Tsunami MCQs Quiz Multiple Choice Questions & Answers

1. A tsunami is a series of giant waves generated by:

1. High winds
2. Stronger than normal tides
3. Large disturbance on the ocean floor
4. Storms

2. As a tsunami approaches shallow water which of the following set of transformations occur?

1. Wavelength increases, wave period decreases, and wave height stays the same
2. Wavelength decreases, wave period decreases, and wave height increases
3. Wavelength decreases, wave period increases, and wave height increases
4. Wavelength decreases, waver period stays the same, and wave height increases

3. During a tsunami a series of waves radiating outward from a central disturbance of the sea floor is called a

1. Wave train
2. Ocean storm
3. Wind-generated disturbance
4. Wavelets

4. How far apart can the waves of a tsunami be?

1. There is only one wave
2. Only a few seconds
3. Only a few minutes
4. Up to an hour

5. How many people died in California as a result of the tsunami created by the Good Friday earthquake?

1. 7
2. 11
3. 15
4. 20

6. How much uplift occurred during the Good Friday earthquake?

1. 5 m
2. 10 m
3. 15 m
4. 25 m

7. If the average depth of the oceans is 3500 meters, then what would the speed of a tsunami be in such open ocean conditions?

1. 300 km/hour
2. 400 km/hour
3. 667 km/hour
4. 500 km/hour

8. If the seafloor is suddenly displaced upward, then what happens to the sea surface?

1. It will subside
2. It will remain unchanged
3. It will momentarily rise
4. None of the above

9. In the open ocean a tsunami can travel at speeds of

1. 50 m/hour
2. 100 m/hour
3. 966 km/hour
4. 20 m/hour

10. In what year did the Boxing Day tsunami occur in the Indian Ocean?

1. 1999
2. 2004
3. 2010
4. 2007

11. Just prior to a tsunami coming ashore, sea level appears to fall quickly. This phenomenon is called

1. Sea level drop
2. Draw fall
3. Drawdown
4. Dip in sea level

12. Most major tsunamis are generated by earthquakes along

1. Divergent margins
2. Convergent margins
3. Transform margins
4. None of the above

13. Most major tsunamis are produced by earthquakes with hypo centers less than

1. 5 km
2. 10 km
3. 20 km
4. 30 km

14. Most major tsunamis are produced by earthquakes with magnitudes greater than

1. 6
2. 7
3. 8
4. 9

15. The wave height of a tsunami is typically less than

1. 0.1 m
2. 0.2 m
3. 1 m
4. 0.5 m

16. Tsunami can occur:

1. Only in the morning
2. Only in the evening
3. Any time of the day or night
4. Only in the summer months

17. Tsunamis are known for their capacity to:

1. Violently flood coastlines
2. Cause devastating property damage
3. Cause injury and loss of life
4. All of the above

18. What do tsunami look like in the open sea?

1. Hardly noticeable waves
2. Small cresting waves
3. Huge cresting waves
4. Huge non-cresting waves

19. What does the word tsunami mean?

1. Big wave
2. Earthquake wave
3. Harbour wave
4. Tidal wave

20. What is the magnitude of the largest earthquake recorded by man?

1. 9
2. 9.2
3. 9.3
4. 9.5

21. Where did the Good Friday earthquake occur?

1. Chile
2. Sumatra
3. California
4. Alaska

22. Which island in Western Samoa suffered the most damage when the tsunami struck on 29 September 2009?

1. Apia
2. Upolu
3. Savaii
4. Stewart Island

23. Which of the following events do not cause atsunami?

1. Underwater or coastal earthquake
2. Large coastal cliff or lakeside landslides
3. Underwater volcanic eruptions
4. A plane crash into the ocean.

24. Which statement below is not true?

1. Tsunami waves are different from ordinary waves that you see at the beach.
2. Tsunami waves ave a lot of energy and travel much further than ordinary waves.
3. Small tsunami waves are not dangerous
4. Not all earthquakes will generate a tsunami