Meteorology MCQs Quiz Multiple Choice Questions & Answers

1. A cT air mass is:

1. cold and dry
2. cold and humid
3. warm and dry
4. warm and humid

2. A cumulus cloud is recognized mainly by its

1. obvious vertical dimension
2. darkness or color
3. precipitation
4. layered structure

3. A parcel of air has a temperature of 0OC as it crosses a mountain range at 3000 meters. If it descends, what will its temperature be when it reaches sea level?

1. 15 degree Celcius
2. 30 degree Celcius
3. 0 degree Celcius
4. 40OC

4. A stable atmosphere is one in which

1. air layers are at their lowest elevations
2. temperatures are adiabatic
3. vertical motions are resisted
4. clouds are forming

5. A tornado is a small, very intense example of the

1. cyclone
2. anticyclone
3. coriolis effect
4. geostrophic wind

6. A warm front is said to exist when

1. warm and cold air meet
2. invading cold air pushes underneath warmer air
3. moving cold air overrides warmer air
4. advancing warm air overrides retreating cold air

7. Adiabatic processes are only important for air

1. which is rising or sinking
2. that is stagnant

8. After a cold front passes, which of these does not usually occur?

1. marked temperature drop
2. wind direction shift
3. clearing skies
4. falling barometer

9. An adiabatic process is one in which the

1. altitude of the air parcel remains constant
2. heat exchanged with the surroundings is zero
3. pressure on the air parcel remains constant
4. temperature remains constant

10. An air mass from the Gulf of Mexico is called:

1. cP
2. mP
3. cT
4. mT

11. An air mass is a body of air with

1. equal density throughout
2. similar values of temperature and moisture in the horizontal
3. very high pressure everywhere
4. at least two frontal zones

12. An air mass is often modified as it moves over the earths surface. This modification is largely due to

1. jet streams above
2. clouds
3. strong pressure gradients
4. contact with the ground below

13. An mP air mass is:

1. dry and cold
2. humid and cold
3. dry and warm
4. humid and warm

14. Another common term for the wave cyclone is:

1. tropical cyclone
2. anticyclone
3. polar-front cyclone
4. none of these

15. Anvil head is a term applied to:

1. cumulonimbus clouds
2. any high cloud
3. nimbostratus clouds
4. all clouds that form on the windward side of mountains

16. Characteristics of an air mass source region include

1. sharp temperature contrasts
2. high elevation
3. uniformity of temperature and moisture
4. jet stream winds aloft

17. Cloud seeding with silver iodide is based on the

1. Bergeron process
2. collision-coalescence process
3. both a and b
4. none of these

18. Clouds and precipitation form in the air primarily due to

1. moisture being added to the air
2. air being cooled as it rises
3. excessive numbers of hygroscopoic nuclei
4. release of latent heat

19. Clouds are classified and named according to their altitude and

1. water content
2. temperature
3. size of droplets in the cloud
4. form or appearance

20. Compared to other types of fronts, the weather associated with a cold front usually

1. covers more area
2. is less violent but of longer duration
3. involves less precipitation
4. is more violent but of shorter duration

21. Deserts such as the Great Basin, Gobi, and Takla Makan are examples of:

1. chinook deserts
2. subtropical deserts
3. rain shadow deserts
4. monsoon deserts

22. Downdrafts and updrafts found side by side relate to the.......................in the development of a thunderstorm.

1. cumulus stage
2. mature stage
3. dissipating stage

23. Downdrafts totally dominate the.......................in the development of a thunderstorm.

1. cumulus stage
2. mature stage
3. dissipating stage

24. During which of the time spans listed below should hurricane formation in the North Atlantic be at a peak?

1. January-February
2. April-May
3. August-September
4. November-December

25. Freezing rain (ice storm) or sleet occurs when

1. upper air is cold and surface air is warm
2. both surface and upper air are cold
3. both surface and upper air are warm
4. upper air is warm and surface air is cold

26. Heat lightning:

1. is brighter than ordinary lightning
2. is also called ball lightning
3. occurs more than 20 kilometers from the person observing it
4. is actually a display of the northern lights

27. Hurricanes and midlatitude cyclones are similar in that:

1. both are areas of low pressure
2. both have conspicuous surface fronts
3. both are most common and well-developed in the winter season
4. both form in the trade-wind belt

28. Hurricanes generally are:

1. larger than tornadoes
2. smaller than midlatitude cyclones
3. areas of heavy rainfall and strong winds
4. all of these

29. Hygroscopoic nuclei may be formed from

1. particles of dust
2. nitric acid particles
3. smoke from forest fires
4. all of the above

30. Inside of a cloud, how do the air temperature and the dew point compare to one another?

1. they are equal
2. air temperature exceeds dew point
3. dew point exceeds air temperature
4. there is no consistent relationship

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

1. warm
2. cold
3. occluded
4. stationary

32. Over the last 20 years, which of these has caused the fewest weather related deaths in the U.S.?

1. lightning
2. floods
3. tornadoes
4. hurricanes

33. Since detection and tracking of hurricanes is now quite accurate, why does damage from these storms continue to increase?

1. poor forecasts of landfall area
2. hurricane intensity is greater
3. changes in tidal patterns
4. continued development of coastal areas

34. The air mass type most likely to form thunderstorms is

1. mT
2. mP
3. cT
4. cA

35. The air masses that have the greatest influence on weather conditions in the Midwestern United States are:

1. cP and mT
2. mP and cP
3. cT and cP
4. mP and mT

36. The approximate lifetime of a wave cyclone is

1. a month
2. 10 - 24 hours
3. 1 - 2 days
4. a few days to a week

37. The buoyancy of a rising air parcel is greatly affected by

1. wind speed
2. air pressure
3. heat released if water vapor condenses
4. absorption of solar radiation

38. The cloud droplets in a cloud are formed by water vapor molecules and

1. molecules of air
2. other water vapor molecules
3. hygroscopoic nuclei
4. protons

39. The development of major winter storms in the midwest depends strongly on

1. wind speed near the surface
2. wind speed aloft
3. amount of snow already on the ground
4. air mass contrasts

40. The formation of tornadoes is associated with:

1. severe thunderstorms
2. cold fronts
3. middle-latitude cyclones
4. all of the above

41. The gust front occurs

1. on the lee shore of the Great Lakes
2. near the anvil part of a thunderstorm cloud
3. during the development of thunderstorm clouds
4. at the leading edge of a thunderstorm downdraft

42. The heat released when water vapor condenses to form a cloud or when liquid droplets freeze in a cloud

1. makes the air heavier
2. cools off the cloud
3. evaporates more water
4. helps the cloud to rise higher

43. The important difference between liquid droplets and ice crystals in a supercooled cloud is that ice crystals

1. are more pure
2. are smaller
3. increase the water vapor content of the cloud
4. grow much more rapidly

44. The initial detection and monitoring of tropical storms that may become hurricanes is accomplished by

1. satellites
2. ocean buoys
3. aircraft
4. ocean ships

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

1. warm front
2. cold front
3. mesocyclone
4. occluded front

46. The most common way for air to be cooled in order that a cloud may form is by

1. emitting radiation
2. rising and expanding
3. sinking and contracting
4. reflecting radiation

47. The most important process of cloud formation in the atmosphere is:

1. cooling by compression of air
2. cooling by release of latent heat of vaporization
3. cooling by expansion of air
4. radiation cooling

48. The process by which a cloud droplet first forms is

1. condensation
2. evaporation
3. precipitation
4. collision and coalescence

49. The stability of an air layer refers to its

1. albedo
2. average temperature
3. pressure as measured at its base
4. tendency to either sustain or suppress vertical motions

50. The terms leader, flash, and stroke are used when describing:

1. a tornado
2. the stages of a thunderstorm
3. the passage of a hurricane
4. none of these