Chapter 9: Weather Patterns

1) Middle-latitude cyclones

A) travel from east to west

B) are large high-pressure systems

C) have cold fronts but not warm fronts

D) rotate counterclockwise

E) a and b

4) The lifting of air and the resulting formation of clouds and rain is more gentle (gradual) for a

A) divergence zone

B) mesocyclone

C) occluded front

D) cold front

E) warm front

5) Which of these best describes the reason most high pressure systems bring clear skies?

A) low temperatures aloft

B) rising air aloft

C) sinking air aloft

D) high temperatures aloft

E) cold air near the surface

7) On a weather map, ______fronts are shown with triangular points on one side of the front and semicircles on the other.

A) cold B) occluded C) stationary D) warm

10) A warm front is said to exist when

A) warm and cold air meet

B) invading cold air pushes underneath warmer air

C) warm air pushes underneath cold air

D) moving cold air overrides warmer air

E) advancing warm air overrides retreating cold air

11) The energy of a mid-latitude cyclone comes mainly from

A) greenhouse effect

B) Earth's interior

C) ocean water

D) sinking cold air and rising warm air

E) clouds

14) The arrival of a cold front brings

A) stationary winds

B) cumulonimbus clouds

C) mild weather

D) higher temperatures

E) gentle rains

15) Which of these is common to both cold and warm fronts?

A) decreasing precipitation rates

B) lifting of warm air over cold

C) divergence of surface winds

D) light to calm winds

E) steady barometer readings

17) Compared to other types of fronts, the weather associated with a cold front usually

A) is less violent but of longer duration

B) is more violent but of shorter duration

C) covers more area

D) involves less precipitation

E) does not involve thunderstorms

18) If a warm front is approaching, you can expect

A) calm winds

B) clearing skies

C) falling temperatures

D) rising temperatures

E) both c) and d)

19) After a cold front passes, which of these does not usually occur?

A) wind direction shift

B) marked temperature drop

C) drop in relative humidity

D) clearing skies

E) falling barometer

21) The wind direction in a low pressure system is

A) from the east

B) from the south

C) from the northwest

D) from the north

E) dependent on your location relative to the storm center

23) The width or horizontal extent of a typical mid-latitude low pressure system would be

A) 20,000 km

B) 10,000 km

C) 500 - 1000 km

D) 5 - 10 km

E) 50 - 100 km