Deck 10: Tornadoes, Lightning, Heat, and Cold

Question 1

Important requirements for hail to form are _______________________________.

A)large thunderstorms with buoyant hot air rising from heated ground
B)upper-level cold air creating maximum temperature contrasts
C)strong updrafts to keep hailstones suspended while adding coatings of ice onto ever-growing cores
D)All of these are correct.
E)None of these are correct.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The Great Plains region of the central United States plays host to about ______ percent of the tornadoes that occur on Earth.

A)70
B)10
C)95
D)50
E)25

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The basic sequence within a lightning flash includes all but which of the following?

A)Static electricity builds up within the lower thundercloud and induces identical-polarity charges on the ground.
B)Discharge begins within the cloud and initiates a dimly visible,negatively charged stream of electrons propagating downward.
C)The conductive stream moves earthward in 50-meter jumps as a stepped leader;as the stepped leader nears the ground,the electric field at the surface increases greatly,shooting streamers of positive sparks upward and connecting with the stepped leader about 50 meters above ground.
D)The connection initiates the return stroke,sending positive charges up to the cloud with a brilliant flash;more lightning strokes occur as charges flow between the cloud and the earth.
E)
All of the choices are correct.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Thunderstorms occur where warm,moist air has absorbed enough heat and moisture to be significantly ____________ than the surrounding air.

A)less dense
B)denser
C)less energetic
D)drier
E)None of these are correct.

Question 5

The highest wind speeds of any weather phenomenon occur in ________________.

A)tornadoes
B)hurricanes
C)typhoons
D)cyclones
E)derechos

Question 6

The state in the United States with the most days (often more than 100)of thunderstorms in a typical year is ______________.

A)Texas
B)Florida
C)Illinois
D)Indiana
E)Ohio

Question 7

Conditions necessary to turn an ordinary thunderstorm into a tornado-spinning monster include _______________.

A)a low-altitude,northerly flow of warm,humid,tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico
B)a cold,dry air mass moving down from Canada or out of the Rocky Mountains at > 50 mph
C)jet-stream winds racing east at speeds in excess of 150 mph
D)All of the choices are correct.
E)a low-altitude,northerly flow of warm,humid,tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico and a cold,dry air mass moving down from Canada or out of the Rocky Mountains at > 50 mph only

Question 8

Which of the following types of severe weather results in the highest average annual death toll in the United States?

A)Heat
B)Cold
C)Tornado
D)Hurricane
E)Lightning

Question 9

A widespread,powerful wind storm with straight-line winds is referred to as a ________________.

A)tornado
B)hurricane
C)typhoon
D)cyclone
E)derecho

Question 10

In the United States,more lightning deaths occur in _______ than any other state.

A)Texas
B)Florida
C)Illinois
D)Indiana
E)Ohio

Question 11

The "White Hurricane" of 1993 was an immense winter cyclone that covered the eastern United States,causing $800 million in damage and 238 deaths.The hardest hit area was ______________.

A)New York
B)Pennsylvania
C)Florida
D)Ohio
E)Maine

Question 12

Much of the midlatitude severe weather in the Northern Hemisphere occurs via cyclones: air masses rotating _________________________________.

A)clockwise about a high-pressure core
B)counterclockwise about a high-pressure core
C)clockwise about a low-pressure core
D)counterclockwise about a low-pressure core
E)None of these are correct.

Question 13

Severe weather causes about _______ of the yearly deaths and damages from natural disasters.

A)5%
B)10%
C)35%
D)60%
E)75%

Question 14

Thunderstorms wreak havoc with _________________.

A)their heavy rains and sometimes flash floods
B)hail
C)lightning-caused deaths and fires
D)high-speed winds
E)
All of the choices are correct.

Question 15

Many of the United States' and world record rainfalls in the 1- to 24-hour range were established during thunderstorms in ______________.

A)Texas
B)Florida
C)Illinois
D)Indiana
E)Ohio

Question 16

Thunder is caused by ____________________________.

A)the compression of free neutrons in the lightning bolt
B)the compression of free photons in the lightning bolt
C)the compression of free electrons in the lightning bolt
D)the combustion of flammable atmospheric gases by the lightning bolt
E)high temperatures of lightning that flash heat the surrounding air,causing it to expand explosively

Question 17

In the United States,total deaths from lightning per decade have _________________ since the 1940s.

A)been increasing steadily
B)been decreasing steadily
C)remained about the same
D)fluctuated widely
E)been insignificant

Question 18

The physical principle of a spinning tornado is _________________.

A)conservation of linear momentum
B)conservation of kinetic energy
C)conservation of potential energy
D)conservation of angular momentum
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 19

In the United States,the average yearly deaths from tornadoes _________________.

A)are greater than any other type of severe weather
B)are more than five times greater than yearly deaths from lightning
C)are about the same as yearly deaths from lightning
D)are more than five times greater than yearly deaths from floods
E)are about the same as yearly deaths from floods

Question 20

Adiabatic cooling occurs when:

A)air mass rises and expands
B)air mass falls and expands
C)air mass rises and contracts
D)air mass falls and contracts

Question 21

The inside of a tornado funnel has ____________________.

A)high atmospheric pressure
B)normal atmospheric pressure
C)low atmospheric pressure
D)Atmospheric pressure that could be high atmospheric pressure,normal atmospheric pressure,or low atmospheric pressure
E)totally unknown atmospheric pressure characteristics

Question 22

The main destructive actions of tornadoes include all but which of the following?

A)High-wind speeds blow away buildings and trees.
B)Winds rushing up the funnel have a lifting force in the updraft.
C)An explosive situation exists because of the differences in air pressure between the very low pressure inside a tornado funnel and the higher pressures outside it.
D)A strong high-pressure zone in the center blows buildings apart.
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 23

The average annual number of deaths from tornadoes in the United States from 1920 to 2004 was 136 people.The long-term average annual number of tornado deaths has ___________________.

A)gradually increased over the last 85 years because of U.S.population increases
B)gradually decreased over the last 85 years
C)changed very little over the past 85 years
D)fluctuated widely,but with no real trend

Question 24

Tornadoes preferentially kill all but which of the following?

A)infants
B)old people
C)mobile-home residents
D)occupants of exterior rooms with windows
E)those unaware of broadcast tornado alerts

Question 25

The Fujita scale _________________.

A)is a special way of gauging the weight of hailstones
B)quantifies tornado magnitude on an open-ended scale,similar to earthquake magnitude
C)quantifies tornado magnitude,based on maximum wind speed
D)quantifies nor'easters,based on maximum wind speed
E)assesses the severity of lightning strikes based on the electrical current between ground and cloud