Deserts MCQs Quiz Multiple Choice Questions & Answers

1. Which of these best describe a desert?

1. Usually less than 250mm of rain per year, vegetation is less than 50%
2. At least 300mm of rain per year, vegetation is less than 50%
3. Usually less than 150mm of rain each year, no vegetation
4. Less than 50mm of rain per year, vegetation is less than 50%

2. Approximately what percentage of the worlds deserts are covered with sand?

1. 5%
2. 20%
3. 50%
4. 100%

3. Atacama desert is in

1. South America
2. North America
3. South Africa
4. North Africa

4. Atakama deserts covers

1. Central South America
2. Wester South America
3. Coastle regions of Peru and some parts of North Chile
4. none of the above

5. Deserts with a pebble surface are called

1. regs
2. draas
3. barchans
4. ergs

6. How does desert pavement form?

1. by intense chemical weathering
2. by wind erosion
3. by stream erosion
4. by intense mechanical weathering

7. If most of the land in Utah was left in its natural state, which environment would it be?

1. Desert
2. Wetland
3. Ocean
4. Forest

8. In what country is the Chihuahuan desert located?

1. Mexico
2. North Africa
3. South Africa
4. South Arabian Peninsula

9. In which country Takla Makan desert situated?

1. Kazakhastan
2. Turkmenistan
3. Uzbekistan
4. China

10. Kalhari is a desert because

1. It lies in the tropics
2. It is on the leeward side of a mountain
3. It underlies a high pressure cell
4. It receives only land wind

11. Kalhari is situated in

1. South America
2. West Asia
3. South Africa
4. North Africa

12. Much of a deserts surface consists of sand, gravel, and rock rubble because

1. clay minerals form slowly in a desert environment
2. wind blows away clay and soil before it can accumulate to great thickness
3. vegetation is sparse and cannot prevent erosion of soil
4. all of these

13. Sonoram desert includes

1. Lower California and north-west coast of the Mexican mainland
2. New York State
3. Albama
4. Texas

14. The Great Basin and Mojave deserts of western North America exist primarily

1. because they lie near the equator
2. because they lie thousands of kilometers from the ocean
3. because they lie in the rainshadow of coastal mountains
4. all of these

15. The main cause of Kalhari being a ddesert is

1. The cloud current near the coast
2. Its location in the tropics
3. Its people are primitive
4. Its location in the west coast in the tropics

16. The transformation of semi-arid regions into deserts is called

1. desertification
2. deflation
3. deforestation
4. detoxification

17. This area in Utah is probably which type?

1. Desert
2. Wetland
3. Mountain
4. Forest

18. What are the main types of deserts?

1. Hot deserts, warm deserts
2. Hot deserts, cold deserts
3. Hot deserts only
4. Hot deserts, lukewarm deserts

19. What minerals are responsible for the orange-brown colors of weathered surfaces in the desert?

1. quartz
2. alkali feldspar
3. iron oxides
4. all of these

20. Which adaptation would help a desert plant survive a hot summer?

1. large, thin leaves
2. lots of leaves in bunches
3. a dark green color
4. small, thick, waxy leaves

21. Which environment would have the most coniferous trees?

1. Desert
2. Grasslands
3. Wetland
4. Forest

22. Which of the following would you least expect to find in a desert?

1. playa lakes
2. rounded, soil-covered hills
3. steep river valleys and gorges
4. dune fields

23. Which one of the following deserts is famous for deposits of nitrates?

1. Kalhari
2. Atacama
3. Gobi
4. Sahara