question

A map scal of 1:24,000 means that

answer

One inch on the map equals 24,000 inches on the ground, one centimeter equals 24,000 centimeters on the ground and one foot equals 24,000 feet on Earth.

question

Earth's circumference is

answer

about 40,000 km (24,000 mi)

question

Which of the following is true of the length of one degree latitiude?

answer

It is constant at all latitudes.

question

Which of the following is a major theme in geography?

answer

Places & Regions, Human-Environment Interaction, Location, Movement.

question

If you were standing at 20*N latitude you would MOST appropriately be described as being within which latitudinal geographic zone?

answer

Equatorial

question

Which of the following "spheres" is an ABIOTIC system?

answer

Atmosphere and Hydrosphere.

question

Remote sensing is

answer

the monitoring of a distant object without physical contact.

question

New resources and matter are being added to Earth's system all the time.

answer

False

question

Earth represents an open system in terms of energy.

answer

True

question

If you wanted a map with a lot of detail of a small area you would want a "small scale" map.

answer

False

question

Which of the following terms characterizes the discipline of geography?

answer

Interdisciplinary, Holistic, and Synthesis

question

A parallel of latitude

answer

is used to measure distances north or south of th equator.

question

Earth is best decribed as a geoid, because it is not a perfectly shaped sphere.

answer

True

question

Geography is best described as

answer

a spatial science.

question

The fact that nature produces more pollution than humans do means that anthropogenic pollution is insignificant, and we need not worry about it.

answer

False.

question

Map projections, such as Mercator and Robinson, preserve all of Earth's properties of area, shape, direction, proximity, and distance correctly.

answer

False (No map projection can preserve all of Earth's properties correctly; they all distort at least one of these properties).

question

Which of the following is not one of the four major "spheres"?

answer

Cryosphere

question

The most extreme northern and southern parallels to experience perpendicular rays of the Sun at local non are located at:

answer

23.5* N & S

question

The normal lapse rate within the troposphere is an average temperature of 3.5F per 1000ft above sea level.

answer

True (It's 3.5*/1000ft or 6.4*C/km)

question

GIS is being used to

answer

monitor flood hazard areas, plan urban development, and analyze crime trends.

question

In general, as distance from the subsolar point increases, the average annual insolation decreases and the average annual temperature increases.

answer

False (temperature also decreases).

question

The analogy of comparing Earth's atmosphere to the greenhouse is exacly how the Earth-atmosphere system operates.

answer

False (Although it can genereally be used a a useful analogy, it is an inaccurate model since atmospheric gases do not trap, but absorb heat).

question

Winds are named for the directin in which they are blowing, not from where they originate.

answer

False

question

Which of the following would be true for the net radiation balance in a midlatitude location?

answer

There is a surplus of Net R during the summer and a surplus during the winter. A large portion of the mainland US is within the midlatitude and we experience very warm summer & more direct insolation (surplus is net radiation) and colder witners with less insolation (deficit in Net R).

question

On the average, which of the following is true regarding the distribution of shortwave and longwave energy at Earth's surface by latitude?

answer

The distribution shows an imbalance of the Net R from equator to poles.

question

Which of the following describes the pressure gradient force?

answer

It is the force that initiates air movement and it drives air from areas of higher to lower barometric pressure.

question

The principal controls and influences of temperature patterns include

answer

latitude, altitude, land-water heating differences, cloud cover, ocean currents, and surface conditions.

question

Land-sea breezes are caused by the fact that water heats and cools faster than land surfaces.

answer

False. Water has a higher specific heat - it holds more engery, so it takes more energy, and a longer time, to warm up, and also longer to cool off by releasing that energy.

question

A daily temperature curve exhibits a lag of about three hours relative to an insolation curve.

answer

True.

question

Clouds moderate temperatures producing lower daily maximums and higher nightly minimums.

answer

True.

question

Which of the following is true of high pressure areas?

answer

Air descends and diverges within high pressure systems.

question

Greenhouse gases act to ______ temperatures by _____ thermal infrared radiation.

answer

Increase; absorbing and releasing.

question

If a surface absorbs insolation,

answer

its temperature increases.

question

The deflection produced by the Coriolis force is cause by

answer

the fact that Earth's rotation decreases in speed toward the poles.

question

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is characterized by

answer

convergence and uplift of warm surface air.

question

A vertical air current is generated by temperature-induced density

answer

convection. (Ex.Heat transfer between the pot and hot stove top is conduction through direct contact, but, convection is the transfer of this heat up through the vertical column of water (or air) since warm water/air rises and cold air/water sinks.

question

Which of the following is true of Hadley cells?

answer

They are found on either side of the equator.

question

Heat energy flos from objects that are hot to those that are cold.

answer

True.

question

A dark coloered surface has a higher albedo value than a light colored surface.

answer

False. Just the opposite- albedo referes to the reflective quality of a surface and light colored surfaces reflect more, while dark colored ones absorb more. high albedo = high reflectivity.

question

When looking at the Earth's energy budget by latitude, which region is considered to be one f energy surplus (i.e. it is the area that receives the most insolation on average)?

answer

Equatorial

question

Clouds that have vertical development and produce thunderstorms are called

answer

cumulonimbus.

question

Evaporation from a surface cools the surface.

answer

True.

question

Relative humidity is

answer

the amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature expressed as a percentage of the water vapor capacity of the air.

question

Weather is

answer

the short-term condition of the atmosphere.

question

Which of the following is false regarding Tropical climates (in general)?

answer

They are found from 35*N to 35*S.

question

Which of the following is normally true of a Dry Climate (desert) such as that in the southwestern United States?

answer

Potential evaportranspiration exceeds actual evaportranspiration.

question

Ground water pollution that our generation creates will persist far into the future (decades to centuries) beccause it is virtually impossible to clean an aquifer once it is polluted.

answer

True.

question

Which of the following is an example of the consumptive use of water?

answer

Water which evaporates from an irrigated field. Evaporated water is the only use listed in which the water does not stay in its liquid form so it is no longer available for a second (or more) use. It is now water vapor in the air.

question

Which atmospheric lifting mechanism produces wet windward slopes on mountain ranges and rain shadow regions on the leeward side?

answer

Orographic lifting

question

Areas between 25* to 35* latitude usually become _____ because this area is dominated by air that is sinking and being _____.

answer

deserts; heated by the comperssion

question

Earth's oceans possess

answer

97% of the Earth's waters.

question

Tropical cyclones

answer

originate entirely within tropical air masses.

question

A parcel of air tends to heat by expansion and cool by compression as it moves vertically in the atmosphere.

answer

False.

question

A mass of air always becomes saturated when it reaches the

answer

dew point temperature.

question

The largest portion of fresh water today is located in

answer

ice caps and glaciers.

question

The moist adiabatic rate (MAR) is less than the dry adiabatic rate (DAR) as a result of the release of the latent heat of condensation within the rising parcel of air.

answer

True

question

Which of the following is true regarding the hyrologic cycle?

answer

78% of all precipitation falls on the oceans.

question

The overall quantity of water on Earth is constantly fluctuating as evidenced by changes in sea level.

answer

False.

question

A moist climate can be produced by which of the following?

answer

Maritime air masses dominate a region, a location on the windward side of a mountain range and dominant wind direction brings in preceipitation events.

question

Which of the following is not true of a cold front?

answer

Clear, cold air and high pressure as the front approaches (clear, cold air and high pressure occur after the front has passed)

question

Which of the following supports the continental drift concept?

answer

Magnetic field patterns preserved in the rocks, plant & animal fossil records, and radiometric dating of rocks on either side of a spreading center.

question

Th rate at which rocks weather depends upon

answer

the climate of an area, type of rock, and amount of vegetation in the area.

question

Explosive reuptions tend to build up

answer

composite volcanos.

question

Divergent plate boundaries are

answer

sea-floor spreading centers (rift zones) and where new ocean crust is being formed.

question

When rock is broken and disintegrated without dissolving, the process in operation is

answer

physical weathering.

question

Tectonic forces

answer

warp, fold, and uplift rock.

question

At which of the following locations does subduction occur?

answer

Along convergent boundaries between continental and oceanic plates.

question

The most common type of mass movement ina moderately sloped and dry enviroment is

answer

soil creep.

question

Landslides occur when

answer

a threshold is reached, the internal friction is overcome by the force of gravity, and driving forces exceed resisting forces.

question

Uniformitarianism assumes that

answer

the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processess that have been operating throughout geologic time.

question

Volcanic activity located away from plate boundaries (such as the Hawaiian Islands) is accociated with

answer

hot spots.

question

Which of the following is incorrectly matched.

answer

denudation - endogenic.

question

The science that specifically studies the origin, evolution, form, and spatial distribution of landforms is

answer

geomorphology.

question

Which of the following can lead to hillslope failure?

answer

Making a roadcut in the side of a hill, increasing the slope angle, and excessively watering a slope.

question

Orogenesis refers to

answer

a general term for a mountain-building episode that thickens continental crust.

question

Karst topography is formed primarily by

answer

carbonation and solution.

question

The area at the surface directly above the subsurface location where seismic waves are initiated is termed the

answer

epicenter.

question

Igneous rock forms from which of the following rock cycle processess?

answer

The melting and crystallization of other rock material.

question

Continental crust is primarily _____, whereas oceanic crust is primarily _____.

answer

granite; basalt

question

The disintegration and dissolving of surface and subsurface rock is called

answer

weathering.

question

Active sand dunes and sandy deserts cover approimately what percentage of continental land between 30*N and 30*S latitude (Earth's desert regions)?

answer

10%.

question

Steam-related processes are termed

answer

fluvial.

question

The term eolian refers to

answer

erosion, transportation, and deposition by the wind.

question

A characteristic cone-shaped depositional feature in the desert that usually forms at the mouth of a canyon is known as a

answer

alluvial fan.

question

The suspended load of a stream consists of particles that are

answer

held aloft in the stream flow.

question

Wave action works to straighten a coast as wave energy focuses around headlands and tends to disperse energy in coves and bays in a process called

answer

wave refraction.

question

Beaches are

answer

places along the coast where sediment is in motion.

question

The ultimate base level that a stream can erode its valley to is

answer

sea level.

question

Barrier island make _____ sites for real estate development because _____.

answer

poor; they are unstable and often mobile, and can be overrun by storm surges.

question

Yardangs are produced by

answer

wind abrasion.

question

When people go swimming along a coast, they often find themselves, after a while, down the coast from where they first entered the water. They moved downshore because of

answer

longshore currents.

question

If stream discharge increases, which of the following channel characteristic changes would occur?

answer

An increase in velocity.

question

Which of the following is formed when a stream meander gets cut off from the main channel?

answer

An oxbow lake

question

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

answer

Point bar - area of substantial erorsion. (point bar deposit is a depositional feature).

question

Which of the following is not true of stormflow and hydrographs for urban areas?

answer

Urbanization dcreases the possiblity of a flood downstream from a major city.

question

Which of the following is an example of an erosional coastal landform?

answer

Cliff.

question

Which of the following stream channel types is likely to develop on gently sloping surfaces composed of rocks or sediments with approximately the same resistance to erosion? (Also assume that there are no structural controls on the pattern's development).

answer

Dendritic

question

An earthquake, submarine landslide, or eruption of an undersea volcano is capable of producing a

answer

tsunami.

question

The removal and lifting of individual loose particles by the wind is termed

answer

deflation.

question

The massive dune that is the mountainous giant of the sandy deserts is called a

answer

star dune.

question

A roughly equal mixture of sand, silt, and clay is called

answer

loam.

question

Which of the following is not a erosional feature formed by an alpine glacier?

answer

Drumlin

question

A continuous mass of ice covering a large landmass is known as a

answer

continental glacier.

question

The term periglacial refers to

answer

cold-climate processes along the margins of glaciers.

question

The bulk of ice on Earth is in

answer

Greenland and Antarctica.

question

The basic sampling unit in soil survey is called

answer

a pedon.

question

Unlike a stream-cut valley that assumes a characteristic _____-shape, a glacially-carved valley evidences a characteristic ____-shape.

answer

V;U

question

The great grassland soils of the world are called

answer

Mollisols.

question

Which of the following is true of the snowline?

answer

It decreases in elevation with increasing latitude.

question

At present, which of the following soil orders occupies the most land area worldwide?

answer

Aridisols

question

Drowned glacial valleys occuring along coastlines are known as

answer

fjords.

question

A specific landform produced by the deposition of glacial till is known as

answer

a moraine.

question

A glacier that is confined in a bowl-shaped recess is called a

answer

cirque glacier.

question

Soil is

answer

a dynamic, natural body.

question

The opposite of teh accumulation zone in a glacier is the

answer

ablation zone.

question

Which of the following soil horizon designations is in the correct sequence from the surface to bedrock?

answer

O, A, E, B, C, R

question

Oxisols are _____ and _____.

answer

highly leached; nutrient-poor

question

Because Aridisols form in arid environments, they are likely to

answer

be very thin and poorly developed, contain little organic matter, and have salinization due to irrigation.

question

If humus were lost from the soil due to excessive farming or soil erosion, which of the following could occur?

answer

Loss of soil structure, fertility, and water-holding capacity.

question

The E horizon is dominated by _____, whereas the B horizon is dominated by _____.

answer

eluviation; illuviation

question

Which of the following is not a biotic component of an ecosystem?

answer

Mineral nutrients

question

Which of the following is incorrect?

answer

Community - specific location of an organism

question

_____ is the specific physical location of an organism, where as the function, or occupation, of a life-form within a given community is called its _____.

answer

Habitat; niche

question

Primary productivity refers to _____ and is greatest in _____.

answer

The rate at which plant growth occurs; tropical rain forest

question

Energy flows through an ecosystem along a circuit called the

answer

food chain.

question

A self-regulating association of living plants and animals and their nonliving physical environmnet is termed a(n)

answer

ecosystem.

question

Which of the following is a large terrestrial ecosystem characterized by its dominant vegetation type and structure?

answer

Biome

question

In a food chain, toxic chemicals tend to accumulate and concentrate most in the

answer

top carnivore.

question

Light, temperature, water, and climate are examples of

answer

aboitic system components.

question

Which of teh following lists give the correct sequence of tropic leves in a food chain?

answer

Autotrophs, heterotrophs, decomposers Producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers

question

The different spatial distribution of coast redwoods and red maple trees illustrates the operation of

answer

limiting factors.

question

The study of spatial aspects of ecology and the distribution of plants and animals is called

answer

biogeography.

question

Alexander von Humboldt first proposed the idea that plant communities change with altitude just as they do with latitude. This is known as the

answer

life zone concept.

question

Why does rapid climate change pose a potential threat to organisms?

answer

Plants may be unable to recolonize an area fast enough to survive. Habitat loss will occur for plants. Habitat loss will occur for animals that depend on plant ecosystems that are no longer intact. Temperature limiting factors may cause some ecosystems and communities to be weakend.

question

Near the subtropical high pressure centers, net primary productivity is limited by

answer

lack of rainfall.

question

The net dry weight of organic matter that feeds a food chain is

answer

biomass, or the useful amount of chemical energy.

question

In the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes, north-facing slopes tend to be _____ vegetated than south-facing slopes because _____

answer

more; they are more moist.

question

Which of the following life-zone lists is in the correct sequence from lowest ot highest elevation?

answer

Tropical rain forest, temperate deciduous forest, needleleaf forest, tundra, and ice and snow.

question

The greats pool of carbon on Earth resides in

answer

the oceans.

question

Which of the following is not part of the ecosystem?

answer

Earth's crust, flowers, carbon and nitrogen, and mountain tops.

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