poles

Question 10

In the Southern Hemisphere,the vernal equinox occurs on or around:

A)June 22
B)December 22
C)March 21
D)September 23
E)January 4

Question 11

The earth's axis is always tilted at an angle of __________ degrees to the plane of the ecliptic.

A)15
B)23.5
C)33.3
D)66.5
E)90

Question 12

When a plane passing through the center of the Earth intersects the Earth's surface,the result is a

A)line of longitude
B)line of latitude
C)great circle
D)small circle
E)meridian

Question 13

The Sun's rays are directly overhead at 90 degrees at the ____________ on December,22.

A)Tropic of Cancer
B)Equator
C)Tropic of Capricorn
D)Arctic Circle
E)Antarctic Circle

Question 14

Passengers traveling by air from Tokyo to San Francisco hear the pilot announce that the plane is about to cross the international date line.Their watches at that moment indicate that the correct local time is 2:00 p.m.on Monday.Upon crossing the date line they should _______.

A)change their watches to 3:00 p.m.on Monday
B)change their watches to 1:00 p.m.on Monday
C)change their watches to 2:00 p.m.on Tuesday
D)change their watches to 2:00 p.m.on Sunday
E)change their watches to 3.00 p.m.on Tuesday

Question 15

At the moment of the aphelion,the earth's position is _____________________.

A)directly between the plane of the ecliptic and the Tropic of Capricorn
B)farthest from the Sun
C)closest to the Sun
D)farthest from the Moon
E)closest to the Moon

Question 16

The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs approximately on which of the following dates?

A)March 21
B)June 22
C)July 23
D)August 24
E)September 25

Question 17

Latitude:

A)describes the east-west locations on the globe
B)is a measure of the rotation of the Earth
C)lines are all the same length
D)lines include the Equator
E)lines include the International Date Line

Question 18

The Earth's axis is always tilted at an angle of _________ degrees to the perpendicular.

A)15
B)23.5
C)33.3
D)66.5
E)90

Question 19

Which of the following statements about meridians is true?

A)They originate at the equator at 0 degrees and reach the poles both north and south at 90 degrees
B)They originate at the equator at 90 degrees and reach the poles both north and south at 0 degrees
C)They originate at 0 degrees longitude and reach a location approximately at the International Date Line at 180 degrees longitude
D)They originate at 180 degrees longitude and reach a location approximately at the International Date Line at 0 degrees longitude
E)Meridians divide the Earth into hemispheres

Question 20

Which of the following associations in the Southern Hemisphere is incorrect?

A)autumnal equinox -- March 21
B)spring equinox -- September 23
C)summer solstice -- December 22
D)winter solstice -- June 22
E)vernal equinox -- March 21

Question 21

1 degree of latitude is approximately how many kilometers in distance?

A)100
B)110
C)111
D)122
E)101

Question 22

Given you are at a latitude that is between the Arctic and Antarctic circles: What change in degree's of the sun's angle will you notice between the summer and winter solstice?

A)23.5
B)66.5
C)90
D)47
E)0

Question 23

Which of the following associations in the Northern Hemisphere is incorrect?

A)Winter Solstice - December 22
B)Summer Solstice - June 22
C)Spring Equinox - March 21
D)Autumnal Equinox - October 23

Question 24

The Earth equatorial diameter is slightly larger than the polar diameter.

Question 25

An isohyet is an example of an isopleth used to describe altitude.

Question 26

A straight line drawn on a Mercator projection shows the line of compass bearing though it does not necessarily provide the shortest distance between two points.

Question 27

At which time of the year is the Earth at "perihelion"?

A)Spring Equinox
B)Fall Equinox
C)Summer Solstice
D)Winter Solstice
E)Ground hog day

Question 28

180 degrees of Latitude and 360 degrees of Longitude geographically covers the entire Earth.

Question 29

When do regions north of the Arctic Circle experience 24 hours of daylight?

A)Winter Solstice
B)Summer Solstice
C)Spring Equinox
D)Autumnal Equinox

Question 30

In a polar projection,the meridians are shown parallel to each other.

Question 31

Tides are the result of the gravitational attraction of the Moon and Sun.

Question 32

How many degrees separate each time zone?

A)1 degree
B)2 degrees
C)5 degrees
D)10 degrees
E)15 degrees

Question 33

The Goode Projection is an example of a cylindrical map projection.

Question 34

The ratio that relates distance on a map to distance on the Earth's surface is the scale fraction.

Question 35

The Coriolis effect causes flows in the Northern Hemisphere to be deflected to the left.

Question 36

What is the declination of the Sun at the equinoxes?

A)90 degrees
B)66.5 degrees
C)45 degrees
D)23.5 degrees
E)0 degrees

Question 37

When the Earth is in "aphelion",it is said to be:

A)closest to the sun
B)farthest from the sun
C)closest to the moon
D)farthest from the moon
E)has brighter days

Question 38

If you were to look down on Earth from above the North Pole the Earth would be seen to be rotating in a clockwise direction.

Question 39

North America is centered approximately at the following latitude/longitude coordinates?

A)100 degrees North 40 degrees West
B)60 degrees North 60 degrees West
C)40 degrees North 100 degrees West
D)100 degrees North 100 degrees West
E)40 degrees North 40 degrees West

Question 40

The declination of the Sun is the angle of the Sun measured at solar noon.

Question 41

For further research,identify the precise latitude and longitude of some famous landmarks.For example,the Empire State Building in New York,the CN Tower in Toronto,Buckingham Palace in London,or the Opera House in Sydney.

Question 42

Describe and explain the length of daylight at your current location at the solstices and the equinoxes.

Question 43

Theoretically,the Earth is divided into 24,15 degree wide time zones.

Question 44

Explain the Sun's "sub-solar" point during the 4 seasons of the year.

Question 45

Compare and contrast the polar,Mercator and Goode map projections.Using examples of different map functions,which map would be most suitable for what task (e.g.navigating the Arctic,representing areas of vegetation etc)?

Question 46

During Daylight Savings Time (DST)the Earth's rotation is slowed by one hour to lengthen the day by 1 hour.

Question 47

Explain the difference between a "high sun angle" season and a "low sun angle" season.

Question 48

The Earth's rotation is the annual journey around the sun and gives us the calendar year.

Question 49

Calculate the current time (or time closest to the nearest hour)at a variety of major cities (for example,London,Paris,New York,Houston,Rio de Janeiro,Calgary).

Question 50

Identify the precise latitude and longitude of some local landmarks using a local mapsheet.

Question 51

Using a map of your campus,identify the point,line and area symbols used.What scale is used for the map?

Question 52

Using a well known example of a highway (for example,Route 66 from Chicago to California,the Pacific Coast highway from Seattle to Monterey,or Highway Number 1 across Canada)identify time zone changes and changes in the length of day light for a specific time of year.