Geography 4 – Land, Water, Life

Spring 2024

Section Assignment 3: Pop Quiz

This quiz is intended to help you synthesize some of the material we have covered in the course thus far. It is open book, and you are encouraged to collaborate and discuss solutions with your classmates. The quiz is worth 30 points. To receive credit, please upload a pdf of your completed quiz to Canvas. This assignment is due 1 week from the date/time of your section. Please complete the following questions:

Part 1: (20 points) Circle the correct answer (one possible)

1.  Which of the following statements regarding the global energy balance is true?

a)   The greenhouse effect began with human activities.

b)  Polar regions receive more radiation than tropical regions due to Earth's tilt.

c)   Net radiation is positive at the equator.

d)   Ocean circulation alone compensates for the radiation imbalance between the equator and the poles.

e)   None of these is true

2. Which of the following statements regarding radiation is true?

a)   Earth radiates energy at long wavelengths.

b)  The sun radiates energy at short wavelengths.

c)   The atmosphere re-emits energy at long wavelengths.

d)  All of these are true

3. In the atmosphere, air molecules flow from ______ to _____.

a)   Low pressure; high pressure

b)  High pressure; low pressure

c)   North; south

d)   South; north

e)   None of these; depends on wind speed

4. The intertropical convergence zone .

a)   Stays in the same location throughout the year

b)   Is an area of rising air and low pressure

c)   Is an area of low rainfall

d)   Only occurs over land

e)   Occurs in high latitude regions

5. Which of the following surfaces has the highest albedo?

a)   Ocean surface

b)  Asphalt pavement

c)   Forest

d)  Snow

e)   Grass lawn

6. Between 20° to 35° north latitude and 20° to 35° south latitude we find:

a)   Warm and wet conditions, and the world's great tropical forests

b)  Mountain ranges

c)   The world's arid and semi-arid desert regions

d)   Extensive mid-latitude forests

e)   Arctic tundra

7. The world’s oceans play an important role in transporting heat, particularly in the area from:

a)   Polar to equatorial regions

b)   Polar to high latitude regions

c)   Equatorial to subtropical regions

d)   Equatorial to polar regions

e)   East to west ocean regions

8. Which of the following locations is most likely to experience the largest range of temperatures during a year?

a)   Coastal; low latitude

b)   Inland; low latitude

c)   Coastal; high latitude

d)   Inland; high latitude

e)   None of these

9. Earth’s seasons are primarily a product of .

a)   Changes in the distance between the sun and Earth

b)   Seasonal variation in cloud cover

c)   Eccentricity in Earth’s orbit

d)  Tilt in the Earth’s axis of rotation

e)   Changes in energy density with latitude

10. Which of the following is not a major greenhouse gas?

a)   Group of answer choices

b)   Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

c)   Water vapor (H2O)

d)  Nitrogen (N2)

e)   Methane (CH4)

f)   All of these are greenhouse gases

11. Which of the following is NOT a commonly used climate proxy?

a)   Fossil record of jellyfish

b)   Coral ring record

c)   Sediment record of oxygen isotopes of foraminifera

d)   Sediment record of oak tree pollen

e)   Tree ring record

12. Which of the following has the highest density, all else being equal? ppt = parts per thousand, so a larger number means higher concentration (more salinity)

a)   Seawater with salinity of 37 ppt at a temperature of 68° F

b)   Seawater with salinity of 34 ppt at a temperature of 68° F

c)   Seawater with salinity of 37 ppt at a temperature of 40° F

d)   Seawater with salinity of 34 ppt at a temperature of 40° F

13. What percentage of insolation reaches a depth of 100 m in the oceans?

a)   10%

b)  50%

c)   5%

d)  3%

e)   No solar radiation reaches this depth

14. Which of the following statements is true about ocean circulation?

a)   It is more important than atmospheric circulation for meridional heat transport

b)   It is less important than atmospheric circulation for meridional heat transport

c)   It plays no part in meridional heat transport

15. Along which side of the world’s continents do warm currents usually occur?

a)   West coasts

b)  East coasts

16. Which of the following locations best matches the accompanying climograph?

a)   Verkhoyansk, Russia – 68 degrees N, 133 degrees E; Subarctic climate with extreme seasonal temperature variation and very cold winters

b)  Trivandrum, India – 8 degrees N, 77 degrees E; Tropical monsoon climate with a pronounced rainy season and consistently high year-round temperatures

c)   Athens, Greece – 38 degrees N, 25 degrees E; Mediterranean climate with dry summers and wet winters

d)  Yuma, Arizona – 33 degrees N, 115 degrees W; Desert climate with consistently low rainfall and very warm summers.

17. Which of the following is in the correct outer-to-inner order for Earth’s vertical structure?

a)   Lithosphere, inner core, outer core

b)   Crust, Moho discontinuity, mantle, core

c)   Mantle, Moho discontinuity, lithosphere

d)   Crust, mantle, Moho discontinuity

e)   Lower mantle, asthenosphere, outer core

18. What do we mean when we refer to the asthenosphere as being "plastic"?

a)   It is artificial.

b)   It is warm.

c)   It is the origin of plastic materials.

d)   It is flexible and pliable.

e)   It is rigid and hard

19. Which of the following is evidence of continental drift?

a)   Fossil records

b)  All of these are evidence of continental drift

c)   Only some of these are evidence of continental drift

d)   Magnetic reversal records

e)   Relief and shape of continental coasts

20. Which of the following statements about plate tectonics and tectonic activity is not true?

a)   Extension and compression are two basic forms of tectonic activity

b)   Continental rupture eventually leads to formation of a new ocean basin

c)   Folds are created by compressional tectonic activity

d)   Continental lithosphere is mainly made of mafic rock

e)   More than one of these statements is not true

f)   Oceanic crust is usually denser than continental crust

Part 2: (10 points)

21. Insolation (amount of solar radiation received in a given place) varies by latitude according to the orientation of the planet with respect to the sun. The circle below represents the Earth, with the equator (0°), 30°, 60°, and the poles (labeled N and S, respectively) listed. With straight lines draw and label the following features on the map (5 points):

a) Tropic of Cancer (label latitude)

b) Tropic of Capricorn (label latitude)

c) Arctic Circle (label latitude)

d) Antarctic Circle (label latitude)

e) Plane of the Ecliptic on Equinoxes (March 20-23; September 21-24)

22. Match each of these to the dominant type of energy transfer occurring (5 points):

a) convection – latent heat

b) convection – sensible heat

c) conduction

d) radiation

e) greenhouse effect

Heat transfer when a hot pancake is placed on a cold plate = c

Heat transferred when a warm air parcel over a campfire mixes upward with a cooler parcel of air = b

Heat transferred when a rain puddle evaporates = a The reason you get a sunburn = d

Evapotranspiration from plants = b