Deck 1: Earth and Its Atmosphere

Question 1

In which of the following atmospheric layers does most of the Earth's weather occur?

A)troposphere
B)thermosphere
C)stratosphere
D)mesosphere

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In which of the following settings would a breath of air contain much fewer molecules than a breath of air taken at sea level?

A)standing at the top of a 7000 metre-high mountain
B)on the roof of a high-rise building
C)standing at the top of a hill
D)in an underground cave

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is the name for the electrified region of the upper atmosphere?

A)stratosphere
B)ionosphere
C)mesosphere
D)thermosphere

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following planets does not have an atmosphere?

A)Mars
B)Mercury
C)Jupiter
D)Venus

Question 5

Large increases in which of the following gases would lead to a changing global climate?

A)methane
B)argon
C)helium
D)nitrogen

Question 6

If the number of molecules in an air parcel was fixed and the volume of the parcel was to decrease, then which of the following would result?

A)The mass would increase.
B)The density would increase.
C)The mass would decrease.
D)The density would decrease.

Question 7

Which of the following statements accurately compares how air density and air pressure decrease as atmospheric altitude increases?

A)Air density decreases much less than air pressure decreases.
B)Air density decreases much more than air pressure decreases.
C)Air density decreases in much the same way as air pressure decreases.
D)Air density decreases in a completely different way than air pressure decreases.

Question 8

Over which of the following areas does an ozone hole form annually during the southern hemisphere's spring?

A)Argentina
B)Antarctica
C)South Africa
D)Australia

Question 9

Which of the following gases absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere?

A)nitrous oxide
B)carbon dioxide
C)ozone
D)chlorofluorocarbons

Question 10

In which of the following cities would a hit baseball travel farthest?

A)Calgary
B)Toronto
C)Montreal
D)Halifax

Question 11

Which of the following is representative of an inversion?

A)the outgassing produced by volcanoes
B)nitrous oxide
C)condensation on a drinking glass
D)the stratosphere

Question 12

Which of the following atmospheric layers is the hottest?

A)mesosphere
B)troposphere
C)thermosphere
D)stratosphere

Question 13

Which of the following equations accurately expresses the relationship between weight, mass, and gravity?

A)weight = mass + gravity
B)weight = mass × gravity
C)weight = mass - gravity
D)weight = mass gravity

Question 14

Which of the following has been the primary source of oxygen for the Earth's atmosphere in recent geological times?

A)volcanic eruptions
B)transpiration
C)photodissociation
D)photosynthesis

Question 15

Which of the following conditions occurs during a temperature inversion?

A)Air temperature increases with increasing height.
B)Air temperature remains constant with increasing height.
C)Air temperature decreases with increasing height.
D)Air temperature is warmer at night than during the day.

Question 16

How many molecules are contained in a single breath of air?

A)10² molecules
B)10⁶ molecules
C)10²² molecules
D)10²⁶ molecules

Question 17

Which of the following descriptions correctly applies to Jupiter's "Great Red Spot"?

A)It is a huge crater.
B)It is a huge volcano.
C)It is a huge cloud of water vapour.
D)It is a huge spinning eddy.

Question 18

How much oxygen occupies a volume of air near the Earth's surface?

A)21%
B)43%
C)78%
D)84%

Question 19

Which of the following describes water vapour?

A)It is a liquid
B)It is a raindrop
C)It is a gas
D)It is a cloud droplet

Question 20

Which of the following gases varies the most from place to place and from time to time in the lower atmosphere?

A)ozone
B)water vapour
C)carbon dioxide
D)methane

Question 21

Which of the following is the best place to view the aurora on a clear night?

A)Nunavut
B)Prince Edward Island
C)northern Ontario
D)southern Alberta

Question 22

Which of the following is the name for the charged particles from the sun that travel through space at high speeds?

A)solar flares
B)aurora
C)solar wind
D)radiation

Question 23

Which of the following terms refers to the amount of force exerted over an area of surface?

A)pressure
B)density
C)temperature
D)weight

Question 24

Which of the following is considered a greenhouse gas?

A)nitrous oxide
B)oxygen
C)helium
D)hydrogen

Question 25

Which of the following is the instrument used to measure temperature, pressure, and humidity at various altitudes in the atmosphere?

A)aneroid barometer
B)barograph
C)altimeter
D)radiosonde

Question 26

Based on the pressures indicated in the figure below, where does 30 percent of the weight of the atmosphere lie?

A)between points A and B
B)between points B and C
C)between points A and C
D)above point C

Question 27

Which of the following processes describes how the aurora is produced?

A)reflection of sunlight by polar ice fields
B)burning oxygen caused by the intense sunlight at high altitude
C)scattering of sunlight in the upper atmosphere
D)collision of fast-moving charged particles with air molecules

Question 28

Which of the following is the most abundant greenhouse gas in the Earth's atmosphere?

A)water vapour
B)nitrous oxide
C)carbon dioxide
D)methane

Question 29

Which of the following describes what happens to atmospheric pressure at night, when the weather is cold and dry?

A)It remains constant with increasing altitude.
B)It decreases with increasing altitude.
C)It increases with increasing altitude.
D)It first increases, then decreases with increasing altitude.

Question 30

In which of the following atmospheric layers does a lot of mixing and overturning of air occur?

A)stratosphere
B)troposphere
C)mesosphere
D)ionosphere

Question 31

In comparison to the amount of atmospheric oxygen inhaled in a normal breath, one breath of pure oxygen from a tank provides how much oxygen?

A)five times as much
B)twice as much
C)half as much
D)one-fifth as much

Question 32

Which of the following instruments are used routinely to measure wind and temperature throughout the troposphere and stratosphere?

A)mercury barometer
B)stethoscope
C)radiosonde
D)ceilometer

Question 33

The atmosphere of which of the following planets is composed primarily of carbon dioxide?

A)Earth
B)Mars
C)Jupiter
D)Uranus

Question 34

Which of the following statements describes the temperature of the tropopause compared to the temperature at the Earth's surface?

A)It is much warmer.
B)It is a little warmer.
C)It is much colder.
D)It is a little colder.

Question 35

Which of the following processes removes CO₂ from the atmosphere?

A)photosynthesis
B)soil decay
C)deforestation
D)volcanic activity

Question 36

Which of the following atmospheric layers is the thickest?

A)the layer bounded by 1001 hPa and 1010 hPa
B)the layer bounded by 1 hPa and 10 hPa
C)the layer bounded by 500 hPa and 550 hPa
D)the layer bounded by 101 hPa and 110 hPa

Question 37

Most of Tibet has an altitude greater than 5000 metres, where the atmospheric pressure is about 500 hPa. At this altitude, Tibetans live higher than what percentage of air molecules in the atmosphere?

A)about 75%
B)about 25%
C)about 10%
D)about 50%

Question 38

In which of the following locations can the aurora be seen?

A)in the northern and southern hemispheres near the equator
B)in the northern and southern hemispheres at high latitudes
C)in the northern hemisphere and southern hemispheres in the polar regions
D)in the northern hemisphere and southern hemispheres at low latitudes

Question 39

Which of the following describes the amount of oxygen inhaled in a single breath at the 500 hPa level, compared to that inhaled at sea level?

A)The amount is about the same.
B)The amount is about three-quarters.
C)The amount is about one-quarter.
D)The amount is about one-half.

Question 40

Which of the following combinations of gases describes the primary composition of the Earth's first atmosphere?

A)oxygen and water vapour
B)argon and nitrogen
C)carbon dioxide and water vapour
D)hydrogen and helium

Question 41

Which of the following is a naturally occurring component of the atmosphere?

A)chlorofluorocarbons
B)carbon dioxide
C)hydrochlorofluorocarbons
D)carbon monoxide

Question 42

Which of the following is the greenhouse gas that has increased in concentration, at least partly due to deforestation?

A)water vapour
B)carbon dioxide
C)ozone
D)chlorofluorocarbons

Question 43

How much nitrogen occupies a volume of air near the Earth's surface?

A)78%
B)84%
C)43%
D)21%

Question 44

Typically, what percentage of the air's volume near the Earth's surface is water vapour?

A)less than 4%
B)close to 10%
C)about 21%
D)about 78%

Question 45

The vertical profile of which of the following factors is the basis of the division of the Earth's atmosphere into layers?

A)air pressure
B)wind speed
C)air temperature
D)air density

Question 46

Which of the following is the name for the tiny, solid or liquid, suspended atmospheric particles of various compositions?

A)carcinogens
B)aerosols
C)greenhouse gases
D)microbes

Question 47

Which of the following terms refers to the number or mass of air molecules in a given space or volume?

A)pressure
B)temperature
C)weight
D)density

Question 48

Which of the following chemicals is the most abundant gas in the mesosphere?

A)carbon dioxide
B)oxygen
C)ozone
D)nitrogen

Question 49

Which of the following statements applies to stratospheric ozone?

A)It is one of the main ingredients of photochemical smog
B)It is a health hazard for people with respiratory illnesses
C)It protects life from harmful ultraviolet radiation
D)It is originally formed in the troposphere

Question 50

Which of the following terms refers to the rate at which temperature decreases with increasing altitude?

A)thermocline
B)temperature slope
C)lapse rate
D)sounding

Question 51

Which of the following is the most abundant gas emitted from volcanoes?

A)carbon dioxide
B)water vapour
C)nitrogen
D)sulfur dioxide

Question 52

Which of the following planets has the strongest greenhouse effect?

A)Mars
B)Earth
C)Venus
D)Pluto

Question 53

Which of the following best describes the ozone hole?

A)It is a region of complete vacuum in the ozone layer
B)It is a region where ozone sinks to the troposphere
C)It is an actual hole in the ozone layer
D)It is a region of reduced thickness in the ozone layer

Question 54

Which of the following factors is responsible for keeping a planet's atmosphere close to its surface?

A)pressure
B)cloud cover
C)gravity
D)moisture

Question 55

Which of the following describes what happens to a radiosonde balloon as it ascends through the atmosphere?

A)It expands.
B)It contracts at first, than expands.
C)It contracts.
D)It maintains a constant pressure.

Question 56

Which of the following gases is responsible for the greenhouse effect on Venus?

A)ozone
B)nitrogen
C)carbon dioxide
D)oxygen

Question 57

Which of the following processes is the main cause of warming in the stratosphere?

A)frictional heating caused by meteorites
B)absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone
C)chemical reactions between ozone and chlorofluorocarbons
D)release of latent heat energy during condensation

Question 58

Which of the following is produced in the Earth's upper atmosphere as a result of excited atoms and molecules giving off visible light?

A)prominences
B)flares
C)solar wind
D)aurora

Question 59

Which of the following weather elements decreases in relation to an increase in altitude?

A)moisture
B)temperature
C)pressure
D)wind

Question 60

Which of the following processes removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?

A)burning fossil fuels
B)lightning
C)deforestation
D)photosynthesis

Question 61

Which of the following statements gives the main reason that night-time radio broadcasts can be sent over long distances?

A)Radio waves propagate more efficiently through cooler, high-density air.
B)Radio stations put out more power at night.
C)The low D-level region of the ionosphere is weaker at night.
D)There is less interference because many radio stations do not broadcast at night.

Question 62

Which of the following terms refers to the outpouring of gases from the Earth's hot interior?

A)dissolution
B)eruption
C)outgassing
D)evaporation

Question 63

Explain how sunlight contributes to the formation of photochemical smog.

Question 64

Most of the ionosphere is located in which of the following atmospheric layers?

A)mesosphere
B)stratosphere
C)troposphere
D)thermosphere

Question 65

Which of the following conditions causes hypoxia?

A)rapid change in atmospheric pressure
B)extreme cold
C)combined effects of heat and humidity
D)lack of oxygen to the brain

Question 66

Which of the following units of pressure are most commonly used?

A)pounds per square inch
B)hectopascals
C)millimetres of mercury
D)inches of mercury

Question 67

Which of the following best summarizes how atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide change throughout the course of a year?

A)They tend to remain stable.
B)They tend to go up and down.
C)They tend to keep decreasing.
D)They tend to keep increasing.

Question 68

Which of the following methods do scientists use to determine air temperature in the thermosphere?

A)use of radiosondes
B)observation of changes in satellite orbits
C)use of temperature probes in orbiting satellites
D)direct measurement in manned, high-altitude balloons

Question 69

Which of the following is the primary source of energy for the Earth's atmosphere?

A)latent heat released during the formation of hurricanes
B)the sun
C)erupting volcanoes
D)energy from within the Earth

Question 70

Which of the following atmospheric layers is the one in which we live?

A)ionosphere
B)thermosphere
C)troposphere
D)stratosphere

Question 71

If a time machine transported you to the early days of the Earth's atmosphere, before plants and animals existed on our planet, which of the following best describes what would happen?

A)You would slowly photodissociate.
B)You would be crushed by the atmospheric pressure.
C)There would be enough oxygen in the air for you to breathe.
D)You would be outgassed.

Question 72

Under what circumstances might someone breathe stratospheric air? How often is this likely to happen in a person's lifetime?

Question 73

What causes air pressure? Why does air pressure decrease with increasing altitude?

Question 74

Which of the following is the only substance that is found naturally in the atmosphere near the Earth's surface as a solid, a liquid, and a gas?

A)water
B)carbon dioxide
C)ozone
D)molecular oxygen

Question 75

Which of the following components of the earth's atmosphere is considered a variable gas?

A)oxygen
B)argon
C)water vapour
D)nitrogen

Question 76

Why is the ozone found in the stratosphere considered to be helpful to humans while the ozone in the troposphere is considered to be harmful to humans?

Question 77

By volume, which of the following are the most abundant gases in the Earth's atmosphere?

A)nitrogen and oxygen
B)carbon dioxide and nitrogen
C)oxygen and water vapour
D)oxygen and helium

Question 78

Which of the following describes the normal condition of air temperature in the stratosphere?

A)It increases with increasing height.
B)It decreases with increasing height.
C)It increases depending on the season.
D)It decreases depending on the season.

Question 79

Which of the following statements accurately describes the change in CO₂ in the atmosphere since the turn of this century?

A)CO₂ has increased in the first half of the century, and decreased in the last half
B)CO₂ has remained at about the same concentration from year to year
C)CO₂ has been steadily increasing in concentration
D)CO₂ has been steadily decreasing in concentration

Question 80

Which of the following describes a property of water vapour?

A)It makes clouds white
B)It is semi-transparent
C)It colours the sky blue
D)It is invisible